Trebah is Celtic for ‘The House on the
Bay’ and the property was first recorded in the
Domesday Book of
1086. It was first laid out as a 26 acre pleasure garden in the early
1800's.
The gardens were meticulously laid out
to take into consideration the views based on the ultimate size of each
tree planted. In the late 1800's, Trebah acquired a huge collection of
plants and trees from all over the world. Rare
rhododendrons were among
the best known plants.
In the 1930's, the estate was sold off
in small parcels and changed hands many times in the next 40 years. In
1944, the beach at the bottom of the property was used as a departure
site for Allied troops during the Normandy invasion. German fighter
bombers attacked the site during that time.
After the war, the gardens fell into
neglect. In 1964, the Hibberts purchased Trebah and discovered the
gardens hidden beneath the overgrowth. They began to restore the gardens
and opened them to the public in 1987. The Trebah Garden Trust was
created to keep the gardens for future generations. In 2000, over
105,000 visitors saw the gardens.
