about trevarno
"the best excuse anyone could possibly want to go to Cornwall" the Times
Trevarno = house/settlement of “Varno”
30 acre garden set in an estate of 750 acres.
First manor mentioned in 1296 as house of Randulphus Trevarno, subsequently owned by Killigrew, Carminow and Courtney families.
Then into the hands of Oliver family, one of whom married heiress of family.
According to John Betjeman, the pope stayed in 18th century as guest of father of William Oliver (biscuit inventor) who practiced in Bath and died in 1764. Oliver family then moved to Ludgvan.
Trevarno was then purchased by Christopher Wallace, a wealthy attorney from Helston who made improvements in the 1830’s to the house and garden. His grandson Christopher Wallis Popham remodelled the house in 1839 to design of George Wightwick (also Tregrehan and several buildings in Plymouth) who built a walled garden and two conservatory greenhouses, and added serpentine yew tunnel walk which was 13ft high and 125ft long.
The estate was auctioned in 1874 and brought by William Bickford Smith whose grandfather invented the miners safety fuse.
Betjeman described William Bickford Smith as a “learned artist”. WBS was responsible for the principal elements of the present garden. He extended the lake, added the neo gothic boathouse with tiled bellcote spire at open gable end, added formal lake side terraces, rose gardens, herbaceous borders, rockery and grotto which was constructed on the spot where John Wesley was reputed to have preached. Also added pinetum along drive behind grotto to include 120 specimens. At the same time the house was increased to 46 rooms and the portico with Ionic columns added, plus billiard room and library.
In 1919 house of John Clifford Bickford Smith and then Michael Bickford Smith who was responsible for bog gardens and dog graveyard.
In 1975 house inherited by Peter Bickford Smith. In 1980 he reduced size of house to original number of rooms (whatever this was!).
PBS enlarged cascades into lake and added an Edwardian style summer house, created Italian garden, yew tunnel which is guarded by red lions and a paved aromatic garden .
The house and estate remained with that family until 1994 when it was put up for sale for the first time for 120 years and spilt into 33 lots for easier disposal.
At the time Mike Sagin of Radiocode Clocks was looking for a country house and a few acres to use as company headquarters. He viewed Trevarno and fell in love with it and purchased all 33 lots.
During 1996 he formulated a restoration plan and an estate regeneration plan comprising a range of projects which would generate additional income to fund restoration work. His overriding ethos was that all activities which were sensitive to Trevarno and the local environment create new and sustainable jobs and the development of rural crafts.
1996 – Highway improvements, car parking, woodland clearance, new exit route and toilets.
1997 – Work began on main gardens, including clearance of dangerous and fallen trees inc. one which had fallen into the lake which took 5 men and machinery 5 weeks to clear, drainage of lake to enable clearance of many years of silt which has blocked the cascades. Construction of fountain conservatory.
Formally opened in 1998 with new planting in conservatory and a few areas of the garden.