Revival and Relevance: the Walled Kitchen Garden in 21St Century Public History Submitted by Jennifer Pina-Trengove to the Unive

Revival and relevance: The walled kitchen garden in 21st century public history Submitted by Jennifer Pina-Trengove to the University of Exeter As a thesis for the degree of Masters by Research in History In November 2020 This thesis is available for Library to use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other university. Signature…………………………………………. 1 2 I would like to acknowledge my gratitude for the support and financial assistance provided to me by Cornwall Heritage Trust, Cornwall Gardens Trust and the National Trust. I would like to thank my colleagues at the National Trust for their willingness to impart their knowledge and experience, and particularly to John Lanyon for his continued personal and professional support and for granting me the time and space to carry out this work. I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to my supervisors, Dr Garry Tregidga and Dr Nicola Whyte, for their invaluable support, insights and guidance. 3 4 Abstract Trelissick walled kitchen garden currently lies dormant at the heart of a thriving National Trust property on the outskirts of Truro in Cornwall. Created in the 18th century, this highly productive space fed and adorned the estate throughout its ever- evolving lifespan and numerous proprietors. The mid-20th century saw its decline and enforced state of redundancy, mirroring the fate met by many similar sites across the nation. The site now stands on the brink of regeneration. This thesis locates the public historic walled garden within the wider historiography and seeks to present a framework in which the National Trust can present the walled kitchen garden to a 21st century audience, one that respects its historic origins yet responds to the needs and wants of its visitors, all the while retaining relevance. Despite the development of wider historical discourse surrounding concepts of public history, history from below and new museology, the discipline of garden history has mostly fixated its gaze upon conventional elitist narratives which gravitate towards the 18th century British landscape movement. This thesis explores the limitations of such an approach, as well as the means by which garden history can reassess its dependence upon hegemonic discourse, thereby becoming more responsive and future oriented, embracing notions of co-curatorship and dialogue that are at the heart of alternative methodological perspectives such as new museology, public history and history from below. Thus, Trelissick’s walled garden has the potential to embody the manifestation of garden history – often regarded as a purely scholarly discipline – in historic gardens themselves. 5 6 Contents: Introduction 9 Chapter 1: 21st century garden history – a critical evaluation __ 19 Chapter 2: Garden historiography – history of, on and in the ground 45 “In pursuit of a transient ideal” 45 “A narrative of great men and gardens” 55 The future of garden historiography 63 Chapter 3: Identity and purpose of walled kitchen gardens in Cornwall 79 The development of walled kitchen gardens in Cornwall 81 The walled kitchen garden at Trelissick 90 Change and decline 93 Chapter 4: Cornish walled kitchen gardens in the 21st century 103 Manifestations of loss 105 In pursuit of relevance 108 A modest revival 112 Trengwainton 112 The Lost Gardens of Heligan 121 Chapter 5: Trelissick walled kitchen garden 131 Trelissick today 133 Present situation 134 National Trust master planning 136 Recommendations 137 Conclusion 155 Appendices 161 i. National Trust Spirit of Trelissick 161 ii. Trelissick Statement of Significance 162 iii. Interview with National Trust curator A 170 iv. Interview with National Trust curator B 173 v. Interview with National Trust gardens advisor 174 Bibliography 179 7 8 Introduction: The last decade of the 20th century witnessed the emergence of a renewed interest in walled kitchen gardens within the British heritage industry. Likely reasons for a revival of historic productive gardens are varied, ranging from an increased interest in heritage sites, the romanticised portrayal of abandoned gardens such as the Lost Gardens of Heligan in the media, a re-energised drive towards sustainability and a reduction of food miles, an increased interest in household sufficiency and a surge in the uptake of allotments. The restoration of nationally recognised kitchen gardens, such as Heligan in Cornwall and West Dean in Sussex, signalled the beginnings of this resurgence in the late 1990s. In terms of the health of garden heritage, this must surely be regarded as a positive development. However, I assert that there is significant scope for further work to ensure the continuous re-energising of historic walled kitchen gardens, a process which must focus upon an exploration of notions of identity, purpose and relevance if these sites are to survive and thrive in the 21st century. As this thesis will surmise, walled kitchen gardens in the public arena are widely perceived in both popular and academic terms as antiquated features of the past, defined and limited by their original functions. Notions of purpose and meaning remain intrinsically bound with the site’s initial reason for existing, namely, to feed an estate, despite that function now being largely obsolete. As such, kitchen gardens may be rich with historic meaning, but are at substantial risk of cultural redundancy. Alternative identities for many walled kitchen gardens are limited, particularly within Cornwall where productive gardens rarely stray into new territory. 9 Instead, they are more likely to remain recreations of previous incarnations, a tendency exemplified by the development of Heligan, undoubtedly the county’s most famous historic garden. This inclination towards such a rigid identity only serves to heighten the vulnerability of public walled gardens - for each site that opens its doors to the visiting public, there are several languishing behind closed gates or, worse still, at risk of being entirely erased, physically and culturally, from the historic landscape. It follows to assess the current state of historic walled kitchen gardens and to explore their value within the wider heritage arena, as well as within the more specific confines of garden history. The following issue must be addressed - why should garden heritage bodies conserve such sites? If they have lost their original reason for existing, how can one justify expending significant (and often limited) resources in restoring and maintaining these highly labour-intensive gardens? Clearly, if they are to be reinvigorated, the need for new meanings and values must be acknowledged and explored, for surely Heligan cannot provide the only template for the historic walled garden in the 21st century. This study will call for a new perspective on the place of historic walled kitchen gardens within the heritage industry. Whilst great strides have been taken in the wider realms of garden history in recent years, gaps exist in scholarship pertaining to methodological approaches to gardens, and particularly productive walled gardens, on a national, regional and local level. The application of methodologies rooted in public history, ‘history from below’, new museology, reception theories and micro-historical approaches has the potential to amplify the relevance of historic garden sites, contributing towards a contemporary understanding of their identity and purpose for the 21st century. Such frameworks have certainly informed other 10 disciplines within the heritage arena, re-energising developing historical narratives and discussions. Language associated with garden history and its representation in the public domain is also worthy of consideration, as it is often tightly bound to notions of physical and cultural loss and nostalgia. There is much value in questioning the benefits and limitations of heritage discourse and the role that it plays in keeping walled kitchen gardens so firmly entrenched in (and thus confined by) their origins. I contend that garden history studies have relied heavily upon conventional ‘top down’ approaches and that by comparison the potential of ‘history from below’ has rarely been explored. The time is ripe to examine the extent and means by which heritage organisations such as the National Trust address such issues within historic gardens, and to explore the successes and limitations of current models. Garden history is a relatively young discipline, yet it appears to be fixated upon a traditional and singular mindset, to the exclusion of any other. There is clearly a need to examine alternative discourse and to seek different approaches which do not rely upon the dominant ideological narratives that prevail in garden history, ones that veer towards typologising and are often hegemonic and teleological in nature. This study follows the paths set out by garden and landscape historians Hunt, Harwood and Williamson, with the aim of questioning and challenging the future direction of the discipline, with focus on the walled kitchen garden, and its potential to inspire and embody a new approach. In order to broaden and develop garden history narratives it is essential to consider the extent to which garden history is represented on the ground and in the historic

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