Photographer River Thompson discovers England’s only tea plantation and a small wooden box that revolutionised the horticultural world
Squint and I could be in the rainy uplands of Darjeeling. But no, I’m on British soil – Cornish soil – where acres of tea bushes thrive in the moist, warm air, on the banks of the River Fal. This is Tregothnan: Britain’s first and largest tea plantation.
As I wander around this vast estate I stumble upon overgrown greenhouses, relics of Tregothnan’s horticultural history, which extends much farther than its recent tea-growing eureka moment (they planted their first tea bush in 1999). The Boscawen family, who’ve lived on the estate since the 14th century, have nurtured generations of green-fingered pioneers with a passion for rare, exotic species. They were the first to grow ornamental camellias in Britain – it was observing them thrive and blossom earlier than they do in Darjeeling that prompted garden director Jonathon Jones to wonder if it would be the same for tea, or Camellia sinensis as it’s also known.
But how did zealous horticulturists bring their rare trophies, including tea, back to England, without them perishing on long voyages? The answer is a wooden and glass box known as a Wardian case. And Jonathon happened to find the world’s last surviving example, hidden since the 1850s, in the compost shed.
The case was designed by Nathaniel Bradshaw Ward in the late 1800s, when the British took tea plants from China to British India, during the opium wars. Wardian cases were sent abroad as flatpacks (they’re believed to be the first example of flatpack furniture), assembled in the field and filled with soil and plants. These travelling greenhouses revolutionised the tea market and helped make Britain the wealthiest nation on the planet.
The Wardian Case
The design of the Wardian case (right) was very simple. Plants inside were watered, moisture was drawn up through the roots and lost through the leaves, and the detachable shading let in enough light for the moisture to evaporate, condense on the glass then run back into the soil, keeping it moist. This method ensured the survival of the plants and safe transportation to British India and Britain.
