Killerton is a Georgian house of 1778 on a hillside above Broadclyst, near Exeter, home to generations of the Acland family, who gave the 6,400-acre estate to the National Trust. The ground floor is presented as the family home of the 1920s and 30s, sometimes with a volunteer pianist whose playing carries through the rooms, while the first floor holds the Trust's nationally important fashion collection in a changing exhibition, reached only by the main staircase. Outside, the hillside garden of champion trees, rhododendrons and herbaceous borders opens onto parkland, a chapel, orchards and miles of waymarked walks and off-road cycle trails. Reviewers rate the fashion volunteers and the fruit scones, and like the lawn where children can run about. Tips from visitors: the Stables Coffee Shop by the entrance is the dog-friendly cafe, the woodland walks are easy to get lost on so pick up a map, and members should check in at the car park machine or the JustPark app to avoid the parking charge.
