Re: Favorites and Christmas in June!
Gerry/Bob O'Neill wrote:
> Terrific! And a coincidence..I am going over to London for two weeks in
> September and was going to ask the list for recommendations of gardens to
> visit. We'll be staying with a friend near Hyde Park. I'll be sure and look
> for Eccleston Park, and will read the book before going.
Eccleston is a square (there are many in old residential London), not a park,
but it's on the map. A very good map is the tourist map for London in the
latest issue of National Geographic. Hyde Park contains Kensington Gardens
with its famous Long Water--dating to the early 1700s--which is an artificial
lake. You should be sure to see Kew Gardens and I highly recommend the Chelsea
Physic Garden and the Museum of Garden History--all within walking distance of
one another. A side trip by train to Kent to see Vita Sackville-West's
Sissinghurst, and nearby Knole (her family's estate, where the movie "Orlando"
was filmed [based on Virginia Wolfe's novel, which was inspired by Vita's
Knole, which she knew well], as well as Leeds Castle, with its moated gardens.
The best book by far is the so-called Yellow Book--a guide to private gardens
open for charity in England, Scotland, and Wales (you can get in in the US by
ordering it from Amazon.com--it's only around $10 and worth every penny). The
gardens are listed alphabetically by county and include castles, homes,
monasteries, and eccentric gardens of all kinds. The fees are usually one
pound and this include tea served by the owner in the garden. The book
includes description, prices, and days and times. It's really a must.
If you have any questions that you think I can help with, e-mail me offlist
and I'll try to help. Every trip I take (and my academic work takes me to
Russia, while my family travel takes me to England) I find every garden
possible.
Kris
--
Kristi A. Groberg, Ph.D.
kgroberg@fargocity.com
Site I co-edit with Dr. Yvanka Raynova:
http://dmoz.org/Society/Philosophy/Philosophers/Solovyov,_Vladimir/
Site I built:
http://egroups.com/links/Solovyov/
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