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Just a few miles from Newquay, the UK’s most famous surfing location and home to the lively Boardmasters music festival, is a quaint little National Trust property.
Trerice is a small, peaceful, and pleasant place to visit, often quieter than the larger National Trust (NT) sites around Cornwall, and a world away from places such as Waddesdon Manor.
The house is a well-preserved Elizabethan estate that’s been in the care of the National Trust since 1953.
Several families have served as guardians of the estate.
The estate was inherited by the Arundell family through marriage around 700 years ago. In 1572, John Arundell V began building the house you see today.
Fast-forward to 1675: Trerice saw another transfer through marriage to the Aclands, although they never lived there.
Sir Thomas Dyke Acland only stayed during his political visits to the county and used the Great Hall to entertain his guests around the enormous table.
Initially, the tenants of the last private owners, the Elton family, continued the Trerice tenancy when the NT acquired the property in 1953.
John Elton paid to repair the roof and the remaining parts of Trerice, and to rebuild the fallen North Wing, intending to create a comfortable family home.
What’s at Trerice National Trust?
- The house – you’ll find a well-preserved Elizabethan manor house with a unique character inside and a lovely Dutch gable outside. Although it’s not that big, there are plenty of points of interest, including the Great Hall (and the Great Hall window containing 576 tiles of 16th- to 19th-century glass), the Long Gallery, a 300-year-old longcase clock, fancy decorative plasterwork, and an intricately carved Tudor bed, to name a few.
- Gardens and grounds – the grounds are small but wonderfully peaceful and well-kept. In the grounds, you’ll find the Elizabethan-inspired knot garden, wooden summerhouse, lawn, apple orchard and meadow, called the mowhay.
- Barn Cafe – a National Trust site wouldn’t be complete without a cafe!
- Shopping – if you fancy some shopping, there’s a well-curated shop, selling plenty of National Trust items, along with a few local goodies, and there’s also a second-hand book shop tucked away around the back.
Visitor Information
📍 Trerice National Trust, Kestle Mill, Newquay, TR8 4PG
💷 Paid entry, but free for National Trust members
🕙 Not open year-round, check for correct opening times
📞 01637 875404
Photos of Trerice
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