Lost Gardens of England: From the Archives of Country Life [Hardcover]

Kathryn Bradley-Hole (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2004 | Series: Country Life

Presenting 46 splendid gardens, long gone, but captured here forever in their heyday, this guide is organized by region and represents a wide range of periods and styles—from the late 1890s through the 1930s—revealing all the enchantment of Victorian and Edwardian garden design. St Catherine’s Court, with its vast parterres and resplendent turf stairway; the great arcaded hedges at Muntham Court; and the fantastic topiary gardens of Brockenhurst Park are included, as are some of the great rock gardens, immensely fashionable in the 1880s, and the cliff-top garden at Bawdsey Manor. Superbly reproduced, these images bear testament to the rich and varied heritage of England’s gardens.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Once upon a time, in a faraway land called England, there lived a race of people who created some of the most opulent and mannered gardens the world has ever seen. Elegant ladies in flowing gowns cast loving looks on their reflections in tranquil, tree-lined pools. Massive topiaries shaped like Egyptian mosques dotted the landscape, and labyrinthine parterres lured visitors with their elaborate mazes. Sadly, the ravages of war and of time itself took their toll on these fabled pleasure lands, destroying their beauty and erasing them from the face of the earth. Our fairy tale has a happy ending, however, thanks to Bradley-Hole and the archives of Country Life magazine. In this lavishly produced monograph, the author captures 46 of these patrician gardens at the height of their aristocratic grandeur in magnificent duotone photographs that hauntingly reveal their elusive, ephemeral glory. Captivating text provides the background on each estate, making this an invaluable resource for gardeners, architects, and historians alike. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“A perceptive and moving look at forty–five now–defunct English gardens that dated from the 1890s to the 1930s.” -- Town & Country

“Thoughtful assemblage of black–and–white photographs, representing over a century of English gardens. Recommended.” -- Choice

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Aurum Press (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185410991X
• ISBN-13: 978-1854109910
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 10.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,423,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The land of fantasy and fairy tale, July 31, 2006

By 

Eva Macdonald (Skanderborg, Denmark) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lost Gardens of England: From the Archives of Country Life (Hardcover)

Being such a splendid book, my only want is that it should be in colours. The book captures the spirit of each garden with pictures and words and it feels like reading a fairy tale.

It also captures an era lost to us now, of grand houses and parties, ladies in white dresses and men smoking cigars and the act of creating exactly the garden fantasy you want whatever the cost. Some are wild, some are amazing, some ar just beautiful but all very interesting and nostalgic to look upon.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hauntingly beautiful reminder of our own mortality, August 22, 2009

By 

Beth Cody "classical libertarian book addict" (Iowa City, IA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lost Gardens of England: From the Archives of Country Life (Hardcover)

"Lost Gardens of England" is one of the better books published about the English garden style. As one who has an extensive collection about the subject, this is the one I keep returning to again and again.

Yes, the photographs are all black and white (this is the pre-war period, after all), but I believe this actually adds to the haunting, mists-of-time quality of the book.

The photographs and excellent narrative descriptions of the fates of these grand gardens remind us of the ultimate fragility and temporary nature of our horticultural efforts, and by extension, of all human efforts.

Some of the gardens look so completely timeless, particularly those done in a classical style with Roman sculptures, that they and the great houses they accompany seem as if they had been there as long as Roman ruins have existed, and would continue undisturbed for millenia. But the designers were merely excellent pretenders, as most gardens did not exist for more than two or three decades -- only during the lifetimes of the owners.

Some were sold to developers and immediately destroyed, some were passed on to new owners who deliberately simplified them, and some merely suffered from neglect: nature has its own idea of what trees and bushes should look like (usually uncontrolled growth, although Dutch Elm disease and other blights took their toll).

"Lost Gardens" shows gardens during the golden period of British gardening, a period curtailed by war, social changes and the destructive British tax system. Gardening there was forever changed, good changes in many respects, but one can mourn the passing of an era, and this book details just what was lost.