Trelissick

About Trelissick

Trelissick stands at Feock, near Truro, on a wooded promontory above the River Fal. From its position at the head of the Carrick Roads there are panoramic views down the estuary towards Falmouth and the sea, with glimpses of boats moored in tidal creeks and small riverside hamlets.

The National Trust cares for the Georgian house, a garden famed for its tender and exotic plants, and a large estate of parkland and riverside woods. The garden is landscaped on many levels and has colour all year round, though the spring blossom is especially lovely.

History

The first house at Trelissick was a modest villa built in the 1750s for John Lawrence, on the foundations of an earlier building and with commanding views over the Fal. It was designed by Edmund Davy, grandfather of the scientist Sir Humphry Davy.

In the early 1800s the estate was bought by Ralph Allen Daniell, whose family had made a fortune from Cornish mining. His son Thomas Daniell commissioned the London architect Peter Frederick Robinson to remodel the house in the mid-1820s, adding the great columned portico to the south front. Thomas also planted the woods along the shore of the Fal and laid out carriage drives that are now woodland walks, but his debts forced the sale of the estate.

In 1844 Trelissick was bought by John Davies Gilbert, and the Gilbert family made many improvements to the grounds; many of the ornamental woodlands, huge oaks and conifers date from their time. Carew Davies Gilbert added a second floor to the house and built the farm buildings that now house the café and bookshop. The Gothic-style water tower in the grounds, topped with the Gilbert family's squirrel emblem, dates from the mid-19th century.

In the early 20th century the banker Leonard Cunliffe bought the estate. When he died in 1937 it passed to his stepdaughter Ida Copeland, who with her husband Ronald, of the Spode china family, created much of the garden seen today. In 1955 Ida Copeland gave the house and estate to the National Trust, with the family keeping the house as their home. The family moved out in 2012, and the house opened to visitors for the first time in December 2013.

The Garden

The Copelands planted many species that thrive in the mild Cornish air, including the tender Asian shrubs so typical of Cornish gardens — magnolias, camellias and rhododendrons — along with many rare hydrangeas, which remain a speciality of Trelissick. The garden also holds National Plant Collections of photinias and azaras.

Much of the garden's character comes from its large, open lawns. A Japanese cedar shades the sloping main lawn, whose borders are filled with summer-flowering shrubs. Paths lead on to a summer house and give views over the treetops into a sheltered dell of palms, banana plants, tree ferns and large-leaved rhododendrons.

A rustic bridge carries a path over the Ferry Road into Carcadden, a more open, parkland-style area with cedars, cypresses, magnolias and camellias, and an orchard of Cornish apple varieties.

Highlights

• The house — the Georgian house with its great columned portico, open to visitors since 2013.
• The views — across the Carrick Roads and down the Fal towards Falmouth.
• Hydrangeas — a Trelissick speciality, at their best in late summer.
• Woodland walks — the old carriage drives through the riverside woods, open dawn to dusk.

Visiting Information

Opening times, admission prices and facility availability change seasonally — please confirm details on the official National Trust site before your visit. Hero image: Trelissick House — Photo © Derek Voller (cc-by-sa/2.0).