For the first time ever, Hestercombe will display never-before-seen objects from its archives, showcasing an array of items spanning across five-hundred years – from the key that unlocks the Warre family chest to Gertrude Jekyll’s trowel – revealing a treasure trove of history.

Showing from 12th March – 15th May 2022, visitors will have the opportunity to unearth some of the greatest works and artefacts from Hestercombe’s vast collections, which is made up of over 2,200 objects and over 10,000 references. Audiences will be able to explore the trust’s rich history and delve deep into Hestercombe’s past through paintings, drawings, sculpture, poetry, photographs, rare books, archaeological finds and many more.

Things that Pass a Thousand Times: Unearthing Hestercombe’s Collections, is a title which takes inspiration from poet and artist the Reverend John Eagles, a much-loved 1st cousin of 19th century owner Miss Warre, and frequent visitor to Hestercombe. Audiences will be able to unearth the objects and stories of the people that shaped Hestercombe’s past and present.

The exhibition comprises seven unique galleries, which take visitors on a themed journey from the seventeenth century to the recent restoration of the eighteenth-century landscape garden. The rooms are all centred around four key themes; portraits, possessions, pictures and poetry. Early photographs, rare books, film, paintings and drawings, archaeological finds and personal mementos expand on these motifs.

Some of the highlights include: the 17th Century Warre family money chest and the original key to open it; a haunting portrait of the young Francis Warre before his untimely death; a notebook dated back to 1663, which contains the jottings of Miss Margaret Bampfylde;
recently acquired C. W. Bampfylde watercolours; photographs revealing the eccentric jacuzzi bath of Hestercombe’s victorian owners, the Portmans, which is still perfectly preserved in Hestercombe House; Teddy Portman’s game records and the picnic set he took on his
hunting trips; Gertrude Jekyll’s original trowel and sketchbook; finds excavated whilst restoring the Elizabethan Water Garden and Victorian technologies; and original manuscripts and volumes from a hundred years of poetical links, or more specifically, the poetry that
inspired the title of this exhibition.