Tresco Abbey Gardens
| Tresco Abbey Gardens | |
|---|---|
 Tresco Abbey Gardens | |
  Location within the Isles of Scilly | |
| Type | Botanical |
| Location | Tresco, Isles of Scilly, England |
| Coordinates | 49°56′52″N 6°19′57″W / 49.94778°N 6.33250°W |
| Area | 17 acres (6.9 hectares) |
| Opened | 1834 |
| Founder | Augustus Smith |
| Owned by | Robert Dorrien-Smith |
| Operated by | Tresco Estate |
| Website | tresco |
Tresco Abbey Gardens are located on the island of
Tresco Abbey
Augustus Smith chose Tresco as the site of his home because the site was more or less central in relation to the rest of the islands. It is also close to the
Abbey Gardens
When Augustus Smith chose the area for his house and garden one of his first acts was to build a granite wall for shelter and to scatter
A large expansion to the collection was undertaken by
Because of the mild winter climate, the long hours of summer sunshine, and the high walls and hedges around the garden protecting it from the Atlantic winds, the garden is now home to exotic plants from all over the world: the Mediterranean, South America, South Africa and Australasia.[11]
Head Gardeners
- George Davis Vallance ca. 1875 - 1881 (b. 9 Oct 1822 d. 17 Aug 1889) (cite 1881 England Census; Guide to the Isles of Scilly, Tonkin & Tonkin, 1882, pub. F. Rodda))
- James Jenkins 1881 - 1922[12]
- William George Andrews 1922 - 1947[13]
- John Hartley 1948 - 1958
- J.D.H. Smith
- Peter Clough 1973 - 1984
- Mike Nelhams 1984
 |
Red squirrels
In 2012 five
Valhalla Museum
The Valhalla Museum within Tresco Abbey Gardens features the Valhalla Collection containing some 30 figureheads, as well as name-boards and other decorative carvings from the days of sail. The collection was started by Augustus Smith. Most of the figureheads date from the middle and end of the 19th century and come from merchant sailing vessels or early steamships that were wrecked on the Isles of Scilly.[15] Some of the ships which are represented in the collection are:
- a 17th-century stern decoration of the Greek god Pierre Puget, is said to be from a French ship wrecked on Annet in that century.[16]
- siege of Toulon (1707). The main decoration shows the arms of France and Navarre surrounded by the collars of the orders of St Michel and the St Esprit, surmounted by a crown.
- Rosevear.
- Alessandro II Grande — wrecked 1 January 1851 when she was blown on the Mare ledges, off the south shore of Tresco. There was no loss of life. The figurehead is of Tsar Alexander I.[17]
- Mary Hay — wrecked 13 April 1852 after hitting the Steeple Rock, on the Bream Ledges which is between Mincarlo and Samson.[18]
- Chieftain — said to be wrecked in 1856 off St Martin's Head. There is no record of a ship with that name in the Lloyd's Register[18]
- Award — wrecked 19 March 1861 when she was driven onto Gweal during a force 8 to 9 NNW gale. Her crew of 24 managed to scramble ashore.[2]
- Primos — wrecked 24 June 1871 on the Seven Stones reef.[18]
- River Lune — wrecked 27 June 1879 on the Brothers Rock in Muncoy Neck, between Melledgan and Annet.[18]
- Bernardo – sank on Annet in 1888. Her figurehead is said to be St Bernard of Clairvaux.[19]
- Lofaro — wrecked 2 February 1902 struck Merrick Rock, St Martin's with the loss of her crew.[18]
See also
References
- ^ Historic England. "Tresco (Grade I) (1000427)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
- ^ a b "Valhalla - Award 1861". Tresco Estate. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ Vyvyan, Clara C (1960). The Scilly Isles. London: Robert Hale.
- ^ Historic England. "Tresco Abbey (1141200)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ Parslow, Rosemary (2007). The Isles of Scilly. London: Harper Collins.
- ^ Lane, Charles Arthur (1892). "Descriptive Lantern Lectures on English Church History". Religion. p. xvi.
- ISBN 0-09-466170-7.
- ^ Godley, E. J. (May 1979). "The 1907 Expedition to the Auckland and Campbell Islands, and an unpublished report by B.C. Aston". Tuatara. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
- ^ "The southern islands expedition". Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information, Royal Gardens, Kew: 239–249. 1908.
- ^ "A botanizing expedition to West Australia in the spring". Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society. 36: 285–293. 1910.
- ^ "Welcome to the Abbey Garden". Tresco Island. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ISBN 9781850222002.
- ^ "William George Andrews". The Journal of the Kew Guild. IX (LXXVII): 156–157. May 1973.
- ^ "RNAS Culdrose helicopter flies red squirrels to Tresco". BBC News. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ Taylor, James. The Maritime Trust Silver Jubilee, 1969-1994. The Maritime Trust.
- ^ "Valhalla - Boreas". Tresco Estate. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ "Valhalla - Alessandro Il Grande 1851". Tresco Estate. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Larn, Richard (1992). Shipwrecks of the Isles of Scilly. Nairn: Thomas & Lochar.
- ^ "Valhalla - Bernardo 1888". Tresco Estate. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
External links
