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Caerhays Castle and Gardens
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| You are viewing results 1 to 5 of 5 |
Caerhays Castle, which is owned by the Williams family is located in a sheltered valley overlooking Porthluney Cove on the South Cornish Coast equidistant from Truro and St Austell.
The surrounding parkland and woodland gardens were created originally from the discoveries of the plant hunters in China shortly after the turn of the 20th century. Since then a great deal of hybridisation work and especially the creation of the first x williamsii camellias has taken place at Caerhays to create the extensive woodland gardens which visitors can admire and enjoy today. Caerhays is very much a spring garden and is at its best in March, April and May. The garden is ONLY open at present for these complete 3 months (7 days a week). The castle, where the family still live is only open for more limited periods so please do check opening times carefully.
Porthluney Beach at Caerhays, which is also privately owned, is open all year round. The secluded beach is almost unique in Cornwall in that it has a large expanse of sand that is not overlooked by any buildings. It is a family beach for children to enjoy themselves in traditional beach activities. Motor and speed boats and any other activities which are not compatible with the quiet enjoyment of Caerhays Beach are therefore prohibited.
Garden Overview
The 100 acre Woodland Gardens at Caerhays Castle are English Heritage Listed Grade II*. The origins of this historically important collection of Chinese plants can be traced back to the work of the great plant hunters Ernest Wilson (1876 - 1930) and George Forrest (1873 - 1932).
J C Williams of Caerhays (1862 - 1939) gave up politics in 1895 and became passionate about gardening. He was quick to recognise the importance of the plant hunters work and contributed £300,000 (in todays terms) of his own money towards Forrests 1911 and subsequent expeditions as well as being involved in the joint funding of many other trips.
In return Caerhays received a wealth of seed from newly discovered species of Chinese rhododendrons, magnolias, camellias, azaleas, acers and evergreen oaks ? to mention but a few. A large number of these unique plants can be seen growing in maturity at Caerhays today.
The arrival of this plant material opened up opportunities for JC and his successors, Charles and Julian Williams to engage in an extensive programme of hybridisation work which is still going on today. The origin of the truly hardy, free flowering and easy to grow x williamsii strain of camellias dates from J C's original cross between Camellia saluenensis and Camellia japonica in 1923. Williamsii hybrid camellias now number many thousands of varieties and are still hybridised and grown throughout the world.
Section E of the website provides a pictorial guide to some of J C and Caerhays' achievements in hybridising magnolias, rhododendrons and camellias. Visitors to the gardens will see some of our latest hybridisation work as well as the ever expanding NCCPG National Magnolia Collection which now numbers around 80 species and over 500 hybrids.
Click here for more information on Caerhays Castle Garden
Admission Charges 2013
Gardens
£7.50 Adults
£3.50 Children under 16
Children under 5 free
£6.50 Senior
House
conducted tour only £7.50 Adults
£3.50 children under 16
Children under 5 free
£6.50 Senior
Gardens & House
combined £12.50 Adults
Senior £11.50
£6.00 Children under 16
Children under 5 free
Guided tours of the gardens last around 1½- 2 hours and must be prebooked on 01872 501 310 .
The garden is situated on a slope so wheelchair access, other than around the castle building and up the main drive is limited. For more information click here
Guided tours of the castle last about 45 minutes and these usually need to be booked well in advance to avoid disappointment as numbers are restricted due to the geography and layout of the house.
Visits by tour groups are welcome outside of our normal spring opening season by prior arrangement.
Modern toilet facilities including a disabled toilet are in the castle back yard
Licensed Tea Room serving light meals and picnics
Plant sales and gift shop
Dogs on leads please
Nearest railway station, St Austell (10 miles)
Nearest airport, Newquay (22 miles)
GARDEN OPENING DATES 2013
18th February 2013 to 16th June 2013
7 days a week
10.00am til 5.00pm
Last entry 4.00pm.
Tours start 12.00pm
Last tour 3.00 pm
Tours last app.45mins
Booking Advisable or buy tickets Online
Visits by tour groups are welcome outside of our normal spring opening season by prior arrangement.
Since Caerhays Castle Gardens are fairly inaccessible and well away from a main road the propagation and sale of all Caerhays plants is undertaken through another estate property, Burncoose Nurseries - click here to go through to their website
The Nurseries are situated directly on the A393 Redruth to Falmouth Road between the villages of Lanner and Ponsanooth and only a few minutes from the Scorrier turn off on the main A30.
Burncoose is a 30 acre woodland garden in a very similar style to Caerhays as one would expect of a sister garden in the same ownership. The garden is open to the public throughout the year. Alongside this and within a former walled garden, is Burncoose Nurseries, a working nursery also open to the public 7 days a week, which specialises in MAIL ORDER business. The nursery employs up to 30 people and has a long track record over 20 years of winning gold medals at Chelsea Flower Show, Hampton Court Flower Show, NEC and Tatton Park as well as at many other county and regional shows both within the UK and also in Italy.
Burncoose Nurseries is perhaps better known outside Cornwall because of its show generated mail order and export business than it is within the county. Less well known still is the fact that Burncoose is very much the retail side of the Caerhays Castle Gardens offering the very best of the magnolias, camellias and rhododendrons raised and bred at Caerhays.
Burncoose also offers a full garden planning and planting service within Cornwall and has its own separate landscape department.
Plants are just one of the growing range of products unique to Caerhays which can be sourced directly by mail order from the Caerhays Estate and Burncoose Nurseries websites. CLICK HERE or on the logo above to go through to the Burncoose Nursery website
click here for our ONLINE SHOP
The Vean is a a luxurious country house retreat with all the modern conveniences for a special treat for you and your friends. It has been completely renovated and now stands proud overlooking Caerhays Castle Gardens and the wooded Porthluney Valley. It is only a mile from the family-friendly beaches of Porthluney and Portholland. We are expecting it to attain 5 stars.
Features of the property:
Drawing Room, Dining Room, Sitting Room, 8 individually designed bedroom suites. Kitchen and seperate laundry room.
The Vean is a three storey, eight bedroomed luxury country house retreat which sleeps up to 16 people.
The interior of The Vean is beautifully furnished as an elegant period Georgian country house with all the trappings and comforts of a modern luxury home.
The Vean has stunning views over Caerhays Castle Gardens and the wooded Porthluney Valley. Its idyllic rural location is less than a mile from the family-friendly beaches of Porthluney and Portholland.
An integral part of the Caerhays Estate, The Vean's guests can participate in a number of the activities on the estate including, according to the season, garden tours, garden lectures, game shooting, hunting and fishing.
A stay at The Vean, whether a gathering of friends and family for a celebratory treat or corporate team break, will, we are sure, be special and memorable.
Licenced for civil weddings The Vean also caters for all many other types of special events, from wedding anniversaries, birthdays or that extra special treat, to shooting parties. The Vean has a 24-hour premises licence to sell alcohol.
The Vean has it's own website, click here to access this site.
The Boat House situated at Portholland beach Caerhays is a firm favourite with our guests. Accommodating up to four people, the retreat is nestled opposite the beach. The interiors have been designed by Niche and provide a stunning retreat, matching the stunning views of portholland and surrounding coastline.
Features of the property:
The Boat House comprises two levels with reversed accommodation to take full advantage of the magnificent views.
Lounge, Kitchen, Master Bedroom, Twin Bedroom, 2nd Bathroom, Parking and BBQ area.
Bookings are through Niche Retreats, click here for further details, images and rental costs.
The Engine House is situated in a small hamlet of 3 houses with panoramic views over Veryan Bay from its gateway. Visitors will have free access to Caerhays Castle Gardens which literally adjoin the property. Guests are welcome to access the gardens during March - May at normal opening times 7 days a week. During the months June - August guests are admitted during normal working hours weekdays only. Unfortunately due to shooting on the estate between September - February no access is permitted.
We ask all guests staying at the Engine house to please keep dogs on the lead at all times, and Niche will provide a map highlighting the garden area so as not to impinge on the privacy on the private residents of the castle. We do hope that you enjoy the gardens on this splendid estate. Should you wish to book one of our holiday homes you can check availability on the Niche website by clicking here or telephone 01209 861745
CONTACT DETAILS
Address
The Estate Office
Caerhays Castle
Gorran
St Austell
Cornwall
PL26 6LY
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