Fiona’s Summer Blog

To paraphrase Keats, it is the season of garden conferences. I thought I would use this opportunity to give an idea of what goes on at such an event and bring to life some of the historic designed landscapes visited.  In late July, I attended the Garden History Society’s AGM and Conference weekend event based at the University of Keele, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire (Grade II* listed hall and Grade II grounds), which took place the weekend before our own County Trust AGM at Watlington House, Reading (to be covered elsewhere).

The GHS conference event was  entitled Modern Restorations, Old Landscapes: Georgian, Victorian and a Touch of Palladio.

The Formal Gardens, Keele Hall

Friday morning was set aside for a Graduate Symposium chaired by Patrick Eyres, editor of the wonderfully stimulating The New Arcadian Journal, where a number of presentations illustrated just how varied a subject garden history is. The formal AGM followed and included a debate about the continuing project where the Garden History Society, the Association of Gardens Trusts, the UK Parks & Gardens Database and the Garden Museum are discussing ways in which they can all work closer together to help protect, enhance and research gardens so as to maximise the benefits for all of us, including what funding and policy support may in future be available from such bodies as English Heritage and various government departments. The point was also made that due to less resources being available, the Association of Gardens Trusts members would have to become more engaged with planning issues which would need the support of the GHS and AGT. There was also a presentation by the Conservation Team which does its best to focus its expertise by commenting on Grade II and Grade II*  registered parks and gardens and contributing to their conservation and management plans.  This work includes sensitive and constructive consideration of issues affecting a wide range of designed landscapes, for example from schools or other institutions who wish to make changes to them to applications for wind farms. While there were some queries about practicalities, most attendees seemed to recognise that we all need to adapt how we operate in order to be successful in this straightened economic times.

On Friday evening drinks in the Victorian Library at Keele Hall were followed by an enlightening talk by Dr. Nigel Tringham, who has been the Editor for the Victoria County History of Staffordhsire for over a decade. His talk brought to mind elements of Berkshire, when he mentioned the fact that poor soil in much of the now depleted county (which has suffered as we have from border changes), gave rise to a focus on hunting parks. On Saturday morning, we enjoyed a tour of the university grounds, which cover the 18th to the 21st centuries, with a re-created formal garden in the High Victorian style close to Keele Hall itself. With a bit of imagination, it is possible to erase the less attractive 20th century educational buildings and block out the nearby M6 and go back to a different era.

Trentham's Italianate Garden Terraces from the Duke of Sutherland's Statue

Saturday afternoon was a highlight for me, with a visit to Trentham Gardens (English Heritage Grade II* registered), to see the now finally restored to splendour seen at its best on a sunny summer afternoon, with the Italian Garden terraces planted with a wonderful mixture of plants under the direction of Tom Stuart-Smith within Charles Barry’s original design framework. Two of us also made it up a steep incline to view the formal gardens from over a mile away from the clearing where a fine statue of the Duke of Sutherland stands looking towards the gardens and beyond to the Shropshire hills. The other planting treats were the Long Borders planted by Piet Odulf and the Eastern Pleasure Ground’s wonderful River of Grasses and Floral Labryinth.

Sunday morning brought a surprise when I discovered that the Head Gardener at Adlington Hall (English Heritage Grade I listed building and Grade II* registered landscape), just over the border in Cheshire, was Anthony O’Grady, who studied with me at Birkbeck for our MA in Garden History. He gave us a fascinating tour of a half-hidden 18th century landscape. Typically for that period, the layout lent itself to an almost ‘Alice in Wonderland’ like tour. At times we had to negotiate rough paths cut through invasive shrubs. We firstly took in a Temple of Diana where the interior roof scrolls and garlands decoration of the rotunda, which was supported by Roman Doric columns, was in such good condition it looked as though it was painted yesterday.

The Temple of Diana, Adlington

Henbury Hall provided the promised ‘touch of Palladio’, with a late 20th century perfectly symmetrical creation in french limestone (loosely based on Palladio’s Villa Capra, La Rotonda, near Vicenza in Italy), by architect Julian Bicknell and statues by New Zealand artist Felix Kelly, responsible for murals in Castle Howard and remodelling Highgrove for Prince Charles. The Hall gazes out onto classic English park and farmland with sheep grazing beneath avenues of trees, with gardens created by Sir Vincent de Ferranti, son of the owner Sir Basil de Ferranti, and Gilly Brown a relaxing contrast leading down to and around lakes and featuring a ‘Crystal Palace’ style wooden framed conservatory within which is located a very inviting-looking pool.

Henbury Hall's Palladian Villa