Historic gardener best

http://www.historicgardener.co.uk/

THE HISTORIC GARDENER

The Historic Gardener can provide a fascinating insight into the plants and gardens of

bygone times. Whether you wanted to appear more beautiful, relieve pain, improve a meal

or kill a few rats, there were plants for every need.

I provide garden displays in period costume from the

Romans to WW2. I can also be a monastic

herbalist/gardener, Nicholas Culpepper or any other

historical gardener or herbalist.

With a large collection of genuine and replica historic

gardening tools, I provide a display of tools, plants and

the uses of plants; I can even demonstrate the use of the

tools in a garden on your own site.

My displays and talks are designed to be interesting and fun for all ages.

In 2016 we shall be celebrating 300 years of Capability Brown. Why do some people call ‘Capability Brown’ a vandal? Would England have the landscape scenery that we tend to think of as ‘Typically English’ if Capability Brown had not ripped out the formal gardens of previous garden designers.

I can impersonate Capability Brown to explain your garden, or if you

wish, be a ‘Landskip’ Gardener, to survey your garden and set it out in

the latest fashion with the help of the children.

For either of these I can still provide a display that will

interest all age groups.

Other Services

I can provide guided tours of your garden in costume to suit your requirements.

Herb/Nature walks to talk about the plants that grow on your site. This will include

folklore and historical uses of the plants.

Formal talks using a digital projector.

I have Public Liabilty Insurance of £10,000,00 through Equity.

Risk Assessments can be provided for all events and talks.


THE HISTORIC GARDENER http://www.historicgardener.co.uk/

I am an experienced ex - Head Gardener with an

MA in Garden History.

I have also been a lecturer in horticulure at Moulton College.

I researched and created the Medieval Gardens at the

Prebendal Manor at Nassington.

http://www.prebendal-manor.co.uk/index.html

Alan Titchmarsh described the gardens as a "stunning example of a recreated

medieval garden".

(Royal Gardeners Pub., BBC, 2003).

I have also worked as a consultant for other gardens.

I now work independently to provide historic gardening displays and talks for

heritage sites, schools, and gardening/ history societies.

New for 2015 –

Ghastly Gardening – A ‘Horrible History’ style display/talk!

Gardening may not be quite as gruesome as the work of a barber surgeon, but

it has its moments. It wasn’t all sweetness and delight; horticulture has its own

Horrible History too! Evicted peasants, hermits, murder and ‘widow makers’-

all in the name of Gardening!

See my Gravity fields video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alCy4Ulq7xw


http://www.prebendal-manor.co.uk/index.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alCy4Ulq7xw


Photographs of the Historic Gardener


Contact Me:

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 01604 470 651

Mobile: 07500 464 149

Address: 41, Charnwood Avenue, Northampton. NN3 3DX.

Web: http://www.historicgardener.co.uk/



My Talks

I offer talks on all aspects of plants and gardens, both ancient and modern.

All of my talks can be adapted to suit your requirements. I can give the talk in period

costume and provide a table display for some talks.

The talks are designed to be informative and light hearted so that they can be

enjoyed by all.

All talks are presented using good quality images. I supply my own projector, laptop and

screen.

A selection of my talks – please ask about others.

‘Death in the Garden’ – One of my most popular talks. Poisonous plants, Myths, Magic,

Passion and Murder. Be warned, many of these plants may well be growing in your garden.

‘Flora and Pomona’ - A roman slave gardener will help you to understand the practical and

luxurious gardens of ancient Rome. What did the Romans do for us? They gave us Ground

Elder for a start!

‘In a Monastery Garden’ – Monastic Gardens will be explained by Brother Michael,

including their uses, symbolism and features.

‘Gardens in the Age of Chivalry’ - Medieval Gardens- Michael the Gardener will lead you

through a medieval garden, explaining the garden features, uses of the garden and some of

the plants.

‘Knots and Bowers’ - Tudor Gardens - garden features, uses of the garden and some plants.

How the Tudors enjoyed their gardens.

‘Many a Sundry Flower’ - The early uses of plants: medical, culinary, cosmetic and practical.

‘Ghastly Gardening - Horticulture’s Horrible History’ – It wasn’t all sweetness and delight;

horticulture has its own Horrible History too! Evicted peasants, hermits, murder and ‘widow

makers’- all in the name of Gardening!


‘Shakespeare’s Flowers’ – Flowers in the Bard’s plays, with myths and legends.

‘The Splendour of the Baroque Garden’ – Fortunes were spent trying to out-do the

neighbouring estates.

‘Et in Arcadia Ego’ – The Georgian Garden could be very formal, but as sons returned from

the ‘Grand Tour’ many changes rapidly took place as the wealthy holiday makers returned

home and wanted to re-create the rural idyll of ancient Greece and Rome.

‘The Glory of the Garden’ – The Victorian and Edwardian Garden and the gardeners who did

the real work. Based around Kipling’s poem, Mr. Brown, Head Gardener to the Right

Honourable de Basing, will describe the gardener’s life from apprentice, through to a

journeyman, to finally becoming a Head Gardener. He will also talk about all the work that

gardeners carried out, including glasshouses, planting, different garden areas and the work

involved.

‘All in a Garden Green’ – Take a pleasant stroll up the garden path to learn about the

different areas or buildings that you may find in an historic garden. Temples, bridges,

hermitages and some more unusual features that you may want to investigate during your

next garden visit.

‘Early Gardening Methods’ – The gardener’s work form the Roman times onwards. Some

methods make good sense today; others are interesting, but of dubious value or positively

dangerous.

‘A Bouquet of Weeds’ – Instead of just digging them up, do something useful with the

unloved weeds in your garden.

‘The Language of Flowers’ – A Victorian Gentleman’s amorous adventures described

through the now mostly forgotten language of flowers. Flowers, social history and romance;

what more could you ask for?

‘Making a Splash’ – The history of fountains and the use of water in the garden from the

Romans to modern times. How to find a suitable water source and build an historic water

feature. Some ideas are still great for use in your garden today.

‘Gods in the Garden’ – Why statues were placed in gardens throughout history, and the

myths behind them. Love, magic and fable; who needs TV, when visiting gardens will

become much more interesting after hearing this talk.

‘We made a Medieval Garden’ – How I created the medieval garden at The Prebendal

Manor, Nassington, Northants. Research, how we made the garden; success and the

problems!


OTHER TALKS

‘A Medieval Christmas’ –Christmas traditions and Christmas music played on early

instruments. I can also adapt this to most other historical periods.

‘Pilgrimage – In search of Saints and Relics’ – Pilgrimage could be carried out for devout

reasons or as excuse as a holiday. Join me on a journey to distant shrines and witness the

miracles and frauds of pilgrimage.

‘We saved the Westmorland Archive’ – How this famous archive was saved for

Northamptonshire and a look through some of the fascinating contents that record life in an

area of Northamptonshire.


Some Previous Historic Gardener Events

Over the years I have appeared at many historical events, sometimes at the same venue for

some years in the same or different guises.

There are far too many societies that have booked me for talks for me to include.

National Trust:

The Vyne - Georgian Gardener.

Lyveden New Bield - Tudor Gardener. This ran for Several years.

Hardwick Hall - Tudor Gardener.

Wallington – The Romans are coming!

Chedworth Roman Villa – Victorian Gardening.

Waddesdon – Roman Weekend.

English Heritage

Belsay Hall – Georgian Picnic. A three day event. The Head Gardener.

Prebendal Manor -

'Meet the Medieval Gardener', This ran for several years.

Monk Herbalist.

Nicholas Colnet, physician to Henry IV.

Acton Court - Tudor Gardener/Death in the Garden.

Whittington Castle - Medieval Gardener in the recently discovered medieval gardens of the

castle.

Dunstable Priory House - Tudor Gardener.

Medieval Gardener.

Monk Herbalist.

'A Medieval Christmas'. - This included hands on activities for children and adults. A talk

'A Medieval Christmas' and period food. Great fun!

Gloucester - History Day. Monk Gardener/Herbalist.

Llancaiach Fawr Manor - Wales - Stuart Gardener.

http://historicgardener.co.uk/past-events.html




Revolution House - Chesterfield. - Tudor Gardener.

Salisbury Museum - Georgian Gardener.

Stony Stratford - Medieval Gardener. I opened the recently created 'Queen Eleanor Garden.'

Piddington Roman Villa - Archaeology Days - Roman Gardener.

This ran for several years.

Woburn Abbey.

History Day - Monk Gardener.

Garden Show - Humphry Repton.

Woolwich Arsenal Tall Ships Festival. Five day event. Georgian surveyor- Land and sea.



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