The Kitchen Gardens at Empacombe were built around 1775 to supply the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe with fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers at Mount Edgcumbe House. Bay Cottage and its Stable were built long before the walled garden and have an interesting history and plenty of stories to tell. The following are just a few….
During the Engilsh Civil war in 1649 King Charles the 1st was visiting the Earl at Mount Edgcumbe. With an uprising in Plymouth and the fear that the Parlimentarians would find out the King was in town it was advised that the King hide out at Bay Cottage. Not a lot is know about the Kings stay but after he left a Stuart Royal Coat of Arms was placed in the Master Bedroom above the fire place. Sometime after in the later years this plaster cast coat of arms was plastered over to stay hidden until sometime in the 1950’s when it was discovered when renovating the Master Bedroom, This cast was removed and placed in the dining room at Mount Edgcumbe House, where it can stll be seen. Some time later is was encased with a marble surround and painted/ gold leaved.
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After the great storm of 1703 the wooden lighthouse that Winstanley built on the Eddystone reef was lost. John Rudyard was tasked with replacing the wooden lighthouse of Winstanly with a more reliable stone version. Rudyard set up his workshop at Empacombe and it is quite likely that the houses and harbour were built by the stomemasons to accommdate the workforce and help with logistics.
More Information...Being on Cornish side at the Entrance to Plymouth Soung there is a lot of naval history associated with the area. There are Napoleonic forts to discover and older strongholds.
During the second world war there were 10.000 troops from the 29th Infantry Division of the US army stationed around the Rame Peninsula. These troops left from Barn Pool at Mount Edgcumbe bound for Omaha beach during the D Day landings.
The war years left a lasting impression on Mount Edgcumbe with buildings, roads and and associated military history still to be found close by.
Home farm during this time was used to shelter locals with a large air raid shelter. Unfortunately on the night of 22 April 1941 it took a direct hit and one of the barns caught fire. There is also reference that The Kitchen Gardens were in use a field hospital.
You can see on the image the fuel oil tanks hidden in the hillside above Home Farm, these were used to fuel the boats leaving for the D Day landings.
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