It's not everyday that a genuinely
awe-inspiring public treasure just crops up in your local area. Well,
it's just happened 'round here with the birth of Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, and it's hard to overstate the brilliance and
benefit it brings.
Its location meant it slipped under our
radar, but since the opening of Tremenheere's own café, The Lime
Tree, the ensuing local buzz drew us in. The gardens and cafe are
both post-worthy in their own right, yet being intrinsically linked,
it was impossible to separate them. We spoke to café manger Miki
Ashton who, it turns out, is just as involved in the gardens. She
was able to give us an equally thorough insight into both compelling
ventures.
Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens
Back a while, when the land at
Tremenheere was still being put to agricultural use, it had already
been earmarked by some high-profile gardening types as having the
potential to be one of the best gardens in the country. It's because
the spot possesses a unique combination in it's geography,
microclimate and soil properties. But this has been known for
centuries; the monks living on St. Michael's Mount had a vineyard
here in the 13th Century (who says British wine is a new
phenomenon?). The man who saw it's true potential most recently was
Neil Armstrong, a local doctor, who's passion of gardening
lead him to purchase the land when it came up for sale in 1999. So,
unlike most other local public gardens, Tremenheere is privately
owned. There's no national charitable organisation at work here, no,
far from it; we were astounded to learn that most of the work has
been carried out by Dr Armstrong himself, with the occasional help of
one gardener, more recently. This kind of gargantuan solo effort puts
us in mind of Rowena Cade's Minnack Theatre, in fact the similarities
between these two sites don't stop there. Both embrace natural
coastal views and both celebrate art. Tremenheere's unspoilt vistas
of the Mount are just one of its joys. The bounty of exotic flora,
including tree ferns, cacti, bamboos and giant, prehistoric-looking
succulents, make you feel as if you're walking through an Eden
biodome. We admit to knowing very little about gardening, but
apparently there are species of plants growing here that simply do
not grow outdoors in any other part of the country. Its sub-tropical
bias also means that the gardens will remain green, and open, for
most of the year; both the gardens and café will only be closed for
the month of January. Fair enough.
But what about the sculpture? This
aspect of things began a few years ago, when American experiential
artist James Turrell was looking for a permanent home for his
work, Skyspace. That home was found in Tremenheere, with Neil
offering his garden as a blank canvas for the artist, who now has two
works on site. Since then, David Nash, Kishio Suga and
Billy Wynter have all made the gardens their perpetual gallery
for large-scale sculptures and installations. The pieces are all
linked, in that they worship the natural world. It's a fitting
theme.
The move to open up to public visits
was not part of the original vision; it was not begun as a
moneymaking enterprise. But when upkeep became too costly, the gates
were opened, and West Cornwall gained a magical asset. As you burrow
through woody undergrowth, emerge into open desert-like terrain,
wander across green hillsides, gaze at world-beating views, navigate
shrub-fringed paths, in and out of mind-altering artistic
experiences, all in the space of a few acres, you can hardly believe
you're ten minutes from Penzance. Despite our wealth of naturally
occurring rural treasures, this man-manipulated version replies to
our need for stimulation through creativity, and does it on a
breathtaking scale.
But that's not the end of the story,
there's more garden to come, as Neil has recently purchased a further
three acres of land at the very top of the site. And there's even a
rumour of another artist collaboration. As in all gardens, change
will be a constant joy.
The Lime Tree café
Once Neil allowed all comers to roam
and ramble around his garden, it seemed a reasonable idea to feed and
water them. Plans for an ambitious café were drawn up by Penzance
architects Barrie Briscoe (to who the
building is now dedicated) and Neil Wall of Arcos
Studios, and some of the funding for the scheme came from a Rural
Development Programme grant. Seeking advise on the design of the
kitchen, Neil called upon old friends and experienced restauranteurs
and caterers Miki and Justin Ashton.
This pair were already past masters of
the Penzance dining scene, having run their
restaurant, The Lime Tree, first at the Penzance Arts Club and then
at Trevelyan House on Chapel Street. They had built a loyal client
base, fanatical about their outstanding food focused around the
produce of a few key local suppliers. Happy to oblige Neil's request,
Justin went about creating his dream kitchen at Tremenheere, not
knowing that Neil would soon be asking them to run it. When he did,
its out-of-the-way location instinctively made them nervous, but
Neil's own Herculean work on the gardens and the prospect of a
purpose-built space, inspired them.
Using their original training as a
product designer and furniture designer respectively, Miki and Justin
created the interiors of the cafe, which saw Justin producing a
bespoke design for the café tables, which are made from pleasing
slabs of polished sycamore. The light and gallery-like space begged
to house artworks, and continue the theme of the gardens indoors, and
we can't not mention the two enormous Trevor Bell paintings
that hit you when you walk in. These, like the beautiful oversized
pots by Tony Lattimer, are on loan by the artists, who clearly
saw the place as a fitting setting for their work.
But let's not forget the kitchen, the
heart of everything, and where the story started. Initially limiting his service to weekday
lunchtimes, a Saturday brunch and Sunday lunch, Justin is putting out a small but
action-packed menu, where Char Sui pork with fish chilli broth sits
merrily alongside roast beef with bubble and squeak. Dishes are teamed
up with a carefully considered list of wines, beers and fruity
drinks, and for mid-morning visitors, coffee, tea and cake comes in
many delicious flavours and formats.
It quickly became apparent that the
project was so much more than the 'straightforward' running of a
café. Rather, it was to play a fundamental role in the running of
the entire public operation. But they can see the potential; they
know that there are two factors that are key to the site's appeal as
a commercial proposition. Firstly, it's Tremenheere's dual focus; this is what
makes it a 'destination', ensuring people get in their cars and come. We ought to mention the free parking at this point, in fact, it's so
unheard of it's almost worthy of capital letters. The second factor
is the seemingly limitless space available, making it an ideal base for all
kinds of events and creative happenings. Weddings are an obvious
market to tap, and the gardens now have the necessary license for
marriage ceremonies – it doesn't take much imagination to see what
a stunning venue they'd make. An outdoor Farmers Market is held on
the second Sunday of the month – an idea that's expected
to grow over time. Music events are in the offing too. We
notice that the café even has a state of the art projector fitted,
and we're told that plans for regular film
nights are afoot as well. As Miki muses about her dream of
live acoustic gigs in James Turrell's Skyspace, we get hooked by her
sense that anything is possible here.
Such boundless potential flies in the
face of today's prevalent reined-in mentality. The Minnack, Eden and,
now, Tremenheere, they all stand as our county's own proof that
bloody-minded vision can make wonders still.
