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Knightshayes
Explore vibrant post-war gardens, miles of 19th-century parkland and grand Gothic Revival architecture by Victorian visionary, William Burges.
Knightshayes, Bolham, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 7RQ
Important notice
With the increased temperatures we are seeing, the upstairs of the house is closed as temperatures are too hot for volunteers, staff and visitors. This is for health and wellbeing of everyone. Thank you for your understanding.
Opening times for 14 July 2025
Asset Opening time House: Ground floor 11:00 - 16:00 House: First floor 11:00 - 16:00 Garden 10:00 - 17:00 Kitchen garden 10:00 - 17:00 Parkland and Woodland Dawn - Dusk Café 10:00 - 17:00 Shop 10:00 - 17:00 Plant centre 10:00 - 17:00 Main car park 10:00 - 18:00 Parkland car park 07:00 - 18:00 Secondhand bookshop 10:00 - 16:30 Visitor Welcome 10:00 - 16:30 Last entry to the house is 30 minutes before closing. Last orders in the cafe are 10 mins before closing. Grass paths are closed November - Easter and the kitchen garden will open later when frosty. Whole property is closed 24 - 26 December.
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Ticket type With Gift Aid Without Gift Aid Adult (18+) £18.70 £17.00 Child (5-17) under 5s free £9.40 £8.50 Family (2 Adults and up to 3 children) £46.80 £42.50 1 adult, up to 3 children £28.10 £25.50 Group (Adult 18+) £16.15 Group (Child 5-17) £8.08 Become a member and discover more than 500 places
- Bookshop
Our second-hand bookshop is open all year round. Donations welcome, please email Knightshayes@nationaltrust.org.uk, for donations larger than 2 bags.
- Café
Knightshayes Stables Cafe can be found in the stables close to the main car park. Serving hot and cold food and drinks, sandwiches and light snacks
- Car park
Follow the drive up past the Stables for our main car park. Parking is pay & Display - £1.10 for an hour, £2.20 for two hours, £3.30 for three hours and £4.40 for all day. Members park free
- Dogs allowed
On short leads in the parkland, Formal & Woodland Garden, café, shop and second-hand bookshop all year round. Dog bins can be found in the car parks and at the entrances to Impey Walk. Assistance dogs welcome throughout
- Plant shop
- Shop
Inside the shop you'll find plenty of inspirational gifts and homeware items.
- Toilet
Toilets can be found at the stables including an adapted toilet and at the house where there are accessible toilets. Baby changing tables are available in the adapted and ladies toilet at the stables and in the female and male accessible stalls in the house toilets
Blue Badge parking and drop-off point. Accessible toilets. Uneven surfaces. Garden partly accessible.
- Accessible route and/or map
The Formal & Woodland garden is partly accessible, with hard surfaced step-free path around much of it. Please be aware of slopes, gravel paths and steps down to the terraces
- Accessible toilet
An adapted toilet is available at the Stables, and further facilities are available in the toilets opposite the main entrance to the house.
- Designated parking
The lower area of the main car park is available for accessible parking. Main car park is a hard surface of compressed hard core.
- Drop-off point
Is available at the house, please visit Reception first
- Induction loop
There is a induction loop fitted at the tills in the reception building, at the shop till and at the cafe tills.
- Level access to food outlet
Café is situated in the Stables, with level access from the Stables Courtyard, which is cobbled with a slight dip to the centre. There is a slight lip on entry. The seating area dips to a drain in the middle
- Level access to shop
Access from the stables courtyard is cobbled. Access from the Plant centre is a light gravel surface. The shop floor is uneven
- Ramped access/slopes
There is ramped access to the second-hand bookshop at the stables and in to the house. The walled garden is on a slope to capture sun light and the woodland garden is also sloped.
- Seating available
There are benches throughout the gardens, on the walk between the stables and the house. There are a mixture of chairs and benches with and without arms in the stables cafe. Within the house there are chairs available most without arms. Please ask a volunteer to point out the chairs that can be used.
- Steps/uneven terrain
Stables has historic cobble surfaces. There are several sets of steps in the gardens. There is a step free route marked on the property map.
- Wheelchairs available
There are two manual wheel chairs available from reception. Please book in advance of your visit, please email Knightshayes@nationaltrust.org.uk or call 01884 235774. Unfortunately we do not currently have any powered wheelchairs or trampers.
- By road
7 miles from M5 exit 27 (A361); turn right off Tiverton to Bampton road (A396) at Bolham.
Parking: Members park free. £1.20 for one hour, £2.20 for 2 hour, £3.30 for 3 hours, £4.40 all day.
Sat Nav: Sat nav postcode EX16 7RH. Follow the brown tourism signs from Tiverton/Bolham.
- By train
Tiverton Parkway 8 miles.
- By bus
Dartline 398, Tiverton to Dulverton, alight Bolham, ¾ mile walk. Otherwise Tiverton Parkway train station; Exeter to Tiverton (passing close Exeter Central train station), alight Tiverton 1¾ miles.
- Cycling
We are on Sustrans route 3. Please park your bike in the lower car park near the red gates into the plant centre.
Planning your visit
Article
A family day out at Knightshayes
Family-friendly activities and seasonal events just a short drive from Exeter, in the beautiful mid-Devon countryside.
Article
Visiting Knightshayes with your dog
Explore the parkland and garden at Knightshayes with your dog. Follow our dog walking guidance and find your next adventure here. Knightshayes is a two pawprint rated place.
Article
Group visits to Knightshayes
Find out everything you need to plan a group visit to Knightshayes in Devon, from booking information to the benefits you might receive.
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Highlights
The House
Gothic Revival house, a rare example of the genius of William Burges, whose opulent designs divide opinion.
Garden in the Wood
A masterpiece of architectural planting, home to one of the most outstanding botanical collections in the country.
Parkland
Designed landscape across 262 acres, home to a number of county and country champion and veteran trees.
Stables
Built in 1872 to echo the Gothic Revival architecture of the house, it was the centre of the working estate.
Kitchen garden
The traditional Victorian walled kitchen garden was restored in 2001.
Second-hand bookshop
Nestled within the stables, browse shelves of good-quality books and find your next read.
Adventure play
Climb and balance at our woodland play area in Douglas Fir Walk, with challenges for all ages to try.
Café
Afternoon tea, light meals, snacks and child-friendly lunch boxes are available at the Stables café.
Spotlight events
Let your family's imagination run wild at Knightshayes this summer.
Article
Summer of play at Knightshayes
Family-friendly activities and seasonal events just a short drive from Exeter, in the beautiful mid-Devon countryside.
Things to see and do
Article
A family day out at Knightshayes
Family-friendly activities and seasonal events just a short drive from Exeter, in the beautiful mid-Devon countryside.
Article
Things to see and do inside Knightshayes house
Discover the ground floor of house at National Trust’s Knightshayes. See the details behind architect William Burges's gothic façade and a portrait that may be by Rembrandt. From Saturday 14 February the first floor of the house will also reopen for a peek into the private spaces of the Heathcoat-Amory family.
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Visiting the garden at Knightshayes
Step into the formal and woodland garden at Knightshayes in Tiverton, Devon, which is divided into eight separate areas plus a walled kitchen garden.
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Exploring the estate at Knightshayes
There are acres of parkland to discover at Knightshayes. It's a great place for the whole family to explore with room to roam with plenty of hidden corners to discover.
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Exploring Buzzards Woodland near Knightshayes
Located off the beaten track in the Dart Valley, Buzzards Woodland is a tranquil oasis that's well worth a visit. Find out more about how to get there and the wildlife you might spot.
Top trails
Trail
Knightshayes parkland circular dog walk
This circular route is perfect for dog walking and for exploring the historic parkland. It takes you through open fields and past some special trees in the Knightshayes parkland, including the Turkey oak, believed to be the largest in the UK.
Trail
Knightshayes circular walk
Explore Knightshayes with your dog on this 2.2-mile (3.5km) circular walk around the estate.
Trail
Knightshayes veteran tree walk
Discover the champion trees at Knightshayes on a walk through the garden, taking in holly, sweet chestnut, the tallest redwood in Devon and the biggest turkey oak in the UK.
Eating and shopping
Article
Eating and shopping at Knightshayes
Grab a bite to eat and drink in the Stables Café, or browse the range of goods in our shop. You'll find all the details here.
Upcoming events
Event
Bringing the outside in: exploring Knightshayes' garden book collection
For the first time on display, discover some of the books that gave inspiration to Sir John and Joyce, Lady Heathcoat Amory in this exhibition of garden books from the Knightshayes collection.
Event
Conservation in action: Caring for the book collection
Find out how the House Team care for the book collection at Knightshayes
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Festival of Archaeology at Knightshayes
Find out about some of the archaeological features dotted around Knightshayes. Some you may have seen, others you might not have noticed...
Event
Heritage Open Days: Knightshayes
Knightshayes is taking part in Heritage Open Days Festival on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September. Entry is free to all visitors.
Event
Autumn Colour: Formal & Woodland Garden Walks
Discover the best of Autumn in the Formal & Woodland Garden on a self guided walk
Event
Victorian Illusion, Movement and Mystery
Discover how the Victorians created mystery and illusion through movement and ticks of the light.
About Knightshayes
With acres of glorious garden and park, surrounding a spectacular Gothic Revival house, Knightshayes is the complete country gentleman's dream.
The house is a rare example of the work of William Burges, whose lavish designs have always inspired extremes of opinion. Full of quirks and curiosities, it is a house of many faces.
The formal and woodland garden is one of the finest and most varied plant collections in the country. With over 1200 plant species unique to Knightshayes and an ever changing display, it’s always worth a visit, as is the walled kitchen garden, brimming with seasonal produce for the Stables Café.
Out in the parkland, there are woodland walks, acres of tenanted farmland (home to our tenant farmers Exmoor Horn sheep).
Find out more about what there is to see and do at Knightshayes.
History
Article
The history of Knightshayes
Delve into over 200 years of history at Knightshayes. Discover the Heathcoat-Amory family history, how the house and garden was designed and developed, and Knightshayes’s sad connections with the Second World War.
Art and collections
Knightshayes’s objects and collections
Explore the objects and works of art we care for at Knightshayes on the National Trust Collections website.
Our work
Article
Our work in the garden at Knightshayes
The walled kitchen garden, home to a vast collection of crops, is a gardener’s delight. Find out about the work the team does to care for it, and the other areas of the garden.
Support us
Article
Volunteering at Knightshayes
Discover how to join the volunteering team at Knightshayes, and learn how being a volunteer could benefit you.
Bookshop at Knightshayes
The second-hand bookshop is open daily. Take the opportunity to try a new author, learn a new hobby or pick up a jigsaw to complete. All the books have been kindly donated and all the money raised from their sale helps care for Knightshayes. If you would like to donate books to us please email knightshayes@nationaltrust.org.uk or call 01884 235760