Trewithen

Frequently asked questions about Trewithen Gardens

Q. How many staff work in the gardens?
A. Gary and two full-time gardeners, a part-time student and volunteers.

Q. Who owns Trewithen? Is it RHS, National Trust?
A. The Galsworthy family own Trewithen and live there all year round. The estate has been in continuous family ownership for more than 280 years, descending by marriage through the Hawkins and Johnstone families.

 

Q. What makes a tree a champion?
A. There is a charity called the Tree Register, whose patron is HRH the Prince of Wales. Register officials measure and log data about the UK's most notable trees every 10 years, or sooner if possible. A champion is either the tallest tree, or the tree with the widest girth, of its type, in the British Isles. Sometimes, as with some of Trewithen's champions, a tree can be both tallest and broadest!

 

Q. Can we bring our dog?
A. Yes. Dogs are welcome at Trewithen if kept on a lead. We have a great woodland walk with neat pathways and even ‘bins' that we particularly recommend to dog owners.

 

Q. When is the best time to visit the garden?
A. The answer is always: ‘Yesterday or tomorrow'. Trewithen is so diverse, has so much to offer and is so changeable in terms of its appearance that every time you come you will see something new that you may have missed last time. The Spring is a riot of colour, especially with the early flowering Magnolias, Rhododendrons and Camellias but the interest continues throughout the Summer with the wildlife garden, the rose garden and the water garden and in the Autumn the gardens are full of glorious leaf and berry colours, especially from Viburnums and Acers.
Trewithen guarantees interest and enjoyment whatever the time of year.

 

Q. What does RHS recommended mean?
A. It means there is limited free entry to RHS members (check with our opening times) and that the gardens are ‘recommended' because they offer inspiration, are of a high standard of design, maintenance and planting. According to the RHS, Trewithen is one of just five ‘outstanding' gardens in the whole of the South West, starting in Gloucestershire.

Q: Has Trewithen ever featured on film or television?
A: Trewithen has been used as a location for episodes of the Wycliffe detective series screened on television and also by a German production company filming two short stories by Rosamunde Pilcher.

 

 

Q. Has Trewithen ever had any royal visitors?
A: Trewithen has also been honoured by several royal visits beginning with King George V and Queen Mary in 1927 and King George V1 and Queen Elizabeth in 1942. Other visits in the course of the last forty or so are as follows:

1959 - Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
1985 - Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall
1985 - Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
1987 - Princess Anne, The Princess Royal
1987 - The Prince and Princess of Wales
1988 - Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall
1989 - Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall
1990 - Diana, Princess of Wales
1991 - Diana, Princess of Wales
1993 - Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall
1996 - Princess Anne, The Princess Royal
1997 - The Duke of Gloucester
1998 - Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall
2007 - Princess Alexandra