Port Eliot in the parish of St Germans, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, is the ancestral

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

of the

Eliot family Eliot family may refer to: * Eliot family (America) * Eliot family (South England) **Earl of St Germans, subsidiary title Baron Eliot See also *Elliot Elliot (also spelled Eliot, Elliotte, Elliott, Eliott and Elyot) is a personal name which c ...

, whose present head is Albert Eliot, 11th Earl of St Germans. Port Eliot comprises a stately home with its own church, which serves as the parish church of St Germans. An earlier church building was Cornwall's principal cathedral. The house is within an estate of which extends into the neighbouring villages of Tideford,

Trerulefoot Trerulefoot (pronounced , Cornish: ''Bentreriwall'') is a village in southeast Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is located on the A38 trunk road approximately halfway between the towns of Saltash and Liskeard. Trerulefoot has a farm shop ...

and

Polbathic Polbathic ( kw, Polbarthek) is a small village situated on the A374 Trerulefoot to Torpoint road, within the parish of St Germans, in south-east Cornwall, England, UK. The village is situated on the edge of a tidal creek, known as Polbathick La ...

. Both house and garden are

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

Originally built as a priory with adjoining St Germans Priory Church, parts of the house date back to the 12th century. It was substantially altered and remodelled in the 17th and 18th centuries by noted architects, including Sir John Soane. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Eliot family invested substantially in the estate, building numerous farmhouses, fishermen's cottages and other dwellings across the land. Many of these remain part of the estate to this day, and they are rented out to local residents and friends of the family. Some properties, mainly lying remote from the estate, have been sold in recent years. In 2014, the 700-hectare estate was purchased by the

Duchy of Cornwall The Duchy of Cornwall ( kw, Duketh Kernow) is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch obtains possession of the duchy and the title of 'Duke of Cornwall' at ...

Festivals

Elephant Fayre

In 1980 a small festival which had outgrown its site at Polgooth in mid-Cornwall approached the Port Eliot estate and asked if it could be held in the idyllic grounds. The estate office agreed a price, and there began the Elephant Fayre, one of the most eclectic festivals of the 1980s. The festival ran from 1981 to 1986, beginning with some 1,500 visitors over four days, and featured a mix of music, theatre and visual arts. Over the years the festival grew, attracting crowds of up to 30,000 and bands such as The Cure, The Fall and

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine in ...

. The burning down of the oldest tree in the park, looting of the village surgery and the robbing of stall-holders in 1985 prompted

Lord Eliot Earl of St Germans, in the County of Cornwall, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom that is held by the Eliot family. The title takes its name from the village of St Germans, Cornwall, and the family seat is Port Eliot. The earldom ...

and fellow organisers to make the 1986 festival the last.

Port Eliot Festival

In 2003 Lord St Germans began the

Port Eliot Lit Fest The Port Eliot Lit Fest is an annual celebration of all things literary taking place at Port Eliot in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. It was founded by the late Jago Eliot. Guests who have attended the festival in past years are Hanif Kureishi, J ...

. Which carried on as Port Eliot Festival until 2019.

Public access

In March 2008 the house and grounds opened to the public for the first time, for 100 days, and attracted 12,000 visitors. There is a shop and cafe with gardens open all year round. Guided tours of the house are available.

References

External links

Port Eliot Official WebsitePort Eliot FestivalBBC News on the Elephant Fayre
{{coord, 50, 23, 50, N, 4, 18, 33, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=t Grade I listed buildings in Cornwall Gardens in Cornwall Country houses in Cornwall Tourist attractions in Cornwall Historic house museums in Cornwall Grade I listed parks and gardens in Cornwall Grade I listed houses