Monthly Archives: June 2025

Hever

A couple of weeks ago I led a small party of French visitors round some of the gardens of London, Kent and Sussex.  One of those I chose was Hever Castle which I hadn’t visited since lockdown. We were all … Continue reading

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“Oh! What a Beauty and perfection of ruin!” : Studley, Fountains and Hackfall.

Last week’s post saw us follow John Byng’s trip from London to Yorkshire where he spent a lot of time peering at medieval ruins, exploring gardens and admiring picturesque landscapes. In this week’s post he does all three in the … Continue reading

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A Garden Visiting Trip to Yorkshire in 1792

“At 12 o’clock, Saturday May 26th 1792, I had taken the Paddington Road, which the rains of last night had made nice riding, and the face of nature gay”  So begins the  account by  Colonel the Honourable John Byng.  of … Continue reading

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Mr McIvor and “the commodity that changed the world”

A few month ago I wrote about the Botanical Gardens at Ooty in southern India where the first superintendent was a Kew-trained gardener, William McIvor.   He arrived there in 1848 and spent the rest of his life in Ooty … Continue reading

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