Lost Gardens of Heligan

Heligan was the Tremayne family's garden, elaborate and highly staffed, and in August 1914 the outdoor staff signed their names in chalk on the wall of the thunderbox room, the gardeners' privy, before leaving for the war; most did not come back. The garden was let go, the house was sold and by the 1970s the whole thing was under bramble and fallen trees. In 1990 Tim Smit and John Willis pushed into the ruins, found the signatures still legible on the lime plaster, and began a restoration that has run since. The productive gardens work by Victorian methods, including a pineapple pit heated by fermenting manure that fruits pineapples in Cornwall. The Jungle, a steep subtropical valley with tree ferns and bananas, runs down to a boardwalk, and two large figures, the Mud Maid and the Giant's Head, are planted sculptures in the woods.

The landscape

• The thunderbox signatures - gardeners' names chalked on plaster in August 1914.
• The pineapple pit - Victorian manure-heated frames that still fruit pineapples.
• The Jungle - a subtropical valley of tree ferns and bananas on a boardwalk.
• The planted sculptures - the Mud Maid and Giant's Head grown over with moss.

When to go

March to October for the full garden; rhododendrons and magnolias peak in spring and the productive garden in summer. Winter opening continues with much less colour but far fewer people.

Before you go

The site is large and hilly with a steep descent into the Jungle and a climb back. Paths are muddy in wet weather, which in Cornwall is often. Tickets are relatively expensive and the garden is busy in school holidays.

Nearby

Mevagissey lies south; the Eden Project is a short drive north.

Key facts