Trewidden Gardens

The Princess Royal visited Penwith College today to offer the royal seal of approval to our new buildings although what her brother would have made of them I am not sure. She then went on to The National Trust gardens at Trengwainton and then to these hidden gardens at Trewidden which are a real wonder. As they are more private, I had the gardens to myself when I visited and the magnolias and camellias were in full bloom. As the climate is mild and these gardens are protected by Mounts Bay there are a number of sub tropical plants and wonders brought from the far edges of the world by intrepid explorers of families made rich on empire and dubious plundering of peoples and resources, including their own Cornish subjects. Trewidden was owned by the Bolitho family whose name is everywhere in Penwith as Edward was the MP for St Ives in the nineteenth century and bequeathed a private school carrying his name which closed at Christmas only to be miraculously saved by a far eastern syndicate betting that private schools may reap dividends further down the line.

The tree fern pit is one of many oases of calm. Ferns like the pungas that are found in New Zealand were planted in an old open cast tin mine and the moist humid conditions have allowed them to thrive. The woods were carpeted in fallen petals from camellias and the vibrant reds and oranges blazed amongst the maze of walkways. As the visitor bimbles aimlessly around it is wish to give yourself over to the rhythms of the garden and chill and hug the trees. The walk was like meditation and I did spend rather too long staring at a redwood tree with its gnarled trunk twisted around a perpendicular spine. A little more imagination and it would come to life, an animators dream and a great children's playground. I left with a profound sense of peace. I wonder if Princess Anne could ever have quite the same experience with her retinue of hangers on and security. Simple pleasures the vulgar herd could never understand.