Tehidy Country Park - 'Time for Tehidy'

Cornwall Council are delighted to be working with exciting Cornish based performance word artist Megan Chapman in an innovative new venture that has been made possible with support from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Poetry Privy will see an unassuming former estate-workers outside toilet transformed into a sanctuary of poetry through an initiative involving foster children and families.

Megan who is a foster parent along with her partner Meg, will use the poetic opportunity to explore interpretations of the important concepts of ‘home’ and ‘private space’ with the participants.

The building is currently a mishmash of the original stone, brick and slate construction along with odd bits of cement re-patching and holes in the roof, each element telling a story about the changing times that it has persisted through. Megan’s ideas aim to retain this aesthetic on the outside, whilst covering the inside with creative interpretations created by participants, to be enjoyed from the vantage of a comfortable seat.

Megan’s inspiration comes from wanting to relate to people and give them a voice, saying that “I like to see people through their eyes, to give voice to someone who doesn’t have one”. In this project, the aim is to engage more diverse groups off people in the natural and historical heritage of Tehidy and represent why it is still relevant to people to people today, perhaps even more so than ever.

The project is starting this Spring and is expected to open to the public in autumn this year.

A creative experiential education commission

Cornwall Council is looking for an enthusiastic individual, group or organisation to deliver a fantastic short-term commission for anyone with a passion for community arts and the ability to inspire innovation in artistic thinking and communication.

The Poetry Privy project is aimed at engaging people from the local community that experience barriers to visiting nature and heritage-rich spaces and will delivery the restoration of the Victorian outside loo block, whilst creating something new inside based on the ideas of the project participants from the local community.

The commission is part of a wider Creative and wellness Community initiative that is restoring and repurposing former estate buildings at the site and will result in a Artists Residence and Wellness Centre as well as the Poetry Privy.

Applicants for Poetry Privy, should be able to manage the historic building repairs, as well as lead new audiences in exploring heritage, and crucially facilitate the reimaging of the site to deliver an immersive art experience in the inside of the privy block.

Applications are sought no later than noon on Tuesday 27th February 2024.

The tender document can be found in the documents tab of this website (https://letstalk.cornwall.gov.uk/14262/widgets/41686/documents/53672), or obtained by contacting charlotte.evans@cornwall.gov.uk

This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Cornwall Council has been chosen by Government as a Lead Authority for the fund and is responsible for monitoring the progress of projects funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

During 2024 two former estate workers cottages will be renovated for new uses as part of a creative and wellness hub at the country park.

The work, which is possible after a successful application to the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Shared Prosperity Fund, will commence early this year and will include some opportunities for local creatives and nature-based social prescribing practitioners.

Located in the area known as Kennels Hill, one of the cottages will be transformed into a artists residency, with artists have the opportunity to apply to base themselves for free up until March 2025. Cornwall Council is partnering with Creative Kernow to run the residency and details will be coming out soon. The other cottage is to become a community wellness resource centre, with a therapy room and space for community events.

The initiative builds on two key strands already emerging well at the site, with the Rogue Theatre and other site-based providers like Remembering Our Roots representing creativity and wellness, with the new ventures helping to reimagine Tehidy for new audiences and encourage many more people to benefit from getting out into nature at the historic site.

The Tehidy cultural and wellness community resource initiative is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Cornwall Council has been chosen by Government as a Lead Authority for the fund and is responsible for monitoring the progress of projects funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

We are delighted that the new venture behind Tehidy Woods cafe is off to a great start and pleased that the cafe is now providing a great service to visitors.

Tehidy woods cafe is open from 10 to 4 every day except Tuesday and has a fresh new look:

If you haven't yet experienced the new offer, please find out more and pop along to give it a go. TEHIDY WOODS CAFE | Lands End Coffee

Please check the cafe website and social media for upcoming events and activities, including a Christmas Wreath Workshop on 2nd December: https://www.landsendcoffee.co.uk/event-details-registration/christmas-wreath-workshop

On 10^th August Cormac’s Melissa Ralph and Stuart Croft teamed up with Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT) and National Trust (NT) staff, to help harvest Cornish wildflower and grass seed.

They collected clean seed from Cornwall Council's (CC) beautiful species rich grassland at Tehidy Country Park, which includes yellow rattle, bird’s foot trefoil, red clover, common knapweed and fine grasses.

Penwith Landscape Partnership’s seed harvester bushes up seed and chaff into a hopper, to then be manually sieved through screens of large and smaller mesh, to remove most of the chaff.

The cleaned seed will help restore species richness at the following locations:

• CWT will deliver grassland improvement in the Drift catchment (15ha)
• NT will use their share in the ‘Cornwall Coastal Meadow Project’ 2023-2025 (250ha in total)
• Cormac will enrich several CC greenspaces and road verges to improve diversity to local grasslands – watch this space!

This comes after the successful use of seed from the meadow in many Cornwall Council gree spaces across Cornwall in recent years, which have proved the approach is viable.

Jan Dinsdale of CWT said ‘Thank you to organisations and collogues for your time at Tehidy last week. It was such a positive and productive day, working in partnership to harvest the seed and making useful connections between our various organisations at the same time.’

Following an unexpected period of closure, the cafe will be open from Thursday to Sunday inclusive throughout the summer holidays up to the late August bank holiday.

For the most up to date opening information, please always check the cafe Facebook page: Tehidy Country Park Cafe | Camborne | Facebook

We are very grateful for everyone continuing to visit the cafe and understanding that events beyond our control have led to reduced opening.

27.07.2023 Update

The cafe will be open from Thursday to Sunday inclusive throughout the summer holidays up to the late August bank holiday.

For the most up to date opening information, please always check the cafe Facebook page: Tehidy Country Park Cafe | Camborne | Facebook

We are very grateful for everyone continuing to visit the cafe and understanding that events beyond our control have led to reduced opening.

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Please be advised that due to unforeseen and uncontrollable circumstances the cafe at Tehidy Country Park is temporarily closed. Please continue to check this site for future updates.

Thank you in advance for understanding.

We would like to wish all stakeholders, volunteers and visitors to Tehidy Country Park a very happy New Year! A trip to the woods at any time of year is a reminder of constant change and renewal as nature responds to the seasons, but as another year dawns we are reminded that of those who return time and again to help keep the Country Park running.

This year, following the lifting of Covid restrictions, has been particularly important for the businesses based at Tehidy, Rogue Theatre, Remembering our Roots and Tehidy Cafe. We thank them for the magic that they make happen for their clients and wish them every sucess in 2023.

Image Credit: Rogue Otherworld

Equally, we recognise the multitude of organisations that run community and volunteer events at the woods. 2022 has seen many; an apple pressing day supported by Resilient Orchards Cornwall, Budding Nature's Bio-blitz and Cornwall AONB's Art in the Landscape event give just a flavour. We hope these, and many others, will continue to see Tehidy as a great venue and engage many others in our wonderful Park.

Additionally, we thank our hard working volunteers, recognising that valuable tasks such a litter picks, woodland management and general monitoring and reporting are carried out by dedicated individuals who care deeply about sustaining Tehidy for the community. Many thanks indeed and we look forward to working with you all throughout the year.

2022 has seen Tehidy's Twisted Beech join the 70 ancient trees contributing to the Queen's Green Canopy, the project Monumental Improvement (Cornwall AONB) has been awarded funding to undertake archelogy and conservation of Tehidy Round, and efforts to regenerate the historic kennels complex are underway.

We hope you'll enjoy visiting Tehidy in 2023!

Take a virtual tour of Tehidy's kennels complex to see why we are aiming to restore and repurpose these unique buildings.

The last Basset's of Tehidy were well known for their love of animal sports and the kennels complex speaks of the prestige they afforded their working dogs, whilst also providing insight into the everyday life of the gentry and their estate workers.

A set of Victorian stone and brick built buildings, the kennels complex includes a rooms for cutting up meat and preparing dog-gruel as well as kennels with groves remaining in the walls where slate shelves would have been with beds for the dogs to reduce paw infections. Located at the top of Kennels Hill, which runs between the otter trap and the kennels, the excellent preservation of the buildings provide a snap-shot of the last-years of the Bassets at Tehidy, in the pre-war years, before the nature of the site was irrevocably changed following the Bassets’ sale of Tehidy in 1916.

The buildings have faired remarkably well over the decades, being of a robust design. Nonetheless, the roof in particular has deteriorated rapidly in recent years. Cornwall Council hopes to soon be in a position to restore the kennels through a heritage conservation project and has commissioned a 3D model as a record of what the kennels look like today, ahead of the intended restoration.

The model, produced by Cornish firm 3Deep, shows the original features that have been well preserved, including a brick-work courtyard surrounded by iron railings and remain of a well and associated ironmongery. The buildings showcase a number of unusual elements for the locality, such as clay pan tiles possibly made in Somerset or elsewhere in England, whilst also containing features Cornish-made features such as a iron cauldron reputed to be manufactured at Harvey's foundry, Hayle.

Whilst it's not possible to visit the kennels, yet, due to their state of repair, the 3D model means you can take a virtual tour now at: Tehidy Kennels 3D Model

Eagle-eyed visitors to Tehidy Country park may have noticed the recent work to reveal overgrown part of the old kennels buildings at Kennels Hill. This less-visited corner of the Park is home to a wealth of heritage that helps reveal to story of the everyday life of the estate workers that supported the notoriously lavish lifestyle of Tehidy's Basset family, and a new initiative being explored by Cornwall Council seeks to re-purpose them towards a more sustainable future for the site.

Recently, members of the project team were joined by Council members and Cornwall's Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty team see the newly revealed buildings for themselves and to consider the ideas and explore opportunities for future collaboration and seeking funding.

If successful the proposals will see the historic kennels sensitively restored and repurposed as a park facility, for instance including a catering offer, information and displays about the history of Tehidy and resources for volunteers. Alongside the restored kennels it is anticipated that other buildings may be rehabilitated to offer spaces for nature-based counselling, as facilities to support an improved schools activity programme and to host exhibitions and creative workshops.

Cornwall Councillor for Illogan and Portreath, David Crabtree, who visits Tehidy on a regular basis has backed the ideas from an early stage reflected on the visit:

"It was a pleasure to be given a tour of Tehidy Woods by Charlotte and Ann, two ladies who are both passionate about maintaining and sensitively restoring parts of Tehidy Woods for future generations. There are exciting plans for the old kennels and surrounding areas along with the hidden old round and the area where the Temple stood. As a local resident, who frequents the woods a number of times per week, I look forward to watching the progress, which I know will be slow and look forward to more visits as work progresses. One tree not to be missed is the Old Twisted Beech that formed part of the late Queens Green Canopy".

Image below from left: Cllr David Crabtree (Illogan and Portreath) and Cllr Martin Alvey (Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change) visit the historic kennels at Tehidy Country Park to explore proposals for a heritage-led regeneration scheme.