Tregothnan
Encyclopedia
St Michael Penkivel
St Michael Penkevil, sometimes spelt St Michael Penkivel, is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is situated in the valley of the River Fal approximately three miles southeast of Truro....
3 miles (4.8 km) south-east of Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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The house and estate is the traditional home of the Boscawen
Edward Boscawen
Admiral Edward Boscawen, PC was an Admiral in the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament for the borough of Truro, Cornwall. He is known principally for his various naval commands throughout the 18th Century and the engagements that he won, including the Siege of Louisburg in 1758 and Battle of Lagos...
family, and the seat of Lord Falmouth
Viscount Falmouth
Viscount Falmouth is a title that has been created twice, first in the Peerage of England, and then in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1674 for George FitzRoy, illegitimate son of King Charles II by Barbara Villiers. He was created Earl of...
. The original house was built in Plantagenet times and sacked in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. The new house has the date 1652 carved in stone above the side gate. It was enlarged in the early 19th century to designs by William Wilkins
William Wilkins (architect)
William Wilkins RA was an English architect, classical scholar and archaeologist. He designed the National Gallery and University College in London, and buildings for several Cambridge colleges.-Life:...
, the architect of the National Gallery
National Gallery, London
The National Gallery is an art museum on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
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Tregothnan is famous for its large private botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
and arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
. Tregothnan is not open to the public, but guided visits to the garden may be arranged.
A tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
plantation has recently been started on the grounds. Tregothnan is home to the first outdoor Camellias in the UK, around 1800. The first commercial tea was developed from Camellia sinensis in 2001. The first 'English tea' was then sold in November 2005 to Fortnum and Mason of Piccadilly.
Also a quantity of custom-made bee hives are situated in amongst Leptospermum "Manuka Bushes" producing Manuka honey
Manuka honey
Manuka honey is a monofloral honey made by bees in New Zealand that frequent the manuka bush, Leptospermum scoparium. Only 10 percent of all Manuka Honey is claimed to have antibacterial properties because of its non-hydrogen peroxide antibacterial content, which is known as NPA Manuka honey...
with measurable methylglyoxal content.
In 1872 the land holdings of Viscount Falmouth
Viscount Falmouth
Viscount Falmouth is a title that has been created twice, first in the Peerage of England, and then in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1674 for George FitzRoy, illegitimate son of King Charles II by Barbara Villiers. He was created Earl of...
, of Mereworth Castle
Mereworth Castle
Mereworth Castle is a grade I listed Palladian country house in Mereworth, Kent, England.Originally the site of a fortified manor licensed in 1332, the present building is not actually a castle, but was built in the 1720s as an almost exact copy of Palladio's Villa Rotunda. It was designed in 1723...
, Maidstone, Kent, were listed in the top ten land holdings in Cornwall, with an estate of 25910 acres (10,485.4 ha), 3.41% of the total area of Cornwall.