The Lost Gardens of Heligan [Paperback]

Tim Smit (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000

Until World War I, the estate gardens of Heligan were one of the glories of Cornwall. This book tells the story of the restoration of these gardens after 70 years of neglect, against the backdrop of local opposition and a lack of funding.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tim Smit was born in 1954 and educated at Durham University. As well as the Lost Gardens of Heligan, he is the prime mover behind the hugely successful and world famous Eden Project, the major millennium-funded ecological/horticultural venture near St Austell.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Gollancz (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0575402458
• ISBN-13: 978-0575402454
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 5.5 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #273,365 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Uneven Account of a Romantic Ruin, July 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lost Gardens of Heligan (Paperback)

We all have a fascination with man-made works that lie in ruins. Rose Macauley wrote an entire book on "The Pleasure of Ruins." Think of the ruins of the Acropolis, all that white marble bleaching in the Athenian sun. But then, think of the Acropolis as it was when it was built-- its many statues covered with what we would consider gaudy paint. Which does the modern eye prefer? Somehow, the romance of ruins wins out, and it is the ruin of Heligan that seduces us rather than its restoration. Restoring the lost gardens of Heligan, in Cornwall, has been Tim Smit's enviable job for the past decade. Heligan "fell asleep" after WWI, when much of its gardening workforce was drafted to fight. Smit is at his best when he describes the eerie atmosphere of the overgrown gardens under their canopy of self-seeded trees. Ghosts haunted the gardens, spreading a creepy air, and Smit relates how he had to call in a vicar to exorcise them. Smit's account lags, though, in the many paragraphs devoted to the nitty gritty of dealing with camera crews, staffing the ticket booth and applying for various grants. Unfortunately, Smit's earnest writing would have greatly benefited from collaboration with a professional writer. While this book describes a wondrous project, Smit's writing is often tedious. Personalities don't quite emerge as clearly as certain plants do. Still, I'd recommend this book to any serious gardener. The book is nicely illustrated with many color photographs that evoke the romantic atmosphere of the ruins as well as show the beautifully-restored, productive gardens of today.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing, May 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lost Gardens of Heligan (Hardcover)

For anyone even remotely interested in gardens this is the book for you. A totally absorbing chronicle of the restoration of a unique Victorian garden in Cornwall, Great Britain. To think I once lived only 10 miles from it and never knew of its existence makes me want to make a return visit to Cornwall to see this magnificent restoration.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, July 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lost Gardens of Heligan (Hardcover)

You will love this if you are interested in gardening. Especially old gardening tools which are a favorite of mine.