Tresco Abbey Garden Isles of Scilly
Tresco Abbey Garden on the island of Tresco in the Isles of Scilly is one of the most extraordinary gardens in the British Isles, a sub-tropical collection planted within the ruins of a Benedictine priory on an island that enjoys the mildest climate in Britain, allowing plants from the Mediterranean, South Africa, South America, Australia and New Zealand to grow in the open air in conditions impossible on the British mainland. The garden was created by Augustus Smith from 1834 onward and has been continuously developed by the Dorrien-Smith family who have leased Tresco from the Duchy of Cornwall ever since. The garden consists of terraces climbing the south-facing hillside above the priory ruins, each planted with collections from different geographical regions in a scheme that combines botanical ambition with aesthetic quality. The Valhalla collection at the garden's heart, a museum of wooden figureheads salvaged from ships wrecked on the Scilly rocks over three centuries, provides one of the most unusual and most evocative museum experiences in Britain, the carved and painted figures a direct connection to the maritime history of these islands. The island of Tresco itself, accessible by boat from St Mary's, has no cars and a small resident population, and the combination of the garden, the island beaches and the clear Scilly water creates one of the most complete island experiences available in England. The wider Isles of Scilly, with their remarkable seabird colonies and clear Atlantic water, provide a complementary natural setting for the garden visit.