Trelowarren

On the south bank of the Helford River that was made famous by Daphne du Maurier’s novel Frenchman’s Creek, this is the historic estate that inspired her iconic tale of handsome smugglers, secret assignations in wooded creeks and political intrigue. She called Trelowarren, ‘a jewel’ and here it still is and now open for guests to stay in our main house.

And while you are staying with us the three thousand years of Cornish Trelowarren history is all around you.

Trelowarren is living history, not corporate heritage. We want to maintain a traditional working estate that people can share with us.

A short walk around the heart of the estate will take you, like a bear hunt, past the Turret (a folly that resembles part of a medieval fortification), up the Mount (built to admire the views across the Lizard), through an iron-age fort (one of the longest continually occupied sites in Northern Europe), down the Fogou (a neolithic chamber) up the drive and back to the Restoration Gates (built by the Vyvyans in 1660 to mark the Restoration of the Monarchy).

My family has lived here for almost six hundred years and I am determined that future generations of both my own family and visitors from around the world enjoy it as it was meant to be enjoyed – an unspoiled and peaceful community.”
— Sir Ferrers Vyvyan

A potted history….For idealistic, or perhaps pecuniary, reasons the Vyvyans have a long history of standing by the King.

In 1328 Richard Vyvyan and his sons attacked the usurping priest at St Buryan (placed by the Bishop of Exeter not the King) causing ‘great bloodshed and violence’ and they were excommunicated at St Michael’s Mount, with bell, book and candle by the Bishop, ‘wearing his stole’ no less, for their trouble. The Bishop won the fight over the rights at St Buryan and the King lost – and presumably so too did Richard Vyvyan although he doesn’t seem to have been overly careworn by the experience.

In 1536 Richard Vyvyan presented a masque for the King in Oxford and was knighted for his trouble and (considerable) expense. During the civil war he was a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber and Master of the Mint at Truro and at Exeter. Unfortunately the King lost the war and his head to the roundheads, who were of course Revolting but Right.

In 1752 Sir Vyell had the house re-modelled and the garden re-designed to show to the new(ish) Kings that the Vyvyans had finally turned their backs on the Stuarts. I’m sure it had been giving them sleepless nights.

In the 19C Sir Richard Vyvyan fell rather heavily for one of the royal nieces and invited Queen Victoria to visit Trelowarren. In order to make a good impression he built a new quay at Tremayne, a new boathouse for the royal barge and several miles of new drive to the house from the river. Unfortunately the weather was inclement and on the day the Queen decided not to come. Much later Edward VIII came for a quick visit and used the quay and was, according to Lady Vyvyan, ‘charming’. Unfortunately he had a yacht hanging about offshore and on board was Wallace Simpson and before the tea cups had been dried he’d abdicated.