20th Century Archives - The Gardens Trust

History Hub

Articles found in Century Group: 20th Century

People

Percy Cane

Few people today have heard of garden designer Percy Cane. Yet at the height of his career in the 1950s, Country Life said he was as much in demand as Capability Brown had ever been.

People

Elsie Wagg

The Hermitage was Elsie Wagg’s much-loved Sussex home, but her garden inspired something much bigger. In 1926, she came up with an idea that would open hundreds of gardens across England and Wales

Topics

Origins of the National Garden Scheme

In 1927, something rather unusual was happening in gardens across England and Wales. Private gardens, normally hidden behind gates and walls, were opening their doors to the public – all in aid of nursing charities.

People

Margery Fish

Without any previous experience of gardening, Margery Fish made one of the most celebrated informal gardens of the mid-20th century and used her writing skills to share what she had learnt in the process

Places

Cecil Pinsent and his Gardens in Tuscany

Eleonora Tonon takes us on a tour of Cecil Pinsent’s famous 20th Century gardens in Tuscany, from their inspiration to their creation.

People

Cecil Pinsent

Cecil Pinsent trained in London before settling in Florence, where he created symmetrical, geometrically ordered Tuscan gardens for the vibrant local Anglo-American expatriate community.

Styles / Topics

A History of Italian Influence on English Gardens

English gardens have been deeply intertwined with Italian design since Roman antiquity, evolving through Tudor symmetry, classical 18th-century revivalism, and Victorian geometric formalism.

Places

East Lambrook Manor Gardens

When she created East Lambrook Manor Garden, from a farmyard and a rubbish heap, Marjorie Fish developed a new cottage garden style that had a huge influence on garden owners of the time and is still relevant today

Places

Upton Grey Manor Gardens

The Edwardian gardens at Upton Grey Manor House in Hampshire display the talent and artistry of the garden designer Gertrude Jekyll and remain a delight to wander round and explore