Cockington Court: a thatched village in the middle of Torquay

Cockington is a chocolate-box Devon village – thatched roofs, lanes too narrow for cars, a working forge, a 14th-century church – that sits entirely inside the boundaries of modern Torquay. Walk fifteen minutes inland from the seafront and you’re in a village that looks unchanged since 1900.

At the heart is Cockington Court, an Elizabethan manor house now run as a craft centre. Eight resident makers have studios in the outbuildings: a glassblower, a silversmith, a potter, a luthier, a paper artist, a sculptor. All open to visitors, all happy to talk through what they’re working on.

The grounds are free, open dawn to dusk. The walled gardens, the lake, the cricket pitch and the woodland walk make it an easy afternoon. The Drum Inn serves a decent lunch.

Park at Cockington Lane car park (free) and walk down. Or take horse-drawn carriages from the seafront in summer – the only town in England where that’s still a regular service.

Watch a tour:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cockington+court+torquay