Borde Hill Garden is set in historic parkland in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in West Sussex. The Elizabethan mansion was purchased in the 1890s by Colonel Stephenson Robert Clarke (known as Stephie), who set about creating the garden and woodland using plants from several continents brought back to England by the great plant hunters of the early 1900s. Well over a century and three generations later, Borde Hill remains in the ownership of the Stephenson Clarke family, and today is renowned for its collection of rare shrubs and trees. This beautiful new book - the first dedicated to Borde Hill - is structured in two main parts. For the first, 'The History', Vanessa Berridge has had exclusive access to the Borde Hill archive, which contains not only family photographs but also a wealth of written sources, such as letters between Stephie and nurserymen, directors of botanical gardens, other landowners, and plant hunters. Giving unique insight into the horticultural world and social history of the interwar years, this correspondence reveals acts of courage by such famed plant explorers as George Forrest and Ernest Wilson and the professional level of accomplishment of Stephie and his gardening acquaintances. The second part of the book takes the reader on an extended tour of the garden, illustrated by the glorious photography of John Glover. Borde Hill is laid out as a series of intimate outdoor 'rooms', including the Old Rhododendron Garden, the Rose Garden and the terraced Italian Garden. With its variety further encompassing wide lawns that flow out into the countryside, many plant species not found elsewhere in Britain and one of the country's largest collections of privately owned rare trees, it is no wonder that Borde Hill lays claim to offering visitors the world in one garden. Concluding with information on Borde Hill's historic plants, its many RHS Awards of Merit and its 70 champion trees, this authoritative, engaging book is a fitting celebration of one of Britain's great heritage gardens.

About the Author
Vanessa Berridge is a garden historian whose books include The Princess's Garden: Royal Intrigue and the Untold Story of Kew (2015), Great British Gardeners: From Early Plantsmen to Chelsea Medal Winners (2018) and Kiftsgate Court Gardens: Three Generations of Women Gardeners, published by Merrell in 2019 and winner in the same year of the Garden Book of the Year at the Garden Media Guild Awards.


Book Information
ISBN 9781858946900
Author Vanessa Berridge
Format Hardback
Page Count 208
Imprint Merrell Publishers Ltd
Publisher Merrell Publishers Ltd