Although the building is essentially very old, being Jacobean, a devastating fire meant that it was largely rebuilt in the late Victorian era.
I took oodles of photos inside but you were understandably not allowed to use a flash and it was a gloomy day so apologies if the photos are a little dark.
What we really loved about Lanhydrock is that the NT have staged it as if the family is still in residence. So as you can see, the table in the dining room is set ready for dinner. This really helped bring the visit alive. Sometimes when you visit these old houses, it can all seem a little remote.
There were a lot of rooms to see in this house which was also a plus and it was not too busy on the day of our visit. Although many formal rooms were on show, my favourites tend to be those with a more down-to-earth feel. I therefore loved the nursery and school room and the Nanny's bedroom with its stunning handmade quilt.
The lady of the house's boudoir was pretty special, though. In true Victorian style, a lot of the rooms were quite colourful and sometimes dark in their decor but this space was like a breath of fresh air, light and bright. Again, seeing all the little personal effects on display was a really positive experience for me.
I think I would have liked being the mistress of Lanhydrock very much.
My absolute favourite part of this house tour however, and yes I have saved the best for last, was looking round the kitchens. I am really interested in interiors styling and kitchens in particular and those of the Victorian/Edwardian era tend to be my favourite.
What was so incredible at Lanhydrock was that there was not just a grand kitchen, or even the addition of a pantry, but a whole series of rooms. Oh my!
The main kitchen was a very large room with an extremely high ceiling. It was difficult to take a photo of it in its entirety, both because of the scale and because there were quite a lot of visitors in this room. What is it that makes kitchens so fascinating?
I was drooling madly over all the beautiful pots, pans and utensils on display. I see pieces like these on stalls at antiques fairs such as Shepton Mallet and am always tempted.
The cabinetry itself was also stunning, the quality palpable as you would expect from the Victorians but also immensely practical. It struck me how today's kitchen styles still hark back heavily to this era.
On from the kitchen to various rooms such as the scullery, pantry, bakehouse and dairy. Marvellous.
This room was my favourite. I forget what its official name was but it had me swooning. I was in here a long time and I took lots of photos of all the detailing for when the time comes to have our own kitchen refitted. From the cupboards to the labelled jars to the jam tarts, it was perfection to me.
Onwards to yet another room, we started to wonder just when the kitchen tour would end.
In fact, it ended in the cheese room which was utterly jaw dropping with its central marble slab complete with water connection and drainage channels, gorgeous light fitting and tiled walls. Around the edges of the walls ran wooden slatted shelves topped with various lovely old chargers and jugs and pretend cheeses. As with the other rooms, it was staged as if a maid could have appeared to prepare the cheese at any moment.
I don't think I've ever enjoyed visiting another National Trust (or similar) property as much as this one and we were all in agreement on that. It was fabulous and I can't wait to go again! I will definitely be going when it is time to design our kitchen, I cannot think of better inspiration. Should you find yourselves anywhere nearby, please do make time for a visit as it is truly worth it.
I have only been able to share a little portion of the property with you here (completely biased towards the kitchen, of course) but the grounds are also beautiful, especially this little chapel replete with roses round the arch.
Heaven!