The history of Knightshayes

Knightshayes's Victorian Gothic revival

William Burges created a group of buildings at Knightshayes: a Victorian Gothic Revival country house, stable block and an entrance lodge as well as the walls of the Kitchen Garden.

Turrets, gables and chimneys create a varied skyline. The house, stables and lodge are all built of local red Hensleigh stone, contrasting golden Ham stone from Somerset and bright red clay tiles.

Burges's stables

The stables are second only to the house in importance, as horses were vital for transport and leisure activities. Burges’ stable block was completed in 1872.

He succeeded in making it impressive and practical, and it shares many of the house’s features. Surrounded by trees, only the front elevation was intended to be seen.

A change in direction

The flamboyant interiors Burges proposed for the house were too much for Sir John and his wife Henrietta and they were never realised. Client and architect parted company halfway through the commission when Burges was fired by the family.

John Dibblee Crace

Although the plan and some interior features are by Burges, the Heathcoat-Amorys commissioned more conventional, less extravagant Gothic interiors from the prestigious decorator John Dibblee Crace.

Still not completely happy with the result, they again began alterations a few years later. Much of Crace's work was covered up by the family, but later restored.

Knightshayes and the Second World War

In 1944 Knightshayes became a rest home for the American Air Force. It had enough space to have 40 officers and was allocated to the 1st Bomb Division.

The airmen were entitled to a week of leave. It wasn't possible for the men to go home, so some English country homes and hotels became repurposed to provide a break from the war.

Daily life for soldiers

At Knightshayes, men could rest and recover away from their military routine, relaxing and enjoying games, activities and tranquillity. They played golf in the garden, clay pigeon shooting on the cricket ground in the parkland and tried to leave behind the horrors of war.

Knightshayes holds images from this time, showing the men and Red Cross volunteers enjoying games and golf, snowball fights in the winter and the groups enjoying the terraces in the summer.

A plane accident at Knightshayes

The grounds also served as an airfield for two small military spotter planes attached to the army artillery unit whose staff headquarters were based here.

It became customary for those who had convalesced at Knightshayes to fly over the estate and dip their wing as a salute to those who were still staying there.

The tragedy

Just three days before the end of the war, on 1 May 1945, Lieutenant Albin Zychowski set out to fly over Knighthayes. He planned to tip the wing of his P47 Thunderbolt in an 18 strong plane formation.

Unfortunately, his plane clipped the top of a tall pine in the grounds, causing the fully armed plane to crash. It exploded near the waterworks in Chettiscombe, which borders the estate.

Despite the efforts of bystanders, Albin couldn't be saved. It was a reminder to everyone how cruel the war was.

Knightshayes's Gardens

The Formal Garden

The Formal Garden was laid out by landscape designer Edward Kemp, at the same time as the house was being built in the 19th century.

The design featured a series of terraces, formal rose beds, enclosed garden compartments, a pleasure ground walk and a ha-ha, offering unimpeded views across the parkland.

Many of these features remain today. Much of the planting came from the famous Veitch Nursey near Exeter and included many rare species.

The garden in the wood

The garden in the wood was the first part of the garden Sir John and Lady Amory developed after the Second World War in 1946. Sir Eric Savill, who created the famous Savill woodland garden in Windsor Great Park in the 1930s, helped them.

The garden in the wood blends Sir John’s passion for new and rare plants and Joyce’s love of arranging them. Together, this created views and vistas with shady paths leading to sunlit glades. It remained her favourite part of the garden for the rest of her life.

The walled kitchen garden

The kitchen garden was an essential part of Victorian country estate life, providing food, flowers and exotic fruit for the family. Designed by William Burges, it had turrets like a castle and was finished in 1876, during the peak of the Victorian obsession with productive gardens.

Considered by many to be a high art, the vegetable and fruit growing that took place within these walls would have showcased the latest growing techniques.

The kitchen garden after the First World War

The garden declined following the First World War as most young men were deployed, leaving a skeleton staff. By the Second World War, numbers had declined further, though the garden was still used to help produce supplies for the house.

Wider commercial availability of fruit and vegetables also meant the garden ceased to be cost effective, as more and more produce was brought into the estate.

The walled garden today

In the 1960s the garden was abandoned due it being too expensive to run and put to bed for over 40 years. In 1999, a project was undertaken to restore the kitchen garden to its former glory and by 2003 it was fully productive again.