- Antony House
Antony House is the name given to an early 18th-century house, which today is in the ownership of the National Trust. It is located between the town of
Torpoint and village ofAntony .The house is faced in silvery-grey
Pentewan stone, flanked by colonnaded wings of mellow brick and overlooks theriver Lynher . It was built for Sir William Carew between 1711 and1721, (although the family have owned the estate since the mid-1500s) and has continued as the Carew family's primary residence ever since. Sir John Carew Pole gave the house and formal gardens into the care of the National Trust in 1961, on the understanding that the family could continue to reside there. Currently Sir Richard Carew Pole, previously president of theRoyal Horticultural Society , lives there with his family.The house and gardens are open to viewing by the public between March and October.
Collections and furnishings
Antony House hosts a splendid collection of portraits, including a portrait of
Charles I of England at his trial, (Charles I granted a baronetcy to the Poles in 1628). The collection contains some ofSir Joshua Reynolds ' works, and a portrait of Rachel Carew, believed to have inspiredDaphne du Maurier 's novel "My Cousin Rachel ".Rooms are heavily panelled in Dutch Oak and contain fine collections of 18th Century furnishings and textiles.
Gardens and estate
The grounds were landscaped by Georgian
garden design erHumphry Repton and include the formal garden with the "National Collection of Day Lilies". In the early 1800s, yew hedges andtopiary were added to the formal landscaping. Adorning the gardens are stone carvings from North West India, a Burmese temple bell brought to Antony by General Sir Reginald Pole Carew, statuary and more recently acquired modernsculpture s, including a water feature in the shape of a cone. This echoes the grand spectacle of the topiary cone nearby, which is almost as tall as the house itself.Other notable features include a
black walnut tree,cork tree , a Japanese ornamental pond andknot garden . Thedovecote dates from the 18th Century, while afolly has been added recently in the estate grounds.The surrounding woodland garden (not National Trust, but owned by the
Carew Pole Garden Trust ) is noted forrhododendron s,azalea s,camellia s andmagnolia s, and surrounding woods provide delightful walks, which extend down to the river Lynher. The Bath Pond House situated in the woodland walks was built in 1789.Film Location
Antony House is to be the setting for the new
Disney film production ofAlice In Wonderland , from the famous children's book byLewis Carroll . The director isTim Burton andJohnny Depp will play the part of theMad Hatter , while newcomerMia Wasikowska will take the leading role of Alice. The film is due for release in cinema in 2010.External links
* [http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-antony/ Antony information at the National Trust]
* [http://www.cornwalls.co.uk/photos/Antony-photos.htm Photos of Antony House, Apr 2008]
* [http://www.uk-genealogy.org.uk/england/Cornwall/towns/Antony.html/ Antony]
* [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/Cornwall/Antony/ GENUKI page]
* [http://www.rhs.org.uk/index.asp/ RHS]
* [http://www.rhs.org.uk/learning/publications/pubs/garden0701/president.asp/ Sir Richard Carew Pole]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/2603396/Alice-in-Wonderland---starring-Johnny-Depp---to-be-filmed-at-National-Trust-house.html/ Film location]
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