The Garden History Blog

Ralph Treswell’s 1587 survey of Holdenby

. Holdenby in Northamptonshire was one of the greatest houses and gardens of Elizabethan England, in fact of  the whole of 16thc Europe.  Although largely demolished within about 80 years a small  part of the mansion survives  as part of the current Victorian house. However, the main reason I was so keen to visit recently with friends from the Birkbeck Garden History Group was to see what, if anything was left of the original gardens.  These were recorded  in the 1580s by Ralph Treswell, the leading surveyor of his day, not just once but twice so we have almost got before and after plans of what they were like, and amazingly the main features can still be made out so  it was definitely worth the trip.

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Queen Adelaide by John Simpson, 1832

Let’s start today with a pub quiz question.  Who was Queen Adelaide? Did you even know Britain once had a Queen Adelaide?   Would it help if I told you that before her engagement to a royal duke she was Her Serene Highness Princess Adelheid Luise Therese Caroline Amalie of Saxe-Meiningen?

If you have heard of Adelaide it’s probably because of the capital city of   South Australia or one of the many pubs and streets round the country which were named after her.   Still not a clue?

And in any case what’s Queen Adelaide doing in a blog about gardens?

a rather different portrait of her

In fact she’s already made a passing appearance in seven  earlier posts : those about the early growers of money-puzzle trees,  the career of Charles Macintosh,  James Bateman’s giant book of orchids,   the charitable work of George Glenny, the story of the Other London Zoo,    the botanical artist Augusta Withers and most recently in a post about Belvoir. That might suggest that she had some interest in gardens and flowers, as indeed she did.

This post is going to explore that a bit further…

The Gardens of Bushy Park, Henry Zeigler, thought to have been commissioned by Adelaide c1842

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detail from an undated postcard

This week’s post is going to continue the story of the gardens at Belvoir from the rebuilding of the castle in the early 19th century through to the current ambitious restoration project.

Historic England’s  description of the site gives no indication of anything much of significance happening at Belvoir for the rest of the 19th century. In fact there was more going on  than is usually acknowledged because the Dukes of Rutland were  lucky enough to have at least three head gardeners who  deserve much better recognition. And although things slowed down for most of the 20thc they have taken off again in spectacular style under the auspices of the present Duchess of Rutland.

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The Castle from the Rose Garden, DM August 2022

Alan Titchmarsh calls  Belvoir “everyone’s idea of what a castle should be”.  However, while it might look like an impregnable fortress in fact it’s  a “fake” stronghold, built in the mediaeval style in the early 19thc. It is the fourth castle on the site which has  been home to the Manners family, earls and later dukes of Rutland,  and their ancestors, since 1247.

Described by Gardeners Magazine around the time of its completion  as “a magnificent castellated structure on the summit of a lofty hill” it  appears to be surrounded by thick woodland but again that’s a slightly false impression because there are also a  series of interesting gardens terraced down the slopes.   The whole castle complex is set in a much wider landscape, partly designed by Cabability Brown whose plans were never fully completed.

Detail of the front page of Brown’s proposals                                  Still from Belvoir Castle’s Capability Brown Landscape on Youtube

In the last decade a huge renovation and improvement project has been taking place overseen by the current Duchess who you may have seen on the telly a few years ago with Alan Titchmarsh, explaining how  more of Brown’s plans were  being implemented even if about 250 years late!  But  as you’ll see she’s not the first of the Manners  family to take a big interest in the estates gardens, plants and landscape.

Still from Youtube video about Belvoir

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From a Book of Hours produced in Utrecht, c1500

Last week’s post ended with this rather strange picture of the Virgin Mary sitting in a garden with a unicorn in her lap and the Angel Gabriel dressed as a hunter chasing after it with dogs.

detail from The Lady and Unicorn tapestries, late 15thc

I asked what was going on, and this week I’m going to try and explain the story, as well as show how and why unicorns had a place in the mediaeval garden and beyond, including on the wall.

The Annunciation from the Buhl Altarpiece, by followers of Martin Schongauer, c.1495

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