This talk looks at a series of paintings from the 16th to 18th centuries which feature gardens, and helps the audience see beyond the obvious. Are the pictures useful evidence for the history gardens? Are they “accurate” depictions? What else might they be telling us? It might sound a bit heavy but it’s intended to intrigue the audience and make them think why the painting was made, a understand a bit more of the mind-set of the period, and to look at even well-known pictures in a new light And there are some laughs too!
Views: 355 | Enquiries: 0I've been lecturing "live" and on-line about every aspect of the history of gardens, landscapes, as well as plant hunting /plants/botany for more than 25 years to gardens clubs, U3A groups, and to museums like the V&A & across higher education. I discovered the subject because after a career as a head teacher I took very early retirement and went back into education full time on my own account. I did a four year diploma course in Garden History which led on to an MA in Historical Research and then a PhD at Birkbeck College, University of London on The Gardens and Gardeners of Later Stuart London.
I was a trustee of The Gardens Trust, the national campaigning body for the protection and support of our historic parks, gardens and designed landscapes and chaired their education committee from 2016 until 2023. I also write a weekly blog for them which you can find at thegardenstrust.blog
I've run courses on the history of gardens [and many other things] at Birkbeck and City Lit. I'm currently an honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Buckingham and run a Masters Course in Garden History as well as offering supervision to PhD students.
If all that sounds posh - rest assured I'm not!
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