The Trust is proud of its diverse programme of events for members and their guests. Each year we provide a full calendar of events including lectures, study days and garden visits. A summary of past events to present is provided below. We hope this demonstrates our commitment to educating individuals about the value of historic landscapes, garden designers and horticultural more generally.
The start of 2021 remained challenging due to continuing restrictions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Trust embraced Zoom and organised a series of Winter Lectures online with a record number of participants from Surrey, the UK and other parts of the world joining us for these talks.
The great gardens created in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries are beautiful, lovingly designed, built and maintained. How much did they cost, who paid for them and where did the money come from? Roderick Floud, author of An Economic History of the English Garden (Penguin) considers how Paradise was purchased and places the gardens, their owners, designers and gardeners within the context of their times.
Sir Roderick Floud has taught at the Universities of Cambridge, London and Stanford, has written or edited over seventy books and articles, and is the long-standing editor of the Cambridge Economic History of Modern Britain.
A brief history of Victorian Kitchen Gardens will be followed by a presentation of the restoration of the walled kitchen garden at Audley End in Essex. Starting from scratch, Michael was fortunate to have the 1874 diary of a journeyman gardener to help him with the project, which also included the restoration of the vinery and backsheds. Michael started his gardening career at Dyffryn Gardens where he rose to Head Gardener. After a brief spell as a horticultural lecturer, he returned to practical gardening as Director of Gardens at Aberglasney, Carmarthenshire and Barnsdale Gardens, Rutland, before moving to Essex in 1999 to restore the Victorian Kitchen Garden at Audley End House.
Garden historian and illustrator Susan Campbell specialises in walled kitchen gardens. Susan provided a brief history of the glasshouse, starting with the cultivation of citruses in the orangeries of the 16th century to pineapples in pineries in the 18th century and the cultivation of grapes and vineries in the 19th century, finishing with modern day glasshouses. Susan is Chair and co-founder of the Walled Kitchen Garden Network and Vice President of the Gardens Trust. She has visited over 700 kitchen gardens in various states of repair and has consulted on the restoration of around 50. She has published several books, including History of Kitchen Gardening.
Dr Catherine Horwood looked at the history of the Cutting Garden, the minor sibling of the Walled Garden but always a vital ingredient of any large estate. She discussed the pressures on gardeners to provide plant material for floral displays in the home throughout the year and how this tradition has seen a recent revival on allotments and cutting patches across the country. Catherine Horwood is a social historian and author of Beth Chatto: A Life with Plants (Pimpernel Press), which won the European Garden Book of the Year 2019. Her other books include the recently revised Potted History: How Houseplants took over our Homes (Pimpernel Press), Rose (Reaktion), a cultural history of the world’s favourite flower and Gardening Women: Their Stories from 1600 to the Present (Virago).
In the second half of this two-part talk, Dr Catherine Horwood, author of Potted History: How Houseplants took over our Homes, looked at how the popularity of houseplants has been influenced by changing trends in domestic interiors over the centuries and what the future holds for today’s favourite indoor plants.
See previous lecture for brief biography of Dr Catherine Horwood.
Weirs Barn is a Grade II* listed barn surrounded by a beautiful Arts & Crafts garden both of which were designed by architect Robert Weir Schultz. In the early 20th century Robert Weir Schultz bought a farmhouse and surrounding barns, converting the 16th-century barn for his own occupation and lived there until his death in 1951. He gradually transformed the land from fields into a series of ‘garden rooms’, by planting topiary hedges and a shelterbelt of trees to give protection and privacy. The overall structure of the garden remains much as it was in Schultz’s time, having been lovingly restored by the current owners who acquired the property in 1986 from Schultz’s cousin.
True to the Arts & Crafts style, this 2.5 acre garden contains topiary peacocks, hedges, a tennis lawn, sunken garden, croquet lawn, an old mulberry tree, hooped border and a nuttery. The owner continues to extend the garden and has created many areas of naturalised bulbs, wildflowers and cottage-style informal planting.
Over the past 30 years Lady Collum has painstakingly developed a beautiful 6-acre formal and romantic garden at Clinton Lodge, with spectacular views overlooking parkland. The house itself dates from the 17th century with a significant 18th-century façade. The garden has been largely divided by hedges into smaller gardens or rooms, reflecting various periods of garden design. Starting with a small knot garden, a copy of an Elizabethan herb garden with chamomile paths and turf seats, a Medieval style potager, wild flower meadow, a pre-Raphaelite allee of white wisteria, clematis and lilies, broad double herbaceous borders of white and blue, the enclosed garden of old roses trained at nose height so that one can enjoy the scent, and a 20th- century swimming pool encircled by an arcade of apples.
Artist Maggie McGrath and her husband Anthony have created a stunning 3-acre garden around their 17th-century Sussex farmhouse. Having acquired the property some 30 years ago the garden has originated from the transformation of pastures into a garden with a growing international reputation for the quality of its design and planting. The structure of the garden is defined by extensive use of topiary using yew, box and hornbeam and includes shapes inspired by the sculptures of Henry Moore. The topiary provides a wonderful backdrop for exuberant herbaceous planting and an extensive collection of over 700 roses. Additional features include a herb garden, selection of ornamental grasses, an 800-year-old oak, potager, and a unique ruined Priory Church and Cloisters created in hornbeam.
Goddards was designed for Sir Frederich Mirrielees by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1898-1900 and enlarged in 1910. Lutyen’s commission was to build a holiday rest home for ‘ladies of small means’. It is considered to be one of his most important early houses designed in the traditional Surrey style and with a garden laid out in collaboration with Gertrude Jekyll.
There are three main elements of Goddards - the house itself, the garden courts and the pasture beyond. Hedges, terraces and walls, connected by axial routes, define each garden room. Throughout the house, Lutyens drew on the vernacular traditions of Surrey, and applied the principles of the Arts and Crafts movement. Mr and Mrs M W Hall gave Goddards to the Lutyens Trust in 1991, in memory of their architect son, Lee Heath Hall. However, running the house proved too expensive and in 1996 they handed it to the Landmark Trust on a long lease, keeping the Library as their headquarters.
The restoration of the garden, which is being funded by the Rufford Foundation, is intended to reinstate the ‘architectural' role of the hedges as originally intended, later planting alterations are being simplified, and beds are being replanted with the grey, silver and scented plants that were listed in Jekyll's plan for Munstead Wood as no planting plans are known to exist for Goddards.
Designed in 1912, Folly Farm is considered to be one of the most complex and interesting of all the garden collaborations between architect Sir Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll. The main gardens were laid out in tune with the Arts & Crafts principles employed at the time with a collection of contrasting garden rooms divided by yew hedges and linked by herringbone brick paths. Thanks to the original fine craftsmanship and use of quality materials the garden continues to stand the test of time, although the current owners who arrived in 2007 found it in much need of repair.
After extensive historical research the many elements, including the glasshouses and brickwork paths were reinstated. In 2009, Dan Pearson was asked to develop further parts of the garden bringing a new, contemporary feel to the historical landscape. New planting schemes sympathetic to Jekyll’s ‘spirit’ were devised for the borders in the main garden rooms that had been more recently laid to lawn. On the outer edges of the property, Dan Pearson has adopted a more naturalistic style of planting, including meadows, rilled watercourse and new pond thus taking into consideration the wider landscape. In addition, a kitchen garden has been installed in one of Lutyen’s original walled gardens that was never formally laid out in his time.
Owners, Alan & Felicity Comber, have created a magnificent 5-acre garden at Pratsham Grange in Holmbury St Mary. The garden is divided into three different areas, each enjoying its own distinct feel but with an overlying order that creates a unified and complementary design.
The first section focuses on beds of scented roses in various geometrical shapes combined with long herbaceous borders. These borders can be enjoyed by walking down a broad avenue punctuated with rows of neatly clipped yews to provide year around interest and structure. In August, these herbaceous borders will be awash with crocosmia, phlox, asters and other late summer flowering plants. The roses, most of which are repeat flowering, should also be producing their second bloom. The second area is dominated by a spiralling buxus knot garden that is interspersed with herbs as well as an orchard and productive kitchen garden. There is also a sizable cut flower garden, which provides flowers for the house. Finally, there are two naturalistic ponds joined by a cascading stream and surrounded by mature woodlands and borders planted with fuchsias and hydrangeas.
Ramster Hall dates from the early 17th century and is surrounded by 250 acres of farmland and woods. Sir Harry Waechter, a businessman and philanthropist, purchased the property sometime between 1890 and 1900, and laid out the foundations of the present 20-acre garden with the help of Gauntletts of Chiddingfold, whose nursery adjoined the site. Gauntletts were specialists in importing Japanese plants and garden ornaments and the Japanese influence is still maintained in the garden today.
In 1922 Sir Henry and Lady Norman, who were keen horticulturalists, bought Ramster. Lady Norman was the daughter of Lord and Lady Aberconway and granddaughter of Henry Pochin who created Bodnant Gardens, Wales. More rhododendrons and azaleas were planted, some grown from seed brought back by plant collectors. Since 2005 Ramster has been run by the fourth generation of the family, Malcolm and Rosie Glaister.
30th Anniversary Party
The celebration of the 30th anniversary of Surrey Gardens Trust.
Following the postponement of our party at Chilworth Manor, we were delighted to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Surrey Gardens Trust with members and special guests at Dunsborough Park, Ripley. Baroness Caroline Sweerts de Landas Wyborgh most generously gave us private access to her beautiful garden on the eve of their Autumn Open Days when their extensive Dahlia collection will be in full bloom. The weather was absolutely glorious and the gardens provided a magnificent backdrop to our celebrations. With approximately 75 guests it was a wonderful opportunity to catch-up and renew old acquaintances.
ACE SMA, is a charity in its infancy set up by the Sweerts de Landas Wyborgh family to raise awareness and aid essential research into the debilitating disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The Trust made a donation of £250 to ACE SMA as a thank you to the family.
A PEOPLE’S ELYSIUM: BRAVE, NEW AND BOLD PUBLIC LANDSCAPES BY SIR GEOFFREY JELLICOE
Our postponed study day moved online in a series of three lectures. We were delighted to have Annabel Downs, Cherrill Sands, Ed Bennis and Kate Harwood talk about Jellicoe’s pivotal role in post-modernist landscape design.
Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe was one of the 20th century's greatest landscape architects. His contribution to landscape design, a discipline he credited as the 'Mother of all Arts', including also his writings on landscape, and his influence in shaping and nurturing the young profession, were all hugely significant. Jellicoe's traditional classical education, combined with his interest in the arts, and psychology and the subconscious, deeply influenced his creativity and the landscapes and gardens that he designed. In every project that Jellicoe undertook he pushed the boundaries.
In this three-part series of talks, we explored three seminal projects completed between 1955-1965, a decade that may be regarded as a turning point in Jellicoe’s long and distinguished career. The Cadbury Factory at Moreton, the Water Gardens at Hemel Hempstead and the JFK Memorial at Runnymede, these landscapes are all now on the Historic England Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.
Wk 1: Introduction to Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe with Cherrill Sands and Behind the Scenes at the JFK Memorial at Runnymede with Annabel Downs
Wk 2: A Factory Garden - The Serpents of Moreton Marsh with Ed Bennis
Wk 3: Saving the Serpent with Kate Harwood
UNFORGETTABLE GARDENS
We celebrated four of Surrey’s Unforgettable Gardens through a series of online talks organised in conjunction with the Gardens Trust.
In 2020, the Gardens Trust announced their plan to celebrate Unforgettable Gardens - what they mean to us, the threats they face and how you can help save them for future generations. Even famous landscapes that appear on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest can face threats. Surrey Gardens Trust, in partnership with the Gardens Trust, are delighted to share some very special and unforgettable gardens from their rich legacy of historic parks and gardens in Surrey. We discussed these truly unforgettable gardens and landscapes:
Week 1: 6 October - Sutton Place presented by Cherrill Sands (SGT Member)
Week 2: 13 October - Munstead Wood presented by Richard Bisgrove
Week 3: 20 October - The Peace Garden at the Muslim Burial Grounds presented by Elizabeth Cuttle (SGT Member)
Week 4: 27 October - Albury Park presented by Jan Clark (SGT Member)
We are also thrilled that much of the research on these sites is being shared by our own members, several of whom have a direct and personal relationship with these gardens. If you would like further information about any of these gardens please contact us at chairsurreygt@gmail.com.
2020 was a challenging year for all of us with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic felt around the world. Surrey Gardens Trust, like most organisations, had to cancel or reschedule the vast majority of their events. We managed to host our Winter lectures, albeit the last one was rescheduled from March to October and delivered online via Zoom. In addition, we did venture out in September to the lovely gardens of Sussex Prairie Gardens and Borde Hill Gardens in West Sussex - both were a well-needed tonic. Details follow below.
Naoko Abe, author of ‘Cherry’ Ingram told us about the irresistible story of the Japanese cherry blossoms, threatened by political ideology and saved by an unknown Englishman. Collingwood Ingram, known as ‘Cherry’ for his defining obsession, was born in 1880 and lived to be 100 years old, witnessing a fraught century of conflict and change. Over decades, Cherry Ingram became one of the world’s leading cherry experts. Naoko Abe also spoke about how these delicate blossoms came to be admired around the world. Naoko Abe is a Japanese journalist and non-fiction author, who has lived in London since 2001.
Harold Peto left his architectural practice and turned to garden design, becoming one of the greatest designers of the Edwardian era. Author and garden historian Dr. Katie Campbell spoke about how Harold Peto’s love of the Italian Renaissance influenced his garden designs in Britain and France. Peto was responsible for at least fifteen gardens in Britain with his greatest creation being the gardens at Ifold Manor, the Georgian-fronted medieval house he purchased in 1899 in the Frome Valley. Here he honed his distinctive style of a formal, classical layout softened by exuberant planting. Katie Campbell lectures widely, writes for numerous publications and leads garden and architectural tours.
Author Vanessa Berridge gave a hugely enjoyable and illustrated talk on the development of the legendary Gloucestershire garden of Kiftsgate. Her book, Kiftsgate Court Gardens: Three Generations of Women Gardeners, was published in 2019 to celebrate the centenary of this garden and the three remarkable women who created it. She spoke about how Kiftsgate is a fine balance between continuity and gentle evolution and is known for its famous ‘Kiftsgate’ rose, Italianate terracing, perennials, rose and rare shrubs - all thriving side-by-side. Vanessa created and launched The English Garden magazine and is now a freelance garden writer and historian.
Sussex Prairie Gardens is Britain’s largest ‘prairie’ or ‘naturalistic’ garden with 8 acres of interlocking arcs of large planted borders consisting of over 30,000 plants of 600 different varieties.
Owner Pauline McBride gave an entertaining introduction about the creation of these gardens in 2007. Pauline and her husband Paul propogated some 36,000 plants and enticed 60 of their friends and family members to help them plant the gardens from scratch. The gardens were inspired by their time working with Piet Oudolf in gardens in Luxembourg. Approximately 30% of the borders are grasses and for them seed heads are as essential an element as the texture, colour and shape of the plants in flower. Most of us were amazed by the fact that they burn all the borders down late winter/early spring as part of their annual renewal process.
The borders are planted in a shape of a spiralling nautilus shell and combine the beauty of perennials and grasses to provide an extraordinary long season of interest. In addition to the borders, there are two naturalistic pools that are a magnet for wildlife. We enjoyed seeing the new cutting garden and small vegetable plot. The entire garden benefits from its rural setting, is surrounded by mature oak trees and has tremendous views of Chanctonbury Ring and the South Downs.
In the afternoon, the head gardener and another member of his team guided our group through the landscape at Borde Hill Gardens, a Grade II* registered. He regaled us with tales of how the garden was created by Col Stephenson R Clarke with the seeds collected by plant hunter and friend, Ernest Wilson (amongst others) and plants purchased from Veitch’s nursery. Clarke sponsored some of these expeditions from 1893 to 1937 and many of the plants collected were grown at Borde Hill. The garden has since been developed by four generations of the Stephenson Clarke family.
Borde Hill is home to 75 Champion trees and enjoys incredible views out to the wider landscape. This 35-acre garden and woodland is set within over 200 acres of traditional parkland and provides a spectacular backdrop to Borde Hill House, an Elizabethan mansion built in 1598. The formal garden is laid out in a series of linked ‘garden rooms’, each with a distinctive style. Over the last 100 years the garden has continued to evolve with seasonal colour and interest complementing the original plantings of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and magnolias. Highlights of our tour included the Rose Garden with over 750 David Austin English roses, the Round Dell consisting of exotic plants, the Italian Garden with its formal lily pool and the Garden of Allah with its champion trees, magnolias and camellias. This year Borde Hill celebrated its 55th year of being open to the public as a registered charity.
It is has been another busy year for the Trust with monthly events ranging from our Winter Lectures featuring Head Gardeners of historic gardens to our ever popular range of garden visits. We also held a study day on George London at Fetcham Park, one of his last landscape garden projects. Below are the highlights for the year.
Head gardener, Joe Whelan, gave an excellent talk on the history of Nymans and the development of its extensive gardens and woodlands by Ludwig Messel. Ludwig Messel acquired Nymans in 1870 and with the help of his head gardener, James Comber, transformed its gardens, totalling some 600 acres of woodlands and 30 acres of garden. His presentation included photos of the Messel family and the gardens from their archives. Joe discussed the national plant collections contained at Nymans and the environmental practices that have been put in place to combat the threats of climate change and increased visitor numbers whilst maintaining relevance.
Daffodils at Nymans near Oliver Messel’s urn
David Standing’s passion for Gilbert White’s garden at Selborne could not have been more evident in this delightful recounting of the unearthing of his original garden. David was able to recreate the gardens at Selborne largely thanks to Gilbert White’s detailed dairy, a 20 year record that included almost daily observation of weather, plants and work undertaken. David, working with Kim Wilkie and the plan that he designed post the 1987 Great Storm, has recreated much of what they understood to be White’s garden.
Russell Dixon talked about his nearly three decades long involvement with the Grade II* registered gardens of Great Fosters Hotel. The current garden is based on the Arts & Craft design by W H Romaine Walker and Gilbert Jenkins in the early 1900s, extensively restored and extended by Kim Wilkie after the Great Storm of 1987. When Russell joined he needed to combat years of neglect with massively overgrown yew hedges, derelict rose garden and parterre, rotting bridges and other structures. New work was also undertaken including the construction of the grass amphitheatre in early 2000 and the hectare lake.
Head Gardener Joe Whelan lead us on a magnificent tour of the gardens at Nymans in early May, allowing us to appreciate the full glory of the azaleas, rhododendrons, Davidia involucrata (handkerchief tree) and other specimen trees that were in bloom. The tour touched upon the evolution of the garden starting from Ludwig Messel and his family acquisition of the estate in the late 19th century.
Nymans is truly a house and garden for all seasons, with formal and informal garden areas surrounding the partial ruins of a historic mansion. Messel, with his extremely knowledgeable Head Gardener James Comber, created an Arts and Crafts-inspired garden where strong use of topiary contrasted with exotic plants from all over the world. Ludwig Messel's descendants, including his son Leonard and daughter-in-law Maud, continued to develop the garden in the early 20th century, turning it into one of the most beautiful and romantic gardens of Edwardian England. Upon Leonard Messel’s death in 1953, Nymans was bequeathed to the National Trust. The gardens, including the pinetum, rock and heath gardens and rose garden, have been slowly restored after significant damage following the Great Storm of 1987. Conservation work is ongoing with a clear focus on ensuring the garden can be managed effectively through climate change and the resulting more diverse weather conditions.
Leonardslee Gardens, established in 1801, covers 200 acres of a steep sandstone valley and is a Grade I registered Garden. The oldest part of the landscape includes a string of seven man-made ponds originally used to provide power for the Wealden iron smelting industry in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Head Gardener Ray Abraham was a font of knowledge and talked extensively about the massive restoration undertaken from July 2017 when Penny Streeter OBE acquired the property until its reopening to the public in January 2019. When the property was purchased essentially everything had become overgrown, the ponds derelict and many of the older trees dangerously damaged due to high winds, neglect and lack of ongoing maintenance. What ensued was an overwhelming task of restoration and cataloguing what had survived of the extensive collection of specimen trees and shrubs. In early May, we were overwhelmed by the bright, gaudy colours of the azaleas, rhododendrons, young Acer leaves and abundance of bluebells growing on all the slopes. The tour was highly informative and gave us a great appreciation for the world-class collection of plants that the gardening team is trying to preserve.
The trails along the string of ponds and the area of specimen Acers were certainly among the highlights. Definitely worth a return visit, taking time to saviour the sites along the way.
Many of you will have attended our AGM in December 2018 and heard first hand about Rosamund’s incredible discovery of an overgrown Gertrude Jekyll garden at her Hampshire home and her tireless pursuit restoring it to its former beauty. In 1984 Rosamund and her husband, John, decided to move from Chelsea to the countryside and they bought this neglected, derelict house and garden. After a chance meeting with Gilly Drummond of the Hampshire Gardens Trust, Rosamund discovered she owned what had once been a celebrated Jekyll garden, designed by Jekyll in 1908 for Charles Holme, a leading figure in the Arts & Craft movement. Rosamund was able to obtain copies of the original designs as they formed part of the Reef Point Collection held by University of California Berkeley and her journey of restoration began.
Since 1984 she has led the restoration of this five-acre garden. The garden at Upton Grey is believed to be the most complete and authentic Jekyll garden in existence and, understandably, hasover 3,000 visitors each year. She has written two books about the restoration project: Gertrude Jekyll’s Lost Garden The Restoration of an Edwardian Masterpiece (2000)and Gertrude Jekyll, Her Art Restored at Upton Grey (2013).
Brief introduction by owner, Ros Wallinger and then free to explore garden at leisure.
West Green House Gardens has been creatively designed over two decades by Marylyn Abbott, a renowned Australian garden designer. The gardens surround an old manor house and combine a neo-classical style with a contemporary design that offers four seasons of beauty, contrast and stunning planting.
The Nymphaeum Fountain designed by architect Quinlan Terry, combined with a grand water staircase provides a focal point in the more formal garden. The Walled Garden, restored to its original design, has an alley of apples trees dividing the potager into areas for fruit, cut flowers, vegetables and perennials. Beyond the Walled Garden one can enjoy the Lakefield carpeted with fritillaries and daffodils in the spring, a Lake, Paradise Water Garden and contemporary Garden of the Five Bridges. These lead onto woodlands where the terraced Theatre Lawn sits, surrounded by tall hedges. In addition to creating a beautiful garden, Marylyn Abbott has built a thriving home for international opera – her other great passion.
Introductory talk by Head Gardener and then free to explore garden at leisure.
Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson purchased Long Barn, a 14th century Kentish barn on the edge of the Sevenoaks Weald, in 1915, shortly after their marriage. The creation of the gardens at Long Barn allowed them to hone their horticultural skills before moving onto Sissinghurst Castle 15 year later. After extensions to the barn, they focused on the grounds - terracing the sloping site and adding paths, stonewalls, hedges, trees and topiary to create ‘garden rooms’. The current owners, Lars and Rebecca Lemonius, have continued renovations to this garden and have carefully nurtured and reinstated the structure originally designed by Sackville-West. Long Barn is a Grade II registered garden.
Rebecca gave an incredibly interesting potted history before we set off to explore the beautiful gardens at Long Barn. As you walk around the vast garden, divided into garden ‘rooms’ thanks to extensive hedging and terracing, one is struck by the magnificent views to the south and the key role that the avenue of Yew sentinels plays in rooting the garden to its surroundings. The terracing and formal hedging hold the entire garden together. From the main terrace steps lead to a mature box parterre and a long sloping rose walk with further levels leading to the Pleasaunce Lawn and the Dutch garden (believed to be laid out to a design by Lutyens). There was truly so much to take in that one could have stayed for days and still found more to relish in the garden. For more information about Long Barn do read Rebecca’s article in our September 2019 newsletter.
Great Comp Gardens consist of seven acres of beautiful and unusual plants surrounding a 17th century manor house. The site of Great Comp, originally knows as Camp de Wrotha (meaning campus or field of Wrotham) dates from the 13th century. The original 700-acre estate was owned by the Lambarde family and the large country manor house was built in 1597 by Sir John Howell. One notable owner of the estate was Mrs Frances J Heron Maxwell, a suffragette and campaigner for women’s sports. She was a friend of Vita Sackville-West who lived nearby. The garden, as we know it today, owes its design, planting and quirky personality to Roderick and Joy Cameron, who purchased the estate in 1957. They built a collection of rare and exotic plants, opening the garden to the public in 1968. Great Comp celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018.
Our tour of these remarkable gardens focused on the more notable features such as the Italian garden, romantic follies / ruins and the beautiful woodlands walks that feature some absolutely stunning specimen trees and shrubs. The timing of our visit also meant that the extensive salvia collection, punctuated by ornamental grasses, was looking particularly spectacular. Most of us went home with a few spare plants from the wonderful selection of salvias and other perennials on offer at the on-site nursery.
Malverleys is a newly created traditional English flower garden set within a private country estate. Begun in 2010, the 10-acre gardens have been designed by head gardener Mat Reese in conjunction with the owners. Mat, who trained at Kew and Wisley, worked with Fergus Garrett and Christopher Lloyd at Great Dixter for six years. Consequently, Great Dixter and the writings of iconic gardeners Christopher Lloyd, William Robinson and Vita Sackville-West have influenced his design at Malverleys.
The garden was breathtakingly beautiful (even seen through vast quantity of raindrops) and looks as if it has always been there with statuesque specimen trees, formal hedges and abundant planting as well as the use of high quality materials. The garden consists of abundantly planted terraces and long borders with lots of self-sowers; a stumpery with ferns and unusual shade plants; an exotic garden of tropical plants; and a topiary meadow. Tall yew hedges divided themed rooms, including: a cool garden; a hot garden; a rose-clad cloister garden; and a large pond garden that reflects the dynamic planting on all sides. The walled kitchen garden was most impressive with its extensive collection of fruit, vegetables and cut flowers borders, alongside a white garden with four small fountains and extensive greenhouses.
Owner Mel Gatward couldn’t have been more welcoming to a very bedraggled group of SGT members. The rain abated for most of our visit, allowing us to enjoy her beautiful garden positioned alongside the banks of River Enborne. 2019 marked the 20th anniversary of Sandleford Place being open through the NGS. Sandleford is a plantswoman’s garden, having been developed by Mel over the past 30 years and consists of 4 acres of exuberant planting ranging from shrubs to mixed borders.
The garden contains an old walled garden with wide borders and many climbers for year-round interest. We enjoyed the woodland walk, walled garden with its long herbaceous borders and kitchen garden as well as the wild flowers that adorn the meadows and banks of River Enborne, which flows through the garden. The Cornus Kousa near the front door was awash with blossom and was certainly the highlight of many fine trees that envelop the more formal parts of the garden. Tea and cake in the conservatory, accompanied by Mr Gatward on the piano, were very much appreciated after a long, rainy day out admiring gardens.
Within Inner Temple lies a hidden gem of a three-acre garden – a tranquil oasis in the busy city of London. Famed for its spectacular mixed herbaceous borders and textured shade planting, it sweeps towards the river with spacious lawns and a collection of specimen trees. The gardens have a rich history having started off as an orchard in medieval times, and by the 14th century there are several mentions of its roses. In 1591 a more formal design was imposed, with a top terrace and walks. Over the ensuing centuries the garden underwent extensive modifications but today echoes of its past can still be seen in its layout and in a number of garden features, such as the highly decorative wrought iron gates from c. 1730 and a Queen Anne sundial.
Guided tour with Head Gardener, Sean Harkin. The tour will last approximately 1 hour, after which we can enjoy the gardens at leisure.
Guided by Fran Wedderburn, our behind the scenes tour of the Millennium Seed Bank was a great success. After a brief introduction where we learnt of the work and research undertaken; Fran fielded all our questions as we toured the state-of-the-art facility. MSB is a world leader in plant conservation aiming to bank 25% of the wild species by 2020.
In the high tech labs we saw where the collected seed is stored on arrival; dried and cooled to maximise germination rates. The seeds are then cleaned by hand before being further dried, labelled and stored at -18C in secure seed vaults. Periodically and dependant on the seed variety; a sample of the seeds are tested for germination to ensure that the stored seed is still viable.
The work of the MSB also includes ‘saving’ extinct plant species. Cylindrophyllum hallii (a type of cactus) from South Africa is now extinct in the wild but seed collected has been successfully germinated at MSB and healthy plants grown. Seed is now being collected from these plants and sent to botanical centres around the world to ensure the species is present in as many different geographical locations as possible.
The Wakehurst gardens were also a pleasure to visit with collectionsof birches, acers, Wollemi pines and gigantic redwoods and pretty Cyclamen hederifolium carpeting the ground under the trees.
George London (c. 1650-1714) was one of the most influential nurserymen and garden designers during the late 17th and 18th century. Speakers were garden historian Dr Sally Jeffery, local historian Vivien White and Neil Cook, Head Gardener at Hanbury Hall. The study day focused on George London’s mastery of garden design, his originality and versatility spanning over three decades, including his work at Fetcham Park, believed to be his last completed garden, and Hanbury Hall in Worcestershire. If you would like to learn more please read an article written by Vivien White on ‘George London’s Garden at Fetcham Park’ in our September 2019 (No. 56) SGT Newsletter.
The Trust had an incredibly full calendar of events in 2018 including events commemorating the bicentenary of Humphry Repton’s death, fundraisers for the Gertrude Jekyll digitisation project, our Winter lecture series and numerous visits to historic gardens in Surrey and the surrounding counties. Highlights of the events can be found below:
Since ancient times the Persian Garden has been associated with paradise. Katie Campbell’s beautifully illustrated lecture identified the common features of the original Persian gardens. Enclosed against the elements, watered by underground canals, planted with exotic flora from the far reaches of the continent, these spaces inspired awe and envy and also provided quiet areas of contemplation. She noted that their emphasis on colour, scent, light, shade, birdsong and space remained key features of garden designs from Persian times into Renaissance Europe and even contemporary garden designs elsewhere.
Based on her book, The Secret Life of the Georgian Garden, Kate Felus’ lecture revealed the previously untold story of how landscapes were used in the 18th century. The smooth turf of the parkland provided for thrilling carriage driving in the Georgian equivalent of the Ferrari, the lake gave opportunities for fishing and boating (including mock sea battles with real canon) and eye-catchers provided places for eating and drinking, afternoon naps and illicit liaisons.
Karen Bridgman gave an interesting presentation on her involvement in creating the American Roots exhibition at Painshill Park and discussed how plants from North America influenced British gardens in the 18th century. In 2004, Karen embarked upon recreating a Hartwell flowerbed using original sketches and plans as well as through extensive research of nursery guides available in the 1800s. Her talk focused on the selection of perennials, annuals and bulbs that were used in the project.
In 1800 George Holme Sumner hired Humphry Repton to advise on improvements to the estate inherited from his father in 1791. Repton wanted to transform 'a large red house by the side of a high road, to a Gentleman-like residence in the midst of a Park'. In this private guided tour, we discovered Repton's vision of Hatchlands Park and the NT’s plans to conserve the park for the future. We had the opportunity to view a facsimile of the original Repton Red Book and admire the ancient trees that date from the Repton era. SGT teamed up with NT to publish a Repton Trail for Hatchlands, create display boards for visitors commenting on various Repton views and print facsimile copies of the original Red Book, all with the goal of informing visitors to Hatchlands of the extraordinary vision that Humphry Repton had for this historic landscape.
Members and guests were able to immerse themselves in the life and work of Humphry Repton and enjoy a rare visit to privately owned Betchworth House and its Repton designed landscape. We enjoyed informative presentations from Cherrill Sands about Repton’s life and work, Martin Higgins about Betchworth and the surrounding properties during the time of Repton and Sarah Dickinson and Sheri Sticpewich on Repton's extensive proposals for Betchworth House and gardens. We had a private tour of Betchworth House and grounds and were able to view the original Repton Red Book for Betchworth House as well as peruse a wonderful selection of historic documents, photographs and artwork relating to Betchworth. With their permission, we were able to publish copies of the original Repton Red Book and these were available for sale on the day.
Our final event paying tribute to Humphry Repton and his considerable skills was a visit to the Garden Museum to explore the exhibition celebrating his rare and beautiful Red Books. Repton’s Red Books, so named due to the distinctive red leather bindings he favoured, outlined his proposals for garden improvements for his clients. The exhibition brought together 24 Red Books and numerous watercolour paintings, many of which had never been publicly displayed before.
Huge thanks to the owners of Reel Hall for allowing us access to this tranquil and elegant Arts & Crafts garden nestled in the lush, wooded landscape of the Surrey Hills. The owner talked about the history of the house, the main part of which dates to the 16th century. The house was a farm for centuries with the garden designed in the early 1930s by the Rooper family. We explored the four acres of garden which benefits from a stream flowing through the very heart of the garden. The herbaceous borders and the enclosed garden dominated by large topiary yew shapes were certainly the highlight. The gentle climb along a rising path provided glorious views across the valley and down over the stream giving a real sense of the layout of the garden.
In contrast with Reel Hall, much of the gardens at Shamley Wood Estate had been recently redesigned, capitalising on the beautiful setting with views across Newlands Corner and the South Downs and the presence of numerous mature trees. We entered through a meadow garden edged with neat squares of wildflowers between trees to a warm welcome from Claire in her fire-pit garden. This whole area is partly enclosed by gnarled olive trees and, within view, there is a dry garden filled with swaying grasses and sculptural evergreens, transporting the visitor to the Mediterranean. A rockery and stream tumbles down the garden surrounded by soft billowing planting, leading to a grassed terrace with roses and lavenders and the wilder woodland beyond.
The beautiful summer weather continued for our visit to Busbridge Lakes where the group was shown around the garden and surrounding lakes by Mrs Fleur Douetil, owner of Busbridge Lakes or the head gardener. Busbridge Lakes is a Grade II* registered Park noted for its mid-18th century follies including the shell grotto dating from 1810, a Doric temple, a hermit’s cave and a ‘ghost walk’. The lakes with resplendent water fowl were stunning and we all appreciated the cool climate created by the surrounding border of such well established, mature specimen trees that provided a welcome respite from the heat and allowed us to admire the various rustic bridges and stone structures joining the lakes.
Elizabeth Cuttle, a trustee of the Horsell Common Preservation Society, talked about the history of the Muslim Burial Ground and provided the context to the newly created Muslim Peace Garden, which was opened to the public in 2015. The newly restored brick walled garden surrounded by high dark self-seeded coniferous woodland gave a wonderful sense of enclosure to the space. Once inside you are reminded of the eastern style paradise garden with water features, rill, trees, Indian sandstone paths and a monolithic monument to the former soldiers that are buried here. The Muslim Burial Ground was originally opened in 1917 and there were 19 WWI burials plus 8 from WWII. The site was severely vandalised in the 1960s and the bodies were exhumed and reburied in war graves in Brookwood Cemetery. In 2010, Woking Borough Council decided to restore the site and secured help from the Horsell Common Preservation Society, the Muslim Community and Historic England.
Margaret Hobbs of the Brookwood Cemetery Society welcomed us on a warm sunny afternoon to the largest cemetery in the UK, founded in 1854. Brookwood Cemetery is a Grade I listed site on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens located a few miles from Woking. The tour started at the lake in the Glades of Remembrance where much clearance and restoration planting has been undertaken. This area, opened in 1950, is retained for cremated remains. The specimen trees are plentiful and varied with giant sequoia which were planted alongside the railway which brought the dead from London to be buried there.
Alex Bagnall, Hope Springs Eternal Project Manager, Mole Valley District Council, welcomed us for our tour at Deepdene Trail. During our guided tour of the landscape, Alex pointed out key areas of restoration including the reinstatement of the parterre and its Coady the Lion sculpture, the Grotto, the Embattled Tower and discussed the occupation of the property by Southern Trains and its use as a communications hub during the war. The highlight was certainly the Hope Mausoleum with its splendid iron doors, almost hidden exposure enclosed as it is within the hillside and beautifully simple, classic interior.
Our Events programme for 2017 consisted of a wide variety of educational and enjoyable activities. Events ranged from viewing the RHS Lindley Library’s impressive collection of horticultural books and objects to exploring the beautiful vistas of Albury Park during our John Evelyn Study Day. Highlights of the events can be found below:
Colin Jones, a gardener, photographer and traveller, led us on a brief and pleasurable walk through the ‘secret gardens of London’ during his lecture. Colin described London as the greenest city in the world with 6oo public parks and gardens covering 67 square miles and the world’s greatest botanic collection at Kew. His lecture covered the history of many of these gardens including The Museum of Garden History and the secret gardens within the precincts of Westminster Abbey. Colin Jones is chairman of Sanderstead Horticultural Society, a member of the Surrey Guild of Judges and lectures in horticulture and is a listed lecturer for the RHS.
Val Bott discussed her research into the heyday of nursery gardening in the parishes of Chiswick, Brentford and Isleworth along the River Thames. These garden grounds were well located for river and road transport. This community of gardeners shared their expertise and was linked by ties of business and marriage. Many of these early nurseries were passed down through the generations and developed their own expertise in particular plants. Val Bott shares her research on the subject through www.nurserygardeners.com. She has been an independent museum consultant since 2000 and has over 25 years’ experience of managing museums and archives. She supports many heritage-related charities and in June 2014 was awarded an MBE for this work.
Beryl, a longstanding SGT member and accomplished researcher, was shown a beautiful, magnificent three-volume work of British Botanical and Horticultural Literature before 1800 by Blanche Elizabeth Edith Henrey (1906-1983) on one of her trips to the RHS Lindley Library. Intrigued by their quality, Beryl researched their origins. These volumes were a 30-year labour of love by Henrey and were first published in 1975. She was a talented photographer and, in addition to providing the photographs for Flower Portraits and Trees and Shrubs throughout the Year, she produced calendars for Country Life with a worldwide circulation. She also wrote No ordinary Gardener: Thomas Knowlton 1691-1781 which was published after her death. Henrey gained the Freedom of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners for her 'the superb quality of her work'.
In April 2017 we hosted 80 people at a study day celebrating John Evelyn’s contribution to horticulture and the landscape, including tours of Albury Park and Wotton House. John Evelyn (1620-1706) is remembered as a diarist and author but his influence on gardens and horticulture spans the centuries. Beryl Saich gave an illustrated and informative talk on Evelyn’s life, his influences and contributions. This was followed by a private tour of the magnificent terraces and landscape at Albury Park designed by John Evelyn for Henry Howard, who later became the Duke of Norfolk. Albury is a rare survivor and outstanding example of a mid-17th century landscape. After lunch, we focused on the history of Wotton House and its proposed conservation and development. Wotton House was John Evelyn’s ‘most cherished place on earth’. He loved its sense of rural seclusion, the long chalk spine of the downs, the eminence of Leith Hill. Although Wotton House is now a country house hotel, the gardens are still recognisable as those from John Evelyn’s original designs.
Not daunted by an overnight deluge and howling gales, we visited the beautiful gardens of Barnett Hill, built for Frank Cook in 1905 and now a country house hotel. For more than two decades, Estates Manager, Della Connelly, has expertly cared for the 26 acres of parkland, woodland and formal grounds.
A show-stopping herbaceous border runs parallel to the back of the hotel, featuring silver-leaved plants and dramatic architectural specimens including cardoons and giant thistles. The romantic pond garden enchanted us with its bold plantings of a single variety of pink scented rose Comte de Chambord in full flower, forming a backdrop to so-called ‘50p’ island borders with their annual bedding.
““A strong first impression is created by the magnificent driveway through atmospheric parkland leading up to the hotel. You get a sense of the spirit of the garden as it will have been originally conceived, with formal gardens and extensive lawns divided by neatly clipped yews near the house, and winding paths at the outer edges enticing you downhill into informal woodland full of camellias and foxgloves.””
This delightful one-acre garden has been open through the National Garden Scheme for over 20 years and lovingly expanded and maintained by its owners. The tranquil setting, surrounded by fields and nestled close to wooded hills, belies the excitement of what is to be seen within the garden’s boundaries. The house dates back to the 1700s, but the garden has been artfully divided into individual ‘rooms’ each packed with innovative planting. Original features, such as two old wells and ancient espaliered apple trees in the kitchen garden are preserved with new ideas, many inspired by other well-known gardens, woven throughout. The new Millennium garden is peaceful with a central formal pond. By the kitchen garden, cleverly concealing the greenhouse, were two stunning blue borders filled with a combination of delphiniums, campanulas and aconitum.
After weeks of hot temperatures, visitors relished the cooler weather while exploring the beautifully maintained gardens and house at Loseley Park through guided tours. The More-Molyneux family has owned Loseley Park since the beginning of the 16th century and our guide pointed out the fine portraits, furniture, textiles and other works of art including the magnificent panelling from Henry VIII’s Nonsuch Palace. The walled garden of 2.5 acres has been divided into a number of rooms including the Rose Garden with over 1,000 rose bushes, a Flower Garden with mainly hot-coloured planting and the White Garden with its beautiful spires of foxgloves, bountiful hydrangeas and silver-foliaged plants. The Herb and Organic Vegetable Garden were delightfully arranged with interesting varieties and companion plants. Our garden guide talked about the extensive and necessary renovations to the moat and the continuing improvements to the meadowlands. From the Tithe Barn and the front of the house one was also able to appreciate the magnificent landscape of the lakes and the Surrey countryside.
The Lindley Library holds collections on art, garden design and garden history. We saw a range of precious books including a Humphry Repton Red Book. We viewed old garden catalogues and were amazed at the range of flowers and vegetables available to gardeners in Victorian and Edwardian times. We saw a collection of sepia photographs of pre-war gardeners and nurserymen and postcards depicting the parks, public gardens and seaside esplanades in the 1950s and 1960s, most of which no longer exist. Finally we visited the botanical art department and saw a Florilegium from the 1700s with large paintings (similar in size to A3) of the lily family – everything from Narcissi to Hippeastrum and some of the latest botanical art added to the collection – a full size painting of Giant Hogweed – to include its roots, seeds and leaves in incredible detail.
Members were treated to a lovely two hour walk around the gardens exploring all the interesting and quirky features of the 90 acres of gardens and 240 acres of parkland, which have been restored and developed under the current stewardship of Jim Buckland, Sarah Wain and their gardening team.
““The highlight of a most enjoyable visit to West Dean was the Walled Garden with its magnificent flower borders, great variety of fruit and vegetables and a quite astonishing array of Victorian glasshouses, including some sunken ones of a kind not seen before.””
““A garden with something for everyone; glasshouses, kitchen gardens, Victorian pleasure gardens, ancient cedars and rolling parkland that leads to the distant arboretum.””
Members and their guests were delighted to have the opportunity to visit the recently refurbished Garden Museum. Our guide discussed John Tradescent and his eclectic collection of objects, how they came to be at the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford, the establishment of the Garden Museum and its future aspirations for recording current day garden designers and their achievements. We also admired the selection of watercolours on display in honour of ‘The Tradescent’s Orchard’, a 17th century volume of 66 watercolours of various fruit varieties. This volume is one of the Bodleian Library’s most treasured possessions and had never been on loan outside Oxford before – a rare treat!
The inscription on a stone staircase in the garden that reads, “If you help towards Englefield garden either in flowers or invention you shall be welcome thither”, written in a letter of 1601, demonstrates that the garden was being planned 400 years ago. The house has remained in the Paulet family since 1635, is listed at Grade II* and the superb gardens are Grade II on the Historic Parks & Gardens Register. Head Gardener, Sue Broughton, led us on an informative tour around the immediate 9 acre garden surrounding the house. Highlights were the stone terracing with a rose swag and carefully selected planting in the front beds, the yellow and blue garden with a long stone bench seat, the white garden and some wonderful specimen trees, which included a Giant Sequoia. The views out to the countryside from the elevated gardens cut into the hillside were nothing if not spectacular.
