Tresco Abbey Gardens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tresco Abbey Gardens |
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Tresco Abbey Gardens
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| Type | Botanical |
| Location | Tresco, Isles of Scilly, England |
| Area | 17 acres (6.9 hectares) |
| Founder | Augustus Smith |
| Owned by | Robert Dorrien-Smith |
| Operated by | Tresco Estate |
Tresco Abbey Gardens are beautiful gardens found on Tresco Island in the Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom. These 17-acre gardens were started by Augustus Smith in the 1800s. He was the owner of the islands at the time. The gardens began as a private space around his home, which he designed himself. Today, these gardens are very special and are listed as a Grade I historic site in England.
Contents
Tresco Abbey: The Historic Home
Augustus Smith chose Tresco as the spot for his home because it was almost in the middle of all the islands. It was also near the old abbey ruins, close to a fresh water pond, and looked out over the sand dunes and beach at Carn Near.
When he first started building in 1835, the area was mostly empty land. His first house was quite small compared to the building you see today. He made the house bigger in 1843 and again in 1861. The house is a Grade II listed building, meaning it's an important historic structure. It's made of rough granite stones with smooth stone details and a slate roof.
Some of the wood used for the dining room and other rooms came from a ship called the Award, which was wrecked in 1861. Later, in 1891, Augustus Smith's successor, Thomas Smith-Dorrien-Smith, added the tower to the house.
Abbey Gardens: A World of Plants
When Augustus Smith decided to create his house and garden, one of the first things he did was build a strong granite wall. This wall helped protect the area from the wind. He also planted gorse (Ulex europaeus) seeds, which he brought from the mainland. This was important because the gorse already on the islands was a low-growing type that didn't offer much shelter.
Inside the gardens, you can still see parts of a Benedictine abbey that was first built in 964 AD. Most of what remains today is from the Priory of St Nicholas, which was founded by monks from Tavistock Abbey in 1114.
There were hardly any trees on the island at first, and the gorse wasn't enough to block the strong winds. So, Augustus Smith planted special rows of trees called shelterbelts. The first trees were mostly deciduous ones, like elm (Ulmus sp), sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanum), oak (Quercus sp), and poplar (Populus sp). Later, he planted fast-growing trees like Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) and Monterey pine (Pinus radiata), which are great for coastal areas.
Expanding the Plant Collection
A lot more plants were added to the garden by Arthur Dorrien-Smith in the early 1900s. He traveled many times to South Africa to find new trees and plants that would grow well there. He even went on a scientific trip in 1907 to islands near Antarctica. After that, he explored New Zealand and Australia.
In 1909, he visited Australia, New Zealand, and the Chatham Islands again. By this time, he had collected about 2280 different plants and seeds!
Thanks to the mild winters, lots of summer sunshine, and the tall walls and hedges that protect the garden from strong Atlantic winds, Tresco Abbey Gardens are now home to amazing plants from all over the world. You can find plants from the Mediterranean, South America, South Africa, and Australasia.
Head Gardeners of Tresco Abbey Gardens
Many talented people have been in charge of caring for these special gardens:
- George Davis Vallance (around 1875 - 1881)
- James Jenkins (1881 - 1922)
- William George Andrews (1922 - 1947)
- John Hartley (1948 - 1958)
- J.D.H. Smith
- Peter Clough (1973 - 1984)
- Mike Nelhams (1984 - present)
Red Squirrels Find a Home
In 2012, five red squirrels were brought to the Abbey Gardens. Only two of them survived, so in 2013, a new group of squirrels was flown to Tresco by helicopter from the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey. This new colony helped the red squirrel population grow in the gardens.
Valhalla Museum: Shipwreck Treasures
The Valhalla Museum is located inside Tresco Abbey Gardens. It holds the Valhalla Collection, which has about 30 figureheads. These are the decorative carvings that used to be on the front of old sailing ships. The museum also has name-boards and other carvings from the time of sailing ships.
Augustus Smith started this collection. Most of the figureheads are from the mid to late 1800s. They come from merchant ships or early steamships that were wrecked around the Isles of Scilly.
Here are some of the ships whose figureheads or parts are in the collection:
- A 17th-century carving of the Greek god Boreas. It might have been carved by Pierre Puget and is thought to be from a French ship that sank near Annet in that century.
- HMS Association - This ship was wrecked on October 22, 1707, during the terrible Scilly naval disaster of 1707. A bronze cannon from this wreck was found in 1970. It was a French cannon, likely taken as a prize during the siege of Toulon in 1707.
- SS Thames — wrecked on January 4, 1841, near Gorregan and Rosevear.
- Alessandro II Grande — wrecked on January 1, 1851. Its figurehead is of Tsar Alexander I.
- Mary Hay — wrecked on April 13, 1852, after hitting a rock.
- Award — wrecked on March 19, 1861, during a strong gale. All 24 crew members managed to get to safety.
- Primos — wrecked on June 24, 1871, on the Seven Stones reef.
- River Lune — wrecked on June 27, 1879, on the Brothers Rock.
- Bernardo – sank near Annet in 1888. Its figurehead is said to be St Bernard of Clairvaux.
- Lofaro — wrecked on February 2, 1902, hitting Merrick Rock. Sadly, all her crew were lost.
See also
In Spanish: Tresco Abbey Gardens para niños
- Listed buildings in Tresco, Isles of Scilly
- List of shipwrecks of the Isles of Scilly
- Tresco Priory
