Tag Archives: John Vanbrugh

Seaton Delaval Revisited

Posted on 21/03/2026 by The Garden History Blog

It’s over ten years since  I first visited Seaton Delaval Hall just north of  Newcastle. I wrote a post  about it shortly afterwards saying  I’d been  mesmerised by Vanbrugh’s  final masterpiece. I returned last week and came away even more impressed. … Continue reading →

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Visiting a Duke 18thc style…

Posted on 09/02/2019 by The Garden History Blog

At the end of last year I wrote  about the travel journals of John Byng, 5th Viscount Torrington. His diaries are, unlike most 18thc published writing, quite informal in style , probably because he  had no intention of putting his … Continue reading →

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Achille Duchêne @ Blenheim

Posted on 19/11/2016 by The Garden History Blog

A drizzly overcast day in mid-November might not be the ideal time to see the gardens at Blenheim but I was taking advantage of an offer of free entry to the gardens and park via my RHS membership, so a drizzly … Continue reading →

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Eastbury

Posted on 30/05/2015 by The Garden History Blog

No it isn’t a disused rural railway station! Instead this intriguing arcaded house is all that remains of one of Baroque architect Sir John Vanbrugh’s greatest buildings. Vastly expensive and taking over 20 years to complete, Eastbury at Tarrant Gunville in … Continue reading →

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BEAUTIFUL BRITAIN: Romance and Reason

Posted on 07/02/2014 by The Garden History Blog

I’m a hoarder and always have been. I’ve also been interested in history all my life and even as a child I collected anything and everything in the hope that one day it would come in ‘useful’.  Having written last … Continue reading →

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