This year the National Trust will be opening Godolphin house and garden, following last year’s acquisition.
© National Trust / Aerial Cam
An extraordinary and significant place with a ‘hidden’ and atmospheric character, at one time Godolphin was the most fashionable house in Cornwall, and we now think that the historic garden may well be the oldest to survive in Britain. Godolphin’s wider estate, also historically important, was already owned by the Trust, and is a distinct area within the ‘Cornish Mining’ World Heritage Site.
This is a very significant acquisition for the Trust. We needed to generate enough funds for the outstanding conservation work, for annual maintenance work and to cover the costs of opening the house and garden to the public. We have had to take a very different approach to Godolphin in order to generate income and minimise costs, whilst still protecting its tranquil atmosphere.
When considering the question of access, we had to recognise that ‘normal’ opening arrangements are costly in terms of providing adequate visitor facilities and staffing to deal with high visitor levels. The house is also too small to bear large crowds, which could also, critically, destroy Godolphin’s unique and precious atmosphere – the very thing that visitors want to come to Godolphin to experience.
Consequently we decided not to aim for high visitor numbers, and therefore the opening arrangements are not typical National Trust ones and we will not be investing in new or extensive visitor facilities.
Income generation is being approached differently, through creating holiday apartments in the house itself, and we have launched an appeal to conserve the historic buildings.
© National Trust / Aerial Cam
The Trust is taking an innovative approach to conservation at Godolphin, phasing in repairs over a much longer term than usual, and delivering work in a low-key manner, with the primary focus on involving trainees and volunteers. We will also be establishing partnerships with educational establishments and the construction industry to develop conservation and traditional building skills.
Visitors will therefore initially see areas in a poor state of repair, and sometimes see conservation work taking place.
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