On Saturday 5th October, we welcomed back Gareth Mills to open the first meeting of our 2024/25 programme of talks. And what a great response! Gareth is a popular speaker but I think this was the largest gathering yet with well over 100 attending.
The title of Gareth’s talk was 'A History of the Stackpole Estate'- a place of great local interest, much loved by us all.
In brief - The estate centred on Stackpole Court, a stately home which stood just outside Stackpole village. The Court was owned by the Lort family, but in 1698 passed by marriage to the Campbells, Thanes of Cawdor in Scotland. In the 18th century the original Court was rebuilt in Georgian style, surrounded by a walled garden and greenhouses. The Campbell- Cawdors became one of the most important and wealthiest families in Great Britain during the 19th Century. After the family's decline in the early 20th Century the estate was used during WWII as a military training area. After the war the Campbell's returned to their Scottish estates, and the mansion was tragically torn down in 1963, leaving the estate's beaches, parkland, and outbuildings, however, to be administered by the National Trust for public enjoyment.
