Heligan Estate

The Heligan estate (Cornish: Helygen, meaning willow tree) was the ancestral home of the Tremayne family, near Mevagissey in Cornwall. The family also held property at Sydenham near Marystow in Devon.

Heligan (meaning "willows" in Cornish) is first recorded in the twelfth century. The estate was bought by Sampson Tremayne in 1659. Heligan House was built by William Tremayne in 1603 in Jacobean style, although of that house only the basement remains. The house was substantially rebuilt in 1692 by Sir John Tremayne (1647–1694) in William and Mary style, and extended in 1810 and 1830. Unusually for Cornwall the house is built of brick.

The members of the family who developed the garden were:

• Rev. Henry Hawkins Tremayne (1741–1829)
• John Hearle Tremayne (1780–1851), son of Henry Hawkins Tremayne
• John Tremayne (1825–1901), son of John Hearle Tremayne
• John Claude Lewis Tremayne (1869–1949), son of John Tremayne and better known as "Jack"

The estate was let out after the First World War. The house was divided into flats and sold in the 1970s. The garden remained in the ownership of the Tremayne family, but was not maintained. It was rediscovered and rescued in a televised project in 1996. The Lost Gardens of Heligan are now a major visitor attraction.