Cornwall's Houses and Gardens

The grandeur of the Godolphin family estate was down to the wealth acquired in the tin mining industry. Sir William Godolphin constructed the castellated north front in the 17th century with its avenue approach and courtyard.

There are wall walks around the nine compartments of the side garden which date back to 1300 and there are great views from Godolphin Hill to the south where there was a deer park. This is an interesting and atmospheric place and often the setting for film and drama.

The garden at Lamorran House is a fascinating and unique garden with an early tradition of exotic planting. There are over 200 palms from over 35 different species and a growing number of tree ferns and sub tropical plants.

The garden was recreated in 1982 by Robert Dudley-Cooke who moved from his house in Surrey bringing with him many rhododendrons and azaleas. A Japanese garden with a grotto and waterfall was the first to be created followed by a Mediterranean style garden with a temple and Italianate pond.

The house at Lanhydrock was built by John Robartes in 1635-1642 on four sides of an inner courtyard with a long avenue of sycamore tree leading up to the gatehouse. In the 19th century a new owner Thomas Agar used his great wealth from the mining industry to improve the estate which included extending the dwelling and re-incorporating the gatehouse in the formal gardens in front of the house.

The higher garden behind the house was also laid out as a shrubbery about this time. The seventh Lord Clifden inherited the estate in 1930 and began replanting ornamental trees and shrubs at the rear of the house. Lanhydrock was donated to the National Trust in 1953 who have added two quadrants to the herbaceous border planted in 1914.

Lawrence House in Launceston is a beautiful Georgian town house built in 1753 that is owned by the National Trust and leased to Launceston Town Council it houses a free museum and civic offices.

The Trebah Estate was acquired by Charles Fox at the beginning of the 19th century who planted a 26 acre arboretum as a pleasure garden. The estate was inherited by his daughter and her husband Edmund Backhouse in 1876 following his death and they introduced the collections of Mediterranean and sub tropical flora for which Trebah is famous today.

The garden was further developed when it was bought by Charles and Alice Hext in 1907 and they created the Mallard Pond which was home to a flock of pink flamingos. After the death of Alice Hext in 1939 the house and garden fell into decay until it was bought by the Hibbert family in 1981 who began a long period of restoration and development.

The garden was opened to the public in 1987 and the Hibbert family donated the house, garden and cottages to the Trebah Garden Trust to preserve the garden for future generations. Lottery funding has enabled the trust to build a new visitor centre and carry out restoration work and major landscaping. Trebah is now one of the leading attractions in Cornwall.

The first modern house was built at Trelissick in 1750 it was rebuilt in 1824 by Thomas Daniell whose father had bought the estate in 1790 from his wealth as a mine owner. Thomas laid out extensive rides through the hanging woods along the west side of the estuary and planted beech and deciduous oaks in the park.

The estate was bought in 1854 by Carew Gilbert who introduced several foreign trees and shrubs and began laying out the Carcaddon area as a garden. In the 1930s the garden was still mainly shrubberies beneath some wonderful trees and conifers.

The planting of the present garden is attributed to Mrs Ida Copeland and her husband Ronald who inherited the estate in 1937. Mrs Copeland donated the property in 1955 to the National Trust who opened up the vista to Tregothnan and manage the gardens today.