4:31pm Monday 27th June 2011
In June, Sir Ferrers Vyvyan hosted a visit to his home at Trelowarren. The rain cleared to allow a walk in sunshine across the lawns to the chapel to begin the tour. Here, Sir Ferrers related a fascinating history of the Vyvyan family. In the English Civil War the Vyvyans were Royalist supporters. The family were given a large Van Dyke painting by King Charles I in recognition of their support. Sir Richard Vyvyan was commissioned by Charles I to form a mint, first at Truro then at Exeter, to make coinage to pay the army in the South West. Sir Richard collected silver from other Royalist supporters in the South West and minted coins which now fetch considerable sums of money on the open market due to their rarity. He was eventually captured by the Parliamentarians in Exeter. The painting continues to hang in the family house today. Another Sir Richard Vyvyan, ancestor, was imprisoned in the Tower of London, with his wife, where a baby daughter was born. He was imprisoned on suspicion of organising the 1745 Jacobite uprising.
The Vyvyan family have had the Trelowarren estate for over 600 years and the design of the grounds and of the house itself have changed over the passage of time. Sir Ferrers’ great aunt Clara had considered it appropriate that Trelowarren should dissipate gracefully and allowed the brambles to take over the grounds, but his father was keen to restore the estate to its former glory and Sir Ferrers has continued that work.
Rather than rely on garden visitors to the estate in order to fund the restoration, Sir Ferrers intends to maintain the original house and estate by establishing luxury self-catering cottages sympathetically restored in the original offices and estate buildings beside the family house. By the use of renewable heating methods, enhanced insulation and natural building materials a “green” future is being planned for Trelowarren. The estate’s woods provide a sustainable power source for a bio-mass boiler, which the group were able to view, to heat the many facilities on the estate.
Geoff Roberts thanked Sir Ferrers for offering a generous welcome and congratulated him on his use of renewable technology to restore a very fine family estate.
On Friday, July 15 members will take a walk around Historic Falmouth.
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