Lyn Burchess of St Ives Archive celebrates the 250th anniversary of Tregenna Castle in St Ives with stories of secret passages, the visit of a crown prince, steam locomotives and hosting US President Joe Biden.
This year marks the 250th anniversary of Tregenna Castle in St Ives, Cornwall. Originally the country house of Squire Samuel Stephens, Tregenna Castle, has since 1878 evolved into a luxury holiday hotel. Perched high above the town it offers breathtaking views of the historic St Ives Harbour, with its centuries-old cottages and the rugged North Cornish coast (see photo above).
Travelling Westward (Country Life May 13, 1922) described Tregenna Castle ‘as a standing sentinel amid its parks and woods above and behind the town of St Ives’, a position it proudly asserts to this day. The original house was attributed to John Wood the Younger famous for his work at The Assembly Rooms Bath and was constructed by a local builder from Penryn. It was built on the site of the old Tregenna homestead named after the long extinct family of that name. Beautifully hand coloured architectural drawings by Plymouth architect George Whitwick in 1845, now in the RIBA collection at the V&A, show the north side wing extension and the creation of service quarters at the rear. A further south side wing was added in 1922 thus achieving the symmetry seen today (see photo below).
Samuel Stephens Junior, who had inherited the property from his father, was the Member of Parliament for St Ives from 1818 to 1820. Papers held by The National Archives recall that old inhabitants can remember being told by their parents how they were brought up to the castle to line the drive and cheer the Squire’s departure to London. The day was a general holiday and the four horse coach took three weeks to arrive at its destination. The coming of the railway to St Ives was to dramatically change all that.
In 1871 Henry Stephens placed the house and the estate, which comprised most of the old town, up for auction. It was bought by mining industrialist Thomas Bolitho who was a director of Barclays and the local Bolitho’s Bank. The Great Western Railway (GWR) were looking to build a branch line to St Ives from St Erth on the main Paddington – Penzance line, which was completed in June 1877. Thomas Bolitho as one of the railways promoters quickly saw the opportunity to lease Tregenna Castle to GWR and the 42-year lease was signed in March 1878 by the famous GWR Chairman Daniel Gooch who with Isambard Brunel designed most of the broad gauge locomotives for GWR.
On 4th August 1878, the grand opening of this railway hotel took place. Coverage in the local Cornishman Newspaper announced the modern facilities provided and also commented on the beautiful lantern at the top of the staircase embellished with the Stephens coat of arms (see photo below). The Cornishman heartily wished the GWR scheme every success and what a success it was. This necessitated various alterations over the next 50 years, which by 1932 witnessed the expansion from the original 12 rooms, to 120.
In 1926, the Great Western Railway Magazine boasted a recent discovery, during the alteration phase ‘of a certain underground passage under the wine cellar leading to a secret underground room large enough to hoard many a smuggled hogshead in the Squires days. The underground passage made an unsuspected exit where the dining room now stands’. The hotel unusually benefitted from a heating system that was not only powered by boilers maintained by The Swindon engine works but were also fired by railway coal. The integration with the railway brought many other benefits according to GWR minutes, including a handed down GWR bus and in 1936 the redundant telephone system from Paddington Station.
The Hotel has played host to many famous visitors, including Herr Ribbentrop, Hitler’s Foreign Secretary who it is understood enjoyed visiting Cornwall, particularly St Ives. Because of this, it has been suggested he wanted to make Tregenna Castle his retirement home. Crown Prince Chichibu of Japan, who played an important part in Japan’s post WW2 reconstruction, also stayed on separate occasions. More recently Tregenna Castle hosted Joe Biden, President of America and his entourage, the United Nations, the Presidents of Australia, South Korea, South Africa and the EU Council for the 2021 G7 Summit held at Carbis Bay.
As an established golf resort, Tregenna bravely allowed its golf course to serve as a helipad. Marine One and Two were landed as required but it was the three accompanying V22 Osprey that left burn marks, causing much damage at the time. The downdraft of helicopter blades displaced large quantities of sand from the bunkers that needed replacement after the event. A marquee erected there too, served 6500 meals to contractors and staff during the course of the week. The dignitaries dined in the elegant Trelawney Suite
It is also noteworthy that from 1880-1940 four ships owned by the local Edward Hain Line, latterly P&O, were named Tregenna in homage to this renowned location. Adding to the prestige Tregenna Castle also lent its name to the famous GWR ‘Castle Class ‘locomotive which pulled The Cheltenham Flyer on its world record breaking speed journey on 6th June 1932 achieving a blistering average speed of 81.6 mph.
The Tregenna Castle Hotel continues to this day its tradition of giving back to the community with the support and funding of the Saints Boarders two storey Tregenna Surf Club House this facility provides accessible toilet facilities, board store , club house and cafe located by the Tate St Ives Gallery. As part of the 250 year celebration The Tregenna Castle team are also giving back to the environment by planting 250 trees in the Resort. Tregenna aims to minimise their ecological footprint, preserve natural beauty and enhance bio diversity. James Parker Operations Director said ‘together lets grow a greener future and ensure that Tregenna Castle remains a beacon of sustainability and natural beauty for the next 250 years and beyond.
A celebratory afternoon tea with Richard Long, author of The St Ives Branch Line: A History, is being held at Tregenna Castle on 6th September this year with all proceeds to the St Ives Archive.
