Pencarrow Garden and Estate
We have been fans of Pencarrow - house, garden and estate - for so long that it surprises me that it is only after a visit in mid-May 2006 that I have got round to posting an item about it. Our visit was almost accidental. We had been to see the Old Mill Herbary garden at Helland Bridge, had been unable to get a cup of tea there and decided to get one at the Peacock Tearoom at Pencarrow. We were glad we did because the bluebells, beneath beeches near the house, were superb.
You need to look upon Pencarrow as not just a garden but rather as an estate with a garden. If you have the time and interest, walk the drive as well as the extensive garden. If not, drive slowly to enjoy the lovely beech woods, the unexpected iron-age fortified farmstead and all the rhododendrons and azaleas on the way to the car park.
The garden itself divides into two main parts. Lawns, mature trees and beds at the entrance front and a large formal parterre at the south front. And a walk through wild-flower woodland to Mole's Garden, a new stream garden, and on to the lake that feeds it and to North American woodland plantings. If you eat outside the Peacock Tearoom, beware hungry peacocks and doves. The garden opens in February for snowdrops; later, the bluebells in the beech woodland are superb.
Signed from A389 Bodmin to Wadebridge
One of Pencarrow's many superb rhododendrons
More in Gardens
Penjerrick
In April 2008 we took advantage of a Western Morning News '2 for the price of 1' offer to visit a couple of spring gardens near Mawnan Smith in the general area between Falmouth and the Helford River. Neither Carwinion nor Penjerrick could be said to rate anywhere compared to nearby Glendurgan and Trebah. Carwinion is perhaps an acceptable 1� hour visit for its �4 entry charge. Penjerrick is appalling value even at its lower �2.50. And yet we had had quite high expectations. A visitor to my web site (I think his name is Tilo) was so taken by Penjerrick that his son Georg created a Penjerrick web site which raves about it and quotes expert Patrick Taylor and a Western Morning News reviewer doing the same. We don't. We suspect that the present owner, a descendant of the Robert Were Fox and Barclay Fox who created Penjerrick in the mid 18th century, is resentful that the National Trust refused to accept it in 1990 and wonder whether the present regime of 'benign neglect' stems from that. The result reflects her 'jungle' philosophy but means that ponds are clogged, paths are deep in mud and few shrubs bloom. Even by the house, which was the best-kept part of the garden - with bluebells, azaleas and tall firs - it was thick with dog mess. We fear that Penjerrick's underlying philosophy is less benign neglect, more contempt for the paying visitor.
Pentillie Castle near St. Mellion
We learned about Pentillie Castle when we watched the Channel 4 TV series Country House Rescue. The Coryton family were advised about using their house and estate for a wedding and corporate entertainment business, something that they have now got under way. What little we saw of the estate on the programme made it look interesting so in mid March we attended their second garden open day. Pentillie was built by James Tillie in 1698 and was remodelled for the Corytons by William Wilkins in 1810 (it was again remodelled in the 1960s), at which time Humphrey Repton had a hand in landscaping the grounds. This is definitely not a garden in the conventional sense of the word. It is rather a scenic landscape with eyecatchers and an awful lot of scenery to enjoy. As at March 2009 a lot of clearance work has been done but there is a long way to go. There are four major features. The American Garden has too much laurel, ample rhodos but little sign of camellias, azaleas or magnolias. The Walled Kitchen Garden was badly overgrown and hardly worth seeing. The riverside is a delight with its cottage and bathing hut. And the walk to the mausoleum offers some of the finest views over the River Tamar. Despite the run down aspect of so much, we spent several most enjoyable hours wandering around free of restriction. As long as you are not expecting to see much in bloom, and enjoy walking, this is well worth a visit on one of their rare opening days.
Pine Lodge Garden and Pinetum Park
My original 2003 review of Pine Lodge