Tim Smit

Until World War I, the estate gardens of Heligan were one of the glories of Cornwall. This book tells the story of the restoration of these gardens after 70 years of neglect, against the backdrop of local opposition and a lack of funding.

This book tells the fascinating story of how the Heligan gardens were rediscovered and restored. Tim Smit and his team are really quite inspirational - I am not a garden expert, I have a small sad garden I sometimes feel overwhelmed by - and so the scale of show more what these people achieved is extrordinary. I have to admit to getting a bit bored by some of the historical bits - which I had expected to like a lot. But the story of the gardens and the people who have brought them back to life is a really interesting one. You really get a feeling for what it must have been like to have been a part of this amazing team of people back in the 1990's. show less

I visited the garden this year (2014), but did not purchase a guidebook. Picking this one up in a secondhand shop provided an interesting insight into the history and restoration of the garden.

Loads of fun! Who knew a book about an historic garden could be so interesting!! It was and the photos are gorgeous. I keep the gardens website open on my pc just to hear the birds chirping. An amazing feat and I hope to get to see it for myself one day.

Really enjoyed - factual and great photos. TV program as well.