Tresco Abbey Gardens

Tresco Abbey Gardens are located on the island of Tresco in the Isles of Scilly.

A Benedictine abbey was founded here in 964 AD, although the majority of what remains today comes from the Priory of St. Nicholas founded by monks from Tavistock Abbey in 1114.

The gardens were established by the nineteenth-century proprietor of the island, Augustus Smith. Because of the mild winter climate, the long hours of summer sunshine, and the high walls and hedges around the garden protecting it from the Atlantic winds, the garden is home to exotic plants from all over the world: the Mediterranean, South America, South Africa and Australasia.

Valhalla collection

The Valhalla collection is within Tresco Abbey Garden containing some 30 figureheads, as well as name-boards and other decorative carvings from the days of sail. The collection was built up by Augustus Smith. At Valhalla most of the figureheads date from the middle and end of the 19th century and come from merchant sailing vessels or early steamships that were wrecked on the Isles of Scilly.

References

Tresco Abbey Gardens [http://www.tresco.co.uk/stay/abbey-garden/]