Visiting Clovelly
Clovelly is a beautiful, picturesque fishing village, steeped in maritime atmosphere and history. It was once owned by the Queen of England!
Book TicketsBook a stay in Clovelly
The Red Lion Hotel is an 18th Century 4-star Inn that stands on the quay alongside Clovelly’s ancient harbour in North Devon. Each of its 17 beautifully decorated rooms boast a sea view.
To wake up to the sights and sounds of Clovelly’s ancient fishing harbour and the sounds of the sea at the Red Lion Hotel is a unique and unforgettable experience.
The Red Lion
Clovelly Court Gardens
Clovelly Court Gardens are a must see whilst visiting the famous village. Plants thrive in this sheltered sunny corner of North Devon, which has the added benefit of the warmth the Gulf Stream brings.
You’ll find neat, carefully tended gardens and beautifully restored Victorian greenhouses within its old walls. The incredible variety of fruits & vegetables grown here supply the Red Lion Hotel. You can even take some home with you!
Clovelly Court Gardens
Clovelly activities & shops
Check out our shops, galleries and museums. Try your hand at our arts & crafts workshops, charter a boat for a fishing trip or take a stroll along the beautiful cliffs, beaches and through the village. The choice is yours in Clovelly!
Things To Do
History of Clovelly
Originally the estate was owned by William the Conqueror, King of England, gifted to his wife and then had many royal associations until 1242 when first acquired by the Giffard family. Until the middle of the 19th century Clovelly was unknown to the outside world. It was partly as a result of Charles Kingsley’s ‘Westward Ho!’, set in and around the village, that visitors began to come.
History of Clovelly
The 3rd Baronet, also a James Hamlyn, married Mary, daughter of the 1st Earl Fortescue, another distinguished neighbouring West Country family. They had three daughters. The eldest, Susan Hester, married Henry Fane of Fulbeck, Lincolnshire. The family assumed the surname Hamlyn Fane. Their son, Neville Hamlyn Fane, died in 1884, aged 26. Their daughter, Constance Hamlyn Fane, inherited land at Ringwood, the Avon Tyrrell Estate, and their other daughter, Christine Hamlyn Fane, was given the Clovelly Estate.
In 1889 she married Frederick Gosling. She requested him firstly to change his name from Gosling to Hamlyn because of the long association of the name Hamlyn with Clovelly. Secondly, she asked him to devote his not inconsiderable fortune to the restoration of all properties on the estate. As you walk down the village street you will see many houses inscribed with the initials CH and FH and a date. The dates mark the renovation of the building to meet modern-day standards, but the foundations and outer walls are much older. Christine and Frederick had no children, and the estate was left in 1936 to Christine’s niece, Betty Asquith.
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