Keith Arnatt’s Gardeners

Leave a reply

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Posed in a front garden, this gardener stands as stiffly upright as the standard rose tree behind her.  Dressed in a dark skirt and crisply laundered white shirt, her garden seems to reflect a similar preference for order and neatness, with its straight edged lawn and borders of roses and chrysanthemum, underplanted with regularly spaced clumps of the popular bedding plant, alyssum.   This gardener’s love of flowers is further indicated by hanging containers adorning the pebble dashed wall of the house and a ceramic bowl of flowers placed in the centre of the living room window.

Gardeners (1978-79) is a series of forty black and white photographs by the conceptual artist Keith Arnatt (1930 – 2008), taken close to where he lived in Tintern, Monmouthshire.   Arnatt’s odyssey in search of the vernacular garden records ordinary people in their gardens, ranging from rural plots and allotments to post war housing developments.  As part of this process Arnatt also examines the connection between gardens and their owners, their relationship to the wider landscape, and what the domestic garden represents in our culture.

Trained at the Oxford School of Art and the Royal Academy, Arnatt’s performance based work was exhibited internationally in the 1960s.  Characterised by wit and humour, his work included Self Burial (1969), where a sequence of photographs shows the artist gradually disappearing into the ground and Trouser – Word Piece (1972) where the artist is photographed with a sign hung from his neck, bearing the words ‘I’m a real artist’.

Arnatt began teaching at Newport College of Art in 1969, and from the mid-1970s he completed several photographic projects documenting people engaged in everyday activities.  These included tourists visiting places of interest The Visitors (1974-76), taking their dogs for a walk, Walking the Dog (1976-79), and gardening Gardeners (1978-79).

Suburban gardens exist within a framework of uniformity, where rows of identical houses might typically have a square of ground at the front, and a rectangular plot at the back.  Some of the gardens recorded by Arnatt sit comfortably within this convention, with their clipped hedges dividing each plot from those of the neighbours, furnished with lawns, flower beds and ornaments.  Pictured with their owners, these well -tended gardens seem to echo the cottage gardens so admired by Gertrude Jekyll and Vita Sackville West.

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Arnatt also examines those who depart from these conventions, like the man pictured with a pond made out of an old bath tub, its rim decorated with plastic storks and pot plants.  Ornaments of animals and birds seem to interest Arnatt, perhaps a reminder that domestic gardens have replaced the natural landscape and displaced nature.  He also seems to enjoy their incongruity.  In one photograph, a woman poses in her garden holding a tiny dog, standing close to an outsize model of a frog placed on a tree stump and plastic ducks placed underneath the canopy of a diminutive tree.

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Semi-rural gardens allow Arnatt to explore their relationship with the wider landscape.  The boundaries between the rather wild looking garden of an older man and the woodland beyond are completely blurred, with no visible barrier between his roses and chrysanthemums, and the distant trees.  However, at the very top of the frame, Arnatt has included washing hanging up to dry, a reminder we are viewing a cultivated space.

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

A tiny garden, dominated by a homemade rockery, is bordered by a wire fence to keep out sheep and rabbits from the adjoining field.  Here, the fence represents a battle line, and gardener’s foot, planted firmly on the rockery, seems to indicate both pride in his collection of alpine plants, and a sense of victory over the forces that would attack his garden.

By way of contrast, a large garden, its lawn stretching out towards a field, seems adrift in the landscape.  The hard edge of the patio and woman’s slightly awkward posture seems to amplify the sense of dislocation.

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Some of Arnatt’s photographs reveal gardens with a more harmonious relationship with nature. By filling the frame with flowers, the man posed next to an expanse of daffodils is transported into a world that is almost bucolic.

A woman posed next to an open garden gate has repeated the planting of roses and other flowers on both sides of the stone wall, creating a pleasing sense of unity and flow between the cultivated space and the landscape beyond.

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Perhaps it’s on the allotment where Arnatt’s gardeners seem most relaxed, preparing for the growing season, digging over the soil, or tending a bonfire.  These gardeners are wearing clothes appropriate for gardening, but others in the series appear to have dressed up smartly for the occasion.

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

Gardeners 1978-9 Keith Arnatt 1930-2008 Tate Gallery © Keith Arnatt Estate

The success of Gardeners hinges on the people selected by Arnatt.  Carefully placed in their gardens by the photographer, they anchor each composition and their presence creates a sense of substance and cohesion across the series.  By their very nature, gardens are impermanent places, so forty five years after Gardeners was produced, these photographs also provide an important cultural record of ordinary gardens, and the people who made them, that could so easily have been lost and forgotten.

Further reading:

Keith Arnatt estate here

Keith Arnatt’s work at the Tate Gallery here

Rousham in Late November

Leave a reply

Rousham House from the park, with a member of its herd of longhorn cattle

On a chilly November afternoon almost exactly two years ago, I was fortunate enough to visit Rousham for the first time.  Suitably wrapped up against the cold and damp, myself and three gardening friends explored these iconic gardens for a happy couple of hours, until the fading light brought our journey to a close.

Arriving at Rousham, there’s no trace of commercialisation, such as a café or gift shop, and tickets are purchased from a rather lonely looking machine in an adjacent outbuilding.  Visitors then make their own way around the gardens, guided by a simple yellow leaflet.  This low key approach feels disconcerting at first, but once acclimatised, contributes to the astonishing sense of calm that attends this special place.

Rousham House was constructed in the 1630s by Sir Robert Dormer, whose descendants continue to live here, managing the gardens and surrounding estate.  The gardens at Rousham were laid out by Charles Bridgeman (1690 – 1738) in the newly fashionable English ‘naturalistic’ style.  Beginning in 1719, this first phase of the landscaping was completed in 1737, after which the celebrated architect and designer William Kent (1685 – 1748) developed the house and gardens further, adding Classical features such as cascades, bridges and statuary for which Rousham is now famous.

The new ‘naturalistic’ garden landscapes of the 18th century England departed radically from previous garden styles by abandoning the symmetry and straight lines of the formal parterre garden in favour of curves that echoed the organic forms of nature.  However, these gardens are not naturalistic in a modern sense, retaining many elements of formality and control.

With fallen leaves carpeting the broad pathways in shades of bronze and gold, the colours of late autumn seemed to glow with an almost luminous intensity in the soft light.  The river Cherwell  meanders through the gardens, and views of this ancient waterway are framed by the elegant stone arches of Kent’s Praeneste, or arcaded garden loggia.  A set of 18th century wooden benches also designed by Kent, painted in a heavenly shade of grey, invite visitors to pause and enjoy the landscape vistas.

Silvery and shimmering, a rill winds its way through the trees, punctuated at one point along its course by a deep stone clad pool of clear water, the Cold Bath.  From the bowling green next to the house we passed through an archway cut through an enormous yew hedge to the gateway of the walled garden.  Planted with fruit trees and wide, generous herbaceous borders, the very last of the roses were still flowering.  Beyond is the 17th century dovecote and the parterre garden.

The gardens are meticulously maintained.  Fallen leaves on the lawns and pathways at Rousham are allowed to remain while they retain their colour, and massed evergreen shrub plantings are pruned carefully to the same height, creating large organic forms that complement the overall landscape design.  Precise judgements like these are fundamental to preserving the particular atmosphere of these gardens.

According to Historic England, the gardens at Rousham are ‘the most complete surviving example of Kent’s landscape work.’  Largely untouched since they were completed in the 18th century these gardens are both a rarity and a delight.

Late autumn colour and the octagonal pond

Decorative urn outside William Kent’s arcade

William Kent’s Praeneste and benches

The famous rill winds its way through the trees

The source of the rill

Gateway to the walled garden

Fruit trees and herbaceous borders in the walled garden

One of the last of the roses in the walled garden

Topiarised yew archway leading to the church

Dovecote and parterre garden

Wall of the dovecote

Beautiful ironwork of the walled garden gate against the fading November light

Further reading:

Rousham House and Gardens here

Historic England’s entry for Rousham here

The V&A’s biography of William Kent here

We stayed at Potato Town, on the Great Tew estate in north Oxfordshire, a perfect base for exploring the gardens of the Cotswolds here

Horticultural Trade Cards from the British Museum

Leave a reply

Trade card for James Gordon, seedsman c. 1770. Gordon was based at the Sign of the Thistle & Crown, near Philpot Lane, No.25, Fenchurch Street, London  All images from the Sir Ambrose Heal collection at the British Museum  © The Trustees of the British Museum

The contribution of individuals like James Maxfield, Samuel Smith and Arabella Morris to the horticultural landscape of 18th century England might have been entirely forgotten, but for the survival of their trade cards.  Preserved over the years by collectors, these beautifully designed cards indicate each owner’s business at a particular moment in its history – their location, the services they provided, the goods they sold, and how they were positioned in the horticultural market of the day.

The British Museum houses a collection of over 9,000 trade cards amassed by Sir Ambrose Heal  (1872-1959), chairman of Heal’s furniture shop on Tottenham Court Road, London.  As well as being a successful businessman, Heal was an authority on London trades and shops, and his collection of trade cards, bills of sale, and other related ephemera was bequeathed to the British Museum in the 1960s.

This selection of highly decorative cards and bills of sale from businesses in and around the capital reveals a wide range of horticultural traders, from those providing landscaping services to those selling seeds and flower bulbs to ordinary Londoners.  They include some of my favourites, including the traders mentioned above.

My thanks to the British Museum for making these trade cards available to everyone via their digital collections – links to the Sir Ambrose Heal collection below:

Trade card of Robert Robinson, land surveyor, landscape gardener, designer and architect c. 1760

Robert Robinson’s trade card outlines his skills, both in surveying estates, and laying them out in ‘a Picturesque Manner’.  With its cartouche design and classical imagery, Robinson’s card is aimed to attract wealthy landowners, keen to develop their gardens in the fashionable landscape style.  The British Museum records that Robert Robinson (1734 – 1794) was born in Durham and ‘employed in his youth by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown to execute many of his designs.’  Robinson ‘came perilously close to bankruptcy in 1780 and was forced to realise all his assets to meet the demands of his creditors. Although a relatively young man, he never seems to have worked again.’ 

Trade card of Thomas Greening, gardener in Esher, Surrey; view of the garden of a house seen in the distance at left, a greenhouse to right, a lake and the end of a bridge to left, a lettered block of ruined stone at centre, overgrown with picturesque foliage, a flowerpot growing a pineapple in front. c.1777

Based in Esher, Surrey, Thomas Greening’s trade card advertises his skills in designing ‘parks, paddocks, pleasure grounds and gardens, laid out in the newest and most elegant taste.’  Behind the central cartouche, a greenhouse has been constructed against a wall and a pathway leads invitingly to an orangery, or perhaps a summerhouse?  Amongst the choice plants is a pineapple, one of the most fashionable plants in the 18th century.

Trade card for Weeks, an expert in horticultural buildings from greenhouses to pavillions and temples c. 1790

Based close to St Pancras Church, Mr Weeks advertises his expertise in the construction of garden buildings and trellis work.

James Maxfield Gardener c. 1800

There’s something rather enigmatic about James Maxfield’s trade card.  Describing himself simply as a gardener, Maxfield does not elaborate on the nature of the services he provided, but the image of the smartly dressed archers at the top of his card might suggest he was positioning himself towards the type of clients with the means to enjoy this pastime?  His address is recorded very precisely as No.18, Lambs Conduit Passage, Red Lion Square, London.

Trade card of James Scott, horticulturist. 1754

As well as supplying seeds and flower roots from this garden in Turnham Green, James Scott, appears to have been a specialist in the cultivation of the ‘plants and fruit of ananas or Pine Apple’.  Scott also offers a service in the construction of ‘stoves, walls and frames’ to house these fashionable tender plants.

Henry John and Co Seed and Root Warehouse, Islington c. 1790

John Turner & Co, Seedsmen and Florists c. 1810

Sam Smith, Nurseryman & Florist at Dalston, near Hackney c. 1775

Nurseryman and florist Samuel Smith sold plants and bulbs both at his nursery in Dalston, Hackney and at his shop in Covent Garden.  According to Sir Ambrose Heal’s research, Smith went into partnership with Warren Luker, another nurseryman, in 1760.  A card (from the Lady Dorothea Banks Collection) also advertises Smith & Co’s shop in Covent Garden.

Trade card of Smith & Company, horticulturalists, c.1780 from the Lady Dorothea Banks Collection

Bill-head of George Mitchell, horticulturist 1790

Grimwood and Hudson, Nursery-men, Seeds-men & Net-makers 1783

Wilson and Sanders, Seedsmen c. 1760

Arabella Morris, selleth all sorts of Garden Seeds, Flower Seeds and Flower Roots; 1748

I was delighted to find this trade card for Arabella Morris, a female horticulturalist trading in Covent Garden in the mid 18th century.  Her card describes the goods she sold in great detail which included garden tools as well as seeds, bulbs, and plants.  ‘Arabella Morris… Selleth all Sorts of Garden Seeds, Flower Seeds, and Flower Roots, Fruit Trees, Flowering Shrubs, Evergreens, and Forest Trees. Also Shears, Rakes, Reels, Hoes, Spades, Scythes, Budding and Pruning Knives, Watering Pots, Matts [sic], Sieves, and all Sorts of Materials proper for Gardening. Also Riga, Dantzick and Ditch Flax Seed, and all Sorts of Grass Seeds. N.B. The true Durham, and common Flower of Mustard Seed.’ 

In the biographical notes for Morris, the British Museum has included a note supplied by Amy Erickson (via email in 2022) who records that ‘Arabella Morris previously traded as Arabella Fuller at the same address, the widow then of Edward Fuller’.

H Potter, herbalist, seedsman and importer of leeches c. 1800

These three cards demonstrate the crossover between herbal medicine and horticulture during this period, with traders selling seeds as well as remedies.  H Potter’s company based at New Fleet Market describes the owner as a ‘herbalist, seedsman and importer of leeches’, while Thomas Bailey in Covent Garden sells ‘all sorts of physical herbs, roots and seeds’.  His ‘scorbutic juices’ would have been a treatment for scurvy.

Thomas Bailey’s trade card shows the close association between horticulture and herbal medicine. c, 1780

James Dickson, Herb Shop 1775

Further reading:

Sir Ambrose Heal’s Trade Card Collection at the British Museum here

Last Days of Summer at Lytes Cary Manor

Leave a reply

Lytes Cary Manor, Somerset managed by the National Trust

Somerset is blessed with many beautiful houses and one of the most charming must be Lytes Cary Manor, not far from the town of Somerton.  Surrounded by farmland, this handsome building, parts of which date back to medieval times, sits peacefully in the evocative landscape of the Somerset Levels.

Occupied by the Lyte family for four centuries, the great hall was built in the 15th century, followed by further additions in the 16th and 17th centuries.  The family eventually sold the house in the mid-eighteenth century owing to financial difficulties and after being used as a farmhouse and barn for a time, the buildings fell into disrepair.  Bought by Sir Walter Jenner in 1907, the house and garden were developed in the Arts and Crafts style by the architect C E Ponting.  Sir Walter Jenner passed the house to the National Trust in 1948.

Laid out in classic Arts and Crafts style, the Grade II listed gardens are arranged as a series of rooms, divided by formal yew hedges and connected by pathways of local lias stone.  At the front of the house, through the imposing gateway, the central path is flanked by a series of yew topiary forms, known as the twelve apostles.  Either side of the entrance, a cloud pruned box hedge is kept just above the level of the wall, while a row of enormous topiarised box forms seem to process along an adjacent wall towards the tiny chapel, thought to have been built around 1343 and the earliest building on the site.

Speaking briefly to head gardener Sam Hickmott, he explained that they were updating some of the non-structural planting close to the chapel and the house, introducing light tones and airy forms to soften the formality created by the expanse of topiary in this part of the garden.  This approach is evident throughout the garden, with great care taken in the choice of perennial cultivars, ensuring their colours harmonise with those of the house.

In the main border, generous clumps of phlox, asters and golden rod recall the abundant planting style of the Edwardian period and some of their favoured plants. Using a combination of these perennials, together with modern introductions like Salvia ‘Amistad’ and Hydrangea ‘Annabelle’ creates the spirit of a traditional border, but with a subtle nod to contemporary garden fashions.

Steps down to the West Terrace garden reveal a burst of jewel colours with dahlias, veronia and Nicotiana x hybrida, ‘Tinkerbell’, with tiny flowers somewhere between maroon and terracotta.  Here, the pathways contain four beds of creeping thyme, forming a low, green carpet and views of the surrounding landscape can be glimpsed through a wrought iron gate in the yew hedge.

Yellow is a colour that divides some in the world of gardening, but is used here to great effect.  From the brighter tones of rudbeckias and heleniums to kniphofias, Clematis rehderiana and coreopsis in the palest shades of yellow, all seem to enhance each other and blend with the golden hamstone framing the windows and doorways of the building.  This creates a sense of unity to the planting and echoes the yellow wildflowers like agrimony and common fleabane growing in the hedgerows on the wider estate.

Although there’s no herb garden at Lytes Cary, herbs are used liberally in the planting.  This seems especially appropriate here, as former resident and Oxford educated scholar Henry Lyte (1529 – 1607) produced one of the great 16th century botanical publications whilst living at Lytes Cary.  Published in 1578, A Niewe Herball was Lyte’s English translation of Cruydeboeck written by the celebrated Dutch physician Rembert Dodoens in 1554.  Illustrated with over 870 woodcuts, the book details the cultivation requirements and medicinal properties of an array of plants known in this period, from herbs, trees, bulbs, food crops and weeds.

Cruydeboeck had been translated into French by Charles de L’Ecluse in 1557, and it was this version that Lyte used for his English translation.  There’s a small portrait of Henry Lyte in the house, alongside a first edition of his book, although his important contribution to English horticulture is slightly eclipsed by stories of the Jenners’ more recent residency.

Back in the garden, the sections furthest from the house contain orchard trees including apples, pears and quince, a separate cherry orchard, a lavender garden and a croquet lawn.  The pathways, lawns and hedges connecting these spaces are beautifully maintained by the gardening team, which is no mean feat in a garden of five acres, and whilst also looking after the National Trust’s Tintinhull gardens a few miles away.

This quietly spoken house with its atmospheric garden is well worth a visit.  Links to further information about Lytes Cary Manor below.

The main border

White themed section of the main border

Bay window, with John Lyte’s coat of arms

Pale yellow verbascum

Yellow and white kniphofia with Doellingeria umbellata (formerly Aster umbellata)

Clematis rehderiana and a yellow leaved jasmine cover this stone archway

Clematis rehderiana with Hydrangea aspera

West terrace and garden

Four symmetrical beds containing species of creeping thyme form a strong feature in the West Terrace

Tall stems of purple flowered veronia

The garden is full of pollinating insects

Tansy, or Tanacetum vulgare

Yew and box topiary at the entrance to the house, with the water tower in the distance

Cattle on the estate taking shelter from the sun under the boughs of a tree. They browse the lower leaves of the trees, raising the crowns slightly to exactly the same level, giving a coherent look to the parkland.

Further reading:

Lytes Cary Manor on Wikipedia here

Henry Lyte on Wikipedia here

National Trust Lytes Cary Manor here

A Niewe Herball, or Historie of Plantes at the Wellcome Library here

Dahlia Exhibitions in the 1830s

Leave a reply

Dahlia Picta Perfecta
The Floricultural Cabinet 1835 (Natural History Museum)

This coloured plate showing a bright crimson ‘Picta Perfecta’ dahlia, with its beautifully shaped petals edged in black, was first published in The Floricultural Cabinet and Florist’s Magazine in 1835.  Launched in 1833 by Joseph Harrison, a gardener and florist, his magazine reflects the appetite amongst amateur and professional gardeners alike for the cultivation of dahlias for show.

In the 1830s, dahlias were enormously popular garden and exhibition flowers, loved for their jewel colours, abundance of blooms and long flowering season.  Starting in July, dahlia shows took place at regular intervals through the summer and early autumn. Harrison visited floral exhibitions all over the country, many hosted by newly formed horticultural societies, and published his accounts of these in the magazine.

Today his accounts give us valuable insights into the character and atmosphere of these shows.  Dahlia shows ranged from those staged in public houses, such as the Baker’s Arms in Hackney Road, East London, and the Bull and Mouth Inn in Sheffield, to large exhibitions attracting huge crowds, such as the Metropolitan Society’s Grand Dahlia Show at Vauxhall Gardens in London.  Many of the shows hosted dinners for members after the prizes had been given out, and some enjoyed dancing, and music from brass bands. Whatever their size, all the shows were united by appreciation for the dahlia and the spirit of competition.

Harrison’s attendance at these shows allowed him to meet the horticulturalists producing new dahlias, giving him an important overview of dahlia cultivation in England and contacts in the wider horticultural industry.  He soon established himself as an influential voice informing taste and trends in gardening through his magazine, in much the same way horticultural journalists and garden designers do today.

With a format that gave advice on growing techniques from expert growers and seed and bulb suppliers, the magazine also encouraged amateurs to write in with questions and their own gardening tips. The Floricultural Cabinet was an instant success, boasting sales of 50,000 copies in 1833, its first year of publication.

Harrison appears to have understood the power of attractive colour images as a marketing tool to inspire readers to purchase his magazine, and the new plants he showcased.  The dahlias in the coloured plates are accomplished artworks, portraying the flowers with accuracy and with a slightly naïve quality in the diagrammatic stylisation of the flowers.  The ‘Picta Perfecta’ dahlia, praised in The Floricultural Cabinet for its perfectly round form and spectacular colours, was in fact a seeding raised by Harrison.

Harrison was meticulous in recording the names of prize winning dahlias as well as those of the judges and entrants.  From his records, certain grower’s names re-appear, such as Mr Pamplin, a florist who lived in Islington, and raised the beautiful golden yellow dahlia ‘Pamplin’s Bloomsbury’ which was illustrated in the magazine.

Joseph Harrison (1798 – 1856) was born in Sheffield where his father worked as head gardener at nearby Wortley Hall, a position Joseph took over in 1828.  He left Wortley Hall in 1837, setting up as a florist in Downham, Norfolk and eventually moving to Richmond, Surrey.  As well as The Floricultural Cabinet, Harrison also edited The Gardener’s Record.

While they are an important part of our horticultural history, flower shows are by their nature ephemeral events.  The plants, the exhibitors, and in some cases, even the venues where the shows took place are now long gone, but they live on in Harrison’s vivid descriptions.

Here follow extracts from The Floricultural Cabinet of three contrasting dahlia shows, documented by Harrison during his country wide tour of 1835.  They start with the East London Dahlia Show, a small and well established local event with sixty stands of flowers on display.  At the opposite end of the scale, Harrison is clearly captivated by The Bath Royal Flora and Horticultural Society’s Grand Annual Dahlia Show.  Its decorations included an extraordinary figure of a Mexican chief made out of dahlias, to celebrate the country where the plant originated.  But later in the season, Bath is topped by The Cambridge Florists’ Society Dahlia Show, with its model of a hot air balloon constructed out of 2,300 dahlia blooms and arranged around a chandelier:

The East London Dahlia Show

‘This exhibition took place, as usual, at the Bakers’ Arms, Hackney-road, and was well attended. Sixty stands of flowers were placed in competition, and the judges, Messrs, Alexander, Catleugh, and Glenny, placed them as follow :—

Stands of Twelve Blooms.—1, Mr. Dandy; 2, Mr. Crowder; 3, Mr. Rowlett; 4, Mr. Wade; 5, Mr. James; .6, Mr. Turner; 7, Mr. Dunn; 8, Mr. Williams; 9, Mr. Brown; 10, Mr. Riley; 11, Mr. Sharp; 12, Mr. Hogarth; 13, Mr. Green; 14, Mr. Buckmaster.

Stands of Six Blooms.—1, Mr. Williams; 2, Mr. Thornhill; 3,My. Dandy; 4, Mr. Crowder; 5, Mr, Wade; 6, Mr, Hogarth; 7, Mr, Dunn; 8, Mr, Carp

Sadly this pub that once stood at the corner of Warner Place and Hackney Road is now demolished.

The Bath Royal Flora and Horticultural Society’s Grand Annual Dahlia Show

‘The committee made extraordinary exertions to render this show the most splendid and attractive of the whole season, and they fully realized their purpose. The first object which met the view was a most singular figure on the right-hand lawn: it was that of a Mexican chief, holding a basket of flowers; the whole figure was composed of Dahlias, which, as our readers well know, came originally from that country ; and difficult as the task must have been, even the features of the countenance were very ingeniously delineated. This figure exhibited no less than 150 varieties of the Dahlia, in every imaginable tint, and of every gradation of size. A little beyond was the figure of a tree of considerable size, the trunk and every branch being composed of Dahlias of an equal number of varieties, and in the colour and size of the flowers.’

The Cambridge Florists’ Society

‘This Society had their grand Autumnal Show of Dahlias on Thursday, Sept. 24th, in the Assembly room at the Hoop Hotel. We have witnessed many floral exhibitions here and at other places, but we never before beheld any thing approaching the beauty and magnificence of this exhibition; on no previous occasion was the Dahlia exhibited in so high a state of excellence. We may expect to see great additions made to the colours and varieties of this very beautiful flower, but we much doubt if ever the grand stand of prize flowers displayed on this occasion will be surpassed in size or quality by that of any future show. The task of decorating the room was entrusted to Mr. Edward Catling, florist, of Cambridge; and nothing could possibly exceed the happy and elegant taste with which every ornament was executed. The sides and ends of the room were beautifully decorated with evergreens, wreaths, and Dahlias. At the head of the grand stand was an immense orange tree thickly studded with Dahlias, to represent the fruit in its various stages of growth, backed by a beautiful Fuchsia multiflora, 12 feet high, from the Botanic Garden. At the end of the room, was a prettily variegated crown entirely composed of Dahlias. But the grand attraction of all was a splendid balloon, wholly formed of Dahlia-blooms, suspended from the ceiling, the car of which appeared to be illuminated, from being placed over a gas chandelier. This ariel machine had a striking effect, the flowers being arranged in stripes to represent variegated silk; and we were told that more than 2,300 Dahlias were required to complete the balloon, exclusive of the car, from which two flags were pendent.—The afternoon show was attended by a numerous and respectable company; but the evening exhibition was crowded beyond all former precedent, owing to its being on the eve of the horse-fair, which gave the neighbouring country people an opportunity of witnessing the finest display of Dahlias ever seen in Cambridge. Upwards of 700 well-dressed persons were in the room at one time, and from eight to half-past nine o’clock the number amounted to little, if any, short of 3,000 persons, all with happy countenances, highly delighted with the fairy scene ; added to which were the musical strains of the Cambridge Military Band, who played several new and difficult pieces, with a precision and taste that would have done credit to veteran performers. After the ladies had withdrawn, more than 200 members and their friends sat down, with the splendid flowers before them, and enjoyed the scene with music, song, and toast. Fifteen new members were elected, and we rejoice to learn that the Society meets with the well-merited support of all classes.’

Further details and links below – the dahlia illustrations are taken from various issues of The Floricultural Cabinet across the 1830s.

Levick’s Beauty of Sheffield
The Floricultural Cabinet

Brown’s Royal Adelaide
The Floricultural Cabinet

Harris’s Acme of Perfection
The Floricultural Cabinet

Harris’s Inimitable Dahlia
The Floricultural Cabinet

Dodd’s Mary
The Floricultural Cabinet

Barratt’s Vicar of Wakefield
The Floricultural Cabinet

Cox’s Yellow Defiance
The Floricultural Cabinet

Pamplin’s Bloomsbury
The Floricultural Cabinet

Harrison’s Charles XII
The Floricultural Cabinet

Further reading:

The Floricultural Cabinet and Florist’s Magazine
Vol 3 1835 from the Natural History Museum’s Collection here

Joseph Harrison Wikipedia here

There’s a chapter about florists and the passion for growing all types of flowers for show in The Gardens of the British Working Class by Margaret Willes published by Yale University Press here

G W Riley’s Rustic Work for the Garden

Leave a reply

G W Riley’s Illustrated Catalogue of designs in Rustic Work from 1895 reveals an astonishing array of garden buildings, furniture and accessories, all constructed out of wood in rustic style.  Based in Herne Hill, a relatively new south London suburb in the 1890s, his workshops and show yards were in Norwood Road, near to the station, enabling potential customers to visit before making a purchase, and for the goods to be despatched by rail to a station close to their homes.

Riley’s summer houses were made to order and took around two weeks to complete. Each design came in a range of sizes, some intended purely for domestic use,  while larger structures are described as ‘suitable for Lawn Tennis grounds, Cricket fields &c or as a shelter in School Gardens, Tea Gardens &c.’  As well as garden buildings, Riley made and sold rustic themed seats, window boxes and arches for climbing plants.  A particular favourite of mine is a rustic porch designed to adorn a front doorway – thereby transforming a suburban house into something more like a country cottage.

As well as the extensive range of rustic works, Riley also sold dog kennels, pigeon and poultry houses, wheelbarrows and lawnmowers.  His catalogue boasts medals for rustic work, including one from the Royal Horticultural Society in the category of Garden Pottery and Rustic Wares.

The inspiration for rustic style has its origins in the Romantic Movement and the English landscape gardens of the 18th century.  ‘Grotesque architecture, or, Rural amusement:’  first published in 1767, provides an illustrated survey of fashionable garden buildings, including huts, retreats, summer and winter hermitages, and grottos, suggesting these ‘may be executed with flints, irregular stones, rude branches, and roots of trees’.

Rustic style continued its popularity in 19th century gardens, particularly towards the end of the Victorian period.  The rustic aesthetic embraced the natural shapes of unfinished wood, making these irregular forms a feature of the designs.  According to the Smithsonian Museum, ‘Rustic furnishings and accessories were thought to be especially suited to the garden, as they blended in with the natural landscapes.’

Rustic Adornments for Homes of Taste (1856) by the influential garden writer and journalist Shirley Hibberd (1825 – 1890) reflects an ongoing enthusiasm for all things rustic in the mid 19th century, especially amongst Hibberd’s target audience, the emergent urban middle classes.

The summer house was a rustic adornment Hibberd was especially fond of, devoting a whole chapter to them, and describing these structures as ‘desirable, and indeed almost necessary features in gardens of all dimensions and styles.’  Hibberd reveals that this was his preferred place to write, as long as the weather permitted.

A bit like today’s flat pack furniture, Riley’s summer houses were constructed out of wood in sections, and delivered to customers’ homes to be assembled themselves or with the help of a handyman.   Riley’s catalogue advertises  some of the summer houses as being ‘portable’ and Hibberd sheds some light on why this might have been a desirable feature for some customers.

Hibberd, who was based in London, points out that a significant proportion of people rented their properties, and that additions tenants made to the garden, such as a summer house, could end up belonging to their landlord.  However, a portable structure was classed as a ‘tenant’s fixture’ that the tenant would be able to take with them when they moved on.  Hibberd mentions that some manufacturers (like Riley) had made this kind of summer house a speciality.  Hibbert observes:

‘Too many of us, alas, cannot afford, except on our own freehold, to spend a large sum of money on the erection of a summer-house, and then on the expiration of a tenancy to have to leave it behind. It is clear, therefore, that we want something of a more portable nature, something, in fact, that will answer the purpose of the expensive permanent summer-house and yet remain the property of the tenant. Happily we have long been able to gratify this wish, for several manufacturers of repute have made the tenant’s fixture or portable summer-houses a speciality. Those, therefore, who have a few pounds only to spend on the luxury of a summer-house can easily obtain what they require ready made and quite complete for placing in any position in the garden.’

To modern taste, Riley’s rustic work can appear ersatz; a suburban version of rusticity.  It’s easy to be dismissive of these late 19th century designs, but taste is highly subjective, and as a city dweller myself, their appeal is understandable.  As towns and cities expanded in the 19th century, becoming industrial centres, city dwellers would have welcomed reminders of nature and the countryside in their gardens, even if they were inauthentic.

Because Riley’s rustic work was made largely out of unfinished wood, and destined to be placed outside in all kinds of weather, it would seem unlikely that any examples have survived.  However, the Folly Flaneuse, a fellow blogger, has found remarkable examples of garden buildings in a similar style by makers Henry and Julius Caesar, Rustic House Builders from Knutsford, in Cheshire, which are still standing.  So, perhaps some of Riley’s rustic work is out there, waiting to be discovered.

Links to this and other sources below:

Portable Hexagon Shape Summer House

Hexagon Rustic Summer House with Porch

Portable Hexagon Shape Summer House

Sexangular Thatched Roof Summer House

Special Cheap House

Portable Rustic Summer House

Portable Rustic Summer House

Portable Rustic Summer House

Rustic Summer Houses

Portable Rustic Summer House

Portable 3-Gabled Thatched Roof Rustic Summer House

Portable 3-Gabled Thatched Roof Rustic Summer House

Rustic Garden Chairs

Further reading:

G. W. Riley: Illustrated catalogue of latest designs in rustic work here

Grotesque architecture, or, Rural amusement here

Smithsonian Gardens here

Rustic Adornments for Homes of Taste (1895) here

The Folly Flaneuse: Henry and Julius Caesar, Rustic House Builders here

Exploring the RHS Digital Collections

Leave a reply

Page’s Champion Auricula from The Florist’s Guide, and Cultivator’s Directory Vol l by Robert Sweet (1827 – 1832) Engraved by S. Watts after an original by Edwin Dalton Smith.  All images from RHS Digital Collections

In April this year, the Royal Horticultural Society launched its new Digital Collections platform, with thousands of items from the Libraries and Herbarium now available online to the public for the first time.  From an accounts book belonging to landscape gardener Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, to historic nursery catalogues from locations across the UK, many items are unique to the RHS Collections.

Funded by the National Lottery’s Heritage Fund, this is the beginning of a major project that will see further content from the Society’s collection uploaded in the coming months and years.  Currently divided into sections for archive, artworks, bookplates, Herbarium specimens, nursery catalogues, photographs and books, there’s already a wealth of material to view.

In the books section, the RHS has been strategic in their choice of material to digitise, prioritising those books not already available on other platforms.  One of these is The City Gardener (1722) by Thomas Fairchild, a nursery owner in Hoxton, London.  Fairchild’s record of plants in cultivation, popular garden styles, and the challenges of growing in the polluted atmosphere caused by sea coal, gives an invaluable insight into the capital and its gardens during this period.

The City Gardener (1722) by Thomas Fairchild

As the name suggests, the bookplates section is comprised of illustrations taken from books in the RHS’s collection.  The dislocation of these images from their context does present something of an issue (for me, at least), as some of their meaning is lost.  However, the plates are full of interest, and hopefully the books from which they were taken are on the RHS’s list to be digitised in the near future.

This set of bookplates from The Orchard and the Garden, printed by Adam Islip (1602), shows a range of knot garden designs and instructions for laying them out.  These delightful, detailed woodcuts remind us of the enthusiasm for pattern, symmetry, and symbolism in the Tudor period.  The book must have found a ready audience, as this example is a third edition, the first being published in 1594.

The Orchard and the Garden printed by Adam Islip (1602)

These coloured engravings from The Florist’s Guide, and Cultivator’s Directory Vols I and ll by Robert Sweet invite us into the world of the florist in the early 19th century.

At this time, the term ‘florist’ was given to those engaged in cultivating flowers for pleasure, or for show, rather than for the cut flower trade.  The favoured blooms were carnations and pinks, ranunculus, tulips, hyacinths, polyanthus and auriculas – although Sweet’s Directory also includes dahlias (then called georginas) and roses.  Double flowers were prized, as were the striped and flecked patterns of the tulips and carnations.  Engravings by S Watts (after original paintings by Edwin Dalton Smith) allow us to understand what these choice plants must have looked like.

The plants and bulbs discussed in the Directory were for sale from a network of growers and Sweet’s use of high quality coloured images to promote them demonstrates his talent for horticultural marketing.

Albion Tulip from The Florist’s Guide, and Cultivator’s Directory Vol ll by Robert Sweet (1827 – 1832). Engraved by S. Watts after an original by Edwin Dalton Smith.

Hogg’s Queen Adelaide Dianthus from The Florist’s Guide, and Cultivator’s Directory Vol ll by Robert Sweet (1827 – 1832).
Engraved by S. Watts after an original by Edwin Dalton Smith.

‘Porcelaine Sceptre Hyacinth’, Hyacinthus orientalis var. sceptrifirmis, engraved by S. Watts after an original by Edwin Dalton Smith.

The popularity of florist’s flowers is echoed in the historic nursery catalogues dating from the mid to late 18th century that have been added to the Digital Collection, containing pages of auricula, hyacinth and tulip varieties.  An 1890 catalogue listing over 1,400 fern varieties for sale from a company based near Manchester shows how horticultural tastes had changed by the late 19th century, when the craze for ferns had taken hold.

Fine double hyacinth and other curious flower roots, and seeds, imported chiefly from Holland, France, America, Italy, Botany Bay, &c. by John Mason, at the Orange Tree, 152, Fleet Street, London c. 1790

Catalogue of over 1.400 species and varieties of ferns and selaginellas cultivated by W. & J. Birkenhead, Fern Nursery, Sale; 17 and 19, Washway Road, Sale; and Park Road Nursery, Ashton-on-Mersey, near Manchester. Our principal nursery is five minutes’ walk and our Park Road Nursery eight minutes’ walk from Sale Station, on the Manchester, South Junction, and Altrincham Railway, five minutes from Manchester. First-class Queen’s Jubilee Gold Medal, 1887

A sketchbook belonging to Gertrude Jekyll (1843 – 1932) is one highlight of the archive section.  Influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, Jekyll studied painting, embroidery, gilding, carving and photography, before focusing her attention on a career in landscape and garden design.

These wide ranging interests are evident in her sketchbook, containing a profusion of Jekyll’s sketches of flowers, leaves, architectural details, designs for jewellery, fragments of geometric pattern, swags, and places of cultural interest.  These have been individually cut out and assembled into a scrapbook of visual references.  Some projects must have taken considerable time to complete – four separate tile designs using studies of hawthorn combine cleverly to form a larger repeat pattern, and there are intricate designs for floral wallpaper.

Insights provided by the sketchbook demonstrate how Jekyll’s interest in decorative arts enriched her planting designs.

Floral swags, geometric design and a jug
Gertrude Jekyll

Floral patterns, architectural details and lettering
Gertrude Jekyll

Tile Pattern by Gertrude Jekyll

Floral Wallpaper pattern

Wallpaper, Blue Vine Design
Gertrude Jekyll

Jekyll’s interest in vernacular design is also clear, in her records of stitching designs from smocks worn by agricultural workers.  Jekyll has made these impressions by using pencil and paper, in the manner of a brass rubbing.  Her book Old West Surrey (1904) features houses, furniture, tools and clothes used by working people in the late 19th century, including smocks like these.

Stitching on Country Smocks
Gertrude Jekyll

The photography section records the history of the RHS as an organisation, with images showing the construction of RHS Kensington Gardens in the 1860s and the development of the gardens at RHS Wisley in the 1930s.  The delicate beauty of fern species in New Zealand is captured in a series of cyanotypes by Herbert B Dobbie, published in 1880, and a series of autochromes by William Van Sommer provide glimpses of English gardens from the early 20th century .

Cyanotype of Hypolepis distans, from the book ‘New Zealand Ferns’ Herbert B Dobbie, 1880

Autochrome of calceolarias, Barton Nurseries, by William Van Sommer 1913

Although it could be said that the RHS is rather late to the digitisation party – most major museums and libraries started to share their content online more than a decade ago – now that it has arrived, the RHS Digital Collection is undeniably full of wonder.  I hope you’ll be persuaded to explore, and discover your own treasures.  Link below:

Further reading:

RHS Digital Collections here

Spring Arrives at Fenton House

Leave a reply

Apple blossom in the orchard at Fenton House, Hampstead

Standing in the orchard at Fenton House amongst the apple trees, now covered in blossom, is to experience something close to spring in the English countryside.  Mown pathways edged with rustic bent hazel rods invite visitors to wander beneath the canopy of the trees, through meadow grasses and bulbs, surrounded by flowers.  Yet, this peaceful place is not at the end of a quiet country lane, but in Hampstead, north London.

Located just a short distance away from the clamour and bustle of Hampstead High Street, Fenton House is reached through a series of winding residential streets.  Dictated by the topography of this hilly part of north London, the gardens are laid out on various levels, cleverly connected by steps and pathways, the site bounded on all sides by mellow brick walls.  These walls, together with tall, tightly clipped yew hedges divide the garden into distinct areas, each with its own special character.  Some are wide and spacious; others smaller and more intimate, but all with a sense of surprise and discovery around each corner.

Fenton House is a rare survivor from a network of similar mansions constructed in this part of Hampstead in the mid 17th century for wealthy merchants whose business interests required them to live close to London.  It’s thought Fenton House was built in the late 17th century and had a succession of owners before it was purchased in 1793 by Philip Fenton, a trader in the Baltic states, and from whose family the house eventually took its name.  The house was inherited by James Fenton, who became an active campaigner against the development of Hampstead Heath in the 19th century.

In the early 20th century, the house came into the possession of Lady Katherine Binning and in 1952 the house and garden were gifted to the National Trust.  An avid collector, the house now serves as a museum for her collections of ceramics and needlework, and also houses the Benton Fletcher collection of musical instruments which was gifted the the National Trust in 1937.

At Fenton House the style of planting is not fixed to a certain point in the site’s history, and the gardeners enjoy some freedom to develop their own ideas. Retaining certain characteristics from the 1930s when it was still a family garden, albeit a rather grand one, the formal lawn is closest to the house and was once used as a tennis court.  Beyond this is the rose garden and a series of formal flower borders, enclosed by box hedges.

Echoes of the 18th century are represented by yew hedges and topiary, forming a perfect backdrop for the painted figure of a young man, and for period garden seats, placed at intervals around the garden for visitors to enjoy its quiet corners.

A wooden sign indicates a narrow path with steps down to the orchard and kitchen garden.  An impressive lean-to glasshouse placed against one of the walls is used to house tender plants and raise seedlings and cuttings for the garden.  The perimeter path passes the orchard where over thirty heritage apple varieties are planted, and leads to the kitchen garden, enclosed by a series of espaliered apple trees, supported by a metal framework.  Here, crops of vegetables and soft fruit are complemented by flowers – now with self-seeded forget-me-nots, and later in the season by perennial geraniums.

Despite the relative grandeur, there’s plenty of inspiration to take away from Fenton House that would work in a domestic garden.  The purple flowered wisteria tumbling over the high wall above the orchard has been carefully trained in a relatively tight space, and espaliered fruit trees could easily be used to create a soft division between spaces.  Other details, like the outdoor furniture, supports for climbing roses and terracotta rhubarb forcers create their own special atmosphere, whilst also being practical.

Some of us will remember a time when entry to the garden was a contribution by means of an honesty box, somehow adding to the charm of the place.  In recent years, the National Trust has introduced ticketed entry to the garden, but fortunately the settled sense of calm throughout the garden hasn’t changed, and Fenton House continues to be a joy to visit.

Fenton House and gardens are currently open (bookable in advance) on Fridays and Sundays from April to October – further details below:

Snakes head fritillaries in the meadow

Espaliered fruit trees border the kitchen garden

Pale pink cherry blossom in the orchard

Further reading:

Fenton House and Garden here

A London Inheritance here

Pemberton’s Hybrid Musk Roses

1 Reply

Rosa ‘Moonlight’ (Pemberton 1922)
photo: Dominicus Johannes Bergsma Wikimedia Commons

Choosing a rose for the garden can be a daunting task, as the growers’ catalogues tempt us with an ever expanding range of new and fashionable varieties.  But some roses from the past have qualities that, even now, are hard to match, and are well worth growing.

Described by rose experts Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix as ‘some of the very best of all garden roses’ hybrid musk roses are a small group of repeat flowering shrub roses, developed in the early 20th century by the Reverend Joseph Hardwick Pemberton (1852 – 1926).  Characterised by generous clusters of loosely double flowers in subtle shades of pink, apricot, white and pale yellow, they lend a romantic atmosphere to garden borders.

A fascination with roses seems to have run deep in the Pemberton family.  Joseph Pemberton’s grandmother grew roses, as did his father, who regularly attended rose shows in search of new varieties for the family’s garden at the Round House at Havering-atte-Bower, close to Romford in Essex.

As a child, Pemberton would regularly accompany his father to rose shows held at Crystal Palace, and following his father’s death in 1874, began entering rose competitions.  He enjoyed some success, firstly with help from the family’s gardener and then from various rose specialists he encountered at the shows. Later, with a reputation as one of England’s finest amateur rose exhibitors, Pemberton would travel to rose shows across the country accompanied by his sister Florence, also a rose enthusiast, with their prize-winning blooms.

The stars of the rose shows in the 1870s were hybrid perpetual roses like ‘La Reine’, ‘Générale Jacqueminot’ and ‘Madame Edouard Ory’.  With their enormous double flowers these repeat flowering roses were some of the most popular in the Victorian garden.

Rosa Mme. Edouard Ory (Robert 1854)
photo: Salicyna Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘La Reine’
photo: Stickpen Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Général Jacqueminot’
photo: A Barra Wikimedia Commons

Pemberton grew hybrid perpetual and hybrid tea roses like these for competitions, but he was nostalgic for the ‘old’ roses he remembered from his grandmother’s garden and regretted there was no appropriate category to display these roses at the shows.  In the introduction to his book, Roses: Their History, Development and Cultivation (1908) Pemberton remarks that ‘the old-fashioned roses – like Cinderella were left at home’.

The ‘old’ roses Pemberton was referring to included varieties like ‘Maiden’s Blush, Aimée Vibert, Rosa Mundi, Red Provence, and Lucida’.  Once, he took a box of these roses to a National Rose Society show in Kensington and ‘staged them, not for competition, labelled ” Grand- mother’s Roses’.  The roses attracted ‘considerable attention’ from visitors who enjoyed re-discovering these ‘forgotten favourites’.  One of the reasons ‘old’ roses had declined in popularity was that they flowered only once, finishing in July.

Rosa gallica ‘Versicolour’ or Rosa Mundi
photo: Sian Rees

Rosa gallica var.officinalis (G) The Apothecary’s rose, Provins rose, red Damask or the red rose of Lancaster
photo: Sian Rees

Rosa alba ‘Maiden’s Blush’
photo: Nadiatalent Wikimedia Commons

As well as showing roses, Pemberton had a keen interest in hybridisation, believing that amateur growers could make a significant contribution to raising new garden worthy varieties.  By the late 1890s thousands of rose seedlings were produced annually by Pemberton using the garden and glasshouses at the Round House, with his sister Florence, gardener John Bentall and his wife Ann Bentall all involved in the project.  Around the time of his retirement as an Anglican minister, he set up a business with Florence offering roses for sale to the public.

Most of the roses introduced by Pemberton that we know today were the result of a systematic programme of hybridisation using Rosa ‘Trier’, a hybrid multiflora rose introduced by Peter Lambert in 1904, crossed with various hybrid tea roses.  ‘Trier’ shared some of the qualities possessed by the ‘old’ roses Pemberton admired, including large trusses of semi-double flowers and a good scent.  Crucially, Trier was repeat flowering, giving Pemberton the best chance of producing roses with a similar form to the older varieties he loved, but that would repeat throughout the season.

Rosa ‘Trier’ (Lambert 1904)
photo: A Barra Wikimedia Commons

His hybrids using ‘Trier’ produced some highly successful results.  ‘Danae’ and ‘Daphne’ (1913) were some of the first of Pemberton’s hybrid musk roses to be introduced, followed by Rosa ‘Pax’ in 1918, named to celebrate the end of the first World War, and winner of a gold medal.  ‘Cornelia’, ‘Penelope’ and ‘Felicia’ were introduced in the early 1920s and new roses were released after Pemberton’s death in 1926.

John and Ann Bentall who continued to manage the rose fields at Havering-atte-Bower, also kept up Pemberton’s hybridisation work and introduced ‘Autumn Delight’, ‘Buff Beauty’ and ‘Ballerina’ in the 1930s.  It is thought their son Jack continued the rose nursery until the 1970s.

Pemberton’s hybrid musk roses have qualities that make them ideal for contemporary gardens.  For naturalistic planting schemes, the open structure of the flowers attracts pollinators, and both their form and subtle range of colours make them easy to associate with other plants, including wild flowers.  Their long flowering season is an advantage for those of us with small gardens, and most will tolerate some shade.  Although some varieties are now scarce, many such as ‘Felicia’ and ‘Cornelia’ have remained popular and are widely available.

Collections of Pemberton’s hybrid musk roses can be seen at Dutton Hall in Lancashire and (by appointment) at the St Francis Hospice, Havering-atte-Bower, based at Pemberton’s former home and gardens.  Rose breeders have continued the development of new hybrid musk roses, in particular Kordes in Germany, and Lens in Belgium.

Here follow some photographs of some of Pemberton’s hybrid musk roses and links to further reading below.  Most of these images are supplied by visitors to rose gardens who have uploaded their work to Wikimedia Commons.  Many thanks to them for their generosity in sharing their work.

Rosa ‘Prosperity’ (Pemberton 1919)
photo: Salicyna Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Pax’ (Pemberton 1918)
photo: Salicyna Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Maid Marion’ (Pemberton 1930)
photo: Krzystof Ziarnek Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Penelope’ (Pemberton 1924)
photo: Georges Seguin Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Daphne’ (Pemberton 1913)
photo: Geolina 163 Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Fortuna’ (Pemberton / Bentall before 1927)
photo: Salicyna Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Clytemnestra’ (Pemberton 1915)
photo: Geolina 163 Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Kathleen’ (Pemberton 1922)
photo: Meria z Geoian Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Felicia’ (Pemberton 1928)
photo: Geolina 163 Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Cornelia’ (Pemberton 1925)
photo: Salicyna Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Nur Mahal’ (Pemberton 1923)
photo: Wilrooij Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Vanity’ (Pemberton 1920)
photo: Geolina 163 Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Sammy’ (Pemberton 1921)
photo: Geolina 163 Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Thisbe’ (Pemberton 1918)
photo Salix Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Daybreak’ (Pemberton 1918)
photo: Salicyna Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Aurora’ (Pemberton 1923)
photo: Salicyna Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Francesca’ (Pemberton 1922)
photo: Salicyna Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Autumn Delight’ (Bentall 1933)
photo: Geolina 163 Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Buff Beauty’ (A Bentall 1939)
photo: Salicyna Wikimedia Commons

Rosa ‘Ballerina’ (Bentall 1937)
photo: Libby Norman Wikimedia Commons

Further reading:

Rev Joseph Hardwick Pemberton Wikipedia here

Essex Gardens Trust Rev J H Pemberton here

Plant Heritage National Collection Pemberton and Bentall’s Hybrid Musk Roses here

Pemberton Rose Garden at the St Francis Hospice here

The Ultimate Guide to Roses (Macmillan 2004) Roger Phillips & Martyn Rix

Rose suppliers:  Trevor White Roses, Peter Beales Roses, David Austin Roses

Romance in the Garden

1 Reply

The Tempting Fair
print made by John Jones and published by John Harris 1780 Hand-coloured mezzotint with some etching  All images © The Trustees of the British Museum

As Valentine’s Day approaches, I was delighted to happen across these satirical prints depicting romantic dramas.  Produced by various artists and published in London, mostly in the late 18th century, they are now part of the British Museum’s collection.  All set in parks and gardens, this pleasing combination of love and horticulture seems singularly appropriate to the season.

With the cultural constraints imposed on personal interactions between the sexes in this period, it’s not difficult to see why lovers might have preferred to conduct their encounters out of doors, away from the inquisitive eyes and ears of the household.  The garden, with its avenues and groves, was a perfect place to escape observation; to stroll, or sit together for a while on a conveniently placed bench, and enjoy some privacy.

A range of romantic motivations is revealed by the characters in these prints.  Some innocent individuals long for love, whilst others appear ambivalent about the nature of the attentions they are receiving.  The English taste for innuendo is evident in the scenes of illicit meetings and predatory searches for a partner.  The absurdity of lovers’ behaviour to the eyes of outsiders is a constant theme, either witnessed by onlookers, or by the viewer.

For those of us interested in gardens of the past, these prints reveal a multitude of garden features – a series of beautiful painted wooden benches in various styles are my particular favourites.  Details of the lovers’ clothes are also fascinating.  But now, let us go to the garden, take a walk amongst the flowers and learn love’s lessons:

Willy of the Dale published by Sayer and Bennett 1783 Hand-coloured mezzotint

There’s a suggestion that Willy of the Dale might not be entirely sincere when he pats the cheek of his female companion and steals a kiss as they stand by the water’s edge – and perhaps Damon the gardener’s gift of a posy of flowers is not quite the innocent transaction it appears; he seems to expect something in return from Phillis, his young companion.

Damon and Phillis published by Robert Sayer 1760s – 1792 circa Hand-coloured mezzotint

Persuasion published by Peter Concena 1801 Mezzotint with some etching

The seated woman in Persuasion seems ambivalent about the garland of flowers she is receiving from her kneeling admirer.

However, in The Thorn, the young man’s proposal in the garden, with its winding pathway and trellis shelters, is accepted.

The Thorn published by Laurie and Whittle 1804 Hand-coloured stipple and etching

The Sympathy of Love and Harmony print made by John Jones and published by William Richardson 1780 Hand-coloured mezzotint with some etching

Here, music is used as a metaphor for harmony in love.  The man plays the flute as his partner holds up the book of music for him to read, whilst resting her hand on his knee.  The black and white print appears to be a later version of the theme.

Rural Retirement published by Haines and Son 1796 Mezzotint with some etching

The Park. or the most Fashionable Dress for the Year, published by Sayer and Bennett 1777 Hand-coloured mezzotint with some etching

The Park, or the most fashionable dress for the year 1777 shows a young woman dressed in blue silk with a red parasol, with a smart young couple and their dogs walking along a tree lined avenue, populated with regularly spaced benches for those who need to rest or converse.   Here, the park is a place to dress up and be seen, and perhaps make new introductions.

A Scene in Kensington Gardens published by Sayer and Bennett 1782 Hand-coloured mezzotint

A Scene in Kensington Gardens features a somewhat awkward meeting between two lovers, as a woman in riding dress, and a dog, look on.

The Kiss Return’d published by John Raphael Smith 1772 Mezzotint

‘A young man in simple dress, clutching the edge of his coat in one hand and his hat in the other, kissing a fashionably-dressed lay who holds a fan, watched by a gentleman who stands on the right, hands in his pockets, laughing; in a garden with a wall and columns behind.’ British Museum

Jack on a Cruise published by Sayer and Bennett 1780 Hand-coloured mezzotint with some etching

A certain urgency in the search to meet a partner is clear in Jack on a Cruise where a young woman pursued by a sailor gives a coy, but knowing, look to the viewer.  The British Museum commentary notes the grand nature of this garden setting – ‘an urn with serpents sits on a high rectangular pedestal under a large tree, and in the distance is a pavilion in the form of a temple with a dome, pediment, and Corinthian columns.’

January and May published by Carrington Bowles 1785 Hand-coloured mezzotint

‘Beneath the title is engraved, ‘From Pope’s favourite Poem of January and May, or the Merchant’s Tale, from Chaucer’. A garden scene. A young woman (right) kneels on the back of her blind old husband, who stoops down, clasping the trunk of a pear-tree to support her that she may reach her lover who sits in its branches leaning towards her. The old man is dressed in an old-fashioned manner, with wide cuffs; the other two are fashionably dressed: she wears a feathered hat and long elbow-gloves; the anchor of Hope is suspended from her neck on a ribbon. He wears boots with deep tops, and a round hat. In the background (right) is a piece of water crossed by a wooden bridge with Chinese rails. Beneath the design are engraved eight lines from Pope, beginning, ‘At least kind Sir, for Charity’s sweet sake / Vouchsafe the Trunk between your arms to take,’. (She is pregnant, and has deceitfully asked her doting husband to help her to reach a pear for which she craves.)’ British Museum

In London, close to King’s Cross, a tea house with public gardens called Bagnigge Wells became notorious towards the end of the 18th century as a centre for prostitution and both these prints show women dressed elaborately to attract customers.

A Bagnigge Wells scene, or No Resisting Temptation print made by John Raphael Smith published by Carrington Bowles 1780 Hand-coloured mezzotint

‘Two finely dressed prostitutes in the grounds of the pleasure garden with a fountain playing in the background.’  British Museum

The Road to Ruin published by Laurie and Whittle 1799

‘A young man, probably an apprentice, in fashionable but ill-fitting dress, stands smoking between two prostitutes, who berate him, arms akimbo. In the background is the fountain, water spouting from a swan.’  British Museum

A Man-Trap published by Carrington Bowles 1766 – 1789 circa Hand-coloured mezzotint with some etching

The theme of the seductress is continued in A Man Trap, where a woman with a magnificent hat and apricot coloured shoes reclines on a garden seat.  Looking provocatively at the viewer, the sign to her right reads ‘Spring Guns’, indicating the young men she seeks to attract.  The association of gardens with nefarious activity continued into the 19th century, with Vauxhall Gardens eventually closing its gates, in part due to its poor moral reputation.

The Love Letter published by Sayer and Bennett 1784 Hand-coloured mezzotint with etching

‘Two fashionably-dressed young women walking in a garden, the one on the left holding a love letter; a large house in the background to left and a bench in the distance to right.’  British Museum

The Musing Fair published by Laurie and Whittle 1797 Hand-coloured mezzotint with some etching

The young woman in The Musing Fair is reading a book called ‘The Farmer of Englewood Forest’ – and perhaps hoping she might meet a similar kind of man one day?

Has the pensive looking woman in Reflections in a Flower Garden experienced disappointment in love?

Reflections in a Flower Garden published by Laurie and Whittle 1803 Hand-coloured mezzotint

Pretty Miss’s Mournful Surprize, on the Death of her Peacock published by Carrington Bowles 1766 – 1784 circa Hand-coloured mezzotint with some etching

‘A girl standing weeping in a garden holding her apron to her eyes, seeing a peacock lying dead, fallen from a wall on the left.’  British Museum

Peacocks, originally from India, were popular as living adornments to the gardens of country houses in the 18th century and it would seem likely that some owners became personally attached to their birds, as well as appreciating their decorative qualities.  This strangely out-sized bird appears to have met its death by falling off a wall (according to the British Museum commentary) – perhaps its wings were clipped so it couldn’t fly away from the garden?

Hoping your Valentine’s Day is a happy one.

Further reading:

These prints are from The British Museum’s vast online collection here

More about Bagnigge Wells from A London Inheritance here