Gertrude Jekyll

Before she gained fame as a garden designer and writer, Gertrude Jekyll was a gifted decorative artist. One of the highlights of our collection is her artist’s scrapbook, which captures her talent and fascination with pattern. When her eyesight began to fail, she switched her interest to garden design. She created designs for over 400 gardens. Our archive includes her correspondence with actress Amy Barnes Brand (1890-1974) who asked Jekyll to supply planting plans and plants for her garden in Holmbury St Mary, Surrey. Jekyll was happy to take on this work, despite being in her eighties and coping with poor eyesight. We also hold letters written by Jekyll to plantsman E. A. Bowles and garden writer William Robinson.