©NTPL/Andrew Butler
Antony, near Torpoint in Cornwall, has been the ancestral home of the Carew family ever since Sir William Carew began to build it in 1720. In 1961 Sir John Carew Pole gave Antony to the National Trust, with an endowment for its upkeep, but by mutual agreement he continued to live in the house, as does his son, Sir Richard, with his wife Lady Mary, today.
Evidence of family occupation at Antony. ©NTPL/Cristian Barnett
Donor families remain in residence at a number of National Trust properties. This helps to preserve the historical continuity of the place, and to prevent it becoming too museum-like. At Antony the Carew Poles have not only worked with the Trust to open the house to visitors, but they have also commissioned contemporary art and developed the garden.
Cheshire Cat? Detail on an eighteenth-century table at Antony. ©NTPL/Andreas von Einsiedel
Recently the Carew Poles and the Trust staff at Antony were joined by Tim Burton and his crew who came to borrow the house and garden as an evocative set for the new Alice in Wonderland film.
The track along which Alice runs, in the Woodland Garden at Antony. ©NTPL/Andrew Butler
An article on the filming at Antony has appeared in the Spring 2010 issue of the National Trust Magazine. To celebrate the film the gardens will be turned into a wonderland this season, with wondrous installations, mysterious trails and Mad Hatter tea parties.
March 26, 2010 at 13:12 |
The photos of the clipped hedge & the woodland track are wonderful. Thank you for including them.
March 26, 2010 at 13:36 |
Thank you very much. The Yew Walk next to the house is actually a nineteenth-century addition, reacting against the informal Repton landscape that went before, which, in turn, was a replacement of the original early eighteenth-century formal parterres – illustrating the see-saw of fashion.
March 26, 2010 at 16:19 |
I am so glad you posted about Antony…there were not nearly enough photographs in the NT Magazine!
March 26, 2010 at 16:37 |
Yes the NT Magazine editors are always struggling with the available space – that’s where we bloggers can pick up the ball and run with it.
March 26, 2010 at 23:02 |
I don’t think we will be able to resist mysterious trails & mad hatter tea parties – we will certainly visit and it’s not too far from us really.
we are really enjoying your blog – we have just added it to our latest “currently loving” collection.
March 27, 2010 at 09:09 |
Excellent. And in the house there is lots of old woodwork, both panelling and furniture, for you to cast your maker’s eye over.
March 28, 2010 at 22:36 |
Just wanted to echo what everyone else is saying — the photos are magical and really enhance the interesting text. Thanks for giving us the extra images. I still haven’t seen Alice but wish I could be there to see your installations and tea parties.
March 29, 2010 at 07:42 |
Thanks very much. It’s nice how a film can suddenly add a layer to a place, isn’t it?