Historic estate opens its gardens for hospice care

Enjoy the gardens of Flete Estate

There’s a rare opportunity to enjoy the glorious gardens and grounds of historic Flete House on Sunday, when the estate, near Modbury, welcomes visitors to raise funds for St Luke’s.

The stunning 12 acres of elegantly landscaped parkland grounds, include charming Italianate gardens, a well-stocked shrubbery, water gardens, and a host of impressive specimen trees that take pride of place on the garden map, and there are panoramic views of the picturesque South Hams countryside.

St Luke’s Open Gardens

Part of St Luke’s spring and summer Open Garden series, sponsored by NFU Mutual Plymouth, it is a golden opportunity for anyone who loves beautiful historic landscapes, and a nostalgia trip for those born at Flete House when it was Plymouth’s maternity hospital for a period during and after the Second World War.

The gardens and grounds will be open from 12 noon to 5pm on Sunday 28 July, with plenty of parking available close by, toilets on site and guide dogs only allowed.  Admission is £6 per person and under 16s go free. Teas, coffees and fresh homemade cakes will be on sale.

Thank you

For a separate charge, a strictly limited number of guests will also be able to enjoy a guided tour of the grand reception rooms of the gothic-style Grade I listed manor house – once owned by the aristocratic Mildmay family and now divided into 29 private leasehold apartments.

Wayne Marshall, St Luke’s Open Gardens coordinator and new partnerships lead said: “Huge thanks to everyone at Flete House for allowing our visitors to experience the unique gardens and raise funds to support St Luke’s important work in the local community.”

The next date on the Open Gardens calendar is Sunday, August 4, when the owners of usually hidden private gardens in the Dartmoor village of Horrabridge will give St Luke’s supporters an exclusive peek of their plots between 11am and 4pm, with maps available at St Luke’s stall in the Weir Park Village Centre.

Related articles

Nina retirement
, ,

How Nina turned personal gratitude into a lasting legacy

After more than 14 years helping to shape and grow fundraising at St Luke's, Partnerships Manager Nina Wearne is preparing to retire, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of support for local hospice care.
Midnight Walk
, ,

Sunny skies and heartfelt memories as 1,300 join St Luke’s Midnight Walk

Nearly 1,300 kind-hearted walkers took to the sunny streets of the city on Friday 10 July night for Midnight Walk 2026, remembering special family members and friends and raising vital funds to support the compassionate end of life care St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth delivers in the local community.
, ,

A partnership built on gratitude: Why Michael Spiers supports St Luke’s Midnight Walk

Since 2023, Michael Spiers has proudly sponsored St Luke’s Midnight Walk, helping to support one of the charity’s most popular fundraising events. For Managing Director Adam Spiers, the relationship with St Luke’s goes far beyond business sponsorship.
St Luke's Guiding Lights
, ,

St Luke’s Guiding Lights: Plymouth’s spectacular lighthouse trail set to shine this summer

A spectacular line-up of more than 40 show-stopping lighthouse sculptures will map out a magical journey through the streets of Britain’s Ocean City this summer in a bold and joyful project that matches art and discovery with compassion and community.
, ,

Caring by day, fundraising by night: Emma’s Midnight Walk with her daughters

The compassion of our nurses doesn’t stop when they finish their shift. For Emma - a nurse working in our Urgent Care Service - the passion she feels for her workplace goes beyond the bedside and has even influenced her two daughters.
, ,

Standing alongside our Armed Forces community

As this year’s Armed Forces Day on Plymouth Hoe approaches (27 June), St Luke’s is proud to be recognised as a Veteran Aware organisation.
, ,

Tour de Moor 2026: Ride Dartmoor, ride for hospice care

On Sunday 11 October, our Tour de Moor returns, big, bold, challenging and full of heart. Whether you ride for the challenge, the scenery, or the cause, Tour de Moor stays with you long after the mud has washed off.
, ,

Sponsor a Guiding Lights star, celebrate a life and support local hospice care

Losing someone close is heartbreaking, yet the light they brought to our lives can live with us forever. St Luke’s is offering those whose loved one has died a touching way to remember that person who still shines brightly in their heart.
, ,

A midnight walk shaped by love, memory and an unexpected friendship

It was grief for her father that led to an unexpected friendship for Louise Sherwin, who will be taking part in our Midnight Walk on Friday 10 July.