Britain Update - Trewithen Garden

Dear Friends,
Welcome to a new year of Britain Update! Today we'll look at two historic attractions, one a garden in rural Cornwall, and one a restored house in Edinburgh. As well, there's quite a few travel news and notes which should prove useful in your travel planning. Speaking of travel planning, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that there are still places available for both the Spring and Summer versions of our English Gardens Tours. See the details below.

David Ross, Publisher

English Gardens Tour - places are filling up for our English Gardens Spring Tour, so please book now to avoid disappointment!

Spring Tour - March 26 - April 2, 2003
Tour England's finest West Country gardens in the company of a gardening expert. Visit stately homes and cottages, countryside and castles... from Polesden Lacey to Forde Abbey, the Cotswolds to Cornwall, plus a full day exploring the glorious city of Bath! From historic houses to thatched cottages and the classic English scenery of the West Country ... you'll have a holiday to remember!

Join gardening professional Anne Slade on an 8 day tour of England's West Country and the historic city of Bath. Enjoy some of the finest gardens, large and small, that the region has to offer. Immerse yourself in the rich countryside of Dorset, Devon, Somerset, and Cornwall - from the exotic splendor of sub-tropical Trebah Gardens to the isolated beauty of small Cornish fishing villages, from historic houses to thatched cottages and the classic English scenery of the Cotswolds ... you'll have the time of your life!

You will see 8 Gardens, 5 Stately Homes, have a free day to explore the city of Bath, travel through The New Forest, and visit delightful coastal villages in Cornwall & Devon - and you will always have plenty of free time to shop or stroll about at your own pace.

Destinations

The Georgian House
Edinburgh, Scotland

The Georgian House is an exquisite 18th century town house in Edinburgh's New Town, designed by master architect Robert Adam. The house is beautifully furnished, with collections of period china, furniture, art, and silver gracing three floors of elegant rooms, decorated as they would have been when the house opened in 1796.

Around the end of the 18th century prosperous natives of Edinburgh began to leave the cramped conditions of Edinburgh's Old Town to build new, imposing townhouse residences, like Georgian House, in New Town.

This example, widely regarded as one of Adam's finest urban works, dates from 1796, and is part of Adam's ambitious Charlotte Square development.

The house was built by John Lamont, chief of Clan Lamont. In 1815 the Lamont's sold the house, and it passed through several prominent Scottish families until it passed to the National Trust for Scotland in 1966 upon the death of its last private owner, the 5th Marquess of Bute.

Visitors to the house can view a video presentation which explores the history of New Town and the living conditions of those who inhabited Georgian House. Visitors also have a chance to see what life was like "below stairs", with access to the restored kitchen, as well as the wine cellars and china closet.

The Georgian House fronts onto Charlotte Square, just a few minutes walk west of Princes Street.

Essential Information
The Georgian House
7 Charlotte Square
Edinburgh, Scotland
EH2 4DR
Tel: +44 (0) 131 226 3318
Fax: +44 (0) 131 226 3318
E-mail: thegeorgianhouse@nts.org.uk
Website: www.nts.org.uk/georgian.html
Location map

Access: Limited wheelchair access, 6 steps up to main floor.

Opening Hours: see official website

Destinations

Trewithen Gardens
Truro, Cornwall, England

Trewithen means "house of the trees" and the description describes perfectly this attractive Georgian house set amidst enjoyable woodland gardens and parkland. The house at Trewithen was begun in 1730 by Philip Hawkins, though the impressive south front is a product of 1763. The interior boasts a series of family rooms filled with furniture and paintings collected by the Hawkins family over generations.

THE GARDENS
Though Trewithen House is an enjoyable place to visit, most people come for the superb gardens. The grounds of Trewithen were landscaped at the same time as the house, and remodeled as woodland gardens in the 19th century. A major transformation took place in the early 20th century, when George Johnstone inherited the estate.

The new owner launched a major replanting scheme which saw a multitude of shrubs added to the woodland landscape. He planted a fringe border to the expanse of lawn south of the house. From the lawn, paths lead through 30 acres of woodland via trails lined with camellias, rhododendrons, magnolias, maples, and many rare trees and shrubs found very seldom in Britain. This planted woodland area has been called one of England's finest examples of landscape gardening.

Formal gardens near the house balance these woodland paths, with a Walled Garden housing tender plants. Trewithen has even created its own namesake plant, the Trewithen Blue, or Ceanothus arboreus.

CONTACT
Trewithen
Grampound Road
Truro
Cornwall
TR2 4DD
Tel. 01726 883647
Fax 01726 882301
e-mail:gardens@trewithen-estate.demon.co.uk
http://www.trewithengardens.co.uk

ENTRY: fee charged

ACCESSABILITY: the gardens are only partially accessible to wheelchairs. WC available.

West Dean Garden of the Year
West Dean Gardens in West Sussex has been awarded the Historic Houses Association/Christie's Garden of the Year for 2002. The gardens at West Dean are set in the rolling hills of the South Downs, near Chichester, and surround an historic manor house, built in 1622. Website: http://www.westdean.org.uk/gardens/index.htm

Free Guide to Herefordshire
Take a bite out of Britain's 'Big Apple' this year! Home of cider-making, bustling market towns and inspiring walks, Herefordshire and the Wye Valley offers a new free Visitor Guide that provides a mouth-watering introduction to the region. Free copies of the 72-page brochure can be obtained by telephoning 01271-336068. Further information, and an on-line booking facility, can be found by logging on to http://www.visitorlinks.com

Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales
Sustainable tourism has become associated with exotic, fragile locations in far-flung corners of the world. However, a disused slate quarry in Mid Wales has, over the last 27 years, become the unlikely focus for everything to do with a practical ‘green’ lifestyle, affording visitors a fascinating glimpse into environmentally friendly energy and lifestyle alternatives. Even the cliff railway that takes visitors up to the Centre for Alternative Technology is environmentally friendly: it is run on a water-balance system. Once there, people are shown in a practical, inspiring and fun way how to:

Heat their bath water with sunlight and build an eco-friendly house.
Turn their garden into an organic haven for wildlife.
Generate electricity from wind, water and solar power.
Recycle everything from rain-water to human waste products.

The Centre for Alternative Technology is in the scenic Dyfi Valley near Machynlleth, 217 miles north-west of London (accessible by train and bus) and open daily except Jan. 5 – 17. Admission is adult £5, child £2.60. Tel: 01654 705950. Website: http://www.cat.org.uk.

Free Shropshire Visitor Guide
Famous for its unspoilt countryside, fine food, and even for being the 'Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution', Shropshire is highlighting the very special quality of accommodation and attractions on offer throughout the county in its latest visitor guide to Shropshire and the Welsh Borders. Among the attractions and destinations highlighted are The Pen Y Dyffyn Country Hotel in Rhydycroesau, near Oswestry, which was recently presented with a Good Hotel Guide Cesar Award for the UK's "Best Country House Hotel of the Year".

Both Ironbridge Gorge Museum and Hawkstone Historic Park & Follies collected top awards in this year's Good Britain Guide, and Bridgnorth was awarded the accolade of "Best Looking Town in the Country" in this year's Britain in Bloom contest.

Free copies of the new 68 page Shropshire & The Welsh Borders visitor guide can be obtained by telephoning 01743 462462. For further details about the county, log on to http://www.shropshiretourism.info

Newark Antique Fair
The most prestigious and popular antique fair in Britain is set for another season of antique bargain hunting and exploring. Famed for a seemingly inexhaustible source of antiques and collectibles, the Newark Antique Fair attracts the world's leading buyers, private collectors and enthusiasts to a series of 6 fairs spread over the next 12 months.

Dates in 2003
Monday/Tuesday, 3-4 February
Monday/Tuesday, 7-8 April
Monday/Tuesday, 2-3 June
Monday/Tuesday, 18-19 August
Monday/Tuesday, 20-21 October
Monday/Tuesday, 1-2 December

Bath Literature Festival, 1 - 9 March 2003
The ninth Bath Literature Festival includes memoirs and autobiography, letters and poetry from all sorts of people from the survivors of the First World War, from politicians and news reporters, from biographers to historians to favourite fiction and new writing. Artists appearing include Kate Adie, Ben Okri, Clement Freud, John Hegley, Blake Morrison and Minette Walters to name just a few. You can find full programme details at http://www.bathlitfest.org.uk, including on-line booking facilities at no extra cost.

Anniversary of Bank of England architect
The 250th anniversary of the Bank of England’s architect Sir John Soane (1753 – 1837) will be marked in London this year. Celebrations throughout 2003 will coincide with improvements at the museum which houses his art collection of Hogarths, Canalettos and Turners. Sir John Soane’s Museum, at 13, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, also contains an array of antiquities such as the sarcophagus of Pharaoh Seti I – one of the finest examples outside Egypt. Two major projects will begin: the restoration of No.14, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, designed by Soane in 1824, recently acquired and set to open in 2004; and the restoration of three museum courtyards (late 2003).

A year-long programme of exhibitions, lectures and other events will reflect the range of Soane’s collections and his enduring influence on today’s architects and designers. The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday (including the first Tuesday evening of the month when part of the building is candlelit) and admission is free. Tel: 020 7405 2107. Soane also designed London’s Dulwich Picture Gallery, Britain’s oldest public art gallery, which includes works by Rembrandt, Rubens and Van Dyck. Websites: http://www.soane.org ; http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk

Cycling England's Last Wilderness
A new cycle route goes for 150 miles across ‘England’s last wilderness’ – in the north. The Pennine Cycleway North takes in some of the region’s breathtaking scenery, passing the Roman Hadrian’s Wall and crossing England’s backbone (the Pennine Hills); the Eden Valley and the Northumberland National Park, en route from Appleby, Cumbria to Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland.
It is part of Britain’s rapidly growing National Cycle Network being developed by the charity Sustrans (Sustainable Transport). Its official route map (£5.99) contains all essential information including advice on accommodation and can be ordered on-line. Tel: 0117 929 0888. Website: http://www.sustrans.org

That's all for now. Until next issue, let me remind you that laughter is contagious. Be a carrier.

		Where to go and what to see in the UK, from Britain Express, your UK travel and heritage guide