The Rev. Thomas Birch Freeman: Victorian Botanist and Plantsman

The Rev. Thomas Birch Freeman (1809 - 1890), was a British missionary of Anglo-African descent, his success in founding churches and schools in the Gold Coast (now Ghana) has been well documented. However his contribution to botany, plant collecting and horticulture has been overshadowed by this religious legacy.This talk and ongoing research (Advolly travelled to Ghana in 2018 to examine his family archives) aims to reveal the extent of Birch Freeman’s horticultural and botanical legacy.

• Time: Approx 50 minutes
• Fee: POA
• By: Advolly Richmond

The Iveagh Gardens, Dublin: A Victorian Gem of Delights

The Iveagh Gardens in the centre of Dublin have maintained a quiet existence which no doubt has been their salvation. The gardens were designed in 1863 by the garden and landscape architect Ninian Niven (1799 – 1879. In typical Victorian manner Niven filled the pleasure grounds with an eclectic collection of landscape features and a variety of garden styles. For over two hundred and fifty years the 9 acre park located behind the National Concert Hall has managed to survive and is often described as Dublin’s best kept secret.

• Time: Approx. 50 minutes
• Fee: POA
• By: Advolly Richmond

The Italian Renaissance Garden

The gardens of the Italian renaissance were an exciting and very significant period in garden history. This talk looks at how and why the new garden style which emerged in Rome and Florence in the late 15th and early 16th centuries came about and also how it has endured and influenced ideas over the centuries.

• Time: Approx. 50 minutes
• Fee: POA
• By: Advolly Richmond

The Rise and March of Archery: An Elite Pastime 1780 – 1900.

This is a lighthearted look at the very social aspect of archery on the estates of the privileged few in many counties. The talk is based around the activities of the Royal British Bowman Society and the various estates and families in the Welsh and Shropshire Marches. Unlike other societies, the British Bowmen were very progressive and included women from the outset. Think Cupid!

• Time: Approx. 50 minutes
• Fee: POA
• By: Advolly Richmond

Flora Domestica: a Social History of Indoor Pot Plants.

House plants were once a status symbol of wealth and power. Over the centuries they have been the victors and victims of changing fashions as new introductions have arrived from far flung places. As our living habits have changed so have the plants we surround ourselves with. This talk traces the history of indoor plants and highlights the complicated relationship we all have with them.

• Time: Approx 50 minutes
• Fee: POA
• By: Advolly Richmond

Percy Thrower: A Man for all Seasons.

Between the years 1950 and 1975 Percy Thrower (1913 – 1988) was possibly one of the most recognised people in the country. He was more than just the ‘Nation’s Head Gardener’ and an early gardening celebrity. He was a lecturer, an author, a business man, a garden designer and above all a passionate horticulturalist and nurseryman. This talk traces the achievements of a remarkable and talented man

• Time: Approx. 50 minutes
• Fee: POA
• By: Advolly Richmond

A Quick Introduction to the Social History of Gardens.

This talk is for anyone interested in gardens. It provides an overview of the depth and diversity of garden history, touching on the influences and developments which determined why, how and when these gardens were created. The design and management of gardens has always been in response to social and economic demands in society.

• Time: Approx. 50 minutes
• Fee: POA
• By: Advolly Richmond

A Quick Introduction to the Plants and People that Influenced Garden History

This talk will briefly look at some people and plants in history that have shaped our gardens. The introduction and availability of plants over the centuries has been a major factor in the evolution of Britain’s garden styles.

• Time: Approx. 50 minutes
• Fee: POA
• By: Advolly Richmond

""Betwixt the Two Classes": Humphry Repton and the New Money

During his career Humphry Repton enjoyed the patronage of peers such as the Duke of Portland and the Duke of Bedford. However Repton also reluctantly benefited from the men who profited from war and colonial contracts. This talk will explore Repton’s thoughts and attitude towards the very successful new money men who acquired land or property in the neighbourhood of cities to begin the process of their own gentrification. The profits of empire in its various guises percolated through the whole of the British economy and funded many gardens and landscapes of aspiration.

• Time: Approx. 50 minutes
• Fee: POA
• By: Advolly Richmond

The Great Wave: Anglo-Japanese Gardens in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries.

What fuelled this particular style of garden amidst the languid Gertrude Jekyll- Edward Lutyens gardens of a golden afternoon? The interest in all things Japanese surged following the1910 Japan – British Exhibition in London which brought Japanese gardens to the masses and as with any fad one either went the whole hog or simply gave a nod to it. This talk looks at how Japanese gardens became fashionable in Edwardian Britain.

• Time: Approx 50 minutes
• Fee: POA
• By: Advolly Richmond