Lanhydrock — A Most Tragic Fire - Beyond Downton Abbey: A Guide to 25 Great Houses - page 55

photo by Benjamin Vander Steen (Creative Commons license)
Who built it…who owns it
The property belonged to the Augustinian priory of Saint Petroc until the dissolution of
the monasteries in 1530 at which point it passed into private hands. Some sections of the
house date back to the 1620s when Sir Richard Robartes acquired the estate. Sir Richard
designed Lanhydrock House with a four-sided courtyard. When Sir Richard died, his son,
John Robartes, 1 st Earl of Radnor, completed the work. During the 18 th century the East
wing was demolished, leaving a U-shaped building.
After the 1881 fire destroyed the south wing and caused extensive damage to the central
section of the main house, only the north wing with its Long Gallery and front porch
building survived. The original mid-17 th century gatehouse escaped undamaged. Thomas
Charles, the 2 nd Lord Robartes, rebuilt the house to meet the needs of his large family. He
hired architect Richard Coad, telling him to design “an unpretentious family home.” The
result was a magnificent late-Victorian country house, purpose built for a large wealthy
family to live in comfortably.