The Garden Trust’s journal Garden History was first published by the Garden History Society in 1972. It quickly became a highly respected source of original research for the emerging discipline of garden history. Now the Gardens Trust have published a special anniversary edition, both in print and online, to mark its 50th year.
Over the last 50 years, the reputation of Garden History has grown, becoming not only the ‘go to’ journal for established garden history academics, but also the journal where emerging students and knowledgeable amateurs can share their peer-reviewed research. It covers every aspect of the history of parks, gardens and landscape from the earliest known gardens up to the twentieth century. Publishing this anniversary edition online aims to encourage more people to explore the fascinating stories of garden and landscape history from medieval plantsmanship to the Corbusian landscape.
The anniversary edition is available to browse for free on our dedicated website http://thegardenstrust50th.org
Research like this is not only of academic interest. It provides vital evidence for the appropriate protection and restoration of significant gardens and landscapes, and inspires the gardeners and designers who look after them. It has also drawn attention to gardens that were little known or thought to be lost, such as Painswick Rococo Garden in Gloucestershire, which was reclaimed and restored following an article in Garden History.
The anniversary journal revisits 13 papers from every decade of the past 50 years, updating them with new perspectives from today. The essays include:
- Mavis Batey and Christopher Woodward on the garden at Rousham
- Andrew Jasper responding to an article by John Sales, his predecessor as head of gardens at the National Trust, about garden restoration past and present
- Brian Dix and Stephen Wass on the restoration of Nesfield’s parterre at Witley Court
- The Dutch Garden and its influence in essays by David Jacques and Jan Woudstra
- Brent Elliott’s essay on the move from the arboreturm of the 19th century to the woodland garden of the early 20th century revisited by Paul Elliott
- Tom Williamson responding to Oliver Cox’s ground-breaking article about the iconography of Stourhead
as well as pairs of articles on medieval plantmanship (John H Harvey and David Jacques), the gardens of Versailles (Christopher Thacker and Sally Jeffery), John Evelyn’s writing on garden design (Peter H Goodchild and John Dixon Hunt), the Renaissance Garden (Roy Strong and Paula Henderson), an overview of the Picturesque (Mavis Batey and Michael Symes), the Corbusian Landscape (Jan Woudstra and Elain Harwood), and the Neo-classical gardens of Ian Hamilton Finlay (Patrick Eyres). Browse or search the essays on our website.
Publishing this special journal is a reflection of the Gardens Trust’s commitment to ensuring that the study and research of garden history continues to evolve and remain relevant, both now and in the future. It will be sent to new members of the Gardens Trust, or copies can be ordered for £20 by emailing membership@thegardenstrust.org.uk.
The anniversary journal was made possible by a grant from the Finnis Scott Foundation and donations from many individual Garden Trust members, and the sponsorship of the SDS Group, who produced the online edition. We are grateful to them all for their support.
Download the press release here.
To become a member of the Gardens Trust visit our Join page.
Photographs of contributors and articles available.
Contact: Linden Groves lindengroves@thegardenstrust.org
