Trewithen: The Story Of A Family Estate Since 1715, Plant Hunters, Brave Gardening & A Grand Master Plan
Seeing as Trewithen has been in the hands of the same family since Philip Hawkins bought the estate in 1715, you may be forgiven for assuming that it’s a historical relic that celebrates a grand house and majestic garden of days gone by. However, visit Trewithen and you’ll soon discover that this is not the case at all.
In the three centuries since 1715, a huge amount of experience and wisdom has been transferred down through the generations. Whilst the history is staggering, so too is the progressive mindset and skill set of the current team and family in residence at Trewithen. The estate is a hive of activity and ingenuity, and positively alive with change.
📸 Danny North
📸 Danny North
Meet Sam & Kitty Galsworthy
Sam and Kitty Galsworthy are the tenth generation of their family to nurture this estate.
“They’re breathing fresh life into the estate and its management; pioneering sustainable farming, soil regeneration and meaningful, well-informed restoration. At the heart of their approach is the concept of living in harmony with people and place.”
Sam grew up at Trewithen, watching his father Michael make his mark on the estate by planting more than 30,000 trees to bolster the shelter belts and enlarge the surrounding woodland. Michael’s aunt, Elizabeth, did much to develop the garden in her lifetime, and was awarded the Bledisloe Gold Medal for her exemplary services to Agriculture and Landowning. Elizabeth’s father before her, was the formidable George Johnstone, a huge personality who sponsored plant hunting expeditions to the Himalayas and China, and introduced a rich variety of exotic new species to Trewithen.
With footsteps like this to follow in, it’s no wonder that Sam has written openly that “I have at times been left paralysed in thought about how Trewithen’s history will record my undertakings on our landscape”. The pressure must seem immense when you have a responsibility such as this, however Sam has also written how, the longer their custodianship of Trewithen continues, the more his burden of responsibility has evolved into a sense of great privilege.
George Johnstone’s contribution
Although the parkland had already been established by the Hawkins family, it was the contribution of George Johnstone that was directly responsible for the botanical gems that now exist within the garden.
“Passionate spring-loving plant lovers will (or indeed should) be forever grateful for the triumvirate of Johnstone of Trewithen, Williams of Caerhays and Williams of Werrington that co-sponsored Forrest’s 1911 Asian plant-hunting trip that introduced to Cornwall the phenomenal and now world-renowned collection of Camellias, Rhododendrons and Magnolias (and other genus and species besides)”.
As has been uncovered in some or our accounts of other Great Gardens of Cornwall, the plant hunters and those who sponsored the expeditions, changed the face of British horticulture forever.
Meet Gary Long, Head of Trewithen Gardens and Parks
Gary Long arrived in 2002 from nearby Tregothnan, and embarked upon a two year handover in preparation for taking the reins of Trewithen from Michael Taylor. Gary writes, “I was to become only the third ever Head Gardener at Trewithen. Jack Skilton began his career as a “Rook Scarer”, a real life scarecrow! He went on to become gardener then Head Gardener. Jack was one of the first recipients of the RHS “Long Service” medal first for 40 years then 50, then 60 continuous service from 1904 to 1963. In 1964 Michael Taylor took over after working at Bodnant gardens and then went on to receive the RHS “Long service” medal in 2003 also the RHS “Associate of Honour” award”. In 2004 Gary’s reign as Head Gardener began, and he has certainly made an impressive impact in his first two decades.
The 2018 Master Plan
Since 1720 there have been four landscape designs for Trewithen. Trewithen means the House in the Spinney, and the original plans clearly show the House nestled amongst the trees. Conscious of moving the garden forwards under his stewardship, Sam Galsworthy engaged the brilliant Matthew Tickner of Cookson & Tickner to use the previous plans as a reference for a new landscape master plan. This modern plan builds upon past efforts, and forms the backbone and road map for future developments in the garden.
Since the creation of the master plan, Gary has expanded the gardens in all directions. To the North, a Queens Green Canopy woodland has been completed and to the West a 12 hectare (30 acre) field, has been included into Gary’s cultivated garden area. The field has been landscaped to include native trees, and plans are in the works for a Stone circle and amphitheatre. Further plans are in the works for an ornamental cherry orchard to the South and the renovation of a historic Hazel plantation to the South West. In time, the estate plans to restore some of the home farm buildings to provide a walled kitchen garden and propagating rooms.
Evolution and progression is in the DNA here, and armed with the new Master Plan the team at Trewithen have grand ideas to continue the development of Trewithen.
Source: https://www.trewithengardens.co.uk/our-story/history-of-the-estate
Brave and Destructive Gardening
Although the parkland had already been established by the Hawkins family, it was the contribution of George Johnstone that was directly responsible for the botanical gems that now exist within the garden.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but gardening is not all about keeping things in the soil. In George Johnstone’s era, in order to plant his wealth of new Camellia, Rhododendron and Magnolia genetic material sourced from overseas, he had to take some very bold and radical decisions. Drastic tree removal was required to make space for the garden he envisaged Trewithen could become. George’s diary entries in 1920 read “it was necessary to take the axe and claim air and light for the trees, first for the house and those that live in it, and then for the plants that must share the fortunes with the owner”. George’s bravery was rewarded by the bounty that is now found within the garden at Trewithen. A century on, under the stable custodianship of just 3 head gardeners, this astonishing genetic material still thrives.
Gary Long has also had to make a number of brave decisions in his first twenty years. A visit to Trewithen used to be defined by walks amongst ponticum and laurel, however four years of renovation has removed these dense barriers, opening up new spaces in the garden, lightening the ambiance and the air flow.
Gary also boldly addressed the deterioration of the tree-lined avenue, that had over centuries of successive plantings and weather events drifted south west, thus losing its eye-catching effect. Gary writes, “being very brave and with help from nature in the “Beast from the East” weather front of sub zero temperatures and high winds, we “lost” 5 mature beech trees which helped open up the vista”.
Sam Galworthy writes, “Gary had long since been an advocate for this planting removal and the restoration of the lawn such that with a glint in his eye mirroring that of a newly sharpened axe, he began felling. The very idea of removing trees and plants to make way for the horizontal pleasure on the eye did not sit well for me until, that is, I read Hugh Cavendish’s A Time To Plant. Pouring his heartfelt experience while at the helm of Holker Hall he shares in the book some of the brave decisions taken in his generational approach to planting. In one chapter, aptly named ‘Destructive Gardening’, he invites the reader to not hold back in ‘taking the axe’ and reminds us that gardening is a never-ending journey that requires bravery.
So, fortified by Cavendish’s invitation, armed with our own axe and chainsaw and reassured perhaps by the previous generations’ intentions, detailed as they were in the master plans that the south lawn was always meant to be an open feature of the garden, we tore open the vista and allowed the elements in while encouraging the eye out – to say the least it has been a tremendous success. I would go so far to say that it has enhanced the glory of the botany that lives in this place rather than been deleterious to it”.
Sources:
https://www.trewithengardens.co.uk/articles/taking-the-axe
https://www.trewithengardens.co.uk/articles/my-first-20-years-as-head-gardener
📸 Danny North
A garden with many unique features
The footprint of the formal Trewithen Gardens is around 40 acres, but it is situated amongst over 200 acres of serene parkland.
The Cockpit’s name is the only reminder of its gruesome past, it is now one of the most charming elements of the garden, a fernery with shade provided by a huge Magnolia – Head Gardener Gary Long’s favourite part of the garden. The collection of exotic tree ferns include specimens from southwest Australia and Tasmania, some of the first of their kind to have arrived in Cornwall. Originally they were used as ballast in returning clipper ships, and simply thrown into the harbour upon arrival – that is until their sub-tropical magic was discovered and they began to be planted in the county’s gardens.
The South Lawn with its sweeping vista was George Johnstone’s masterpiece, but it has been under the current custodianship of Gary Long that the South Lawn has been restored to its former glory. Beautiful throughout the year, the spring planting makes the view especially favourable from February to July.
The secluded walled garden is now open as part of the Silent Space initiative, providing beautiful horticultural spaces for quiet reflection. Upon entering the walled garden you are invited to pause and explore the feelings and emotions which exist within moments of silence.
Never before have we seen upside-down trees – or tree-henge as it’s known. Whilst clearing Trebilcock Woods the team discovered some ancient fallen chestnut trees which they erected, upside-down in a circle. It is a surprising element to come across in the garden, both beautiful and thought-provoking.
Trewithen’s longest-running project has to be the 25 acre area of Eagle Ponds which began construction in 1715, and only recently finished in 2021. The master plan included the ambitious goal of at long last, completing (not restoring), the aquatic garden and valley area. Finally, 300 years later the experience is complete, and you can walk here and enjoy the soothing sounds of cascading water.
In 1997, artist Tom Leaper was inspired by the magnolias at Trewithen, hardly surprising considering the Magnolia campbellii subsp.mollicomata on the south lawn which was planted in 1929. Captivated by the natural vertical shapes of the flowers, the Magnolia Fountain was created. The water naturally flows from one petal to another, mimicking nature and reflecting the beauty found within the gardens.
No two days are the same at Trewithen. In spring, great swathes of colour burst open, whites, reds, yellows and every shade of pink imaginable – the garden is an International Camellia Society garden of Excellence. In summertime the hydrangeas and roses take centre stage, and in autumn the vibrant berry-reds of viburnums and acers draw the eye. Winter is a time of quiet and calm when the champion trees are in the spotlight, but there is still much to admire around the gardens.
Trewithen is an estate which has survived for centuries, and a garden which has undergone numerous landscape plans throughout the generations. However there is a holistic feel to the approach of the current custodians. Their master plan builds on what has gone before, and their progressive mindset and imagination opens doorways to future growth and evolution. Sustainability and regeneration is at the heart of all that they do at Trewithen, it is truly a garden of the modern age. Connecting people and places, humans and nature, in a partnership that will see Trewithen thrive for another 300 years – at least.
