An idea to develop the potential historical links between gardens associated with three great granddaughters of the Victorian doyenne and garden maker of Ditchley Park, Henrietta, Viscountess Dillon (d.1862): Venetia Stanley (later Lady Montagu) (1887-1948), Lady (Clementine) Churchill (later Baroness Spencer-Churchill) (1885-1977), and Lady (Mary) Trevelyan (1881-1966) mentioned in my 2019 lecture ‘Ditchley and Cliveden,… Read more »
Posts By: Helen Langley
Researching the houses and gardens of Reggie Cooper
With the acceptance of my article, ‘Reggie Cooper (1885-1965), restorer of houses and makers of gardens’ for publication by the journal Garden History, my ‘Quest for Reggie Cooper’ draws to an end. It has been fascinating. Especially rewarding were avenues suggested by the generosity of others sharing information with me. With their help it was… Read more »
Reggie Cooper (1885-1965)
Researching and writing about Reggie Cooper has been an absorbing task over the last few years, not least during the pandemic. Impossible to visit archives in person, online resources and emails allowed it to chug along. And then, later, the joy of being able to visit sources and sites in person (West Horsley Place, in… Read more »
The Blue Plaque scheme and Honor Balfour’s former London home
Last year I submitted Honor Balfour (1912-2001)’s former London home in Kensington for the award of a Blue Plaque to commemorate her many years there. It’s a long process with several stages of evaluation so it may be some while before the decision is made. I knew from my conversations with Honor what the drawing… Read more »
Tyntesfield Orangery revisited
The now fully restored neo-classical orangery at Tyntesfield, Wraxall in Somerset is a joy to see, and a very different sight to the one I saw in 2006 when I wrote about it for my Architectural Association dissertation on historic orangeries. Then in a parlous state: weeds sprouting from interior walls; protective roofing; decayed stonework… Read more »
The BBC at 100 Symposium
Helen has been invited to attend The BBC at 100 Symposium, to be held from 13 to 15 September 2022 in Bradford at the National Science and Media Museum and online. As a member of the session on Politics and Current Affairs, she will be speaking about the contributions of Honor Balfour (1912-2001) and Stephen Bonarjee (1912- 2003) – a wonderful opportunity to draw their careers to the attention of a wide audience.
A visit to Royal Crescent – the London home of Honor Balfour
Years ago Honor Balfour described to me the décor of her London home in Royal Crescent, Kensington, acquired in the early post-war years long before the area became fashionable. So it was great when the London Gardens Trust Open Squares weekend in June brought the chance to visit Royal Crescent’s square.
Reginald (Reggie) Cooper (1865-1965): Closing stages of research reveal new insights
The search of archival resources for information about Reggie Cooper is coming to a close. Several sources consulted since last year have provided some fascinating insights into his personality, and his design of the orangery for Sir Philip Sassoon (1885-1939).
Reginald (Reggie) Cooper: Continuing the Quest
With archives presently closed because of the pandemic, resuming research into the career of the restorer of ancient houses and maker of gardens rose to the top of my list of projects because much of it could be conducted from my desk. Reggie Cooper first caught my attention in 2006; in between other projects I continued my ‘quest for Reggie’, returning to it full time in the summer of 2020 after completing the article on Honor Balfour.
Dame Irene Ward: Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum Exhibition Contribution
A (very minor) contributor to an exhibition at the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock. Scheduled for Spring 2020 the opening was postponed by the pandemic until October 2020 but shortly afterwards new national lockdown restrictions were introduced. The invitation to contribute information arose from my past work on Dame Irene Ward. The campaign by… Read more »