Mount Edgcumbe House & Country Park
A Tudor mansion and historic park overlooking Plymouth Sound, near Torpoint
Mount Edgcumbe House & Country Park, Cremyll, Torpoint, Cornwall PL10 1HZ
01752 822236
Mount Edgcumbe sits at the very tip of the Rame Peninsula, gazing straight across the water to Plymouth - a setting that has made it a landmark for visitors arriving by both road and sea for nearly 500 years. Sir Richard Edgcumbe built the original Tudor mansion between 1547 and 1553, and it remained the principal Cornish seat of the Edgcumbe family for generations, several of whom sat in Parliament before the family was raised to the peerage as Earls of Mount Edgcumbe in 1789.
The house's proximity to Devonport naval base made it a wartime target: German bombing in 1941 gutted much of the building, and it stood as a ruin until the 6th Earl began restoration in 1958. In 1971 the 7th Earl transferred the estate into public ownership, and it has been jointly cared for by Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council ever since, opening to visitors from 1988.
The surrounding grounds are considered England's earliest landscaped country park, laid out in Italian, English and French garden styles between roughly 1750 and 1820. Formal terraces, follies and a historic gun battery give way to wilder woodland walks and open parkland grazed by a free-roaming herd of fallow deer - Sir Piers Edgcumbe was granted a royal licence by Henry VIII to enclose a deer park here as far back as 1515. Wherever you walk, there are views out over Plymouth Sound and the mouth of the River Tamar. The Country Park is free to enter and open year-round, while the house itself and the more formal Earl's Garden open on a shorter seasonal, ticketed basis. See "Explore the Park" below for more on the cafes, walks, the Garden Battery and the deer park.
Down below the house, the pebble beach at Barn Pool is a favourite spot for a picnic or a swim, with views out across Plymouth Sound. It has real wartime history too: on 6 June 1944, US troops of the 29th Infantry Division embarked from here bound for Omaha Beach as part of the D-Day landings, and remnants of the old wartime landing stage can still be seen on the beach today.
Visitors with mobility issues need not miss out on the park's wilder corners: an all-terrain mobility scooter, known as a Tramper, can be hired on site through the Countryside Mobility scheme, opening up the woodland walks and coastal paths to wheelchair and scooter users. Booking ahead is recommended.
The house has a habit of catching admiring - and covetous - eyes. Local tradition holds that when the Spanish Armada sailed past in 1588, its commander was so struck by the setting that he earmarked Mount Edgcumbe as his own residence, intending to claim it as a prize once England had been conquered - a plan the Armada's defeat put paid to.
On the hill above Cremyll, the Folly - an artificial ruin built around 1747 from salvaged medieval stone taken from ruined churches in Plymouth, replacing an earlier navigation obelisk on the same spot - makes one of the best viewpoints in the park. Visitors can still climb it today for stunning views across Plymouth Sound, taking in the waterfront, Mount Batten, Drake's Island, the Breakwater and Jennycliff.
Opening Times & Prices
Country Park (free entry): year-round, 8am-8pm in summer and 8am-6pm in winter.
House & Earl's Garden (2026 season, April-September):
- Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 11am-4pm (last tour 3pm)
- Guided house tours at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm and 3pm
Prices (correct as of August 2026):
- Adults - around £14
- Concessions - around £10
- Children - around £6.50
- Family tickets - around £22-£28
Did you know?
Mount Edgcumbe House was gutted by German bombing in 1941 and stood as a ruin for well over a decade before restoration began in 1958 - a reminder of just how close this landmark came to being lost for good.
Within the park, the volunteer-run Mount Edgcumbe Railway & Model Society (MERMS) is a popular family stop, offering rides on a 5-inch gauge miniature railway alongside an exhibition building of model railway layouts and model boats - a modern addition to the estate, having relocated here in 2017.
Visitor Information
Parking
Parking is available at multiple points around the park, with disabled parking adjacent to the main house. Visitors can also arrive on foot via the Cremyll Ferry from Plymouth. Note that the approach by road runs along country lanes that narrow considerably on the descent down Hounster Hill into Millbrook.
Facilities
Several cafes around the park, including the Orangery Garden Cafe, the Orangery Gatehouse and the Farriers Cafe, plus free toilets at Cremyll, the Orangery, Dry Walk, the Barrow Centre and Rame Head.
Disabled Access
A lift serves the first floor of the House, with accessible toilets around the park. Dogs are welcome in the Country Park under control.
Explore the Park
The Orangery Garden Café
Built in 1775 and set within the formal Italian Garden of the lower park, the Orangery is now a café serving homemade English food - cakes, afternoon teas, all-day brunch and a traditional Cornish Sunday roast - with views over the garden it's named after. It's also a popular wedding venue.
The Orangery Gatehouse
A separate, smaller café right at the Cremyll Gate entrance to the park - handy as a first or last stop on a visit. It serves Cornish pasties and pies, Callestick Farm ice cream, freshly made crepes, and locally roasted coffee and fair-trade tea.
Woodland Walks
Wooded copses shelter the deer herd and include specimen trees such as giant sequoias. The best-known route is the Zig-Zags, a dramatic set of paths cut into the cliffside in the 1760s through exotic shrubs, historically nicknamed "The Horrors" for its steep drops - one of several way-marked walks, alongside a roughly nine-mile stretch of the South West Coast Path through the park.
The Garden Battery
A granite gun battery, originally built in 1747 as a 21-gun saluting platform to greet arriving visitors, then rebuilt in 1862-63 as part of Plymouth's Victorian coastal defences and later used for early searchlight defence around both World Wars. Long closed to the public, it's currently being restored under a Heritage Horizon project - funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Plymouth City Council - that will open it to visitors for the first time in its history. Check the official website for current access as restoration progresses.
The Deer Park
One of Cornwall's oldest deer parks, dating back to 1515, when Sir Piers Edgcumbe was granted a royal licence by Henry VIII to enclose parkland for deer. A herd of fallow deer still roams freely across the grounds today, grazing among the copses and specimen trees - a highlight of any visit, especially along the Deer Park walking route.
Things to Do Nearby
- Whitsand Bay & The Rame Peninsula - sweeping sandy beaches and coastal walks a short drive away.
- Cawsand & Kingsand - a pair of picturesque twin fishing villages on the coast path.
- Torpoint - the nearest town, linked to Plymouth by the Torpoint Ferry for vehicles.
- Saltash - a historic town on the Tamar, overlooked by Brunel's famous Royal Albert Bridge.
- Plymouth - reachable directly on foot as a passenger via the historic Cremyll Ferry.
Nearby Places to Stay
Frequently Asked Questions
Official Website
For current opening times, ticket prices and events, visit the official Mount Edgcumbe website directly, or view a live copy below.
Visit mountedgcumbe.gov.ukPhotographs on this page © M Frost. Page last updated: 21 August 2026