The London Gardens Walk

 

Taking a walk is good for the health, but taking one with a purpose is also good for the brain.  So if you are a resident with some free time or are a visitor to England's great capital, then this video is the perfect way to discover a whole different side to London that you perhaps don't know about.

Tom Turner, the garden historian behind the excellent and informative Gardenvisit.com offers The London Gardens Walk (or Cycle Ride).  A tour through 4,000 years of garden design history over 20.3 miles (32.7 km) of fascinating London.  Here is the video,  and if you are planning to take the walk the website page also has a useful Google map marking the route.  

Tom has also produced a Kindle guide to the walk / cycle that is available from Amazon UK and Amazon US. 

Gardens Have a Purpose

Ranelagh

One of the reasons that garden history so fascinated me is that gardens reach into all aspects of culture and society.  They are integral to why and who we are.  In academic parlance they are the epitome of an interdisciplinary subject.

Take the example of the tea gardens made in London - particularly the Vauxhall Tea Gardens and the more upper market Ranelagh Garens which are the subject of this great post by 'Two Nerdy History Girls'.

Vauxhall

These gardens were so much more than gardens - they were the location for trans-social interactions, the location for romantic assignations without chaperone, a stage for mass entertainments, the beginnings of mass catering, pioneering outdoor lighting, advertising, and the logistics.  All in all,  most complex and profitable business ventures.

So when you think of or visit historic gardens look beyond the obvious and explore the fascinating ways in which gardens have shaped and been shaped by cultures, societies, fashions and so much more!

 

Nursery Gardens - Gardening in the Thames-side Parishes 1650-1850

One of the aspects of garden history that is particularly over-looked is the market and nursery garden.  For sure, they are not as glamorous as Duke-this and Earl-that's huge ornamental garden complementing an equally vast pile in the country.

Yet, they are equally fascinating, and one of their 'problems' is that in many cases there is no surviving evidence.  For practical reasons such gardens were located on the periphery of cities, and were subsequently obliterated as urban centers sprawled.

Thank goodness, therefore, for dedicated garden historians who research and publish on these fascinating gardens.  I have mentioned Malcolm Thick in a previous post, and here I should like to introduce Val Bott and her excellent  blog 'Nursery Gardens - Gardening in the Thames-side Parishes 1650-1850'.  Do take a look and immerse yourselves in a fascinating world.

Garden History Inspiring the Contemporary - Again

A site called Treehugger reports that ‘Derelict Docks in London Will be Transformed into "Pleasure Gardens" for the 2012 Olympics’.  The Aim of the Pleasure Gardens is, and I quote:

‘This is a two stage project to kick start the regeneration of The Royal Docks. The first stage involves bringing East London Culture to The Olympic Last Mile, the second stage aims to support the cultural legacy of the games through the provision of a multi-functional cultural destination.  We will transform Pontoon Dock from its current state of dereliction into a cultural hub for Londoners seeking a vibrant and exciting cultural experience that is both avant-garde and inclusive. During the Olympics, we will be proud to say, this is our London – an innovative and creative world, acclaimed for its cultural influence, yet previously without a defined hub.  The Pleasure Gardens will provide London with a 60,000 sq.m waterside leisure park featuring both year-round attractions and seasonal spectaculars.’

Interestingly, today's Royal Victoria Gardens which was opened in 1890 and is also in the Borough of Newham, was created on what was then last surviving Pleasure Garden in London - the full story is via the above link.

Vauxhall Gardens c.1751

The concept of the Pleasure Garden can be traced back to 18th century London with Vauxhall and Ranelagh Gardens being perhaps the most famous. These were places which charged a small entrance fee, where members of the opposite sex could meet (who knows what happened in the shrubberies!?) and where tea was served.  Indeed, today’s gem of useless information is the origin of giving TIPS  - a coin for the serving staff was placed on the table when you sat down To Insure Prompt Service.

Ranelagh Gardens 1754

I'll post something on the history of tea soon but in the meantime, here is more fascinating information on Vauxhall and Ranlelagh and their social context, together with information about tea gardens on a delightful blog called Jane Austen’s World.