Cherrill Sands ~ Garden Historian

ILLUSTRATED TALKS

Cherrill Sands

Garden Historian

Women Writers and their Gardens

Gardens can be perfect settings for dramatic

scenes. They are traditionally a space away

from the conventions of society and allow for all

kinds of freedom. Plants and rejuvenating nature

may also reflect the story, as an allegory for

nurture, hope and renewal. In their stories, wom-

en writers Jane Austen, Frances Hodgson Bur-

nett, Agatha Christie and others, weave in their

thoughts on gardens, society, healing and the

cycle of life, often inspired by their own

experiences and gardens.

Arts & Crafts Gardens in the South East

Arts and Crafts gardens were places to be

enjoyed and explored, being both beautiful

and practical. Profuse romantic planting was

combined with yew hedges and topiary,

providing a sensuous, nostalgic style which

contrasted with the reality of increasing urban

development. Three talented people

influenced these gardens; William Morris at

Red House; William Robinson at Gravetye;

and Gertrude Jekyll, an outstanding multi-

skilled craftswoman, whose garden designs

are still admired today.

Georgian Gardens – the ‘Natural’ Style

The English Landscape Movement, or

‘Natural Style’, which started in Britain and

spread across Europe then on to America,

had sweeping dramatic landscapes, with

lakes, trees, views and eye-catching

follies. Gardening was considered an art

form alongside painting and poetry. This

appreciation of nature has stayed with us

in our art, literature and landscape.

The Remarkable Miss Jekyll.

Gertrude Jekyll is known primarily today as a garden

designer and plantswoman, though she was also a talented

artist and photographer. As a key figure in the Arts & Crafts

Movement, Miss Jekyll also created designs for embroidery,

jewellery, ceramics and wallpaper. This talks explores her

designs, planting plans and some surviving gardens.

Parks: Medieval, Georgian and Public

In the Medieval period, parks were enclosed areas for hunting and entertaining by the

ruling elite. By the 18th century there was a desire for an idyllic Arcadian landscape

with reflective lakes, trees and shrubs, creating different moods. By contrast Public

Parks, begun in Victorian times, were created to improve life for the urban masses and

were filled with facilities and attractions. These vital green spaces continue to be a

lifeline for many.

The Gardens & Plants of Andalucia

Andalucian gardens fuse the skills and

designs of the Moors, who arrived in Spain in

the 8th century, with exotic plants from

America, Renaissance design and later

Romantic ideals, which combine to create

wonderful gardens which still impress and

delight us today. This talk looks at gardens in

Cordoba, Seville and Granada.

Tulips & Turbans

The vibrant colour of tulips, heralding spring, and the beauty of

its form has delighted many people, over the centuries, from

kings to commoners. Hear the story of how the tulip came to

Europe, the excitement of its ‘breaking’ colour and subsequent

tulip mania, then the later tulip craze in Turkey. With a final

glimpse of the many forms which can be grown today.

Carl Linnaeus – the Man and his Gardens

Carl Linnaeus, Swedish botanist and

physician, is known for devising the binomial

plant classification, but in this talk the

emphasis will be on the man as a gardener, a

traveller and a teacher who inspired his

students to travel the world. At the botanic

garden in Uppsala over 3,000 plant species

were grown in different environments. At

Hammarby, his farm and summer retreat, a

variety of plants were grown and a small

‘museum in the air’, built for his books and

collections of the natural world.

Gardens of Surrey

With the benefit of a varied landscape, gentle

climate and proximity to London, Surrey has long

been a popular place to live and create gardens.

From formal 17th century terraces, to Arcadian

parks of the 18th century, through Arts & Crafts

delights to Victorian grandeur and gardens which

have developed during the 20

century.(Albury,

Painshill, Titsey Place & Munstead Wood and

others).

Women Gardeners of the 20

Century

The twentieth century brought some

emancipation for women, acceptance at

horticultural colleges, and for some, artistic

fulfilment in the garden. Hear about creative

women and their gardens, including Ger-

trude Jekyll at Munstead Wood,

Vita Sackville-West at Sissinghurst and

Beth Chatto, with her nursery Unusual

Plants, amongst others.

Follies

Gardens and landscapes have been used for

pleasure and entertainment for hundreds of

years. Owners added banqueting and bath

houses, tempting temples, sham castles,

towers to climb and grottoes to explore. While

some buildings had a practical purpose, others

were to set a scene and provide an experience

- of surprise, suspense, whimsy or fun!

Cherrill Sands

Garden Historian

cherrill@gardenhistory.co.uk

+44 (0)1932 222 704

“a really interesting talk...the illustrations

were excellent”

Chertsey U3A

“a wonderful presentation ….. your love

for historical gardening was self evident ... a

memorable occasion”

BWC Social Club

Cherrill Sands is a garden historian

with an MA in the Conservation of

Landscapes, Park & Gardens.

She has been engaged as Historical

Consultant at Painshill Landscape

Garden in Surrey since 2004. As a

freelance speaker she presents talks

throughout the UK and abroad on

garden history and theatre studies .

Cherrill is a former Chair of the

educational charity Surrey Gardens

Trust and remains a member of their

Research Team. She enjoys

discovering the endless variety of

gardens around the world and all

aspects of garden history and design

- while trying to impose some order

on her own patch of ground at home.