Welcome to the Birkbeck Garden History Group web site. The group is interested in studying garden history through lectures, garden visits and exhibitions and in encouraging others to become interested in the subject of garden history. Click on the links along the top of the page to find out more about the BGHG and our activities. Click ‘Follow’ at the bottom of this page on the right to receive alerts when new items are posted.
Three courses have been added to our respective Gardens History Studies pages.
Beyond Brown’s Landscapes at RHS Lindley Library at Longer Garden History Courses
A Study Day on Water in Motion and a 1-day course on Plant Hunters That Transformed our Gardens at Garden History Short Courses
Six new books – all published today (6 September) – on a wide range of garden topics have been added to our Publications page. Ranging from Britain’s island gardens to gardens in war-torn landscapes, and from very personal modern gardens to the gardens of Oxford Colleges, Charleston’s glories and transatlantic influences, four are totally new publications whilst those on Oxford College gardens and Charleston are new format or ‘refreshed’ editions of earlier publications.
Gardens Trust weekly Garden History blog. The URL for this blog has been updated on our Links page
The Georgian Group
Visit Garden History Lectures and Talks for details of the Georgian Group’s lecture All Around is Fairy Ground: Repton & the Regency Garden which will take place on Thursday, 6 September 2018.
Registration opens at 10.00am on Monday, 20 August for the Paul Mellon Public Lecture Series on The Artist and The Garden. The course will take place on Thursday evenings from 27 September – 25 October 2018 from 18.30 -20.30 at the Paul Mellon Centre.
Attendance is open to all and free to attend but enrolment is required.
Further details, including the programme, can be found on our Lectures and Talks page.
Three courses run by the University of Cardiff have been added to our Garden Studies Longer Garden History Courses page: Paradise: The Origins of our Gardens (autumn term 2018); Gardens Abroad (spring term 2019); and Women Gardeners (summer term 2019)
The Healing Garden: a display of early printed herbals 10 September – 14 December 10.00 am – 5.00 pm at RHS Lindley Library. See Outside Events for full details
Details of a new book on Landscape Design can be found on our Publications page.
If you are interested in finding out more about the history of gardens over time then you couldn’t have a better introduction than joining a Garden History Grapevine Taster Day: AN INTRODUCTION TO GARDEN HISTORY IN 10 OBJECTS. This is a fun day which brings together hands-on examination of garden history related objects, lectures and a garden visit. Follow this link for full details of the content, time, venue and how to register.
Interested in understanding more about Humphry Repton, during the year that marks the 200th anniversary of his death?
If you are intrigued by the plethora of new books (see Publications page) gradually emerging this year about a man whose name and reputation was hitherto familiar to only a few, but is now the subject of daily tweets, with study days, conferences, walks and talks taking place across the country during 2018: then REPTON IN CONTEXT may be the course you are looking for. Sign up now to be sure of your place – full details can be found here
Three conferences – Twickenhamshire Revisited, being held at Strawberry Hill House; The Life and Work of Humphry Repton, which is part of the Ashridge House Summer School and The Picturesque Garden in England (2019), have been added to our Outside Events page .
New courses have been added to our Short Courses and Longer Courses pages. Topics range from Oxford College Gardens, and English houses & gardens and what gives them their Englishness; to Tuscany gardens, and villas and garden of the Italian city.
This past month has seen the publication of a plethora of new books on Humphry Repton and his work, with more in the pipeline. Already available are books focusing on Repton’s work in London, Yorkshire, Hertfordshire and Norfolk. Full details can be found on our Publications page.
Garden History Courses
Please note that the dates and a booking link for Picture Perfect: Gardening in the Age of Revolution (1780-1818) have been added to our Longer Garden History Courses page, and a further date and venue for the 11-day GARDEN HISTORY IN TEN OBJECTS has been added to our Garden History Short Courses page
