Visit Cadhay To Appreciate True Elizabethan Splendour

If you ran an attraction that had been nominated as one of the “ top ten manor houses in the country’ by no finer authority than “Country Life”, you would consider that you had a real job on your hands living up to the high level of expectation.

Not so at Cadhay House and Gardens located ten miles east of Exeter in Devon, and only five miles from coastal Sidmouth.

Dating back to the year 1550, Cadhay was constructed by John Haydon who married into the de Cadhay family. Having been built on the site of an earlier property, the Great Hall from that building, which dates back to 1420, was retained.  Haydon's nephew Robert subsequently added a long gallery, a feature of late 16th century house building, closing in the south side of the house to form a courtyard.

Cadhay is constructed around its central Court of the Sovereigns, overlooked by four carved images of the Tudor monarchs. Further alterations have been made over subsequent years, chief amongst which are the Georgian dining room which was created in 1739 by inserting a lower ceiling in the Great Hall.

Upstairs, the Long Gallery, was an addition dating from the reign of Elizabeth I, and is a notable feature, offering itself  today as something of a family museum. The Roof Chamber, with its feature beamed ceiling, is a splendid venue for civic marriage ceremonies.

Alterations continued during the 18th and 19th centuries, although there were times when Cadhay was in a poor state of repair. Dampier Whetham came into ownership in 1910 , and it was he who uncovered the old Tudor hearths and put the house into sound structural condition. Having rented the property from the 1920’s,  the William-Powlett family then purchased Cadhay in 1935, with continual family occupation since then.

There is some justice in this as the William-Powletts are descendants of Amias Paulet, who was an ancestor of the de Cadhays.

The present owner is Rupert Thistlethwayte, and he has spent most of the last decade in undertaking a restoration of Cadhay taking it back to its original splendour while at the same time introducing modern comforts such as heating, additional bathrooms, as well as contemporary furniture of his own design.

Cadhay now offers itself, amongst other things as a wedding venue, a wonderful place to stay, as well as accommodation in the grounds. 

The gardens, together with the house, are open to the public on Fridays between 2pm and 5.30pm (last tour 4pm) from May to September, and during late May and summer Bank Holidays. A Tea Room is open, serving  home baked cakes and light refreshments.

http://www.cadhay.org.uk/housegardens.html