Tag Archives: #AtoZChallenge
Kew Gardens – botany goes big
In 2003 Kew Gardens, located in the borough of Richmond-on-Thames, was designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Better late than never, is all I can say. Once called Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, there has been gardens on the site since the 16th Century. That plural is due to the merging of two main gardens – […]
Japanese gardens – philosophy meets nature
In 1857 Japan opened its borders to visitors, ending centuries of self-imposed isolation. The inquisitive went to visit and returned with new ideas on many subjects. At the age of twenty-four Josiah Conder, an English Architect, went to Japan in 1877 to teach. He was keen to learn about Japanese art and eventually went on […]
Miss Gertrude Jekyll and grand garden designs
Often wondered where Dr Jekyll got his name? Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote the book Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, was friends with Walter Jekyll and borrowed his name. Walter though had a more famous sister, Gertrude Jekyll, who really should be better known for her name and its legacy. Gertrude Jekyll is an architect […]
Fish, for gardening.
In 1999 a couple visited a country manor house with the view to buying the property. They arrived in the dark and never saw the garden. They failed to appreciate the importance of the garden or have any knowledge of its creator Margery Fish. Having purchased the house, they stepped up, took a horticultural course, […]
Coastal gardens befitting an island
I live on an island. I doubt that anyone living in Great Britain is more than 3 hours drive from the coast. Those wind swept coasts face all the compass points, from the arctic Highlands of Scotland to the warmer seas of the south west, the estuaries and white cliffs of the east. Dotted around […]
Drum roll… get your pitchforks and hoes ready!
For the fourth consecutive year I’ve entered my blog into the annual A-Z blogging challenge. From the 1st April to the end of the month, I shall blog each day (except Sundays) using each letter of the alphabet to represent my posts. Themes aren’t compulsory, but I like to use them to help focus my […]
Decisions, decisions…
Shall I or shan’t I, that is the question. Do I have the time? Will I manage to schedule all the posts in advance like I think I’ll do every year but never do then end up doing them the night before the day. I’ve an idea for a theme…. that’s what is tempting me. […]
Zimbabwe House – where art and architecture combine #atozchallenge
And so here we are at Z. Except not quite. I need to go back a little in time before we come to Z properly. Many of my posts have been about houses in rural settings – manor houses and great halls. So for my last post, I’m in London because I feel I’ve neglected […]
Yeldersley Hall – so Mr Bond … #atozchallenge
Houses are homes first and foremost, which means they are as much about the people who live in them as they are bricks and mortar. And then there are the people who come and visit. Yeldersley Hall in Derbyshire is an unassuming, Georgian mansion built in 1800 for Edmund Evans, whose family owned a mill. […]
The Quiet Writer 