Monthly Archives: January 2017

Avoiding sex with Mrs Moriarty

Posted on 28/01/2017 by The Gardens Trust

In November 2015 I wrote a post about Augusta Withers, complaining that, as is the case with many female botanical artists, little was known about her. However by comparison with today’s subject, we had a veritable plethora of biographical information! Mrs H. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged botanical art, Curtis's Botanical Magazine, erasmus darwin, greenhouse, Linnaeus | 1 Comment

Crompton and Fawkes

Posted on 21/01/2017 by The Gardens Trust

Wentworth Castle in Yorkshire boasts a magnificent Victorian conservatory behind the main 18thc building. It was built in 1885-6 by Crompton & Fawkes, an Essex-based company who were one of the leading manufacturers of horticultural buildings in Britain at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged conservation, conservatory, greenhouse, vernon wentworth, wentworth | 1 Comment

The survival of Wentworth Castle

Posted on 14/01/2017 by The Gardens Trust

In 1817 the Rev. Lionel Berguer published “Trifles in Verse”, a collection of [to put it politely] turgid amateur poetry. The first of these almost unreadable pieces is dedicated to his friend Frederick Vernon Wentworth. It conjures up a gentle Arcadian … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged camellias, conservation, conservatory, Crompton & Fawkes, earl fitzwilliam, Head Gardener, Horace Walpole, john nost, orchids, plant hunters, rhododendrons, Stumperies, vernon wentworth, wentworth woodhouse, wilderness, winter garden | Leave a comment

Walter Crane & his Floral Fantasy

Posted on 07/01/2017 by The Gardens Trust

I thought it would nice to start the year with something a little light-hearted, although as always with such things there is a more serious undertone. Walter Crane was an English artist and book illustrator. Born in 1845 he … Continue reading →