Floods, barn fires and late nights: the remarkable story of Treworgey Cottages

After running Treworgey Cottages for nearly 40 years, self-catering pioneers Linda and Bevis Wright have seen it all. They bought the site in 1977, when Treworgey was a run-down farm scattered with old stone buildings – some barely standing, with tin rooves and missing walls. Since then, with the search for continuous improvement ingrained in the fabric of the family, three generations have helped to transform the farm into a picturesque 5-star gold collection. And to cap it all off, they’ve just been named VisitEngland’s best Self Catering Holiday Provider for 2016.

Linda and Bevis have made self-catering excellence their life’s work. From an early age, Linda helped out at her parents’ beautiful holiday cottage hamlet, Trefanny Hill, which is just a few miles away from Treworgey. True innovators, Linda’s parents Don and Eileen introduced the concept of luxury cottages with beautiful interiors. They were also the first to offer private gardens for every cottage, the first to make ‘dog friendly’ a real selling point, and even the first to offer colour TVs.

This visionary thinking has certainly been passed on to Linda who, in partnership with Bevis, has overseen dramatic renovation at Treworgey over the past four decades. Complimented by Bevis’s array of practical skills – including everything from building, wiring and plumbing, to successful business planning – they’ve proved an unstoppable duo. Along the way, they’ve endured countless dramas, seeing off floods, barn fires, and late nights finishing cottages before the first guests arrive.

Today, Treworgey stands as testament to all that hard work. With 15 five-star gold cottages – each one with its own private landscaped garden – and every modern facility, it’s a deserving recipient of Visit England’s prestigious award. Linda has even been able to use her love and experience of horses to start a private riding school at Treworgey, exclusively for their guests. In this way, they’re continuing the legacy of innovation passed on to them by Linda’s parents.

It doesn't stop there: now there’s a third generation involved in Treworgey, helping to maintain the knowledge and passion that's been there from the beginning. Linda and Bevis’s middle daughter, Holly said: “The family still talks regularly about the lessons we learned from Don and Eileen. Their sharp focus was incredibly inspiring, and very difficult to achieve when working with so many disparate aspects.”

It’s been a long, remarkable road for Linda, Bevis and family, whose drive, determination and vision has made the once ramshackle farm a haven for guests. Sadly, Don and Eileen have now passed on, but they lay to rest together in one of the beautiful gardens that Eileen created at Trefanny Hill. One thing is certain – they would be proud of all their daughter and her husband have achieved since 1977.

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