Estate saved by ingenuity & hard graft

25 January 2002




Estate saved by ingenuity & hard graft

A Cornish estate is being given new life instead of being

sold piecemeal, as Tom Montgomery reports

A TRADITIONAL country estate can be viable and vibrant in the 21st century while staying faithful to its rural past, believes Mike Sagin. Which is why he and his colleagues are restoring the 405ha (1000-acre) Trevarno Estate in Cornwall that was recently in danger of being split up.

The estate, near Helston, can be traced back to 1245 and has been owned by a succession of notable families. Seven years ago it was divided into 33 lots of farms, cottages and a manor house with grounds and gardens, and put up for sale.

It looked set to share the fate of other historic Cornish estates which have been lost forever owing to prohibitive maintenance costs and death duties. In some cases the large houses have become time-share units.

At the time Mike Sagin was looking for a country mansion surrounded by a few acres to use as a company headquarters. After viewing Trevarno he was filled with an "overwhelming passion" to save the estate and restore the farms and buildings. When all 33 lots had been successfully purchased the magnitude of the task became clear.

It would need diversification on a large scale and some hardheaded business acumen.

"Maintaining the estate in its then condition would have been a major ongoing expense. A long term restoration plan would require colossal resources," said Mike.

"We formulated a range of projects which would create additional revenue to fund the work. The overriding ethos, particularly for generating income, was all activities must be sensitive to Trevarno and the local environment. To avoid at all costs the soft option of promoting a range of third party souvenirs which have no connection or relevance with the estate.

"Any items offered for sale should be grown, designed, manufactured or produced at Trevarno or directly influenced by it. Other aims were the creation of new and sustainable jobs and the development of rural crafts within a thriving community on the estate."

With 405ha (1000 acres) to deal with it was decided to start at the centre and work out.

Trevarno consists of a late Georgian manor house, whose Victorian additions have been removed, with adjacent gardens and grounds; six farms down to dairying, livestock and arable crops like potatoes; associated agricultural buildings, including a water mill, and a number of houses and cottages.

The plan is to restore the whole estate. Several homes have already been done and the aim is to do one, possibly two, a year. Work on the farms will be tailored to suit the tenants and the type of holding.

Horticulture in one form or another will be a main draw for visitors because of the current interest in gardening. Providing the basic infrastructure to open the gardens was begun in 1996. Highways were improved, woodlands cleared and car parking and toilets provided. The lake was partially drained so several hundred tonnes of silt below the cascade could be removed. A huge beech tree which had fallen into the water took a gang of men and an array of machinery five weeks to clear.

By 1998 the gardens, a combination of woodland landscapes with formal areas and many features such as a Victorian boathouse, Gothic potting shed and a collection of rare shrubs and trees, were opened to the public.

Such was the interest in a small gardening museum that had been set up in the carriage house it was decided to expand it into a larger, purpose-designed building. It opened last Easter and the following


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