LECTURE REVIEWS

Victorian Gardens

An illustrated talk by Steve Coghill, a member of the Otley Centre.

As U3A members packed into the Constable Hall on Wednesday, February 13^th, and Lucy, our Chairman, came to the end of all relevant announcements, Steve arrived in the nick of time to give us what proved to be a very interesting lecture on Victorian Gardens.  I have to say I admired his composure, not a trace of panic!

Prior to teaching at Otley College Steve had been a landscape gardener working in North Essex, so very “Hands On”.  His lecture provided boundless evidence of how gardening reached its zenith during the Victorian Age, the Industrial Revolution sparking a passion for this most rewarding of past-times.   The projected photographs were proof indeed of how the rich and famous planted fashionable gardens containing many ornamental features of their own design made under the guidance of their head gardeners.  Immaculate lawns provided the basis of circular walks.  Rose gardens became extremely popular heralding the production of many different varieties, together with exotic plants now being brought in by collectors from abroad.  Elegance prevailed!   Steve projected some wonderful photographs using bedding plants, piece de resistance, “The Royal Crown”,  Wonderful!  Topiary became a new hobby together with the formation of artificial rockeries using pulhamite, a version of artificial stone which could be cast in moulds to make balustrades, urns, statues, and many other features which graced these gardens.   Italianate Gardens, many of which survive today, thrived.   Ixworth, on our doorstep, provides a typical example.  Finally he mentioned the  ”Gnomes” which made their debut during this era, one of which is still secretly smuggled into the Chelsea Flower Show after judging.

Thank you Steve for those excellent photographs, I am sure I speak for all the members present in saying “Glad you made it in Time”.

Kate Harrison.