CHASING THE FLOWER HUNTRESS

On holiday in the English countryside, Editor in Chief Steele Marcoux discovers the work of trailblazing botanical artist MARIANNE NORTH and traces the petals on a fanciful journey around the world

"I'll have The Mystical Adventurer

I've just arrived at Beaverbrook, a country estate hotel in Surrey, England, with my mother to celebrate a milestone birthday for her, and having nestled into a garnet velvet sofa in the majestic ballroom turned bar, we're eager to shake off our jetlag with a cocktail. My mother orders a cool glass of rosé that nearly matches the color of the room's paneled walls. I opt for a dark rum concoction flavored with floral St-Germain and a hint of rich, mysterious Maraschino liqueur that, according to the bar menu, was inspired by English Victorian-era artist Marianne North, who traveled the world, often alone, to "paint from nature" between 1871 and 1885 (British journalist Kathryn Hughes dubbed her the Flower Huntress in 2009). The menu notes that the Caribbean was a favorite destination of North's for painting plants and local islanders nicknamed her the Mystical Adventurer.

As we wait for our drinks, the fog of overseas travel lifts and the natural beauty of our surroundings comes into focus. Golden afternoon sun filters in through a row of grand curtained French doors that open to a terrace with sweeping verdant vistas. Beaverbrook is surrounded by expansive acreage of untouched rolling hills and woodlands, offering guests total immersion in nature, complete with miles of walking trails, a nature-centric spa and wellness program, and cuisine at three restaurants featuring produce grown on property, less than an hour's train ride from London. We consider stepping outside to enjoy the sunshine and panoramic green, but our drinks are served and we elect to take in the scenery inside. Adorning three of the room's walls are hundreds of small, rectangular paintings depicting brilliantly colorful flora, and some fauna, hung in a grid pattern inset in paneling with geographic labeling stenciled above.