'The Gardens of English Heritage' is the first book to describe the magnificent parks and gardens owned by English Heritage, which are far less well-known than its evocative medieval abbeys or Victorian mansions.
Yet these remarkable places offer a wide variety of gardening pleasures. Some have stunning designs, while others are important for their history or their plants. All have wonderfully atmospheric surroundings.
From the formality of Wrest Park and Chiswick House to the rolling parkland around Kenwood House; from Queen Victoria's garden at Osborne, complete with charming vegetable plots for the royal children, to the exotic Quarry Garden at Belsay Hall and the modern restraint of the Contemporary Heritage Scheme, here are gardens from every corner of England and almost every century.
These essays tell the story of how each garden was created and of the sometimes eccentric families who owned them. The decay their trees, fountains and statues so often fell into is described - and the way they have been restored and survive to delight us today.
The 'Gardens of English Heritage' is written by Gillian Mawrey and Linden Groves.
Authors
Gillian Mawrey was born in London and after reading English at Oxford, she worked as a children's books editor. She then studied art history and began writing about historic gardens. She lectures in the UK and abroad and has served on prize juries in Belgium and France. In 1995 she set up the Historic Gardens Foundation (HGF) and currently edits its magazine, 'Historic Gardens Review'.
Linden Groves fell in love with gardens after working with Gillian Mawrey on the HGF's magazine, 'Historic Gardens Review'. Ten years later, she now has a Masters degree in Garden History and is still part of the Review's editorial team. She is the author of 'Historic Parks and Gardens of Cheshire' and a conservation officer with the Garden History Society.
Order your copy today
Published by Frances Lincoln, 'The Gardens of English Heritage' costs £25 and can be ordered from the Online Shop. It is also available at selected English Heritage properties or from all good bookshops.
Buy 'The Gardens of English Heritage'
