Tresco Times Spring 2012_Layout 1 06/02/2012 19:14 Page 1
“Our Views Are Clear.”
Spring 2012
VOLUME 6.3
THE TRESCO TIMES STILL FREE AND STILL MAKING SENSE OF SCILLY
Visitors to the Abbey Gardens often pose the question “When is the best time for the flowers?” There isn’t really an easy answer to this, as was proved in January. The 2012 New Year Flower Count, despite being delayed by a gale, was a tremendous success, with over 230 different species and variety of plant in flower...in the middle of winter! Pictured above are the horticultural accountants responsible for the tally: student gardeners Emma BagnallOakley and Larissa Litchfield, with Head Gardener Andrew Lawson lurking in the undergrowth. More news from Curator Mike Nelhams inside...
Aloe! Aloe!
I shall say this only once... New Year Flower Frenzy in the Abbey Gardens
Page 2
Page 3
A closer look at the new Sea Garden Cottages
BIH stay in Penzance until 31st Oct 2012 k
F Find ind us us on on
Facebook Facebook r
F Follow ollow us us on on
T Twitter witter
Page 9
It’s not just in the Abbey Gardens that you’ll find flowers - traditional scented narcissi are still grown by the Christophers at Boro Farm. As with many Scillonian flower farms, they supply Scent from Scilly of St Martin’s, who specialise in flowers by post. See inside for a special offer for all our Tresco Times’ readers!
www.facebook.com/TrescoIsland www.facebook.com/TrescoIsland www.twitter.com/Tresco_Times www.twitter.com/Tresco_Times
Bringingthe theLast LastPiece Piece Bringing of England Englandtotothe theWorld World of
Tresco Times Spring 2012_Layout 1 06/02/2012 19:14 Page 2
Page 2 Tresco Times
The Sea Garden Cottages at the Island Hotel
The final stage of the exciting new Sea Garden Cottages at the Island Hotel is nearing completion. Officially opening in May, this phase of the two year project will provide our guests with not only the highest quality accommodation but also an even greater degree of flexibility as to how they choose to holiday on Tresco.
For those who prefer a hotel-style holiday, four new one-bedroom cottages will be available on a nightly dinner, bed and breakfast rate, with meals served in The Ruin, our new beachfront restaurant. This will bring to a total of nine our one-bedroomed Sea Garden Cottages. They all have an open plan sitting room and fully-fitted kitchen downstairs (for those who would rather cater for themselves), with the bedroom, balcony and ensuite bathroom upstairs. The one-bedroomed cottages are characterised by their distinctive clay-tiled roofs and cedar-clad exteriors.
View from the new Sea Garden Cottages
In addition, there will be seven new rental properties available on a weekly basis. Six of these (Samphire, Seapink, Starfish, Seahorse, Lobster and Oyster) sleep six to eight guests, while Sunfish can accommodate eight to ten. These will all be furnished and equipped to the usual high standards expected by our guests.
Further to the rental cottages, there are two new timeshare properties opening their doors in May. Abalone and Nautilus have been converted from the Garden Wing of the Island Hotel, with Abalone sleeping up to ten guests and Nautilus sleeping eight. These two will bring the total of timeshare properties at the Sea Garden Cottages to nine. Pebble, Pearl, Coral, Rockpool, Driftwood, Seagrass and Flotsam were completed last year, when the interiors below were photographed.
Guests at the Sea Garden Cottages will also be able to make use of the handsome indoor swimming pool, gym, sauna and jacuzzi a moment’s walk from their cottage. Also opening this spring is the new beachfront restaurant, The Ruin. Sited just above the sandy curve of Raven’s Porth by the ruins of an old smuggler’s cottage, The Ruin will bring a new style of eating out on Tresco with its wood-fired oven.
Sea Garden Cottage Indoor Swimming Pool
Tresco Times Spring 2012_Layout 1 06/02/2012 19:15 Page 3
Insular Things
Page 3 Tresco Times
It would seem that no issue of the Tresco Times would be complete without mention of Eve Cooper, who once again has been making the headlines.
In September a special service was held at St Nicholas’ Church to celebrate Eve’s award of the St Piran’s Cross. The award is the gift of the Bishop of Truro, the Right Rev. Tim Thornton and the ceremony usually takes place in Truro Cathedral. Eve chose to have her’s on Tresco and the service was led by island favourites Canon Donald and Reverend Margaret Marr, pictured right with Eve. As one would only expect, St Nicholas was packed to the rafters, as congregations
A Century of Sterling Service
from all of the islands were represented.
number of saints in his time and few of them were as fun to be with as Eve. He added that recounting Eve’s qualities and acts of service would have taken days, causing the congregation to miss the buffet lunch being held in her honour at the Community Centre!
passed on his extremely high standards to Stuart, training him in pipe fitting, plumbing, diesel engineering and boiler maintenance. Stuart has carried out all of these tasks for the Estate in a fashion which would have made his father proud.
fold. During World War II, Dennis served in the Royal Engineers in North Africa, Italy and Palestine. His considerable skills saw him mentioned in dispatches for devising a method of temporary repair to tank tracks, thus avoiding the need for transporters. A fine example of his craftsmanship and versatility is the exquisite model of the pilot cutter Rapid, proudly displayed in the Isles of Scilly Museum.
The St Piran’s Cross is in the form of a broach made from Cornish silver and it was awarded to Eve in recognition of all her work both for the church and the community on Tresco. In his address, Canon Marr observed that he had met a
Stuart has been responsible for the water supply on Tresco for the last 30 years, maintaining the wells, pumps and distribution systems. This has been a vital contribution to life on the island.
Stuart and Daphne Jenkins
A milestone in Tresco’s working history was passed in September with the retirement of Stuart Jenkins. No more fitting tribute to Stuart can be offered than that of Robert Dorrien Smith: “Many people will be aware that Stuart has now retired, having worked for Tresco Estate for 50 years. After leaving school, Stuart was apprentice to his father Dennis Jenkins. Dennis was the finest engineer that Tresco has ever Dennis Jenkins, known and father of Stuart.
New Broom in the Cottages
Tresco’s Cottage Department has seen an exciting development as Ellen Marshall has joined the team. Until very recently Ellen was Head Housekeeper at the Island Hotel but with the increase in holiday cottages and the renewal of the hotel, Ellen has now become Housekeeping Manager of the Cottage Department. Ellen will lead a team of 15 staff at the height of the season, looking after over 90 properties.
Stuart also gave his time and skill to the Tresco Fire Brigade for many years. During that time he has dealt with some serious fires at Tresco Abbey, Tresco Stores, The Island Hotel, the old laundry and many other smaller incidents. He carried out his duties as Chief Fire Officer to the same high standards as his Estate work.
Stuart is looking forward to spending his retirement fishing and maintaining his beloved boat, Samson. The Tresco Times wishes him the very best and salutes his family’s service to Tresco and its community.
I have known Stuart all my life and have great respect for his service ethic and sense of responsibility to the community. I am extremely grateful to him for all the hard work he has put in over the years. On behalf of my family, I wish him all the best for a well-deserved retirement.”
Stuart’s retirement marked an extraordinary 100 years of father and son service to the island. Dennis Jenkins retired in 1984, after 49 years and 11 months of employment by Tresco Estate. When Stuart joined him as an apprentice in 1961, Dennis’ official title was Head Blacksmith, though by then his duties embraced a huge range of tasks from machine maintenance to plumbing and electrics. Dennis’ skills were mani-
Richard Hobbs, Holiday Cottage Services Manager, will be working alongside Ellen and management duties will be split between them.
“With 95 cottages between us, it’s going to be brilliant to be able to concentrate on the things that we specialise in – Ellen will be in charge of all aspects of housekeeping, while I will be focused on the services and maintenance issues.” Sounds like the perfect team!
On his retirement, as well as the traditional watch, Stuart received this painting featuring in the foreground his own boat, Samson.
Tresco Times Spring 2012_Layout 1 08/02/2012 09:15 Page 4
Insular Things
Adam, Tania and Xan Dorrien Smith
Wiktoria Wypysznska
Our hearty congratulations are due to Adam and Tania Dorrien Smith on the birth of their son Xan and to Bartek and Magda Wypysznska on the birth of their daughter Wiktoria.
We have other new arrivals to Tresco – with Stuart Jenkins’ retirement came a vacancy in the island’s plumbing department, which has been filled by John McMurray. John has moved to Tresco with his wife Julie and their two boys Alexander (8) and Aaron (5). The family is very familiar with the islands and not only as regular holiday makers; Julie’s father, Aubrey Loze, was for some years the Estate’s financial consultant. Another very recent recruit to Tresco is Dan Etchells, who has come to lend support to Tony Reading in the IT Dept. We wish them all a very warm welcome.
A welcome of a different sort was offered on 23rd January as the schoolchildren brought the Chinese New Year to Tresco in the form of two rather splendid dragons. The dragons made their way from the school up to Tresco Stores and Island Office, bringing good luck to all who saw them. The children enjoyed a China Day at school which included Chinese costumes and a Chinese lunch cooked by the children themselves.
Page 4 Tresco Times
2012 will certainly be bringing some new things to Tresco – not least the opening of The Ruin. At the helm of this beachfront restaurant’s kitchen will be our very own Pete Marshall, formerly Head Chef at both the Island Hotel and latterly the New Inn. Pete is delighted to be getting his hands on the wonderful wood-burning oven, from which all sorts of delights will be produced from fresh mackerel and Tresco beef to sourdough bread and pizzas.
The Flying Boat Club has a new Head Chef as well, though he is very familiar to us all… for the past five years Glen Gatland has been Head Chef at Hell Bay and has been responsible for its prestigious Three Rosette-status. His migration, along with wife Tracy and son Jack, from the shores of Bryher may be a surprise but Glen has always had his eye on the FBC. “I am sorry to leave Hell Bay in some ways but I’ve always harboured am ambition to take on the Flying Boat Club and give it a more ‘foodie’ focus. It was an opportunity that I couldn’t miss!” said Glen.
Glen’s successor at Hell Bay has yet to be announced but the Tresco Times has heard rumours of a young chef, who has learnt his trade in Michelin–star restaurants… The traffic in chefs between Tresco and Bryher has been something of a theme recently. TV chef Phil Vickery and an ITV film crew stayed on Tresco this autumn, while filming at Hell Bay. The programme involved the affable chef visiting Hell Bay and Kris Taylor’s wonderful fudge kitchen on Bryher, as well as a trip to St Martin’s to make pasties at the Bakery and sample some wine at St Martin’s Vineyard. Phil’s own contribution was cooking up a delicious crab chowder for that hearty band of brothers, the Tresco & Bryher Men’s gig crew. So one morning Phil gamely went out for a dabble with the lads in the Czar, making use of that illustrious gig’s extra thwart. It was this additional rowing position that earned her in the 19th century the nickname of the cut-throat gig. Needless to say, some cruel observers remarked that “crab chowder” was an accurate description of his rowing style as well as his recipe. None of the crew complained, though David Reis was heard to comment to camera that Phil was certainly a better cook than he was a paddle!
The Chowder Crew - from left - Phil Vickery, Robin Lawson, David Reis, George Kershaw, Joe Aram, Garry Budd , Jamie Parkes and coxswain Steve Parkes
October saw a righteous gathering of local Christian luminaries on Scilly, as the Anglican Bishop of Truro, the Methodist Chair of the Cornwall District and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Plymouth crossed the divide and visited the Isles of Scilly together. Not since the days of the 12th century Benedictine priory have there been so many holy men on Tresco From left to right – Rev. Steve Wild, Methodist Chair of the Cornwall District, Mrs Lucy Dorrien Smith, Mr Robert Dorrien Smith, The Right Rev. Christopher Budd, Roman Catholic Bishop of Plymouth, Mrs Eve Cooper of Tresco, Rev. Charlie Gibbs, Methodist Minister of the Isles of Scilly, Mrs Kristine Taylor of Bryher, the Right Rev. Tim Thornton, Anglican Bishop of Truro, Canon Peter Walker, Chaplain of the Isles of Scilly, and Mr David Pender of St Mary’s.
Tresco Times Spring 2012_Layout 1 06/02/2012 19:15 Page 5
Page 5 Tresco Times
Heliport stays in Penzance
Islanders and visitors alike were delighted to hear that Sainsbury’s have agreed to allow British International Helicopters to use their Penzance heliport until the end of October this year. In mid-January, BIH issued the press release below, confirming this to be the case:
Having reached an agreement in principle with Sainsbury's, British International Helicopter Services Ltd (BIH) today (16 Jan 2012 ) announced it will be continuing its scheduled services for the summer season from the Penzance heliport until 31 October 2012.
Tony Jones, Managing Director, British International Helicopters, said: "We are pleased to be able to give existing and new customers certainty regarding our 2012 flight arrangements and be able to reassure them that the service will be uninterrupted from Penzance for another season. I would like to thank Sainsbury's for their flexibility in agreeing to this later date. Throughout our negotiations with them, they have been understanding of both our and the community's requirements."
until 31st Oct 2012
Ben Littman, regional development executive, Sainsbury's, said: "We were asked by BIH if we would allow Penzance heliport to operate for a further season. We were happy to agree in principle to this as we appreciate that minimising disruption to the service and its passengers is paramount for BIH. It just remains for us to establish the contractual details of the arrangements”.
Birdman David Rosair Takes A Trip Down Memory Lane
Way back in 1973, I was invited by my close friend and mentor, the late Peter Grant, to accompany him on a birding holiday in October to the Isles of Scilly. The Isles of Scilly! Although conjuring up images of a truly West Country “bucket & spade” holiday, I decided to take up Peter’s kind offer and soon we were Scilly-bound, heaving about on the dreaded Scillonian with the endless motion on the rough seas eventually getting the better of me.
All to be forgotten, excitement took over me when we arrived at St Mary’s and immediately transferred to the Sea King bound for St Agnes. Depositing our bags on the floor of our rented cottage Peter said “Come on David, there’s an RB Fly in the Parsonage, you can unpack later”. Off we went to experience my first Scilly “tick”, closely followed by my second, a yellowbrowed Warbler in the Chapel Fields. “Bucket & Spade” – I just could not believe it! Next day Peter marched me off again back to the Chapel Fields where a Radde’s Warbler had been found and then to the Pool where a Red-throated Pipit had just landed…and so it went on. The scene, the tension, the exhilaration, the language, the Turk’s Head, the headache afterwards – it’s all flooding back to me!
I returned the next year and distinctly remember taking an inter-island launch to Tresco to look for a Yellow-rumped Warbler that had been sighted near Cromwell’s Castle but alas, after careful searching was nowhere to be seen. We returned to Tresco the next day and the warbler was re-located alongside the Great Pool, flycatching amongst the willows in lovely golden sunshine. Well that was it, not just the birds, THE Island. Tresco made a huge imprint on my mind and I was hooked. This is where I wanted to birdwatch in future!
The dates for David’s Spring “Birdwatching, Flowers & Butterflies” Tours are: April 25-30: Hell Bay,Bryher April 30-May 5: New Inn, Tresco For full details of prices and bookings please contact: David Rosair, Island Ventures Tel: 01227 793501 Email: drosair@aol.com www.islandventures.co.uk www.tresco.co.uk
So nearly forty years later, with close on one hundred visits to Scilly and now annually frequenting Tresco and Bryher in both Spring and Autumn I simply adore the place! I have been fortunate in visiting many archipelagos around the world including the Chatham Islands and SubAntarctic islands of New Zealand, the Galapagos & Seychelles, Andamans, Pribilofs & Cape Verdes to name but a few, but NONE can compare with Scilly. The islands are alluring, captivating, enchanting & hypnotic and finding one’s own birds is great fun. Last Spring we had the pleasure during my Birdwatching Tours of early morning sightings of a
Black-headed Wagtail & Tawny Pipit on Tresco, flushing a Quail, a Woodchat on Bryher, along with the rare Dwarf Pansies and a pair of Ring Ouzels, the first Swift of Spring on St Martins with some dancing Holly Blue butterflies, a lovely flock of Whimbrels passing St Agnes with a Marsh Harrier arriving over Samson.
So come on over to Scilly and stay at either the New Inn on Tresco or Hell Bay on Bryher. It’s a fantastic venue for a Birdwatching & Wildlife Holiday and you will fall in love with the place as I did nearly forty years. Viva Scillonia!
Tresco Times Spring 2012_Layout 1 06/02/2012 19:15 Page 6
Page 6 Tresco Times
New York Paris Milan Old Grimsby
If further proof were needed of Tresco’s innate style, it has been provided by those very talented and very tasteful ladies and gentleman of Liberty. Tresco, its gardens, exotic plants and art collection, has provided the source of inspiration for a number of beautiful fabrics in the Liberty 2013 Flower Collection. Liberty has always been famous for its florals and has been the best printed flower show in the world since the late 1870s when its first floral block printed fabrics were sold. Last summer, Liberty’s top designers came and stayed at the Sea Garden Cottages, spending much of their time in the Abbey Gardens absorbing the gardens’ many forms, the foliage and flowers, and making sketches in preparation for their designs.
Emma Mawston, Head of Design for Liberty Art Fabrics, explains: “We were drawn to Tresco because of its world famous sub-tropical Tresco Abbey Garden, which didn't disappoint. The garden is not only unique but also breathtaking and inspiring; we were totally smitten and can not wait to return. The generosity of Mike Nelhams and Lucy Dorrien Smith along with the jaw dropping scenery and ambience of Tresco led to a beautiful botanical collection of original artworks, drawn and hand painted in situ, from hand-cut specimens and montaged from photography. We were also lucky enough to work with Hugo Grenville a successful painter who regularly visits Tresco for inspiration and whose paintings hang on the island complementing those of one of my favourite painters ever, Mary Fedden. It is a dream come true to be able to see Mary's Tresco paintings printed on Liberty Art Fabrics.”
The Flower Show Collection is an eclectic amalgamation of wonderful and original botanical creations and will be launched in early 2013. The exquisite fabrics that Emma and her team have designed will not be on sale to the public until then but we can give you a sneak preview here. As the Tresco Times goes to press the collection is being exhibited internationally from New York and San Paolo to Milan and Paris for the world’s fashion houses. I have been told that the Curator is having a shirt made for him with the Mary Fedden-based fabric, Abbey Pool. The Tresco Times has asked him to model this splendid garment for our next issue but apparently Vogue has demanded exclusive rights. The Editor, of course, has his finger practically glued to the pulse of haute couture and art fabric design but, for the benefit of the Tresco Times readers, he asked Emma to talk him through the process of designing some of these beautiful Tresco-inspired fabrics:
1 Xanthe Sunbeam - hand drawn, over swirls of yellow ink, then drawn over again in rotring ink while still on Tresco. Created as I went on a quest for yellow Flora after the birth of Xanthe, which means Golden/Bright/Yellow in Greek. Xanthe is also the Oceanid Greek Goddess of the Sun. One of the Flying Boat Club cottages on Tresco is called Sunbeam, which fitted the design and went with the name Xanthe perfectly. I brought the flowers back with me, dried them and now have them in a frame in my studio
2 June's Meadow and 3 Beth's Flowers, these two designs were both drawn by Sholto. June's Meadow was drawn while Sholto was still in Tresco on the table outside our sea houses from hand cut specimens from the Abbey Garden. Beth's Flowers was hand painted on Sholto's return from photographs he took in the Abbey Garden.
4 Amy Jane was hand drawn by Sheona. Sheona started sketching while on Tresco for this design, but finished the drawing on her return, and was inspired by the mixture of delicate flora, twisting vines and exotic trees found in The Abbey Garden. We also have a sister company in Japan, the Japanese love Liberty Print and especially designs with hearts in.
5 Archipelago - Robin created this design. Robin likes to create quirky designs that really represent the atmosphere he feels surrounded by. Archipelago also incorporates the amazing shipwrecked figure heads displayed in the garden. This design is what we would call a conversational: it is telling a story, where all the statues peep mysteriously among the flowers. The design feels very British but also very exotic with its spiky palms and huge succulents perfectly summing up The Abbey Garden.
Tresco Times Spring 2012_Layout 1 06/02/2012 19:15 Page 7
Page 7 Tresco Times 1
6
2
7
7 Tresco - this design was hand painted with ink by Sally of flowers she collected from windswept sand dunes on Tresco and landscaped borders in The Abbey Garden. Sally took wonderful photographs of these flowers arranged in different design layouts on the beach in Tresco. The design has so many beautiful hand 3 painted elements that many other successful designs could be produced from it as Sally wanted to represent the rich collection of plants from around the globe.
8
Taking Liberty with Tresco - Sheona, Emma and Robin get designing at the suitably named Sea Garden Cottages at the Island Hotel.
The following designs were digitally printed -
6 Abbey Pool - this design was created from photographs very generously lent by Lucy Dorrien Smith of Mary Fedden's original paintings which are painted of and hang on Tresco. The design repeat has been created by Robin to amalgamate Mary's paintings and become a homage to her talent on Liberty Art Fabric.
8 Otilia - this design was created digitally by Sheona. Sheona is our studio digital Queen. Sheona uses photography in the same way an artist uses paint, manipulating and working with the photographs in ways you would when creating an original masterpiece. The final design is a fantastical and ethereal forest which changes dramatically depending on colouration capturing the gardens diverse tropical foliage.
9 Marina Seaflower - named after Robert & Lucy Dorrien Smith's daughter Marina. Lucy also chose the name Seaflower for the design, which I love as I also have a seaflower daughter of my own. The design is a large scale hand painted tropical botanical which took weeks to complete and was originally derived from a scarf drawn from flora photographed on Tresco. Gouache, watercolour and ink were all used to create the final painting, although the design was originally hand drawn in pencil from floral sketches and then traced onto the design as well as flowers drawn directly on to the image. The beauty of designs like this are that you could create a multitude dresses and they would all look different. Due to its scale and vibrancy of colour the design is a perfect tropical homage to Tresco.
4
9
5
L to R - Sheona Quenby (Designer), Emma Mawston (Head of Design for Liberty Art Fabrics), Sally Kelly (Senior Designer), Sholto Drumlanrig (Senior Designer), Robin Hulme (Designer)
All images and reproductions of fabric patterns and prints remain the copyright of Liberty Art Fabrics.
Tresco Times Spring 2012_Layout 1 06/02/2012 19:15 Page 8
EDITORIAL
THE TRESCO TIMES OUR VIEWS ARE CLEAR
There are roadworks going on just outside the offices of the Tresco Times. They don’t really constitute much of a disturbance, with a hand-painted sign diverting the tractor traffic down between the Abbey Farm cottages and the Great Pool. It’s actually something of an historic moment. The Estate Services Department are replacing the very last section of operational iron pipe work that was laid by the engineers of the Royal Naval Air Station, constructed on Tresco in 1917. It seems strange to be sentimental about a bit of old pipe but I have to admit that, for me, the process is faintly elegiac. Consider any association with the First World War and it does not take long before you are contemplating tragedy, be it local, national or global. On Tresco, out of a population of around 330, around 80 islanders served in the First World War, of whom 19 were killed. It is close to a hundred years since the Great War began. The personal loss and grief may have gone, along with those who suffered them, but nonetheless elements of that war have remained an integral part of our lives. The RNAS flying boat station brought improvements to the island’s infrastructure. Pipes laid in 1917 have been bringing water to the houses of islanders and visitors for generations. Yes, it is just an insignificant old water pipe on a tiny island but it represents something of long-lasting and practical benefit from the First World War, which makes it seem really rather special.
Editor: Alasdair Moore Tresco Times, Tresco, Isles of Scilly. TR24 0QQ t:01720 422849 f:01720 422807 editor@tresco.co.uk www.tresco.co.uk
Aunts Ahoy!
Great Aunt Gwen Goes West With Lady Vyvyan. Sam Llewellyn, editor of The Marine Quarterly illuminates the world of his Dorrien Smith Great Aunts. In 1926, Lady Vyvyan set out with her friend (Aunt) Gwen Dorrien Smith for an attempt to be the first European women to make the Rat River portage in the northwest of Canada. The adventures started on the Atlantic crossing, on which the travellers had booked steer-
Page 8 Tresco Times
Aunts Ahoy!
LETTERS
Dear Editor, The article by Sam Llewellyn in the Autumn 2011 Tresco Times brings back memories of two ladies who lived in Fishbourne in the Isle of Wight in the 1950s, who, I suspect might have been two of Mr Llewellyn’s great aunts. My parents lived until the mid 1960s at Binstead, which is a village adjoining the north shore of the Isle of Wight, a couple of miles east of Fishbourne, from where my brother and I used to sail occasionally with a friend who lived there. The two Misses Dorrien Smith had a house on the Green, just above the beach, and used to charge round the island in an old car. A good friend of mine, who was the son of our Rector, sailed with the two redoubtable sisters from time to time. The story is that one used to teach at Sunday School, one smoked a pipe when sailing and my friend maintained that his vocabulary of nautical swear words was increased widely by his contact with the two ladies! For some reason they were referred to The Cosy One and The Other One! My parents left Binstead and I have no further knowledge of these two ladies. They were certainly colourful characters. yours sincerely Mike Rayment Penzance.
Sam Llewellyn writes in reply ; “The two Misses Dorrien Smith will be Gwen and Babs who lived on the Isle of Wight in a house, as I remember, rebuilt to resemble the bridge of a moderate sized merchant vessel. But I think it was in Fishbourne, so they could watch the ferry go in and out and pass cutting remarks on the coxswain's technique. Marcus Lovell-Smith's mother (perhaps unreliably) remembers Babs sitting down on the steps of St George's Hanover Square after a posh wedding, raising the veil on her hat and firing up a nice pipe of rum-soaked shag.” (Ed: A taste of Gwen Dorrien Smith’s adventurous and characterful nature is captured in Sam’s latest foray into the world of formidable Great Aunts featured below.)
age tickets, for economy’s sake. They did not take to their fellow-passengers, and expressed strong disapproval of the local icebergs, on the grounds that they were too small. ‘We had been given a second-class two-berth cabin because the ship was overcrowded aft. When the stewardess came to call us in the morning she would say, “Your cabin is a little ice-box, most refreshing.” Fortunately for us, Gwen’s fists were strong enough to open the porthole, which was screwed down. ‘The worst thing we had to face was the stuffiness of the dining room where we had second sittings, during which the air seemed to taste of cabbage. Among our fellow-travellers was an Irishman, Digby Hussy de Burgh, who was as delightful as his name, incurably eloquent, with a spate of scintillating ideas about things seen and unseen. Our planned journey filled him with excitement. He was returning to his home, a small island off the coast of British Columbia. “I could find you an island,” he said. “It’s grand pioneers you two girls would make.” The two ‘girls’, being
Views on Borough... or is that Boro?
Dear Editor, As we don’t have a computer, can’t access websites etc, we really appreciate the Tresco Times with all its news, interesting articles and pictures. I was particularly interested in the letter from Leigh Prideaux re-Borough. Was it in fact an ancient burial area as, in some parts, the name Borough does indicate burial connections? The Oyler’s address is Borough but the Christopher’s farm has always been called Boro Farm. None of my books here at home throw any light on the subject. I love to stay at Boro and thought you might like this photo. I woke up one morning when I was there in August. I looked out of my window and saw this I thought it quite beautiful. Mrs Rosemary Stevens Middlesex
Thank you for your letter, Rosemary, and it would seem that you are very much on the right lines with your thoughts about the origin of Borough. An excellent source for information about place names on Scilly is “Exploration of a Drowned Landscape” by Charles Thomas, published in 1985. Needless to say Professor Thomas is very helpful on this matter, tracing the name back to the early 14th century and its earlier incarnation as Cheyncruk: “The other farm of Cheyncruk (1314), described as being juxta Senicola (‘adjoining St Nicholas Priory’) lay slightly to the north. The name is chy en cruc, ‘house by the mound’; in 1796 it was The Burrow, and today is Borough Farm. In Scillonian English, burrow meant what cruc did in Cornish, a man-made cairn.” (page 248) With two farms in the same location, the different spellings might just have been a way of separating the properties.
over forty, did not feel like accepting his plans for populating a strange island in the Pacific, or indeed any island at all.’
Tresco Times Spring 2012_Layout 1 06/02/2012 19:15 Page 9
Tresco Times Spring 2012_Layout 1 08/02/2012 09:17 Page 10
Page 10 Tresco Times
Crane Talk with Heritage and Transport Correspondent Eddie Birch
Crane master Eddie Birch at the controls
In the early 1970s, when the goods started to come in containers and on pallets, the hand crane on Tresco was not big enough to lift the containers on to the quay. So the General Manager, Ken Christopher, asked the Commander, Tom Dorrien Smith, if we could have a mobile crane. The Commander managed to get a second-hand crane, a KL66, from the Army. The next thing was how we were going to get it to Tresco. As luck would have it, the Commander had a
meeting with his friend, Admiral of the Fleet the Lord Hill-Norton, who was First Sea Lord at the time. The First Sea Lord said that he had a lot of recruits and would love to give them an exercise. The Commander asked if they would bring a crane over to Tresco and the First Sea Lord said yes. The crane was loaded into a landing craft in Plymouth and then the landing craft was loaded into the amphibious assault ship, HMS Fearless. From Plymouth, HMS Fearless steamed over to Scilly, anchoring in Crow Sound. The ship’s stern opened up and out came three landing craft, which made their way to New Grimsby quay. Here they put their ramps down on the slip that used to be by the Quay shop. The crane was then driven up onto the quay. The whole operation took about 2 hours. This was the first time that anyone had ever seen a landing craft on Tresco. The crane-driver took the crane over to the compound where the Flying Boat Club is now and he showed me how to operate it.
The KL66 crane did not have stabilising legs – it had iron rims on the wheels. In 1986, I lifted a container of coal up onto the quay and the crane actually tipped over onto the quay, facing Bryher. The container had 3 tons of coal on board, which was a bit too heavy for the crane. In order to get the crane valuable experience and confidence in handling a boat.
Take to the water with Scillonia Boatshare New for Tresco - Taster and Training Days
For those not experienced in handling a boat, having your own can seem a bit daunting... navigating around Scilly and negotiating quays and mooring buoys and general boat maintenance.
Richard Drew and Chris Jenkins of Scillonia Boatshare have come up with the perfect way to take all the anxiety of boat use and ownership for the visitor. Not only do they run a boatshare scheme but from April this year they are offering Tresco visitors special Training and Taster days. They have teamed up with The Isles of Scilly Sailing Centre to offer you a fully qualified RYA powerboat instructor to be with you on board for the entire day to guide you through the skills of navigation, steering and mooring. Not only will this be a great day out for you and your family or guests but it will give you
If you would like to take the training one step further you can now book to undertake a three day training event on completion of which you will receive the RYA Powerboat Level 2 Ticket.
The Jones KL66 reverses onto Puffin Billy and bids farewell to Tresco
upright, they had to take the derrick off and place two hand winches around the body of the crane. Once the crane was almost to the point of balance, a load of pallets were placed where her wheels would fall. This was to stop the crane from bouncing over on the other side and down onto the beach below the quay. When the crane was righted, it was taken over to its shed for repair. The furthest I ever had to drive the crane was to Thatch Cottage. Steve Parkes was cutting some big fir trees down and I had to lift the trunks over the hedge onto the road. The crane had one last journey in a landing craft, Puffin Billy, in 1989 when it left Tresco from the FBC slip. It was replaced by a Coles Crane with stabilising legs. The Jones KL66 ended up in a scrapyard in St Erth.
THE OLD OLD THE COASTGUARD!! COASTGUARD MOUSEHOLE!! MOUSEHOLE (01736) 731 (01736) 731 222! 222!
Scillonia Boatshare also offers regular visitors the opportunity to take a share in one of their high-quality catamarans. Prices start from just £399 per week. Shares are now available for 2012 in April, May & June and September & October, with some selected dates in early July.
If you are interested in trying one of their Training and Taster Days, going for your RYA Powerboat Ticket or would like further details about Scillonia Boatshare, please give Richard or Chris a call on 01720 422702 or visit www.scilloniaboatshare.com
THE15SPRING th April –SLEEPOVER 24th May!! 15th April – 24th May 2+ nights’ nights’Dinner Dinner B&B B&B from 2+ from ! £279 £279 for for two two people. people.!! THE SPRING SLEEPOVER!!
EATDRINKSLEEP EATDRINKSLEEP!!
Tresco Times Spring 2012_Layout 1 06/02/2012 19:15 Page 11
Page 11 Tresco Times
Day trips & half day trips Birds and wildlife trips Regular ferry services Thrilling jet-boat rides Private charter Gig race trips
Isles of Scilly
Building for Tresco For more information www.bryherboats.co.uk info@bryherboats.co.uk or to book call us on
The Sea Garden Cottages and The Flying Boat Club.
01720 422886 FIRETHORN~ FALDORE ~ CYCLONE ~ HURRICANE
CAS K & BO TT L E AL ES HAN D C R AFT ED IN CORN WA LL
01736 794144 www.symonsconstruction.co.uk Above or below ground, on or under water – we do it!
Betty Stogs 4.0% Heligan Honey 4.0% Cornish Blonde 5.0% Spriggan 3.8%
Cornish Knocker 4.5% Ginger Tosser 3.8% Figgy’s Brew 4.5% Cornish Lager 5.0%
www.skinnersbrewery.com
SEE YOU AT THE NEW INN
Discover the beautiful
Isles of Scilly escape for the day or stay a while We have regular sailings & flights to St Marys
Cruise from Penzance
Fly from Land’s End Newquay Exeter Bristol Southampton
0845 710 5555 www.ios-travel.co.uk IOSTravel
Isles of Scilly Travel
Tresco Times Spring 2012_Layout 1 06/02/2012 19:15 Page 12
Page 12 Tresco Times
Falmouth Art Students and the Irresistible Draw of Tresco
Autmumn 2011 saw Tresco play host to twenty-six first-year students from the B.A. (Hons) Drawing degree course at University College Falmouth. Accompanied by Award Leader Phil Naylor and Senior Lecturer Isolde Pullum, the students enjoyed five days on the island staying in accommodation provided by the Dorrien Smiths.
Not only are the students enjoying their first term but the course itself has only just started. It is the only degree course in the country which offers pure drawing and it is one that has at its heart an exciting mix of both traditional and modern. Phil Naylor commented: “We are very much riding on a resurgent interest in drawing. We aim to help students learn drawing much like a language; what use they then put it to is up to them. Students could go on to operate in a number of fields, from architecture to fine art. We are about understanding and testing the basics, mixing skills and self-expression.”
The importance of the basics was something very much in the mind of painter Hugo Grenville, who was a guest lecturer and also showed the students around the Dorrien Smith’s extensive art collection on public display at the Flying Boat Club, Tresco and Hell Bay, Bryher on their second day.
Their time on Tresco saw the students develop a range of skills, from a combined 360 degree panorama drawing of the view from Blockhouse to a collaboration with the pupils of Tresco and Bryher School based around the classic painting “The Donkey Meadow” by Harold Harvey, which hangs above the fireplace in the Flying Boat Club.
Top: Drawing the landscape from Blockhouse. Pictured below: Lucy Dorrien Smith and the Falmouth students; Far left: The Donkey Meadow, Harold Harvey.
Lucy Dorrien Smith’s links with University College Falmouth are particularly strong as she is on the Board of Governors. Not only is she instrumental in building links between UCF and Tresco but she has been very supportive of the Drawing BA (Hons) course. Isolde Pullum echoed the thoughts of both teaching staff and students: “For us all this has been a wonderful five days. Without the Dorrien Smiths, this would have been impossible and we hope that this is the beginning of a lasting friendship between ourselves and the island of Tresco.”
Painting Holidays on Tresco with artist Maggie O’Brien
You don’t have to be a student at University College Falmouth to develop your artistic talents on Tresco. This September, one of Gallery Tresco’s regular artists, Maggie O’Brien will be leading a painting holiday.
Maggie has been teaching painting on Tresco for a few years and she has now teamed up with the New Inn and put together an excellent value five day break.
Working closely with Gallery Tresco means Maggie paints regularly on the Islands and knows all the best places to go to be out of the wind, catch the light on the sea and watch the late summer seed heads dancing in the dunes. Maggie explains:
“During our five days on Tresco our schedule will include visits to other Islands and the tropical paradise that is Abbey Gardens. We will paint amongst the shoreline cottages and in intimate coves backed by majestic pines. Tresco’s pretty harbours are a joy to work in whether your concern is the ‘big picture’ or a lone row boat.”
Maggie is also keen that the holiday is not just for experts:
“Anyone who wants to paint with me is welcome from the complete beginner to the skilled artist wanting to paint with like minded friends. I am also happy to teach all media – a painting holiday can be a great place to try something new knowing that you will helped and supported.
Painting on Tresco is blissfully straight forward; everything is walkable and close at hand. It is also always perfectly possible to be completely alone on a beach with just the oyster catchers for company - great for the painter who doesn’t enjoy an audience!”
“My teaching is never ‘formulaic‘; my aim is to help each student find their own way of working and develop personal vision as well as skill. I demonstrate techniques one to one, to build not just skills but confidence and passion. I only work with small groups – a maximum of eight students ensures enough time and attention for everyone .”
Painting on Scilly with Maggie O’Brien September 17 – 22 2012.
£750 for a 5 night break, including dinner, bed and breakfast at the New Inn, tuition from Maggie O’ Brien and free entrance to the Abbey Gardens. For further details please call the Reception team at the Island Office on 01720 422849
Summer Agapanthus - Maggie O’Brien Gallery Tresco Summer Exhinition 2011
Tresco Times Spring 2012_Layout 1 06/02/2012 19:15 Page 13
Page 13 Tresco Times
Island Records & Island Gardens.
The Blandy family is well known in international gardening circles having established the Palheiro garden which has been in the family since 1885.
Many similarities can be found in both gardens as would befit island climates although the plant ranges of the two appear quite different.
Charlie Wilson and Mike Nelhams.
Islands often have a way of attracting like minded people to each others shores. This winter, just before the festive period, the Abbey garden had a visitor from the Caribbean.
Charlie Wilson a horticulturist, recently made a visit from the Jamaican “Goldeneye� Estate of Chris Blackwell the founder of Island Records . Charlie has gardened in Jamaica for nearly ten years and having settled there as his home has decided to set up a plant nursery and garden school for locals and international garden students. The visit was stimulated by a recent visit to Jamaica by Robert and Lucy Dorrien Smith, where they were the guests of Chris Blackwell.
Pictured from left: Robert and Lucy with Joanna Saulter and Chris Blackwell at Strawberry Hill, Jamaica.
On meeting Charlie, horticultural links were forged and some geographical ones too. It transpired that Charlie has an aunt who lives on St Mary’s, Jane Ward of The Foredeck!
His trip to Tresco was to both see the garden and also discuss the possibility of student training and exchange. Tresco Abbey Garden has helped train horticultural students for over 40 years and Charlie hoped to use the Tresco template as a basis for his ideas.
Mike Nelhams, Andrew Lawson and Charlie were able to spend time swapping plant stories and gaining knowledge of each others gardens. We look forward to developing these links fur-
ther...clearly the gardeners from Tresco need to reciprocate the visit!
Another connection between Goldeneye in Jamaica and Tresco in Scilly was made - both horticultural and musical. Chris Blackwell was tipped the nod that the Abbey Gardens propagator, Dave Inch, was something of a connoisseur of reggae and ska. As a result, this Christmas Dave found he had an extra couple of presents under the tree from one of the most influential figures in popular music of the past 50 years and a Jamaican legend! Tresco was recently pleased to receive a visit from Adam and Christina Blandy who live on the island of Madeira.
Mike Nelhams, Adam and Christina spent a very happy day discussing the collections and found they had much in common. Young plants of Leucadendron argenteum (Silver Tree) from Tresco have already found their way to Madeira in what we hope will be start of a two way exchange over the coming years.
Adam and Christina Blandy in their celebrated Palheiro garden, Madeira.
The Editor was delighted to receive the advertisement to the left for the Treasures of El Dorado - not only has it been organised by Amelia Dalton, a regular visitor to Tresco, whose son Hugo’s artwork is on display at the FBC restaurant but the tour is being led by the Editor’s friend and former tutor, Dr Colin Clubbe of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Colin has visited Tresco a number of times and comes thoroughly recommended by the Tresco Times. Colin is incredibly knowledgeable and jolly good fun.
The trip does sound amazing with a Panama Canal transit, cutting through the rain forest to link Pacific & Caribbean oceans and is an amazingly wild and untouched area.
The True Treasures of El Dorado
Apparently it’s not just for tree-huggers like me - there will be opportunities for bird watching (tropical & exotic species) and fabulous coral reef snorkelling/ beaches: in short a varied winter holiday with a focus on plants and wildlife.
Costa Rica, Panama & Canal Transit, Honduras & Guatemala 23rd February - 10th March 2013 This voyage of discovery aboard the comfortable, small expedition ship MS Island Sky is perfect for the nature lover, the inquisitive traveller or those simply seeking to escape winter’s chill. Sailing from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean shores of Honduras, Guatemala and Belize, highlights include exceptional flora, fauna and marine life, unspoiled and rarely visited islands, a priveliged visit to the Smithsonian’s Tropical Research Institute island and exceptional guest lecturers from Kew Gardens.
For further information or indeed any of your other travel requirements, please call: 020 3355 4518
25 - 27 Vanston Place, London SW6 1AZ enquiry@theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk www.theultimatetravelcompany.co.uk
Secure Parking in Penzance for Visitors and Residents. Closest C Cl lo os se es stt p possible po os ss sib ble pa ble parking p ark rk kin ng g to to th tthe he e Scillonian Sciilllo Sc on niia an n
Is IIsles sle s es s of of S Scilly Sc cilly Parking cil c Pa arking ar rk kin ng g Co Co Ltd L Ltd. td d.
Telephone T elephone e ele el ep e pho ph ho on ne e bookings booking bo b oo ook ok kiin kin ng gs
01736 01 0 17 73 7 36 6 33 332727 3 32 327 32 27 727 727 72 27 Mobile Mo M obi ob bil ile le e 07724 077 07 772 72 24 4 879 87 8 79 9 48 4 482 82
ONLINE ON O NL LIIN LIN NE E BO BOOKING B OO OO OK KIIN KIN NG G and a nd dp payment pay pa ym me en ntt s service errvviic ce e at: attt:: a
t 4 4FDV FDVSF "U FDVSF "UUF UFOEFE OEF O EFE FE **O OEPP OE PPS BOE BO B OE 0VUE 0V 0 VUUE EP E EPPS EPP PPS Park Pa kiing ng with o ovver 20 00 0 sp spa ac ces s. t 'SJFOEMZ 1SPGFTTJPOBM BOE 3FMJ MJBCMF CMF F t 8F DBO BO QBSL BOZ ZUUI UIJO JOH OH H BOZUJNF F #P PBU BUT T 5SB SBJMF MFST $B BN NQF QFST BOE #JLF JLFT T # PN N B .JOJ OJ $P $PPQFS FS UUP P B $PBD BDI I 'SP t 'VM VMMZ *O OT TVS VSFE $ $P PMMF FD DUUJPO D PO BOE EFMJWF JWF FSSZ service s se ervvice ce e to oa and nd d from f om mP Penzance en e nzzance ance nce ce e He Heli H elliport. port. po rt..
www.islesofscillyparking.co.uk www w ww.islesofscillyparking.co.uk ww isllesofs ofscilly llypa ypa parki rk kin ng co uk uk t 7B 7BMFUJOH 4FSWJD JDJOH H #PEZXPSL BOE "SSSBOHFE CZ CZ BQQP QPJOUUN NFO FOU cont contact@islesofscillyparking.co.uk ntact@ @isle @is esofs ofscilly il ypark king co o.u uk .PUT "S uk 5I IF F CJHHFT HFTU TU BO OE E CFTU TU PUI IFS FST DBO BO DPQZ VT VT CVU VU DBO OPU SFBDI PV VSS MFWFMT PG TFS TFSSWJDF DF
Tresco Times Spring 2012_Layout 1 06/02/2012 19:15 Page 14
Page 14 Tresco Times
Rainbow House
Barbados Rainbow House is a family-owned beachfront holiday home on the island of Barbados. Considered a gem amongst the south coast villas, it is situated on a superb white sand beach looking out onto aquamarine waters. Rainbow House has 3 air-conditioned bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom. There is an elegant veranda for dining, with seating for 10 people, as well as a large open terrace with a gas grill/barbecue. For further details please call: 01720 422849 or visit www.tresco.co.uk/accommodation
Tresco Times Spring 2012_Layout 1 06/02/2012 19:15 Page 15
Page 15 Tresco Times
Tresco Times Spring 2012_Layout 1 06/02/2012 19:15 Page 16
A Stunning Journey to an Island Paradise
The exclusive operator to fly you direct to Tresco. 01736 363871
www.islesofscillyhelicopter.com