Tag Archives: water gardens

Joseph, Victoria and the amazing leaf

Posted on 14/07/2018 by The Garden History Blog

Picture the scene. A small group of well dressed people stand around a room with a large pond in the middle watching a serious looking man and a 9 yr old girl. Everyone watches in silence as he lifts her … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Chatsworth, conservatory, duke of devonshire, greenhouse, hothouse, John Lindley, joseph paxton, kew, Syon, technology, water gardens, water lily, william hooker | 3 Comments

Recording the Rococo : Thomas Robins

Posted on 05/05/2018 by The Garden History Blog

Sometimes one gets a real surprise from a book. I did a few weeks ago in the British Library… and I don’t mean when I started to read it, but literally when it was brought to the counter. There were … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bath, cheltenham, Chinoiserie, Farm, Gloucester, Gothic, Horace Walpole, Painswick, richard bateman, rococo, Thomas Robins, water gardens, william chambers, William Halfpenny | Leave a comment

Amorous polygamy at Abbotsbury

Posted on 17/02/2018 by The Garden History Blog

No – it’s not south-east Asia but south-west Dorset! Abbotsbury, a garden founded by the Strangways family in the late 18thc, was my first point of call recently on an out of season tour of some gardens in the south-west. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Fox Talbot, Mediterranean, Queen Victoria, Rockery, subtropical, water gardens | Leave a comment

Coleton Fishacre: The Garden by the Sea

Posted on 30/09/2017 by The Garden History Blog

Imagine sailing gently along the coast of Britain and spotting a nice little steep-sided valley running down to the sea…no buildings in sight, just a few sheep and wizened wind-battered trees… deciding that would make a good place for a house… … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Arts & Crafts, garden buildings, oswald milne, quarry garden, water gardens | Leave a comment

Peter Smithers: Plantsman, Politician & Floral Pornographer

Posted on 15/07/2017 by The Garden History Blog

Sir Peter Smithers [1913-2006] was an intelligence officer, a Tory politician, diplomat and above all a great gardener. “I regard gardening and planting as the other half of life, a counterpoint to the rough and tumble of politics,” he wrote. During his … Continue reading →