About
Arlington Court is one of Devon's most distinctive and surprising historic houses — a compact Regency mansion set in nearly 2,700 acres of north Devon countryside that conceals within it one of the most extraordinary and eclectic private collections in the National Trust's care, alongside the Trust's own remarkable national carriage collection.
The house was built between 1820 and 1823 for Colonel John Palmer Chichester to a design by Thomas Lee, replacing an earlier house on the site. It passed to Rosalie Chichester, who inherited the estate from her father in 1895 and lived here as its sole occupant until her death in 1949, when she bequeathed it to the National Trust. Rosalie Chichester never married, rarely left Devon, and devoted her long life to collecting — amassing an astonishing variety of objects from around the world that now fill the house in a uniquely personal and slightly overwhelming display.
Rosalie's collection defies easy categorisation. She collected model ships of extraordinary quality and quantity; shells from across the world's oceans; pewter accumulated over decades; costume; objects brought back by travelling relatives; and natural history specimens. The result is a house that feels genuinely inhabited — eccentric, personal, and completely unlike the curated interiors of more formal country houses.
The stable block houses the National Trust's own Carriage Collection — over 40 horse-drawn vehicles assembled from Trust properties across England, representing the full range of Victorian and Edwardian carriage types. State coaches, phaetons, landaus, governess carts, dog carts, and working farm vehicles are all represented, offering a comprehensive survey of horse-drawn transport at its zenith.
The estate itself is a destination in its own right. The grounds include formal Victorian terrace gardens, a lake with one of Britain's few heronries, woodland walks, and a bat cave that hosts one of the largest greater horseshoe bat roosts in the UK — a nationally important colony that has made Arlington a significant site for bat conservation. Shetland ponies and Jacob sheep graze the parkland, delighting younger visitors.
Categories:
Highlights
The National Trust Carriage Collection
Housed in Arlington's extensive stable block, the National Trust's Carriage Collection comprises over 40 horse-drawn vehicles gathered from Trust properties across England.
The collection spans the full spectrum of Victorian and Edwardian wheeled transport: elegant state coaches, open phaetons for summer motoring, enclosed landaus, practical governess carts for country use, sporting dog carts, and heavy working farm vehicles. Together they tell the story of horse-drawn transport at its nineteenth-century zenith, before the motor car swept it away in less than a generation.
Room guides offer expert interpretation of individual vehicles and their social context.
Rosalie Chichester's Eccentric Collections
Miss Rosalie Chichester lived at Arlington for over fifty years, collecting with tireless enthusiasm and complete personal idiosyncrasy. The result fills the house with an extraordinary accumulation: superbly detailed model ships in glass cases; shells gathered from oceans around the world; centuries of pewter; costume from various periods; objects brought back by naval and travelling relatives; natural history specimens; and a vast miscellany of decorative and personal objects.
The sheer quantity and variety of her collecting is unlike anything else in the National Trust's care, and the effect is of entering a genuinely inhabited house rather than a curated museum.
The Model Ship Collection
Among Rosalie Chichester's many collecting passions, model ships stand out for their quality and quantity. The collection includes beautifully crafted models of warships, merchant vessels, and sailing ships spanning several centuries of maritime history, displayed in glass cases throughout the house.
Some were made as gifts for the Chichester family by sailors or craftsmen; others were purchased or collected by Rosalie herself.
The collection is extraordinary in scope and provides a miniature survey of British maritime history that complements the full-sized carriages in the stables.
The Greater Horseshoe Bat Roost
Arlington Court hosts one of the largest greater horseshoe bat colonies in the United Kingdom — a nationally important roost that makes the property a significant site for bat conservation. Greater horseshoe bats are rare and legally protected, and their presence at Arlington reflects the unspoilt quality of the surrounding north Devon countryside, which provides ideal feeding habitat.
National Trust bat-watching evening events in summer allow visitors to observe the colony emerging at dusk — an unforgettable wildlife experience.
The bats use the underground caves and tunnels beneath the estate buildings.
Collections
Rosalie's World: The Chichester Collections
The house interior is presented as Rosalie Chichester left it, with her extraordinary collection of model ships, shells, pewter, costume, and global curiosities filling the rooms. National Trust room guides provide context and interpretation throughout.
The National Trust Carriage Collection
Over 40 horse-drawn vehicles of all types displayed in the restored stable block, tracing the history of Victorian and Edwardian horse-drawn transport. Includes state coaches, sporting carriages, working vehicles, and domestic carriages from Trust properties across England.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.