Overview

For well over 200 years the outlines of King William's private garden at Hampton Court lay in secret under the soil. Today, after pioneering archaeology and discoveries in the archives, an ambitious garden reconstruction has brought the ensemble back to view. The authors of this work have been closely involved with the project from the very beginning. They give a full account of the remaking of the garden, revealing the thinking behind it and the mechanics of the vast operation of planting.

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9781899531011

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A fascinating little history of the recently restored Privy Garden at Hampton Court. Not designed by Henry VIII or Thomas Wolsey as commonly believed, the Privy Garden was actually the result of a celebration of the baroque spirit during the reign of William and Mary, both great gardeners, in the 1700s. Although the gardens had been present during Henry VIII's time and were indeed renowned throughout Europe, it was William III, choosing Hampton Court as his new great palace to escape, even then, London's pollution, who instilled his own very definite ideas on the gardens. A collaboration of English, French and Dutch design, these new, enlarged formal gardens encapsulated the style of the age: parterres, topiary and 'moveable pots' containing William's beloved tender plants. Reconstructed in the 1990s to how they were in William and Mary's time, the progress of the project attracted much attention, drawing media interest even before the work was completed. Illustrated with old prints, paintings and aerial photographs of the reconstructions, this book gives a full pictorial overview of the project. Written by two authors linked to the restoration project: Mavis Batey, President of the Garden History Society and Jan Wouldstra, landscape historian, their close involvement adds authority to the text. This is an ideal guide for either visitors to the palace, students of garden history or anyone with an interest in our royal and horticultural heritage. - Lucy Watson

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