Tregrehan, St. Austell, England

The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. 

HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT

In the late 15th century part of the Tregrehan estate was acquired by Sir Richard Edgcumbe, with whose family it remained until 1787. The larger portion of Tregrehan was purchased in 1565 by Walter Carlyon, yeoman of St Blazey, who purchased further land there in 1574 and about 1591. Walter Carlyon died in 1616 and was succeeded by his grandson, also Walter, who lived at Tregrehan. Walter's son, William, described in 1652 as a gentleman, did not reside at Tregrehan but purchased property in Devon and Cornwall. William Carlyon was succeeded in 1676 by his second son, Thomas, a lawyer, who was able to purchase further land at Tregrehan in the late 17th and early 18th century as the result of wealth acquired through mining interests. A late 17th century house built by Thomas Carlyon was described in 1732 as a 'neat new house ... seated on rising ground from which there is a good prospect of the sea' (Lake 1867). Following Thomas Carlyon's death, Tregrehan was inherited by his son, Philip, who in 1738 was selling trees from the estate (Carlyon papers); an estate plan of about 1736 (Cornwall Record Office) does not indicate any park or gardens associated with the early 18th century house.

Philip Carlyon was succeeded by his son, Edward Trewbody Carlyon, who was in turn succeeded by his cousin, the Reverend Thomas Carlyon of St Just, in 1768. Thomas Carlyon married his first cousin, Mary, thus consolidating the family estates; improvements, including parkland and gardens, are shown on the 1" Ordnance Survey map (1810). The house was altered in about 1770 by William Wood for Thomas Carlyon. In the early 19th century Thomas' son, William, began to develop the pleasure grounds with newly introduced conifers and a yew walk; these are shown, together with parkland, on the Tithe map of 1839 (Pring Associates 1992).

William Carlyon died in 1841 when he was succeeded by his brother, Major-General Edward Carlyon, who continued to develop the pleasure grounds and park, and in 1843 commissioned plans for parterres and other improvements (Carlyon papers) from W A Nesfield (1793-1881). Extensive alterations to the house were undertaken with the advice of George Wightwick in the 1840s, while in 1851-1852 a new lodge was built. In 1884 the estate passed to Edward Carlyon's grandson, G R G Carlyon, known as Jovey, who had previously lived in New Zealand: Jovey Carlyon undertook further significant development of the plant collection in the pleasure grounds, exchanging plants with other Cornish gardens including Carclew, Caerhays Castle, Heligan, and Menabilly.

After Jovey Carlyon's death in 1898 the family did not reside at Tregrehan again until 1935 when E T R Carlyon, a keen plantsman, moved to England from New Zealand. Following his death during the Second World War the estate passed to his daughter, Miss Gillian Carlyon, who, from about 1945, undertook important work on hybridising camellias at Tregrehan. The pleasure grounds suffered during the war, and clearance and reclamation did not begin until the mid 1970s. Miss Carlyon continued to live at Tregrehan until her death in 1987. Today (2000) the site remains in private ownership, with the present owner continuing the family tradition of plant collecting and propagation.