700-year-old building with fine 16th-century great hall, associated with Elizabethan seafarers Drake and Grenville. Tucked away in its own secluded valley above the River Tavy, Buckland was originally a small but influential Cistercian monastery. The house, incorporating the remains of the 13th-century abbey church, has rich associations with Sir Francis Drake and his seafaring rival, Sir Richard Grenville, containing much interesting memorabilia from their time. There are exhibitions on Buckland’s history as well as a magnificent monastic barn, herb garden, delightful estate walks and craft workshops. Recent developments include new interpretative exhibitions and displays, a hand-crafted plasterwork ceiling in the Drake Chamber, the creation of an Elizabethan garden and the Cot Lane rural crafts area.

Visited 07 June 2004 

descriptive text attributed to www.nationaltrust.org.uk