Trebah Garden

Trebah house was bought in 1813 by Charles fox, a manager at Perran Foundry. During Charles’s 40-year ownership of Trebah, he planted and extended the garden. He added the shelterbelt planting, created the winding pathways that can still be found and arranged shipments of exotic plants from around the world to be planted. The estate was then passed to his daughter, who continued to maintain and expand the garden for 29 years. In 1907 the estate was bought by the Hext family, who also added and expanded the garden until the outbreak of the Second World War. The estate was split during the war, and the adjoining farm was sold separately. In 1944 the beach, found at the bottom of Trebah, was used as a point of access by 7500 soldiers and as storage for the 29th US Infantry Division for the Normandy Landings. Over the next 20 years, Trebah changed owners five times until it was bought in 1961 by Donald Healey, a racing driver and designer. In 1981, Major Tony Hibbert purchased the gardens as a retirement home for him and his wife. The Hibberts were persuaded by the Cornwall Garden Trust to begin the restoration of the gardens and to allow the public to visit the gardens. In 1987 the public were able to visit Trebah Gardens.