I was recently sent a book about treehouses for my birthday and it was a subtle reminder that we’d inherited the remains of one here in France when we bought the house 15 years ago and even laid the boards for another in a willow tree over the lake. Alas the best laid plans of mice and garden owners gang aft a-gley as Robbie Burns didn’t quite say, and the treehouse’s base still sits unfinished. Having looked at the book though maybe one day !
I was pleased – as well as surprised – to see that one of the authors was Paula Henderson a historian I admire and whose work on early modern gardens has been groundbreaking. I had no idea she was interested in treehouses and wondered what the possible connection was between them and the Tudors. You don’t somehow imagine Henry VIII sitting in an oak tree or Elizabeth I clambering up a ladder for the view.
Of course I ought to have known but as I flicked through the section on treehouses of the past the penny quickly dropped….
I’m sure, like me, you’ve often coveted a garden that you’ve visited. Maybe it’s a grand estate with sweeping vistas, or a beautiful garden building that takes your eye or perhaps somewhere that has wonderful planting. What wouldn’t we do to live there? Then, coming down to earth with a bump, we think of the upkeep, the worry, the expense and the crowds. But there’s one place where I think it would all be worthwhile, so if one day you hear that the National Trust announce that the original Scotney Castle has been stolen you’ll know it was me.
Who wouldn’t fall in love with Scotney at first sight? I did within minutes of my first view of the castle across the moat donkey’s years ago and I’ve done so all over again on every subsequent visit, although the last time was probably 8 or 10 years ago. So when to came to choosing somewhere to visit for a birthday treat last weekend Scotney was top of the list, and luckily we managed to get timed tickets.
The Garden History Blog 
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