London’s extraordinary sculpted creatures – great and small, historic and modern – are hiding in plain sight; easy to miss when the city is full of the bustle of human activity.Read more
Posts filed in: Parks and Gardens
William Wordsworth and the History of the Daffodil
On the 250th anniversary of William Wordworth’s birth, we contemplate daffodils and their place in our culture.Read more
7 Places to Celebrate the National Trust’s 125th Birthday
The National Trust was founded on 12 January 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley.Read more
Protected Parks and Gardens to Visit this Autumn
As the nights grow shorter and the leaves get crispier, here are some of the best parks and gardens to visit this Autumn. Read more
A Brief Introduction to the Remarkable Gertrude Jekyll
Jekyll’s planting schemes and their harmonious colour palettes, and use of traditional crafts, remain the quintessential essence of English-style.Read more
A Brief Introduction to Bandstands
In Victorian Britain public parks were developed to promote health and wellbeing, and bandstands became focal points for communal entertainment.Read more
The life and landscapes of Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton, the last great landscape designer of the Georgian era, advised on some 400 schemes across a 27 year career. Repton filled the void left after the death of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown in 1783, and linked the 18th century landscape tradition with the gardenesque movement of the early Victorian era. Early Life Much of Repton’s life and career played out in the East of England. He was born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk on 21 April 1752 and attendedRead more
How to lay out a garden: the legacy of Edward Kemp (1817 -1891)
Edward Kemp was one of the most prolific and influential landscape designers of the Victorian era. Read more
Early Colour Images of the English Garden
This month, we’re talking about the amazing English homes and gardens that represent or have witnessed some of the most important historic events.Read more
Allotmentitis: How Britain Dug for Victory
Allotmentswere born out of a national drive for self-sufficiency. Here we take a look at the history of allotments and their significance to our historic landscape.Read more