Heligan Estate

The Lost Gardens of Heligan

The 1000 acres that make up the Heligan Estate are a must see for visitors to Cornwall. After the First World War gardens went into decline and were all but lost under crumbled masonry.  Since 1990 a dedicated team has been restoring the gardens to their former glory.

The estate includes diverse habitats including woodland, meadows, formal gardens, the spectacular ‘Lost Valley’ and even a jungle. Restoration is being carried out sympathetically to the local flora and fauna and many rare species are being conserved and reintroduced.

The picture  is one of the huge mud sculptures that lurks in the Woodland Walk.

The gardens now boast a fabulous collection of aged and colossal rhododendrons and camellias, a series of lakes fed by a ram pump over a century old, highly productive flower and vegetable gardens, an Italian garden, and a stunning wild area filled with primaeval-looking sub-tropical tree ferns called “The Jungle”. The gardens also have Europe’s only remaining Pineapple Pit, warmed by rotting compost and two figures made from rocks and plants known as the Mud Maid and the Giant’s Head.

The style of the gardens is typical of the nineteenth century Gardenesque style, with areas of different character and in different design styles.

Areas include the pleasure Grounds,  Productive Garden and jungle, a subtropical garden with luxuriant trees,  four tunnels, and cascading streams. Local archaeologists have traveled the beginnings to medieval times.  Their website.