Mount Edgcumbe South Cornwall

Encompassing 350 hectares, this Grade I–listed estate was built for the Earls of Edgcumbe, but is now owned by Cornwall and Plymouth City Councils. It's one of the earliest of Cornwall's estates, liberally sprinkled with follies, chapels, grottoes, pavilions and formal gardens. The house was built between 1547 and 1553, but was practically destroyed by German bombing in 1941. It's since been restored in lavish 18th-century style. The gardens are particularly lovely. It's also a strategically important sight, overlooking the entrance to the Tamar Estuary.