Plants, Enslavement and Public History
Find out more about the University of Bristol Plants, Enslavement and Public History research project.
Garden Stories at Trengwainton
Discover how plants, gardens and creativity are helping us explore Trengwainton's connections to transatlantic enslavement. Through a new research project and a temporary creative commission, we're uncovering stories from the garden's past and finding new ways to share them.
Trengwainton's garden has been shaped by many people over hundreds of years. Now, new research is helping us explore one part of that history and its connections far beyond Cornwall.
Trengwainton is taking part in Plants, Enslavement and Public History (PEPH), an international research project led by the University of Bristol, working with the National Trust and other partners.
The project explores how plants and gardens can help us understand and share histories connected to transatlantic enslavement in new and thoughtful ways. It also looks at how creative approaches can help people engage with these histories, and how gardens can become places for learning, healing and reflection.
Trengwainton's story
At Trengwainton, the research looks at the period when the estate was owned by Rose Price, from 1814 until his death in 1834.
Price inherited sugar plantations in Jamaica, including Worthy Park, where enslaved people lived and worked. Income generated through this system of enslavement enabled Price to buy Trengwainton and make significant changes to the estate, including developing its ten-section walled garden.
This is one part of Trengwainton's long and varied history, and the project gives us an opportunity to understand and share it more fully.
Rather than focusing mainly on Price himself, we're looking beyond the plantation owner to explore the lives of enslaved people at Worthy Park whose labour, knowledge and expertise generated the income from which he benefited.
Plants offer an important way into these stories, from people's knowledge and use of plants to stories of resilience, care and memory, and the connections between gardens and global histories.
What is Garden Stories?
Garden Stories is the title for a temporary creative commission that will bring this research into Trengwainton's walled garden in 2027.
We don't yet know exactly what it will look like, and that's intentional.
We're inviting a creative practitioner or collective to respond to the research and the garden in their own way. The finished work could involve sculpture, living plants, sound, spoken word, music, movement, storytelling, activities or a combination of different creative approaches.
The aim is to create a meaningful experience that gives people opportunities to discover this part of Trengwainton's history, reflect on it and respond to it in their own ways.
Throughout the project, we'll listen to feedback from visitors, communities, staff, volunteers and partners. What we learn will help inform how Trengwainton's histories are interpreted in the future.
Calling creative practitioners
We're now looking for an individual or collective experienced in community engagement, ideally based in Cornwall or the South West, to develop Garden Stories with us.
We're open to any creative practice or art form that can take place outdoors. You might be a visual artist, writer, designer, performer, educator or gardener, or work across several different disciplines.
You'll collaborate with Trengwainton's gardeners, researchers from the University of Bristol, the National Trust project team and community partners to develop the commission during 2027.
We're particularly interested in ideas that:
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respond creatively to the research and Trengwainton's garden
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take a collaborative approach
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engage visitors in a meaningful and accessible way
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explore one or more of the project's themes, including plants, green spaces, histories of transatlantic enslavement and resistance, environmental histories, collective memory and climate change
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consider sustainability.
We're looking for initial thoughts and possibilities at this stage, rather than a fully developed proposal. We strongly encourage applications from creative practitioners of all backgrounds.
How to apply
The first stage of the open call closes at midnight on 1 November 2026.
Please send us:
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an expression of interest of up to 500 words, or a video of up to three minutes
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your CV or a selected portfolio of up to eight images
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some initial thoughts about how you might respond to the research.
Please send your expression of interest to gardenstories@nationaltrust.org.uk.
If you'd prefer to submit by video, email us first to request a private upload link. Large video files can't be received by the inbox, so we'll send you a secure link where you can upload yours. Please put 'Video upload link' in the subject line and allow enough time to receive the link before the deadline.
Download the full Garden Stories creative commission brief
The full brief includes more information about the research, Trengwainton, the commission, selection process, practical requirements and what we'd like you to include in your expression of interest.
Find out more
If you'd like the creative commission brief in a different format, would like to arrange a complimentary visit to Trengwainton during the open-call period, want to attend an online drop-in session on October 27, or have a question about applying, email gardenstories@nationaltrust.org.uk
Our partners
The University of Bristol is one of the most popular and successful universities in the UK, ranked 8th in the UK and 57th in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2027. The university is at the cutting edge of global research and collaborates with universities, governments and industry worldwide to deliver outstanding research, education and impact.
Sir Rose Price, Trengwainton and Jamaica
Before Trengwainton came into the ownership of the Bolitho family in 1867, it was owned by Rose Price, a Cornish magistrate and descendant of a Cornish-Jamaican plantation-owning family. Learn more about the early history of Trengwainton and the owner responsible for its transformation from a modest farmhouse to a landed estate.
History of Trengwainton Garden
Uncover the history of Trengwainton Garden and its rare plant specimens from around the world.
The garden at Trengwainton
With its winding wooded paths, sea views and walled gardens, Trengwainton is a place of contrasts. Explore its collection of award-winning plants and other highlights.
