Antony brings together Antony House and its collections with gardens, parkland and views across the river. The history of the house and the design of the landscape offer different highlights: when choosing a destination, you can consider whether you are more interested in architecture and collections or in garden spaces and wildlife watching.
Antony House: Interiors, Collections and History
The interior of Antony House retains a well-preserved early 18th-century character. The hall and the main ground-floor rooms are panelled in oak. The furnishings include 18th-century furniture and tapestries, miniatures from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as family portraits and mementos. There is also 18th- and 19th-century pottery from the J. P. Morgan Collection. The collections therefore bring together objects from different periods; the miniatures extend the story beyond the early history of the house.
The history of the estate also spans several stages. The land on which Antony House stands has been owned by the Carew family since the 15th century. In 1718, master mason John Moyle agreed to build the shell of the house. Later, in 1792, Humphry Repton was commissioned to prepare a landscape design for Antony. The history of ownership, the building agreement and the landscape planning refer to distinct events and dates.
Another historic building at Antony is the round stone dovecote. It dates from the early 18th century and is Grade II* listed. It once served to supply the kitchen and adorn the garden. Its dual purpose combined a practical use with garden design.
Gardens, Parkland and Views
Antony’s registered landscape includes around 30 hectares of gardens and pleasure grounds, as well as around 100 hectares of parkland and woodland. These different sizes help distinguish the landscape’s features: alongside the gardens and pleasure grounds is a more extensive landscape of parkland and woodland. The garden spaces combine formal terraces and lawns beside the house with informal pleasure gardens and woodland gardens.
The landscape also includes a formal garden with topiary, modern sculptures and a historic collection of daylilies. Riverside paths and higher ground such as Jupiter Point offer views across the river to the keep of Trematon Castle and to Ince Castle. These viewpoints therefore direct attention not only to the garden landscape itself, but also to two named castles across the river.
Antony Woodland Garden runs along the edge of the Lynher Estuary and is recognised as an International Camellia Garden of Excellence. Along the Lynher, there are river views where herons, cormorants, shelducks and oystercatchers can be spotted. This adds opportunities for specific wildlife and birdwatching to the designed garden areas.
Visiting and Planning Your Stay
Antony also has a natural play area with branches and collected natural materials for building dens, as well as a storytelling area. This offers a different experience from the historic interiors and gardens, adding a hands-on activity to the cultural and landscape themes.
Two distances are useful for finding your way: Antony House’s main car park is 250 yards from the Welcome Point. Antony House is about 2 miles on foot from the Torpoint ferry landing. These distances refer to different starting points and do not describe the same route.
If you are planning a trip to Antony, you can first decide what you would like to focus on during your stay: Antony House brings together architecture, collections and building history, while the gardens, views and birdwatching offer different highlights.
Discover more destinations: Mawgan Porth, Saltash, Perranporth, Porthleven, Penryn, Altarnun, Porthcurno, Probus
For the wider travel overview: Cornwall.
