Killerton House and Garden Houses

Fine 18th-century house with costume collection, hillside garden and estate.

Built for the Acland family in 1778, the house is furnished as a comfortable home. The Paulise de Bush collection of 18th- to 20th-century costume is displayed in period rooms. There is an introductory exhibition in the stable courtyard, a substantial Victorian laundry and interesting chapel. The garden was created in the 1770s by John Veitch, one of the greatest nurserymen and landscape designers of his day. It features rhododendrons, magnolias, herbaceous borders and rare trees, as well as an ice house and early 19th-century rustic-style summer house known as The Bear's Hut.

The surrounding parkland and woods offer a number of beautiful circular walks giving access to the 2,500- hectare (6,100-acre) estate, and there is also a discovery centre offering varied activities.