Capability Brown and the Ashridge Estate (1761-68)

Interesting historical records can turn up anywhere - and more and more are ending up on specialist web sites. The above account book entry relates to the Duke of Bridgewater's account when Capability Brown was laying out the Ashridge Estate. You may read the account book on the Royal Horticultural Society's web site. 

More About Ashridge

If you have found some interesting historical documents about Hertfordshire on an unexpected web site why not share the information by commenting below.

Growing food at Abbots Langley School in the First World War

Working in the Garden at Abbots Langley School

The Japanese Garden in Hertfordshire

Herbert Cooke (1865-1937) began developing a 6-acre garden in Cottered in 1905 after a visit to he made to Japan in that year. Japanese garden features were imported and the design was developed over the following 30 years. In 1923, Japanese designer Kusumoto Seyemon was engaged to complete the design, incorporated a lake, streams, cascades, stone work, buildings, gates and arches with maples, azaleas, wisteria, bamboo, iris on dwarf conifers. Kusumoto worked periodically over the next three years. The Japanese-style garden still occupies 2.5 hectares with additional ornamental garden and woodland of 2 hectares. The house is on the English Heritage Register (GD1545). 

Cottered Japanes Garden

Cottered

This garden was featured on the BBV TV programme Gardeners' World earlier this evening and will should be available to view on the BBC site for about a week. The garden is private and not normally open to the public, but will be opening on Sunday (June 23rd) from 11.00 am – 4.00 pm as part of the Cottered Village Festival. 

The BBC approached me to see if they could use the above picture of the gardens in about the 1930's, from my Cottered page, but finally decides to use a somewhat earlier newspaper cutting.

Hertfordshire Gardens on Ermine Street - by the Hertfordshire Garden Trust & Richard Bisgrove

I have posted a "draft" review page for this book and will add a contents list and review on request. This will allow me to include more books - only reviewing those that are of proven interest to visitors to this site. If you have a copy why not help others by sending me a review.

Did Jerome Ltd (photographers) produce any Hertfordshire photographs?

Cottered

The Japanese Garden at Cottered

A recent query drew my attention to the Cottered page and this photograph of the Japanese Garden which was started in 1906 with further developments in 1923.

Post Cards, Etc

I wanted to check the date and the back of the card had the name Jerome Ltd. The company had a wide number of shops throughout Great Britain between the wars, and up to the 1950s - but most of their output seems to have been portrait photographs. A check of trade directories between the wars failed to show any shops in Hertfordshire and it may be that this picture, and another, currently on sale on ebay, showing a hut at High Leigh, Hoddesden, may have been taken by someone else and Jerome Ltd simply produced the prints. So have you ever come across any post cards, or other pictures linked to Hertfordshire by Jerome Ltd?

Flog it at Ashridge House, near Berkhamsted

The BBC TV program "Flog It"- which values your antiques and then sells some of them off at auction - is coming to Ashridge on 31st August.

The Rhododendron Walk
circa 1930

In addition it has been announced that the plans to restore the gardens at Ashridge House are to include replanting the rhododendrons which line the Wellintonia Avenue, as original mass of different coloured varieties has been lost because of the vigorous growth from the rootstock. I have therefore added "new" old post card images of the gardens to the web site - all of which can be enlarged by clicking the displayed picture. (Even larger images are available on request). At the same time I have added a menu to the Ashridge Pages.

The Gardens at Ashridge House

 As part of my plans to have a short break over the Jubilee period I went with the Tring U3A Gardening Group to see the historic gardens at Ashridge House which are currently being restored. 

Some Views of the Gardens at Ashridge House  taken by Chris Reynolds on Geograph
ArmorialGarden	Rhododendrons	Italianate Garden
Terrace Garden	Wellingtonia Avenue	The Lawns

I have now posted over 30 pictures of these historically important gardens on Geograph, some taken this year and some taken on a visit at the end of May three years ago. I have also added three pictures of the excavations which are uncovering the remains of the medieval church that stood on the site.

The Parks and Gardens of West Hertfordshire

The Parks and Gardens of West Hertfordshire is one of the excellent books published by the Hertfordshire Gardens Trust. It is well illustrated, with many garden plans, some dating back to the eighteenth century. Over 40 West Herts parks and gardens are mentions, in some cases in considerable detail. I was most impressed with the information on Tring Park, where I was walking only a few days ago.

If your ancestors were associated with one of the larger houses in the area, perhaps even as a gardener, this book could be of particular interest, and by getting a copy from the Trust you would be helping the excellent research into historic gardens which they are doing.