1891-94  -  Gisselfeld, Denmark

The first indication that Pulhams may have worked in Europe was contained in a book by Annie Christensen, and reviewed by Peter Hayden.[i]   She recorded that the firm may have been involved in the construction of a bridge and some rockwork in the grounds of Gisselfeld Castle, in Denmark, and that the likely date was c.1894.  

Gisselfeld was owned by Count Danneskiold Samsó, whose favourite visitors was Hans Christian Andersen, author of The Ugly Duckling – probably his most popular fairy tale – during one of his visits.   I managed to track down the Curator of the Gisselfeld Archives, who kindly sent me the following historical background notes, together with a selection of photographs that he took especially for me: [ii]

‘. . . The present gardens were laid out in the romantic style under the direction of the English landscape designer H E Milner (the son of Edward Milner) during the period from the middle 1870s to the early 1900s.   Today, visitors can see remnants of earlier garden features, and the romantic style landscape park with a waterfall and grotto (perhaps by Pulham); a fountain (designed by the Danish architect Martin Nyrop); islands, bridges, carp ponds, unusual solitary trees planted in the early 1800s, and a walkway flanked by clipped trees and large artificial lakes dug in the 1700s.   There are three locations in the park – waterfall, subway / tunnel and bridge – and a spring in the hunting forest at the edge of the park which include some typical Pulham rockwork – perhaps the only work that Pulham did in Denmark . . .’

He also quoted extracts from some of Milner’s letters to the Count:

28 August 1889

‘. . . to send you a section of the subway under public road.   This I now enclose.   The arch is calculated to be built of brick and the walls of stone – the whole of second-class work.   If the arch were made of cut limestone, it would not be too thick by 4 inches, but I think the construction shown is the best and cheapest under the circumstances.   The whole of the outside should be coated with tar asphalt or cement to protect water dripping through.’

1 November 1889

‘. . . with regard to the subway – if the faces are all left rough, the rock facing can be applied when it is built.   This, I suppose, will be done by someone accustomed to such work, and there is consequently no need to build projecting pieces of stone, but the work should be left rough so that cement can be applied.’

7 December 1889

‘. . . I send you two more photographs of rockwork.   That built for the Prince of Wales (at Sandringham, Norfolk, discussed in Rock Landscapes – The Pulham Legacy, Chapter 8) shows approximately how the subway under the road might be treated.’

A further piece of information that came with these letter extracts was that Milner worked with a Mr Hughes, ‘who acts as on-site construction supervisor.’

 Fig 1  -  Rocky Stream and lake at Gisselfeld, Denmark, from the top of the waterfall   (Photo by Gregory Kobett)

The first photograph of Gisselfeld – Fig 1 – is of the rock garden and stream that runs into the lake, taken from the top of the waterfall, and the waterfall itself is shown in Fig 2.   Fig 3 is a close-up of the little bridge over the stream, and Fig 4 shows a rocky path between some ‘cliffs’.   The tunnel / subway beneath the road – the subject of the letters quoted above – is shown in Fig 5.

Fig 2  -  Waterfall at Gisselfeldl   (Photo by Gregory Kobett)

Fig 3  -  Bridge over stream   (Photo by Gregory Kobett)

I have to confess that I initially found myself slightly undecided by these photographs.   I wish I could have had an opportunity to visit Gisselfeld to see the work for myself, but the ‘rocks’ in these pictures seem a little bit ‘anaemic’ – especially those along the pathway in Fig 4.   The surfaces are a lot smoother, and the rocks a lot ‘squarer’ than one would find in a typical Pulham construction – almost as if some of it is made of pre-cast blocks that have been assembled and then roughly coated with cement.  

Fig 4  -  Pathway between cliffs   (Photo by Gregory Kobett)

However, I am assured that this is not the case – some ‘rocks’ are now beginning to show signs of weathering, and reveal the standard Pulham trademark of cement covering a core of bricks and clinker.   This indicates that they are ‘genuine’, but I do wonder if the ‘rock builder’ responsible for this work really was one of the master craftsmen from Broxbourne.

That doesn’t mean that Pulhams could not have been involved, of course, but I don’t think the ‘rock builder’ could have been one of their best craftsmen.   Perhaps they sent one of their ‘middle ranking’ men over to Denmark to do the job, or another possibility could even be that Milner sent over some photographs of Pulhams’ work so that his ‘on-site construction supervisor’, Mr Hughes, could have a pattern to work from, and create a feature ‘in the style of Pulham’?   I would suggest that the jury is still out on this until some further evidence can be found.

The final point here is the actual date of construction.   Based on the above correspondence, one would normally estimate that it is likely to have been c.1891, although Annie Christensen has quoted 1894.   There must be a reason for this, so I am suggesting 1891-94 as the range.

Fig 5  -  The tunnel beneath the road at Gisselfeld   (Photo by Gregory Kobett)

The grounds of Luton Hoo were originally laid out by ‘Capability’ Brown c1770, for John Stuart, the 3^rd Earl of Bute, who was Prime Minister for a short period from 1762-63.   In 1903, Sir Julius Wernher – who made his fortune from the Kimberley diamond mines of South Africa [i] – bought the estate, and made many alterations and additions to the house and grounds.

  Fig 1  -  The fountain at Luton Hoo, with the balustrading in the background

 One of the contractors engaged on this project was James 3 – although it is not easy to be positive about the provenance of some of the formal features.    There is a ‘Luton Tub’ listed in the firm’s Garden Ornament Catalogue, and the balustraded wall and sundial patio on the terraces at the back of the house look to be very much in their style, although the sundial itself is a replacement.   Similarly, the round basin of the fountain is almost certainly their work, and the rock base of the fountain itself (Fig 1) is reminiscent of the fountain at Wotton Park.   The putti supporting and topping the bowl also look as if they came from the Pulham manufactory, but could possibly be replacements of some Pulham originals.

 Fig 2  -  The stream, with its rocky banks, and rockwork and steps in the background

 Fig 3  -  The stream and Pulhamite bridge

 Moving down the garden, away from the parterre, the path curves down to the rock garden, which is known to have been constructed by the Pulhams in 1909-10.[ii]   As one can see from Fig 2, it sits in the bottom of a pretty dell, along a pretty rock-lined stream, with islands and rocky ‘cliffs’ and rustic steps that lead off over the far bank.   This is a mixture of artificial and natural stone, which is quite different to the totally Pulhamite garden at Buckingham Palace that was built some seven years previously.   This may have been the reflection of a trend in rock garden styles over the intervening period, but is more likely to have been due to the ready availability of natural stone in this area at that time.

Fig 3 shows the bridge that crosses the stream, which is in a rustic style very similar to the two at Buckingham Palace.   The path by the side of the stream leads up the steps to a stone archway, shown in Fig 4, and, although one can hardly say that it looks ‘natural to the place’, it is certainly one of the more solid and sturdy examples of similar archways that can be found in other Pulham gardens.

 Fig 4  -  The stone archway at Luton Hoo

 Returning along the side of the stream, and past the bridge, a flight of steps leads to a massive grotto, shown in Fig 5.   It is built on a grand scale, with some ‘mushroom seats’ around the base, although it is not quite as large as the ones at Waddesdon Manor, described and pictured in Rock Landscapes – The Pulham Legacy.   Opposite here is another large grotto – Fig 6 – this time housing a waterfall that feeds the stream.    The rocks have been stratified very carefully, although the prevalence of natural stone renders them rather less ‘naturalistic’ than a totally Pulhamite construction.

 Fig 5  -  The large grotto, with seats for the weary

  Fig 6  -  The cascade grotto – a picture from The Garden Catalogue is shown on Page C-11

 This is consequently a very interesting example of a late-Edwardian Pulham garden that contains several if their ‘trademark’ features, ranging from the rustic, picturesque dell – with its winding stream and islands – to the large arch and grand grottoes.   There is also the fountain on the lower terrace, and other ornamental features – such as the sundial and vases on the upper terrace etc – but some of these may be replacements or sourced elsewhere/

The Luton Hoo Estate is now the home of the Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf and Spa – and a very impressive place it is, too.

 It’s arrived – the first authoritative book on the lives and work of James Pulham and Son, the eminent firm of Victorian and Edwardian landscape artists.   Written by Claude Hitching - five of whose ancestors worked for the firm as ‘rock builders’ – the book contains:

• A Foreword by Mavis Batey, Vice President and Past President of the Garden History Society.
• A brief background history of James Pulham and Son
• An overview of Pulhams’ Manufactory, and examples of some of the wonderful terracotta garden ornaments produced there.
• Reviews of more than 40 of the most prestigious Pulham gardens and Parks that still exist today, including those at Buckingham Palace, Sandringham, Waddesdon Manor, Madresfield Court, Dewstow, Friar Park etc.
• Stunning photographs taken by Jenny Lilly, the professional garden photographer.
• A Chronological Gazetteer of all known Pulham sites.
• Superbly produced and published by The Antique Collectors’ Club.

Click on the Cover Image for more details, and visit the Pre-Order pages on both the Antique Collectors Club and Amazon websites.

Soon after James Pulham and Son built the striking new boat house at Sandringham in 1868, they were asked to build another on a magnificent country estate called Pierremont, in Darlington, County Durham.   The mansion was a fine example of Gothic design, and was once the home of Henry Pease, a member of one of Darlington’s foremost Quaker families, and youngest son of Edward Pease, the ‘Father of the Railways’.   Fig 1 is a photograph of Pierremont House, taken c.1875.

 Fig 1  -  Pierremont Mansion, the home of Henry Pease, c1875   (Photo reproduced by kind permission of Darlington Library and Art Gallery)

 In 1864, Pease purchased some more land – across the road from his mansion – that ran down the side of his estate, in order to improve and extend his vistas.   The land was very boggy – having previously been used as the town’s manure dump – so, in 1869, he invited James 2 to advise him on what improvements could be made.   This was just one year after the Pulhams had worked at Sandringham, and there is little doubt that, in this case at least, the success of one job led to the commission of the other.   One can easily imagine James 2 describing the magnificent lake and boat house he had recently constructed for the Prince of Wales, and Henry Pease deciding that he would like something like that himself.

 Fig 2  -  ‘Boathouse on Rocks’ c1875 – constructed by James Pulham and Son at the end of the lake in Pierremont Park, Darlington, in 1869   (Photo reproduced by permission of Darlington Library and Art Gallery)

 According to James 2’s promotional booklet,[i] his work at Pierremont involved the construction of a:

‘Boathouse on rocks, Fernery and Dropping Well.’   

These no longer exist, but Fig 2 is a photograph of the boathouse, taken c.1875, and shows that it was very similar indeed to the one at Sandringham.   Fig 3 shows boating on the lake at Pierremont, and Fig 4 pictures a group of locals curling on the frozen lake during the winter.  

Apart from the boathouse, this set of pictures includes other features that were common to other sites on which the Pulhams worked.    The conservatory fernery at the side of the Mansion in Fig 1, for instance, looks quite similar to others with which they are known to have been involved.

   Fig 3  –  Boating on the lake at Pierremont   (Photos reproduced by permission of Darlington Library and Art Gallery)

 Fig 4  -  Christmas Curling on the lake at Pierremont during the 1880s   (Photos reproduced by permission of Darlington Library and Art Gallery)

 Another feature is the large ornamental fountain that can be seen in the background of Figs 3 and 4.   This was made in the Pulham Manufactory at Broxbourne, in Hertfordshire, although neither this nor the fernery is mentioned in the firm’s booklet, which only includes details of the actual landscaping work done by the firm.

This fountain is believed to date from 1874, and became known locally as the Pierremont Vase.   Normally, one would have expected it to be called the ‘Pierremont Fountain’, but, in this case, it seems to have got its name from the twelve vases around the base, because an item by a Mr John Downie in the Gardeners’ Chronicle [ii] includes a mention of the fountain, and provides a fascinating picture of what the ornamental lake and grounds were like soon after their creation.   Everything he says describes a typical ‘Pulhamesque’ scene:

‘. . . The next object of attraction as one leaves the kitchen garden is a handsome fountain.   The centre stands above 20 feet in height, with handsome moulded basins.   I had the pleasure of seeing this exquisite work of art in full play.   There are twenty-one jets in all.   These fall into the lower and main basin, which is 7ft in diameter, the circumference being divided by twelve pillars, on each of which is placed a vase, expressly designed for this fountain, and called the “Pierremont Vase”.   These were filled alternately with variegated Yuccas and Dracaena terminalis.   Attached to this fountain are what are called pockets or loops for decorations – bulbs in spring, and bedding plants in summer. . .’  

   Fig 5  -  A Girl on the Rocks in South Park, Darlington c1930   (Photo reproduced by kind permission of the Darlington Library and Art Gallery)

  ‘At the time of my visit they were very gay and effective.   The flower beds around the fountain are laid out in grass, which gives a chaste and elegant appearance to the whole.   The lake, though not of large dimensions, is certainly one of the best that it has been my good luck to see – not a shadow of stiffness or formality about it.   Around the sides, very appropriate masses of rockwork have been placed, giving the whole a very natural appearance.

‘The island also is well placed and executed, and, with its appropriate vegetation, looks extremely effective.   I also noticed the gas-lamps, which are lighted up in the winter for the convenience of skaters.   The rustic stone bridge, and the masterpiece of all, the boat-cave – as natural as Dame Nature herself could have made it, next acclaimed attention.   I was indeed much struck with this beautiful piece of workmanship, its fine boathouse and its waterfall, which supplies the lake.   On the ground which finishes this rockery it is intended to construct an arrangement of alpine plants, which will afford ample scope for botanical study.’

Henry Pease died in 1881, and his wife Mary continued to live at Pierremont until she died in 1909.   The estate was then sold for building development, and, although the mansion was divided into flats, it still retains much of its original elegance.  

The fountain was presented to the Borough in 1925, and was moved to Darlington’s South Park, about two miles away.   It is likely that James Pulham and Son were involved in this transfer, because there is also a rock garden in South Park that is almost certainly their work.   Fig 5 is a picture of a young girl among the rockwork, and shows what this corner of the park was like c.1930.   This would be when James 4 was in charge of the firm, and one can observe that the layout of the rocks is much more sparse than it used to be in James 2’s day.    It is composed almost entirely of natural rocks, rather than Pulhamite, and typical of the more ‘minimalistic’ style adopted during the firm’s latter years.  

 Fig 6  -  The restored Pierremont Fountain today   (Photo by Peter Hanson)

The fountain was allowed to deteriorate quite severely over the years, but, between 2003-05, South Park was blessed with a £3.9 mil restoration project, part funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.   One of the major features of this project was the complete restoration of the Pierremont Fountain, complete with its set of vases.   The result of this work can be seen in Fig 6.

Coombe Estate, Croydon, Surrey, was purchased by Arthur Lloyd c1898.   He built a new 20-room mansion, and made a number of improvements to the existing gardens, including the construction of an ornamental rock garden, complete with a pool and waterfall, which carry all the hallmarks of a Pulham creation.   

 Fig 1  -  Entrance to Rocky Path at Coombe Wood

 The estate was sold to Croydon Borough Council in 1941, and the house is now a restaurant.   The fourteen acres of parkland were opened to the public in 1948, and, during the preparatory clearance of the undergrowth, the workmen uncovered the long-forgotten rock garden and waterfall.   This was thankfully done very carefully, and the garden is still there for all to see today.   The Pond is near the entrance to the park from Conduit Lane, and is now planted with seasonal bedding.   Looking across, one can just make out the rocks along the opposite bank

The paved pathway, shown in Fig 1, leads up from the Pond, and through the rock garden by the side of the stream, with Pulhamite rocks with planting pockets along both sides of the path.   This leads steadily upwards to the remains of what used to be the waterfall, which stands about 8ft tall, although it was not working at the time of my visit because the watercourse needed to be properly cleaned out, and the pumping system was also in need of repair.

The pathway branches off to the right at this point, and passes through a small ravine (Fig 2) on its way to link up with the main park area.   Another path at the top leads down to the right, past an old gravel pit, in which was once housed the old stable block – now a small café – and back to the entrance pond.

Fig 2  -  The top path leading from the waterfall in the rock garden at Coombe Wood

 There is a Terrace Garden on the opposite side of the entrance path from the Pond.   It is laid out on what is now called ‘The Mound,’ with a rustic path and steps – shown in Fig 3 – leading up to what used to be the ferneries at the top, although these no longer exist.   It is a vintage Pulham scene, and I concluded that it was probably constructed on the spoil shifted out from the rock garden. 

 Fig 3  -  Rustic steps leading up to the old fernery on the terraced ‘Mound’ at Coombe Wood

High Leigh, on the outskirts of Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, is only just over a mile from the Pulham Manufactory in Broxbourne.   The owner was Robert Barclay, a member of the famous banking dynasty.   Over the generations, his ancestors had married into a number of other banking families, and Robert was responsible for merging twenty banks into Barclay and Company Ltd. [i]   He would almost certainly have known James 2 personally, because his family had been leading members of the Quaker fraternity for many years – as, I am sure, were the Pulhams – and they probably attended the same Friends Meeting House in Hoddesdon.

 Fig 1  -  The back of High Leigh c1900, with a Pulham fountain – and two vases – in the foreground   (Photo reproduced by permission of High Leigh Archives)

 His wife, Elizabeth Ellen Buxton, was also likely to have met the Pulhams through a number of family connections.   Her father was a member of the Board of Truman, Hanbury and Buxton, so one link would have been via Robert Hanbury 1 and Robert Hanbury 2, owners of Poles Park, Ware, and Bedwell Park – see Site of the Month No 4, September 2011 – respectively.  

 Fig 2  -  Rockery and cave c1900   (Photo reproduced by permission of High Leigh Archives)

 Fig 3  -  The rockery and cave at High Leigh in 2000

 According to James 2’s promotional booklet, [ii] the improvements at High Leigh included the construction of:

‘Pulhamite rockwork, cave, grotto, cascade, and a pathway across water.’  

This is by no means one of his largest creations, but it is nevertheless interesting, because it presents several typical Pulham features within a comparatively small area.   In view of its close proximity to the Pulham headquarters at Broxbourne, one could almost imagine it being used in its early days as a sort of local showplace, where James 2 could arrange to present a range of his work to potential clients.

 Fig 4  -  Sunken pump house at ‘High Leigh’

 Fig 2 shows the cave and grotto – really a sort of mini boathouse – and cascade, as they were in 1900, while Fig 3 shows them in 2000.   This is the centrepiece of the installation, and the water used to be circulated by a pump situated just above the top level of the cascade, drawing water up from the lake.   The pump was powered by a donkey walking round and round inside a sunken chamber near the top of the cascade, (Fig 4), and, although the interior of the pump house is nothing more than a circular underground room, James 2 even went to the trouble of rusticating the outside of the entrance (not shown here) in his own inimitable style.  

The stream flows from the cascade, under a small bridge, and into a lake, and, returning to the house from here, one encounters another of Pulham’s hallmarks – a ‘rock archway’, pictured in Fig 5.   The only part of this structure that still remains is the core of bricks, so any Pulhamite coating must have disintegrated since.

 Fig 5  – The ‘rock archway’ on the way back to the house at ‘High Leigh’

I have to admit that, on my first visit in 2000, my initial reaction to this site was one of slight disappointment, because the special Pulham features were considerably overgrown.   There is, however, a good reason for this.   High Leigh is now a Conference Centre run by the Christian Conference Trust, so the accent is far more on economically priced conference facilities than it is on garden maintenance.   As a registered charity, all operating profits – such as they are – have to be channelled primarily into the provision and extension of accommodation, which consequently makes it extremely difficult to find money for the provision of the labour that would be required to bring this rock feature back to life.   Considerable progress had been made by the time of my second visit in 2003, – a new ‘strimmer-type’ machine had been acquired, and put to very effective use – but, when I returned again in 2009, the site had drifted back into a state of sad neglect.

 Fig 6  -  The South Lodge Bridge over the stream  in Cock Lane, Hoddesdon

 At the southern entrance to the old ‘High Leigh’ estate, there is a ‘Pulham Bridge’ that is listed and highly prized.   Fig 6 shows that this is still in remarkably fine condition – well preserved and tactile – and this is what local historian Sue Garside had to say about it: [iii]

‘In Hoddesdon, an example of the company’s (Pulham’s) work can be seen in Barclay Park.   When the park was part of the ‘High Leigh’ estate, Mr Barclay had a lodge built in Cock Lane, with a drive leading up to ‘High Leigh’ from the south.   Pulhams built the ornamental bridge crossing the stream to this lodge.   James Pulham Senior (James 2) also did much external restoration of churches, including work on the Broxbourne Parish Church in the 1850s.’ (as discussed in Chapter 3 of Rock Landscapes – The Pulham Legacy)

James Pulham and Son did not create very many gardens in Scotland, but one in which they were involved was right up in the north-east – at Ardross Castle, in Alness, Ross-shire.   At the beginning of the 20^th century, Ardross Castle was the summer retreat of Charles Dyson Perrins, Director of the family firm of Lee and Perrins, makers of the famous Worcestershire Sauce.   Perrins’ main home was in Malvern, Worcestershire, where he engaged James 3 to landscape his gardens c1901-05, with one of its most striking features being a Pulhamite-lined tunnel – complete with a liberal scattering of ‘stalactites’ – that ran beneath a road that separated two parts of the garden.   The family spent several months each year at Ardross, with house parties enjoying the grouse moors, fishing and deer forests.  

 Fig 1  -  Curved staircase leading down from forecourt to terraced landing at Ardross Castle   (Photo by Ros Jemmett)

He took a keen interest in his gardens, and, in 1909, engaged Edward White – son-in-law of Henry Ernest Milner – to design a formal garden and terrace for the east front of the Castle.   It was in the Italianate style, with an impressive curved double staircase leading from the balustraded forecourt to a stone-flagged terrace-landing, which was decorated with a niche and half-wellhead set into the retaining wall of the forecourt, as shown in Fig 1.  

The second, broad terrace – reached from the top terrace by a single stone flight of steps ornamented with urns – is symmetrically set with two sunken square beds decorated with marble wellheads and benches.   As can be seen in Fig 2, a central stairway – flanked by a pair of sculptured lead stags mounted on stone encasements – leads down from here to the lower, central rectangular compartment that is set to lawn, and lined with cypress trees within a cypress hedge.   Rectangular formal beds flank the central path, and, at the far (eastern) end, the path leads through a low wall to a square compartment set with a circular ornamental pool and sculpture.

 Fig 2  -  The Formal East Garden at Ardross Castle c1920   (Picture provided by Ros Jemmett)

 Pulhams worked with Edward White on a number of assignments, and these gardens are a very good illustration of the way the firm had expanded their portfolio of expertise to keep up with the evolving garden styles of the Edwardian years.   The fact that they were involved here is substantiated on the Historic Gardens of Scotland website, which records that:

‘. . Following the Milners’ tradition, White worked with the company Pulham and Son, who supplied rockwork and artificial stone features for Ardross. . . ’ [i]

It goes on to say that the design of the wrought ironwork and statuary was done by the Bromsgrove Guild of Applied Arts, which indicates that, although Pulhams manufactured, supplied and installed the stonework, it was probably not to their own design.   This balustrading pattern does not appear in their Garden Ornament Catalogue published c1925, but is nevertheless very much in their general style.

Three wrought iron gates lead out from the far compartment to a series of informal walks and glades enclosed by shrubberies and ornamental planting.   The central gateway leads to a flight of steps and through a water garden laid out with natural rock and Pulhamite stone along a natural watercourse.   This led in turn to an informal pool and rocky cascade – features that no longer survive.

Fig 3  -  Bridge across source pond to stream at Ardross Castle   (Photo by Ros Jemmett)

 The second gate, to the south of the far compartment, leads out to an azalea walk, and the third heads north, across an elaborate masonry bridge – pictured in Fig 3 – which crosses the source pond.   It can be seen from this picture that the elegant and intricate balustrading of this bridge matches that of the forecourt and staircases near the Castle.

The Ardross estate was broken up and sold in 1937.   The next owners lived there until 1983, when the estate was purchased by the McTaggart family, who have since been extremely active in bringing the Formal Garden, Walled Garden, shrubberies and lawns back into good management.   It is another excellent example of what can be achieved by the efforts of people who are prepared to invest time, hard work and money in the restoration of their ‘Pulham Legacies’, and of how rewarding and worthwhile this work has proved.

Granville W.G. Leveson Gower – an amateur historian, archaeologist and antiquarian – inherited ‘Titsey Place’, near Oxted, Surrey, during the late 19^th century, and laid out the framework of the gardens, ‘joining the lakes together, and giving the lakes more of a “naturalistic” shape.’ [i]   The lakes are fed from a chalybeate spring that bubbles up from under a rock in the middle of the gardens, and flows through a stream into the top lake, and then tumbles over a waterfall, under a stone bridge, and into the lower lake.   The waterfall is shown in Fig 1, and the bridge is pictured in Fig 2.

Fig 1  -  The cascade at ‘Titsey Place’

James 2 was obviously involved here, because his booklet[ii] contains the following note:

‘Waterfalls and rocks, with a bridge across the rocks, in part stone and part artificial stone.’

The date ascribed to this work is c1871, and it is sadly obvious that the waterfall must have deteriorated quite a lot over the years.   One would normally expect its face to be adorned with Pulhamite rockwork, but these have weathered away, and one can now only see the remains of those on the banks and under the bridge.

Fig 2  -  The bridge at ‘Titsey Place’

The bridge itself is rather more ornamental than most of Pulhams’ later bridges, with an intricate stone facing and round piers at both ends.   These are the only obvious Pulham features in these gardens, so ‘Titsey Place’ can hardly be regarded as a major site.

One of Pulhams’ smaller works in public parks during the 1890s was in St James’s Park, London.   The land here used to be a swamp, subject to flooding from the Tyburn stream, which still flows through the lake.   Henry VIII acquired it in 1532, and enclosed it for the hunt.   It became a fashionable promenade for London’s high society in the 18^th century and, in 1838, it was completely re-designed by John Nash in the English landscaping style that he had learned through his association with Humphry Repton.   Its romantic curves, winding paths, and abundance of shrubberies all help to qualify it as one of the most beautiful and interesting parks in London.[i]

  Fig 1 -  The rocks along the bank of Duck Island, in St James’s Park, London

 Writing in an article in the Journal of The Garden History Society in 1984, [ii] Sally Festing records that James Pulham and Son were invited to construct:

‘Rockwork to the lake edge, and Cormorant and Pelican islands.’

This work was completed in two sections, during 1895 and 1899, and Ms Festing goes on to say:

‘At St James’s Park, Cormorant and Pelican rocks were built largely as perches for exotic birds in the south-east corner of the south-east arm of the lake in 1895 and 1899 respectively.   Craggy and majestic, they rise from the leafy-reflected waters. Few would guess that they had been cemented and modelled with a trowel.’

 Fig 2  -  Looking back to the Park from Duck Island

Fig 3  -  The rocky pool along the bank of Duck Island

 Fig 1 shows the three ‘craggy and majestic rocks’ viewed from the footpath around the lake, while Fig 2 shows them viewed from Duck Island itself, looking back towards the Park.   There is also a small rocky pool along the inner bank of the island that is not visible from the pathway around the edge of the lake.   This is shown in Fig 3.

Bedwell Park was the home of Robert Hanbury, son of Robert Hanbury Snr, who was a Senior Partner in the firm of Truman, Hanbury and Buxton, one the leading brewing firms in London.   Robert Snr lived at Poles Park – a few miles away near Ware – where James Pulham and Son had worked in 1865.   Shortly before his early death (at the age of 44) in 1867, Robert Jnr commissioned James 2 to construct a:

‘Fernery, and cliffs to hide walled garden; Root House for ferns and shrubs . .’

 Fig 1  -  Inside face of the wall to the Kitchen Garden at Bedwell Park

. . at Bedwell Park – possibly after seeing what the firm had done for his father at Poles Park.   There was a Walled Garden at Bedwell Park, only about 80 yards away, and in direct line of sight from the house, and the idea was to screen the tall, blank wall from view – in much the same way as the rockwork in Battersea Park was built to screen the view of Clapham Junction railway station, discussed in Chapter 6 of the book.

  Fig 2  -  Rockwork ‘Cliffs’ along the outside of the Kitchen Garden Wall

Fig 3  -  Entrance to a tunnel leading to the fernery at Bedwell Park

The wall is about 15-18ft high, and, when I visited in 2002, was still in very good condition, and reasonably maintained.   Fig 1 is a picture of the blank wall, taken from inside the garden, and Fig 2 shows the outside – which is about 50 yards long, and visible from the house.   It is covered with Pulhams’ rockwork ‘cliffs’, which extend a short way round the corners at each end, and there are planting pockets all along it.  

Fig 4  -  Small grotto, or dropping well, at end of wall

Fig 5  -  A ‘Pulham Face’ to fend off evil spirits

There is the entrance to a small tunnel about half way along the wall – shown in Fig 3 – and this turns out to be the entrance to what must have been the fernery or ‘root house’ mentioned in Pulham’s notes.   It is quite small, quite out of sight, and used to have a glass roof, but that no longer exists.   There is also a small grotto, or dropping well, at the left end of the wall, and this is shown in Fig 4.

Walking back to the house from the ‘cliff,’ I noticed a typical ‘Pulham face’ on the wall of the house, between the two windows, shown in Fig 5.   Pulhams often modelled faces to adorn the outside of doors or windows, and this is believed to hark back to the superstition that they helped to keep the evil spirits at bay.  

 Fig 6  -  The freshly painted plastered Dining room ceiling at Bedwell Park

Looking in through the windows, to what was then the dining room of the London Hatfield Golf Club – soon to be sold for redevelopment – I then saw a freshly painted plaster ceiling, shown here in Fig 6.   The Pulham craftsmen used to be expert plasterers, and elaborately ornate plaster ceilings can be found at many places where the firm are known to have worked on landscaping projects, so – although I have so far found no documentary evidence to substantiate such a claim – I like to think that these may be further examples of their work.