. . The Book

James Pulham and Son are mostly remembered today as the eminent firm of Victorian and Edwardian landscape artists who constructed picturesque rock gardens from both natural and artificial stone.    But that is only part of the story told in this easily accessible book by Claude Hitching – five of whose ancestors worked for them as ‘rock builders’.

What’s in a Title?

Much thought has gone into selecting the ‘right’ title for this book.   As visitors to this site will know, The Pulham Legacy,  Pulham Rock Gardens and Rock Gardens by the Pulhams have been considered, but it was suggested that these might not attract the bookshop browsers who were not aware of the Pulham name – and, believe it or not, there may be a few out there!     Rock Creations by the Pulhams was next on the list, but even that didn’t quite seem to hit the target completely.   

We then posed the question ‘What did the Pulhams do, and what were they fanous for?’.     If one looks under the ‘About . . /. . James Pulham and Son / What They Did‘ tab, one will find brief examples of their many types of work, including stone modelling, church building, grootoes and caves, ferneries and follies, bridge building, rock and walled gardens, Italian and Japanese gardens etc.  

The answer to the question ‘What did they do?’ is consequently that they were landscape architects / artists, and that they landscaped with rocks.    So there you have it – Rock Landscapes – The Pulham Legacy.   It says it all – we finally got there!.

Happily, several wonderful examples of their work still survive today, and more than 40 of the firm’s most prestigious sites are described in this book, illustrated with some stunning photographs by Jenny Lilly, the professional gardens photographer.   Rock Landscaoes – The Pulham Legacy  is aimed at all garden lovers and students of garden history – and indeed anyone who just enjoys looking at beautiful photographs of unique and wonderful gardens.

Pre-Endorsements and Draft Reviews

Check the subordinate pages for information about the Pre-Endorsements received by Claude for his research by English Heritage, The National Trust and The Garden History Society, and Draft Reviews for comments by people who have read the draft manuscript.

Place an Order at a Special Price

Watch this site for further details.   When the book becomes available, you will be able to click on the Buy the Book tab to transfer immediately to the publisher’s website, and ORDER a copy at a SPECIAL PRICE!