Landscapes of Cornwall: The Real-Life Inspiration for PBS Series Poldark - Gardenista
Photography via National Trust, except where noted. Peaceful, unchanged and hidden, the gardens of Trerice are tucked away in a quiet valley three miles from Newquay, a beach town in Cornwall, England. The back of the house at Trerice (pronounced Tre-rice) is more akin to a collection of farm cottages than the rear of a grand house. The imposing front gates are softened by the moss-covered untidiness of the stone wall. Trerice is typical of the manor houses of the rich mine owners in Cornwall. The front of the house wasn’t always as open and friendly as it is today (in this early photo, a game of Kayling–Cornish bowling– is set up on the gravel pathway). When Winston Graham took inspiration from Trerice in the 1940s and ’50s, it was a daunting and dark manor house with huge evergreen trees in front. A friendly robin outside the Barn restaurant. There are still some yews flanking the main gates, and access to a raised walkway with long borders is via lichen-covered stone steps. There is an upper terrace to the front of the house. This is thought to be the site of a bowling green created in Tudor times. Photograph by Esther Westerveld via Flickr.. A cold-frame in the yard houses plants for the regular plant sales held at Trerice. A new knot garden was recently planted with 800 yew trees to create this 30-by-30-meter garden. Swiss chard grows in open beds in the Elizabethan kitchen garden. Visitors can get their own slice of Poldark-inspired scenery as Trerice is open from February through October via the National Trust. For hours and information, see National Trust.