Larmer Tree Gardens
Encyclopedia
The Larmer Tree Gardens near Tollard Royal
in south Wiltshire
, England
, were created by Lieutenant-General Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers
in 1880 as pleasure grounds
for "public enlightenment and entertainment". They were the first private gardens opened for public enjoyment in the United Kingdom, and were free to enter. The gardens are situated on the Rushmore Estate in Cranborne Chase
, an ancient royal hunting ground and now an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
. The gardens themselves are listed as Grade II* on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
by English Heritage
.
(Ulmus glabra) under which King John
(1167–1216) and his entourage were reputed to have met when they were out hunting. The original tree was still living as late as 1894, around which time it was replaced by an oak
, which was planted in the centre of the decayed rim. As part of the estate, Pitt Rivers had also inherited King John's House in Tollard Royal, one of King John's several hunting lodges in Cranborne Chase.
Pitt Rivers built several structures around the main lawn which were intended to educate and enlighten the garden visitors, including the Nepalese or Indian Room which was acquired after the closure of the British Empire Exhibition
in 1898. There was also a racecourse, an eighteen link golf course
, a bowling green
and lawn tennis courts
. There were eight picnic areas, each enclosed by cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) hedges and with thatched
buildings in case of inclement weather. Pitt Rivers provided "crockery, knives and forks for picnickers, gratis", as well as "chairs, tables and dumb waiters" and accommodation for 20 horses.
Music and entertainment was also provided at the Singing Theatre, where plays were performed by workers from the estate, and poetry recitals given. A band was provided on Sunday afternoons during summer. Thousands of Vauxhall lights, hanging glass lamps lit by candles, illuminated the gardens in the evening, when there was open-air dancing. The night that Thomas Hardy
danced with Pitt River's daughter Agnes in 1895 he described the gardens as "Quite the prettiest sight I ever saw in my life".
By 1899 the gardens were attracting over 44,000 people a year, both estate workers and the general public. With Pitt Rivers' death in 1900 the gardens closed, opening only occasionally after that time.
Restoration of the gardens started in 1991 under the direction of Michael Pitt-Rivers
. In the 90-odd years that the gardens had been closed, the cherry laurel had taken over almost all the gardens apart from the main lawn. Many of the buildings had decayed. The gardens were re-opened to the public in 1995. In 1999 a new Larmer Tree was planted to mark the new millennium.
was held at the Larmer Tree Gardens on 4 September 1895, followed by a night-time dance. Hardy led off the country dancing
with Agnes Grove, Pitt Rivers' youngest daughter and the wife of Walter (later Sir Walter) Grove
. Agnes later became a literary pupil of Hardy's, and after her death in 1926 Hardy wrote the poem Concerning Agnes, reflecting on the night they first met. The first two stanzas read:
The gardens cover 11 acres (44,515.5 m²). Many of the Victorian buildings, including the Nepalese Room, a Roman Temple and the Colonial style pavilion which was originally the Tea Room, still remain. The open air theatre has a backdrop painted by the scenery department at the Welsh National Opera
is based on The Funeral of Phocion
, a 1648 painting by Nicolas Poussin
which is in the National Museum Cardiff
. Wide cherry laurel-hedged rides radiate out from the main lawn, leading to woodland beyond. There are displays of camellia
s, rhododendron
s, hydrangea
s and eucryphia
s among the other trees and shrubs. Peacocks and free-flying macaws, neither indigenous to the United Kingdom, roam the gardens.
The woods contain one of the largest discrete areas of semi-natural broad-leaved woodland
in southern England, which were managed and exploited for the hazel
underwood trades for many centuries, involving coppicing to produce strong, straight hazel wands. A major restoration programme has taken place in the woods over the last ten years, and they are now recognised as a wildlife site of national importance.
The gardens are privately owned and are open on a fee-paying basis from Easter to the end of September each year. True to the spirit of Pitt Rivers, picknickers are encouraged at the gardens, croquet
equipment and deckchair
s are provided for no charge, and free music is played on Sunday afternoons. The gardens are grant-aided by English Heritage.
Film director Ken Russell
first visited the gardens as a child and has used the gardens in a number of his projects over the years, including The Debussy Film (1965) and The Music Lovers
(1970).
, has been held at the Larmer Tree Gardens every year from 1991 to the present. The dates for the 2009 Festival are set for 15–19 July. In 2011 the End of the Road Festival
was held at the Larmer Tree Gardens for the sixth time. The Enchanted Garden, a music festival that was part of The Big Chill
, was held at the Larmer Tree Gardens for five years, from 1998-2002.
Other events and concerts take place at the gardens throughout the summer. In 1999 Dining with Alice, based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
and produced by Artichoke
, the company that went on to produce The Sultan's Elephant
and La Princesse
, was performed at the gardens as part of the Salisbury International Arts Festival
.
The 2009 Cranborne Chase Woodfair, organised by officers of the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
is scheduled to take place at the Larmer Tree Gardens on 10–11 October 2009.
Tollard Royal
Tollard Royal is a village and civil parish on Cranborne Chase, Wiltshire, England. The parish is on Wiltshire's southern boundary with Dorset and the village is southeast of the Dorset town of Shaftesbury....
in south Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, were created by Lieutenant-General Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers
Augustus Pitt Rivers
Lieutenant-General Augustus Henry Lane-Fox Pitt Rivers was an English army officer, ethnologist, and archaeologist. He was noted for his innovations in archaeological methods, and in the museum display of archaeological and ethnological collections.-Life and career:Born Augustus Henry Lane-Fox at...
in 1880 as pleasure grounds
Pleasure gardens
A pleasure garden is usually a garden that is open to the public for recreation. They differ from other public gardens in that they serve as venues for entertainment, variously featuring concert halls or bandstands, rides, zoos, and menageries.-History:...
for "public enlightenment and entertainment". They were the first private gardens opened for public enjoyment in the United Kingdom, and were free to enter. The gardens are situated on the Rushmore Estate in Cranborne Chase
Cranborne Chase
Cranborne Chase is a Chalk plateau in central southern England, straddling the counties Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire. The plateau is part of the English Chalk Formation and is adjacent to Salisbury Plain and the West Wiltshire Downs in the north, the Dorset Downs to the south west and the...
, an ancient royal hunting ground and now an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
. The gardens themselves are listed as Grade II* on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
In England, the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by English Heritage under the provisions of the National...
by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
Description
In 1880, Augustus Lane Fox inherited the Rushmore Estate, with a condition of the will stipulating that he should change his name to Pitt Rivers. He started making the Larmer Tree Pleasure Grounds almost immediately. The gardens are named after the Larmer Tree, a landmark tree on the ancient boundary between Wiltshire and Dorset. The tree was possibly an ancient Wych elmWych Elm
Ulmus glabra, the Wych elm or Scots elm, has the widest range of the European elm species, from Ireland eastwards to the Urals, and from the Arctic Circle south to the mountains of the Peloponnese in Greece; it is also found in Iran...
(Ulmus glabra) under which King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
(1167–1216) and his entourage were reputed to have met when they were out hunting. The original tree was still living as late as 1894, around which time it was replaced by an oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, which was planted in the centre of the decayed rim. As part of the estate, Pitt Rivers had also inherited King John's House in Tollard Royal, one of King John's several hunting lodges in Cranborne Chase.
British Empire Exhibition
The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley, Middlesex in 1924 and 1925.-History:It was opened by King George V on St George's Day, 23 April 1924. The British Empire contained 58 countries at that time, and only Gambia and Gibraltar did not take part...
in 1898. There was also a racecourse, an eighteen link golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
, a bowling green
Bowling green
A bowling green is a finely-laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of lawn for playing the game of lawn bowls.Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on them...
and lawn tennis courts
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
. There were eight picnic areas, each enclosed by cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) hedges and with thatched
Thatching
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge , rushes, or heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates...
buildings in case of inclement weather. Pitt Rivers provided "crockery, knives and forks for picnickers, gratis", as well as "chairs, tables and dumb waiters" and accommodation for 20 horses.
Music and entertainment was also provided at the Singing Theatre, where plays were performed by workers from the estate, and poetry recitals given. A band was provided on Sunday afternoons during summer. Thousands of Vauxhall lights, hanging glass lamps lit by candles, illuminated the gardens in the evening, when there was open-air dancing. The night that Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
danced with Pitt River's daughter Agnes in 1895 he described the gardens as "Quite the prettiest sight I ever saw in my life".
By 1899 the gardens were attracting over 44,000 people a year, both estate workers and the general public. With Pitt Rivers' death in 1900 the gardens closed, opening only occasionally after that time.
Restoration of the gardens started in 1991 under the direction of Michael Pitt-Rivers
Michael Pitt-Rivers
Major Michael Augustus Lane-Fox Pitt-Rivers was a West Country landowner who gained notoriety in Britain in the 1950s when he was put on trial charged with buggery...
. In the 90-odd years that the gardens had been closed, the cherry laurel had taken over almost all the gardens apart from the main lawn. Many of the buildings had decayed. The gardens were re-opened to the public in 1995. In 1999 a new Larmer Tree was planted to mark the new millennium.
Thomas Hardy and the Larmer Tree Gardens
In early September 1895 Thomas Hardy and his wife Emma were staying with the Pitt Rivers at Rushmore. An annual sports daySports day
Sports days, sometimes referred to as Field Day, are events staged by many schools and offices in which people take part in competitive sporting activities, often with the aim of winning trophies or prizes...
was held at the Larmer Tree Gardens on 4 September 1895, followed by a night-time dance. Hardy led off the country dancing
Country dancing
The term "Country Dance" was first coined in print by John Playford of London in 1651. It is a generic term for a social dance form in which two or more couples dance together in a set. In the course of the dance each dancer dances to his or her partner and each couple dances to the other couples...
with Agnes Grove, Pitt Rivers' youngest daughter and the wife of Walter (later Sir Walter) Grove
Grove Baronets
The Grove Baronetcy, of Ferne in the County of Wiltshire, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 18 March 1874 for Thomas Grove, Liberal Member of Parliament for Wiltshire South and Wilton. The Grove family descends from John Grove, who settled in Wiltshire in the...
. Agnes later became a literary pupil of Hardy's, and after her death in 1926 Hardy wrote the poem Concerning Agnes, reflecting on the night they first met. The first two stanzas read:
- I am stopped from hoping what I have hoped before —
- Yes many a time! —
- To dance with that fair woman yet once more
- As in the prime
- Of August, when the wide-faced moon looked through
- The boughs at the faery lamps of the Larmer Avenue
- I could not, though I should wish, have over again
- That old romance,
- And sit apart in the shade as we sat then
- After the dance
- The while I held her hand, and, to the booms
- Of contrabassos, feet still pulsed from the distant rooms.
The gardens today
Welsh National Opera
Welsh National Opera is an opera company founded in Cardiff, Wales in 1943. The WNO tours Wales, the United Kingdom and the rest of the world extensively. Annually, it gives more than 120 performances of eight main stage operas to a combined audience of around 150,000 people...
is based on The Funeral of Phocion
The Funeral of Phocion
thumb|right|350px|The National Museum Cardiff version.The Funeral of Phocion is a 1648 painting, also known as The Burial of Phocion, Landscape with the Funeral of Phocion and Landscape with the Body of Phocion Carried out of Athens, by French artist Nicolas Poussin. Phocion was an Athenian...
, a 1648 painting by Nicolas Poussin
Nicolas Poussin
Nicolas Poussin was a French painter in the classical style. His work predominantly features clarity, logic, and order, and favors line over color. His work serves as an alternative to the dominant Baroque style of the 17th century...
which is in the National Museum Cardiff
National Museum Cardiff
National Museum Cardiff is a museum and art gallery in Cardiff, Wales. The museum is part of the wider network of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales...
. Wide cherry laurel-hedged rides radiate out from the main lawn, leading to woodland beyond. There are displays of camellia
Camellia
Camellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...
s, rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
s, hydrangea
Hydrangea
Hydrangea is a genus of about 70 to 75 species of flowering plants native to southern and eastern Asia and North and South America. By far the greatest species diversity is in eastern Asia, notably China, Japan, and Korea...
s and eucryphia
Eucryphia
Eucryphia is a small genus of trees or large shrubs of the Antarctic flora, native to the south temperate regions of South America and coastal eastern Australia. Traditionally placed in a family of their own, the Eucryphiaceae, more recent classifications place them in the Cunoniaceae. There are...
s among the other trees and shrubs. Peacocks and free-flying macaws, neither indigenous to the United Kingdom, roam the gardens.
The woods contain one of the largest discrete areas of semi-natural broad-leaved woodland
Temperate deciduous forest
A temperate deciduous forest, more precisely termed temperate broadleaf forest or temperate broadleaved forest, is a biome found in North America, southern South America, Europe, and Asia. A temperate deciduous forest consists of trees that lose their leaves every year...
in southern England, which were managed and exploited for the hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
underwood trades for many centuries, involving coppicing to produce strong, straight hazel wands. A major restoration programme has taken place in the woods over the last ten years, and they are now recognised as a wildlife site of national importance.
The gardens are privately owned and are open on a fee-paying basis from Easter to the end of September each year. True to the spirit of Pitt Rivers, picknickers are encouraged at the gardens, croquet
Croquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
equipment and deckchair
Deckchair
A deckchair is a folding chair, usually with a frame of treated wood or artificial material and a fabric or vinyl backrest and seat. It may have an extended seat, meant to be used as a leg rest, whose height may be adjustable...
s are provided for no charge, and free music is played on Sunday afternoons. The gardens are grant-aided by English Heritage.
Film director Ken Russell
Ken Russell
Henry Kenneth Alfred "Ken" Russell was an English film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. He attracted criticism as being obsessed with sexuality and the church...
first visited the gardens as a child and has used the gardens in a number of his projects over the years, including The Debussy Film (1965) and The Music Lovers
The Music Lovers
The Music Lovers is a 1970 British biographical film directed by Ken Russell. The screenplay by Melvyn Bragg, based on Beloved Friend, a collection of personal correspondence edited by Catherine Drinker Bowen and Barbara von Meck, focuses on the life and career of 19th century Russian composer...
(1970).
Festivals, events and concerts
A music and arts festival, the Larmer Tree FestivalLarmer Tree Festival
The Larmer Tree Festival is a five-day music and arts festival held annually at the Larmer Tree Gardens near Tollard Royal on the Wiltshire-Dorset border in England. Described as "One of the most family-friendly festivals around", it is also noted for its "stunning location .....
, has been held at the Larmer Tree Gardens every year from 1991 to the present. The dates for the 2009 Festival are set for 15–19 July. In 2011 the End of the Road Festival
End Of The Road Festival
End of the Road Festival is an annual music festival in England which focuses on alternative music, mostly folk, alt.country and Americana. It is hosted at the Larmer Tree Gardens, on the border of north Dorset and Wiltshire, and usually takes place over the first or second full weekend in...
was held at the Larmer Tree Gardens for the sixth time. The Enchanted Garden, a music festival that was part of The Big Chill
The Big Chill (music festival)
The Big Chill is an annual festival of alternative, dance and chill-out music and comedy, held in the grounds of Eastnor Castle during early August...
, was held at the Larmer Tree Gardens for five years, from 1998-2002.
Other events and concerts take place at the gardens throughout the summer. In 1999 Dining with Alice, based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
and produced by Artichoke
Artichoke (creative company)
Artichoke, also known as the Artichoke Trust, is a London-based British company and registered charitable trust that stages arts spectacles and live events...
, the company that went on to produce The Sultan's Elephant
The Sultan's Elephant
The Sultan's Elephant was a show created by the Royal de Luxe theatre company, involving a huge moving mechanical elephant, a giant marionette of a girl and other associated public art installations. In French it was called La visite du sultan des Indes sur son éléphant à voyager dans le temps...
and La Princesse
La Princesse
La Princesse is a 15-metre mechanical spider designed and operated by French performance art company La Machine. The spider was showcased in Liverpool, England, as part of the 2008 European Capital of Culture celebrations, travelling around the city between 3-7 September. In 2009, it was on...
, was performed at the gardens as part of the Salisbury International Arts Festival
Salisbury International Arts Festival
Salisbury International Arts Festival is an annual multi-arts festival that delivers over 120 arts events each year, including concerts, comedy, poetry, dance, exhibitions, outdoor spectacles, and commissioned works....
.
The 2009 Cranborne Chase Woodfair, organised by officers of the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs
The Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers of Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset and Wiltshire. It is the sixth largest AONB in the country....
is scheduled to take place at the Larmer Tree Gardens on 10–11 October 2009.
Further reading
- Pitt Rivers, Lieutenant-General, 1890, King John's House, Tollard Royal, Wilts. Printed Privately.
- Pitt Rivers, Lieutenant-General, 1900, A Short Guide to the Larmer Grounds, Rushmore; King John's House, and The Museum at Farnham, Dorset
- Bowden, Mark, 2000, "Lieutenant-General A.H.L.F. Pitt Rivers" in Past, Newsletter of the Prehistoric Society, 34 (online at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prehistoric/past/past34.html#pittrivers)
External links
- Larmer Tree Gardens website
- BBC webpage about the gardens
- Article in the Daily Telegraph about the gardens
- Wiltshire and Swindon Sites and Monuments Record about the garden
- Parks and Gardens UK database (maintained by the University of York) webpages about the Larmer Tree Gardens
- Larmer Tree Festival website
- The End of the Road Festival website
- Rushmore Estate website
- The Lower Indian Room on the Images of England website
- The Singing Theatre on the Images of England website
- The General's Room on the Images of England website
- The Roman Temple on the Images of England website
- The theatre backdrop based on Nicolas Poussin's The Funeral of Phocion
