Trewithen House

About the museum

Trewithen is an early Georgian country house near Truro, and its name means “house of the trees”. A dwelling was recorded here as long ago as the 11th century, and the estate appears in the Domesday Survey of 1086, when it belonged to the Count of Mortain. In 1715 it was bought by Philip Hawkins, a wealthy local attorney, and the house seen today dates from the years that followed.

The London architect Thomas Edwards rebuilt the house between 1715 and 1725, and Sir Robert Taylor enlarged it and redesigned the interior from 1740. It is built on three sides of granite from the Pentewan quarries, which the Hawkins family owned. The stone develops a pink lichen in wind and rain, giving the walls their blush colour, while the north side was faced in brick in 1730 to match the two flanking French Pavilions.

The most striking room is the Great Saloon, designed by Taylor and described as the only one of its kind in the south-west. It runs the full length of the south front and has Ionic columns, arcading, plasterwork and carved and painted candle brackets in the Rococo style.

The estate has stayed in the same family for nearly 300 years and is still the home of the Galsworthy family, who finished a major restoration of the house in 2022. They removed later partitions and corridors, returned the kitchen to its original position and reconnected the saloon with the garden. Visitors see the house on a guided tour.

Highlights

• Early Georgian house of Pentewan granite, c. 1715–1725
• Great Saloon by Sir Robert Taylor, a Rococo interior with Ionic columns
• Hour-long guided tours led by experienced house guides
• 30 acres of woodland gardens and over 200 acres of parkland
• Still a family home, restored in 2022

Permanent exhibition

• Trewithen House guided tour – An hour-long guided tour through the ground-floor rooms of the family home, including the Rococo Great Saloon, the library and the art and records of Cornwall.

Operated by

Galsworthy family (private owners)

Admission & discounts

The regular price of £12.50 is for garden entry; the house can be seen only on a guided tour at £15 per adult, or £20 combined with garden entry. Members of Historic Houses can visit the house and gardens free of charge. The café, plant centre and car park can be used without a ticket.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Level paths run through the formal part of the gardens, and the circular route is paved with light gravel that suits wheelchairs, though the water gardens and the less formal areas are uneven and have no footpath. The newly landscaped gravel at the garden entrance is not suitable for wheelchairs, so wheelchair users should use the alternative entry gate at the bottom end of the car park. An accessible unisex toilet is in the courtyard next to the main toilets. The house tour stays on the ground floor, and a small ramp to the saloon entrance can be provided with advance notice. The house is a listed historic building with low lighting and uneven floors, so not every area is fully accessible. The tea shed has a carpeted, well-lit floor. Benches are spaced irregularly around the gardens. Dogs on leads are welcome in the gardens.

Kids & families

Children under 12 enter the gardens free of charge.

Getting there & parking

Trewithen is well signposted from the A390. From Truro, drive towards St Austell through Tresillian for about four miles; the entrance is on the right shortly after the Probus roundabout. From St Austell, drive towards Truro through Grampound; the entrance is on the left about five miles from St Austell. The what3words address is driving.reflected.partner.

Amenities & dining

• Café

Da Bara in the Gardens, at the garden entrance, serves bakes, cinnamon buns, coffee, light lunches and Cornish cream teas, and sells pantry goods. Tables cannot be booked and no ticket is needed to visit the café. A plant centre is also on site, and allergy information is available for café items.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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