Springs & Watts

Patrick & Marjorie Spring

Owned Trebah 1971-1972

Patrick (1919-1991) and Marjorie (b. 1925) purchased Trebah from the Healey’s in 1971, with the price listed for £42,500, around £527,000 today.

Patrick Spring was a farmer originally from Fareham, Hampshire and held the position of Director of House Farms Ltd. He held the 35th annual rally of the Cornwall Federation of Young Farmers at Trebah in 1972 and ran another open day later that year to raise money for St Johns Ambulance and the National Garden Society.

After around a year at Trebah, Patrick and Marjorie sold up and moved to the New Forest where horse riding was safer and they were closer to London.

Jason Damon, whose parents were friends with the Springs, shared some family photos which show the now-uncovered swimming pool and glimpses of the garden.

“To us the garden was this beautiful, overgrown tropical paradise. The paths were just grass, but it is the smell and colour of the garden that I remember most, and the brilliant white of the house set against the trees.”
Jason Damon, recalling his childhood memories of staying at Trebah

Agnes Watts

Owned Trebah 1972-1981

In 1972, Agnes Watts (1903-1987) purchased Trebah under the business Cecil E Watts Ltd. The West Briton quotes Agnes as stating the price was “considerably more than £50,000”, or around £580,000 today.

Cecil Watts (1896-1967) was Agnes’ husband and, when he passed away, Agnes took over the running of the business which bore his name. Cecil E Watts Ltd was well known for manufacturing and selling gramophone cleaning supplies such as ‘The Dust Bug’ and ‘Preener’ to an international market. In a book authored by Agnes, Cecil is credited with the development of coated discs for direct disc recording in the early 1930s.

Of the few records we have of Agnes’ ownership, we know that in 1978 she arranged an open day for the Cornwall Samaritans at Trebah, with stalls selling cakes, gifts, raffles and, of course, plants. The Watts were known for having many pets, specifically poodles and wild cats, including an Ocelot that attacked another of their pets, and was ultimately rehomed to London Zoo.