HISTORY OF TREBAH GARDEN - 1086 TO 2005

Page 3 - A New Era (1981 to 2005)
In 1981, on their 64th birthday, Tony and Eira Hibbert bought Trebah as their retirement home where they could eke out their last few years in peace and quiet and where there would be no work, no worries and no responsibilities. They discovered, too late, that under the jungle that had grown up lay the remains of a once famous garden.  They were persuaded to give up the first 3 years of retirement to restore it.  In 2003, after 22 years, there still remained three years to complete the first part of the plan.

They opened the garden to the public in 1987 and by 1989 visitor numbers had reached 36,000. The Hibbert family then gave the house, garden and cottages to the Trebah Garden Trust, a registered charity, to ensure that the garden could be preserved for future generations.

Trebah Garden Trust - The Future

In 2000, visitor numbers had exceeded 105,000 and a £1.94 million grant from The Heritage Lottery Fund and Objective One allowed Trebah to build the magnificent ‘Hibbert Centre’, rebuild Alice’s seat, restore the Nursery and carry out major landscaping and garden improvements. 

Today, for the first time in its long history, Trebah can make realistic long-term plans for the future.  We can plant an oak which takes 200 years to mature to its full glory and know this garden of dreams will still be open to the public for their recreation and enjoyment for centuries to come.

In 2008 Trebah Garden celebrates 21 years of being open to the public.

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