New Book
An altogether different kind of book on English gardens—the first of its kind—a look at the history of England’s magnificent gardens as a history of Britain itself, from the seventeenth-century gardens of Charles II to those of Prince Charles today. In this rich, revelatory history, Sir Roderick Floud, one of Britain’s preeminent economic historians, writes that gardens have been created in Britain since Roman times but that their true growth began in the seventeenth century; by the eighteenth century, nurseries in London took up 100 acres, with ten million plants (!) that were worth more than all of the nurseries in France combined. Floud’s book takes us through more than three centuries of English history as he writes of the kings, queens, and princes whose garden obsessions changed the landscape of England itself, from Stuart, Georgian, and Victorian England to today’s Windsors. We see the designers of royal estates—among them, Henry Wise, William Kent, Humphrey Repton, and the greatest of all English gardeners, “Capability” Brown, who created the 150-acre lake of Blenheim Palace, earned millions annually, and designed more than 170 parks, many still in existence today. We learn how gardening became a major catalyst for innovation (central heating came from experiments to heat greenhouses with hot-water pipes); how the new iron industry of industrializing Britain supplied a myriad of tools (mowers, pumps, and the boilers that heated the greenhouses); and, finally, Floud explores how gardening became an enormous industry as well as an art form in Britain, and by the nineteenth century was unrivaled anywhere in the world.
About the Author:
SIR RODERICK FLOUD was born in Barnes, England, and was educated at Oxford University in economic history. He has held many teaching and research positions at British colleges and has been vice-chancellor of London Metropolitan University, president of Universities UK, and vice president of the European University Association. He holds honorary fellowships from Cambridge, Oxford, and the Historical Association, as well as honorary degrees from City University London and the University of Westminster. Floud is a Fellow of the British Academy and of the Academia Europaea and received a knighthood for services to higher education.
England’s Magnificent Gardens by Roderick Floud, read by Gildart Jackson
England’s Magnificent Gardens by Roderick Floud Reviews:
“One of the most important books on garden history in the last half century; for anyone serious about the subject, Floud’s book is a must-buy.” —Historic Gardens
A very different kind of gardening book. It’s not about design or horticultural techniques but is a history—the first of its kind, the author claims—of the economics of gardening, financial excess and all, from Charles II to today . . . Extraordinarily interesting [and] full of fascinating detail about everything from working-class gardens, kitchen gardens and nurseries to the astonishing cost of some rare plants and their shrinking value over time.” —The Sunday Times (London)
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