FLOREAT ETONA’, as all good classicists know, means ‘May Eton Flourish’. But its near-gardening connotations are fitting, as the horticultural history of the college stretches back to its royal founder, Henry VI. When he died in 1471, he left provision for gardens in his will: ‘The space between the wall of the Church and the wall of the cloister shall contain 38 feet which is left for to set in certain trees and flowers, behovable and convenient for the service of the same church.’
In the college archives is a mid-18th-century plan of the gardens, as well as 19th-century lists of fruit trees purchased and vegetables supplied by the garden to the college kitchen. Today, it is clear that, through more than 600 years, the two crucial factors for the gardens have always been the tranquil, collegiate buildings that form the heart of Eton and their proximity to the River Thames.
By the late 17th century, the areas that form the Provost’s Garden and Headmaster’s Garden, in front of two façades of the buildings around the central cloisters, had taken on the shape they retain today. Somewhat later, the larger Fellows’ Garden (now the ViceProvost’s Garden) was added next to the Head- master’s Garden. A short walk from this core group is the unexpected treat of Luxmoore’s Garden, created in the mid 19th century by a college housemaster, H. E. Luxmoore, and hidden away on an island in the Thames.
In the early 20th century, the Provost’s stable block was close to one side of his garden, but, in 1929, a generous donation of £2,000 from the King of Siam (who had been educated at Eton) enabled the creation of a garden named after its founder on the site of the now redundant stables. Eighty years later, the small rectangular garden was reopened, having been redesigned by another Old Etonian, garden designer James Alexander-Sinclair, in the first of a series of projects by him that has breathed new life into the formal gardens.
Denne historien er fra June 05, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra June 05, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
