These writings of yesteryear are great. You've inspired me to take my Greater London by Edward Walford off the shelf. From 1883, he describes Kew Gardens as grounds "unsurpassed by any public garden in England", and that we should entertain "intense respect and regard for the scientific horticulture".
At the end of a dedicated chapter on Kew Gardens (after a dedicated chapter on Kew itself), he quotes the author of "Pilgrim Walks" in 1854: "There all is art--here all is nature; there the powers of imitation and skill are taxed to the utmost for effect--here the objects themselves produce effect unsought. Here grace of form and elegance of arrangement are the spontaneous result of Nature's mould; no dressing, painting, gilding, or artificial aid, yet Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like on of these!"
But that doesn't have old newspaper cuttings from the early 20th century added to the pages, nor a full fold-out map of Greater London from the time. :)
I hadn't heard of that Edward Walford book before so I'll have to take a look at it. It would be interesting to compare what he says about Kew Gardens with Richard Jefferies' essay
Thanks for sharing - sounds like a fascinating book. I might have to pick it up to see what he says about the South Downs near Brighton and Eastbourne! Hope you are feeling better. Thanks for sharing the Goodreads list - a good list!
Yes, the essays about the South Downs are interesting particularly because he does mention specific places so you can picture the places he's describing if you know the area. He also writes about Ditchling. I'm feeling a lot better now, thank you.
These writings of yesteryear are great. You've inspired me to take my Greater London by Edward Walford off the shelf. From 1883, he describes Kew Gardens as grounds "unsurpassed by any public garden in England", and that we should entertain "intense respect and regard for the scientific horticulture".
At the end of a dedicated chapter on Kew Gardens (after a dedicated chapter on Kew itself), he quotes the author of "Pilgrim Walks" in 1854: "There all is art--here all is nature; there the powers of imitation and skill are taxed to the utmost for effect--here the objects themselves produce effect unsought. Here grace of form and elegance of arrangement are the spontaneous result of Nature's mould; no dressing, painting, gilding, or artificial aid, yet Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like on of these!"
I see Google made a PDF of the book available earlier this year, in case you'd like to read more: https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Greater_London/idkXAeeF1_AC?hl=en&gbpv=0
But that doesn't have old newspaper cuttings from the early 20th century added to the pages, nor a full fold-out map of Greater London from the time. :)
I hadn't heard of that Edward Walford book before so I'll have to take a look at it. It would be interesting to compare what he says about Kew Gardens with Richard Jefferies' essay
Thanks for sharing - sounds like a fascinating book. I might have to pick it up to see what he says about the South Downs near Brighton and Eastbourne! Hope you are feeling better. Thanks for sharing the Goodreads list - a good list!
Yes, the essays about the South Downs are interesting particularly because he does mention specific places so you can picture the places he's describing if you know the area. He also writes about Ditchling. I'm feeling a lot better now, thank you.
Although I don't reside in Great Britain, your shared description. of nature are wonderful.
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the piece.
What a fascinating find and a heartbreaking connection to the past. Great post as always!