Booklet entitled 'The official handbook to the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society at South Kensington'
Information
Title
Booklet entitled 'The official handbook to the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society at South Kensington'
Record type
Archive
Original Reference
RHS/Ken/9/2
Date
1864
Scope & content
Printed published booklet entitled 'The official handbook to the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society at South Kensington' published in 1864. Comprises a history of the RHS from 1801 to 1864 and a description of the garden at South Kensington from the year 1864, with plans and illustrations. The handbook was sold for sixpence
Overview of contents:
Contents
List of Council and office bearers
Admission to the gardens
Pages 1-14: A sketch of the history of the RHS
Pages 16-17: Plan of the Royal Horticultural gardens
Pages 18-36: Description of the gardens
At the front and rear of the volume are advertisements for a number of businesses and services including Lewin Mosely & Sons, dentistry, Sutton & Sons, seed growers, Burgess & Key, horticultural tools, and Phillips & Company, tea merchants
Physical description: Soft covers. Dimensions: 21 (h) x 14 (w) x 0.5 (d) cm
Condition: Binding breaking and back cover detached. Pages are reasonably robust. Producible but handle with care
Summary of contents:
Pages 1-14: The handbook gives a history of the Society from the initial concept of a horticultural society by John Wedgwood in 1801, its subsequent creation in 1804, through to 1864. The description includes information relating to the original members of the Horticultural Society, the Council, officers, fellows, the experimental gardens at Kensington and Chiswick, plant collecting, exhibitions, finances, and the opening of the Society's exhibition garden at South Kensington
Pages 16-17: An illustrated plan of the garden with an accompanying key. The plan illustrates features of the garden such as arcades, entrances, flowerbeds, trees, band stands, fountains, stairs and paths, and shows structures including the conservatory, maze and the memorial to the exhibition of 1851 and Prince Albert
Page 18: A description of the dimensions of the garden, its situation within the surrounding streets and the structures of the arcades and conservatory
Pages 18-19: A section entitled 'The paths' describes the formation of the paths in the garden and the features encountered on those paths, including the arcades, the conservatory, the 'majolica fountain' and the memorial of the exhibition of 1851
Page 19: A section entitled 'Principal entrance' describes the location of the principal entrance, its construction and the design by Captain Fowke
Pages 19-20: A section entitled 'Council room' describes the dimensions and design of the council room by Captain Fowke, including features such as mirrors, ventilation, glass, tiles and hot water pipes. The section describes a series of frames containing illuminated pages bearing royal signatures
Pages 20-21: A section entitled 'The south or Lateran arcades' describes the arcades enclosing the southern portion of the garden, including the design by Captain Fowke and the use of the arcade for the natural history collections of the British Museum
Page 21: A section entitled 'The central or Milanese arcades' describes the design and dimensions of the central arcades
Pages 21-24: A section entitled 'The north or Albani arcades' describes the design and construction of the northern arcade by Sydney Smirke, in the style of the arcade at the Villa Albani near Rome, including the dimensions, the structures and the view from the roof. The section includes a description of a series of statues and an illustration of parts of the northern and central arcades
Pages 24-26: A section entitled 'Conservatory' describes the design and construction of the conservatory, including the dimensions, structures and building materials. Several notable features of the conservatory are described including a balcony 'for the orchestra', an ornamental tile pavement, an alcove of terracotta pillars and fern cases and two marble statues by Francavilla. The plants held in the conservatory included specimens of Norfolk Island Pine, Eugenia myrtifolia [Syzygium myrtifolium], Rhododendron arboreum, 'camphor plants, India rubber plants, sensitive plants, cotton plants and a multitude of other interesting specimens of horticultural or economic interest', and 'standard Laurustinus [Viburnum Tinus] and standard Persian lilacs'. The arrangement of the plants is described along with the garden implements used to display them, such as tables, pots, baskets and trellises. A further item of note is the mention of green frogs, which 'may be seen among the foliage'
Page 26: A section entitled 'The Band-houses' describes the two band stands situated in the upper garden, which were constructed for bands to play music
Pages 27-30: A section entitled 'The cascades and basins' describes the design and engineering of cascades of water in the garden and describes the central basin, filled with carp and goldfish. The section includes detailed descriptions of an 'Artesian well' and an 'Appold pump' built to supply the required water, with an illustrated cross section of the well and the surrounding geological formations. There is a discussion of these geological formations with comparisons to other London sites
Pages 30-32: A section entitled 'Mr Frank Buckland's fish-hatching apparatus' discusses experiments relating to the hatching of large numbers of fish by artificial means, and the use of an apparatus erected by Frank Buckland. The fish produced from these experiments were released into the canals in the garden
Pages 33-34: A section entitled 'The maze' describes the history of mazes and the design, route and dimensions of the maze found in the garden, including a statue at the centre
Pages 34-36: A section entitled 'Rhododendron show and great tent' describes a 'monster' tent contrived by Captain Fowkes, built for the show of rhododendrons and American plants held in the garden in 1864. The description includes three illustrations and details the construction and dimensions of the tent, including materials and suppliers used. The section notes that 'the work was scarcely done, and the plants covered, when the tent was tested by a gale and thunderstorm, which it stood like a rock'