Two new books approach the topic of ‘lost’ gardens’ in different ways – both of them beautifully illustrated and both scoring a success, says Tim Richardson
What is a ‘lost’ garden? Discover remarkable stories of lost gardens of London and the world in two new books
Every garden can be considered ‘lost’, to a degree, because of the inherent mutability of plants, the depredations of the weather and neglect. Yet it remains a seductive concept, finessed in different ways in the two new books under review.
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Following on from the success of his last book, English Garden Eccentrics (2022), Todd Longstaffe-Gowan here reprises his role as a connoisseur of garden curiosities – all of them this time situated in the capital city (or at least, within the M25).
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The book is structured chronologically, starting with the earliest recorded London gardens, such as those at royal Sheen (later Richmond) Palace, completed in 1501, and the lavish courtyard gardens in the ‘palaces’ situated along the Strand, recently chronicled in a fine book by Manolo Guerci (whom the author rightly acknowledges). Modern references are occasionally dropped in, to disarming effect – including mention of the Marble Arch ‘mount’, which was erected by Westminster Council in 2021, for no discernible reason; it was widely mocked and closed within six months.
There is much that is unfamiliar or original to be enjoyed here, with amusing stories, all of them well told and reliable in their detail
If there is a theme to the book – and the author himself attempts no overview – it is perhaps the notion of ‘spectacle’, since so many London gardens (such as the aforementioned mount) were made to impress, often involving entrance fees. Doomed enterprises such as the menageries of exotic animals and birds to be found at Oxford Street and Earl’s Court in the mid 19th century, or the Notting Hill racecourse, which flourished for a few years west of the Portobello Road, are fun to read about and have not been described in such detail anywhere else.
There is much else that is unfamiliar or original to be enjoyed here. The chapter on pleasure gardens, for example, covers Vauxhall, as it must, but equally the lesser known (and cheaper) White Conduit House in Pentonville, which boasted a cricket pitch and a model church with a delightful ring of bells. Its horticultural display was said to be superior than Vauxhall’s, with the shrubberies ‘brilliantly illuminated’ at night. We also learn of the 18th-century Peerless Pool, an open-air swimming spot, with an adjacent fishing pond, situated on the north side of Old Street. Here, customers could enjoy ‘warm sea-water baths’ even in this most urban of settings. The book is packed with such glimpses of London’s horticultural past, where garden spaces have often been transient affairs. It is beautifully illustrated and filled with amusing stories, all of them well told and reliable in their detail.
Sandra Lawrence’s Lost Gardens of the World is altogether more lightweight but certainly has its charms. The selection criteria are a little mysterious, since many of the places described are today by no means ‘lost’, and are in fact extremely well known – gardens such as Heligan, Het Loo and the Villa d’Este. More welcome is the way entries are complemented not by photographs but by colourful, attractive and distinctive illustrations.
Ultimately, this is an enjoyable, light-touch romp through gardens which in most cases have suffered from neglect at some point. Scattered among the ‘greatest hits’ are a number of unfamiliar gardens. There are revealing entries on Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest estate, which is now being conserved to focus on the lives of his enslaved workforce, and I had never even heard of Fontana Rosa, at Menton on the French Riviera, a derelict ‘theatrical’ extravaganza created by a Spanish novelist in the 1920s. I also knew nothing of the part-restored Garden of Dreams in Kathmandu, or the garden at the Madinat al-Zahra, or ‘shining city’, near Cordoba – the oldest of Spain’s Islamic gardens, destroyed in 1013 and now gradually being unearthed. This is an idiosyncratic but engagingly readable book – a suitable gift for general readers and garden enthusiasts alike.
An exhibition, Lost Gardens of London, can be seen at the Garden Museum from 23 October 2024 to 2 March 2025. gardenmuseum.org.uk
Lost Gardens of London by Todd Longstaffe-Gowan Modern Art Press, £25 ISBN 978-1738487806
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Lost Gardens of the World: An Atlas of Forgotten Horticultural Treasures by Sandra Lawrence Frances Lincoln, £19.99 ISBN 978-0711292680
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