Tresco Priory is a former monastic settlement on Tresco, Isles of Scilly founded in 946 AD. It was re-founded as the Priory of St Nicholas by monks from Tavistock Abbey in 1114. A charter of King Henry I mentions a priory as belonging to Tavistock Abbey in the reign of Edward the Confessor

Henry I, King of England, A.D. 1120, grants to William, Bishop of Exeter, and to Richard, son of Baldwin, and to his Justitiary of Devonshire and Cornwall in perpetual Alms to Osbert Abbot of Tavistock and Turold his monk, all the churches of Sully with the Appurtenances and the Land such as the Monks or Hermits held in the Time of King Edward and Burgal Bishop of Cornwall.

In 1367 King Edward III took the Priory under his special protection as the monks had complained that it was almost destroyed and impoverished by mariners, and in 1351 pirates had destroyed most of the Abbey property.

The Priory did not survive the Dissolution of the Monasteries and may well have closed earlier. The remains of the priory are now incorporated into Tresco Abbey Gardens. The 17 acre gardens were established by the nineteenth-century proprietor of the islands, Augustus Smith, originally as a private garden within the grounds of the home he designed and built.

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Founded: 946 AD
Category: Religious sites in United Kingdom

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4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Martin Davidson (2 years ago)
Absolutely fabulous place, fascinating on all levels. Try & book yourself onto one of the guided tours, well worth it! This is a place of rare beauty. The cafe sells the best flat white on the island & stocks the best gifts. Give yourselves plenty of time, you'll need it!
Martin Davidson (2 years ago)
Absolutely stunning & well worth booking the guided tour, especially with the Head Gardner, fascinating, you get a real insight of the plants & the challenges that go on into maintaining this world famous venue. Not to mention the stunning Golden Pheasants & Red Squirrels. The cafe is fab serving great food & the shop sells quality merch to remind you of your stay.
Philip TattsbridgeAKAshoebridge (2 years ago)
STUNNING The photos tell the simplest story of how impressive these gardens are. But keep in mind that the garden is arranged in 3 tiers, and the upper balcony has views to St Mary’s through the tops of the amazing architectural Norfolk pines and the hugely impressive Monterey Pines. There are SOOO many magical spots and amazing plants in this garden. If you like this sort of thing give it 2-4 hours and I suspect you’ll be wanting more. And look out for the red squirrels and the golden pheasants.. both delightful animal adornments!
Kay Craig (2 years ago)
Magical place to explore. The children's quiz was great for all ages. As an adult, it's great as it makes you look for things. I finally spotted the elephant. That was a sneaky one.
The Eggsorcist (2 years ago)
Probably the best botanical garden I've ever visited! Absolutely gorgeous selection of plants from all over the world! A fantastic celebration of the climate Scilly is so famous for. Was apprehensive about the price at first but after seeing the beauty within it seemed well worth it! Red squirrels were a nice surprise!
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