Hemerdon House
Still the home of the family for which it was built, a late eighteenth-century house with a wealth of local and family history.
Plympton, Devon, PL7 5BZ
Facilities
- Parkland / open spaces
Wheelchair access
All the reception rooms on the ground floor are accessible, and these are where most of the pieces of historical significance are to be found. Unfortunately, owing to the geography of the house there is no wheelchair access to the first floor and no disabled WC.
for the latest information.
Built in the late 18th-century by the Woollcombe family, the current owners’ ancestors, Hemerdon House contains a wealth of local and family history, with artefacts collected by the family through generations.
On Open Days (please see their website for details) visitors are invited to enjoy a guided tour of the interior followed by a leisurely wander through the parkland with its pond and walled garden.
The presence of the family in Devon has been recorded since the 1100s, and in the Plympton area since the 1500s. The family’s participation in local public life – in particular over the last 300 years, through the naval and military services, the clergy, the law, medicine, and local government – is reflected in the contents of the house.
The major fittings, fireplaces and the like are thought to be original, and the furnishings have been accumulated over the years by the family for the house. These include a number of paintings and objets d’art, many acquired by Henry Woollcombe, who was a founder of the Plymouth Athenaeum and an enthusiastic patron of local artists.
Hemerdon offers an intimate insight into a country house and its family from the late 18th-century to the present day.
2022 Open Days
- April 30th
- May 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 27th, 28th and 29th
- June 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th
- July 22nd, 23rd, and 24th
- August 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th
Two tours per day, each lasting approximately 1 hour 15 minutes. The first tour begins at 2.30pm and the second at 4pm.
Historic Houses members: FREE
Standard entrance fee: £10
Children under 12: free (but must be accompanied by an adult)
Larger Parties
Parties of more than 6 are strongly advised to contact us in advance as we cannot otherwise guarantee that we will be able to accommodate them.
Group Tours
Tours for groups of more than 10 people are offered by prior arrangement only.
Schools are welcome to visit Hemerdon.
Please contact hemerdon.house@gmail.com or 07704 708416.
Wheelchair access
All the reception rooms on the ground floor are accessible, and these are where most of the pieces of historical significance are to be found. Unfortunately, owing to the geography of the house there is no wheelchair access to the first floor and no disabled WC.
for the latest information.
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