News Update – June ’13

A Miscellany of Trips  

The last few weeks have been very eventful, featuring a number of trips of one form or another, involving:

  • A visit to Preston, nr Canterbury, to look at a beautiful Pulham garden that, for some reason or another, managed to evade all the Pulham databases, so it can now be officially recorded for the first time.
  • A potentially disastrous trip on a trip to London.
  • A personal trip to a Pulhamite Celebration at Bawdsey Manor, Suffolk, and
  • A very successful trip at Shipton Court, Shipton-under-Wychwood, with the Oxfordshire Gardens Trust. Continue reading “News Update – June ’13” →

1909 – Elmstone Court, near Canterbury, Kent

SM 25 – Jun 13

Elmstone Court is an elegant Grade II listed Georgian country house, set in the lovely rural countryside of the small village of Preston, near Canterbury, Kent, and Fig 1 looks across the stream to the back lawn of the house.   The inclusion of its garden in this series of essays on Pulham gardens came about by pure accident, because it was not included in any listing of Pulham gardens at the time my book, Rock Landscapes: The Pulham Legacy, was published.   Continue reading “1909 – Elmstone Court, near Canterbury, Kent” →

News Update – April ’13

Cancellation of TalkTalk Email Accounts

As you will know, almost all of my personal emails – plus most of the circulated Pulham Newsletters – have been sent from my main account at claude@hitching.net, although, at times of pressure, I have sometimes used my ISP address at claude.hitching@talktalk.net.   Continue reading “News Update – April ’13” →

1906-07 – Belper River Gardens, Derbyshire

Sm 23 – Apr 13

In 1776, Belper became the home of the world’s second water-powered cotton-spinning mill – an event that contributed greatly to its conversion from a quiet village to a busy industrial community.   The mill’s founder was Jedediah Strutt, the inventor of an attachment that made it possible to do ribbed knitting on an ordinary hand-operate knitting frame.      It became known as the ‘Derby Rib’, and gave a tremendous boost to the whole of the East Midlands hosiery industry. [i] Continue reading “1906-07 – Belper River Gardens, Derbyshire” →

1874-75 – Westonbirt Manor, Tetbury, Gloucestershire

SM 21 – Feb 13

Westonbirt Manor, in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, was originally owned and developed by the Holford family, who lived there from 1685.[i]   Robert Holford (1808-92) was lucky, as well as being hard working and very astute.   He inherited the 1,000-acre estate from his father; was left £1 million on the death of a bachelor uncle; worked as a successful legal practitioner in London, and bought a large stake in the newly formed New River Company of Stoke Newington.   Continue reading “1874-75 – Westonbirt Manor, Tetbury, Gloucestershire” →

1859-60 – Fonthill Abbey, Tisbury, Wiltshire

SM 22 – Mar 13

A reference in James 2’s promotional booklet [i] relates to some work he did for the Marquess of Westminster at Fonthill Abbey, in Fonthill Gifford, Wiltshire, during the years 1859-60.  Continue reading “1859-60 – Fonthill Abbey, Tisbury, Wiltshire” →

The Garden – February 2013

Rock Landscapes: The Pulham Legacy

Claude Hitching

320 pages, 2012 – Garden Art Press, ISBN 9781870673761 – RRP £35 Continue reading “The Garden – February 2013” →

News Update – January ’13

The ‘Pulhams of Broxbourne’ Exhibition Rolls On

The Pulhams of Broxbourne Exhibition closes at the Lowewood Museum in Hoddesdon on Saturday, 2nd February, after a very successful run, and moves on to the Epping Forest District Museum, at 39-41 Sun Street, Waltham Abbey EN9 1EL, opening on Saturday 9th February. Continue reading “News Update – January ’13” →

1890 – Leonardslee Gardens, Horsham, Sussex

SM 01 – Jun 11

Set in a tranquil woodland valley in West Sussex, the Leonardslee gardens are one of the largest and most spectacular in England. Continue reading “1890 – Leonardslee Gardens, Horsham, Sussex” →

1858 – Ponsbourne Manor, Newgate Street, Hertfordshire

SM 02 – Jul 11

This month’s Site of the Month is one of James 2’s earlier assignments.   One of the very first ferneries he constructed was built in 1858, in the basement of Ponsbourne House, Continue reading “1858 – Ponsbourne Manor, Newgate Street, Hertfordshire” →

1859-62 – Berry Hill, Taplow, Buckinghamshire

SM 20 – Jan 13

Mr John Noble, a leading varnish manufacturer, commissioned Robert Marnock, the famous Scottish garden designer, to ‘beautify’ his garden at Berry Hill, Taplow, near Maidenhead, towards the end of the 1850s, and Marnock invited James 2 to help with their construction.   According to James 2’s notes,[i] most of this work at Berry Hill took place between 1859 and 1862, and involved the creation of: Continue reading “1859-62 – Berry Hill, Taplow, Buckinghamshire” →

The Pulham Legacy in London

James Pulham and Son, the eminent firm of Victorian and Edwardian landscape artists, are mostly remembered today for their picturesque rock gardens, ferneries, follies and grottoes with which they embellished many of the great country estates and parks around the country, but, as garden fashions evolved around the turn of the 20th Century, they also extended their portfolio to include grand, balustraded terraces, and formal Italian and Japanese-styled gardens.   They supplemented this by manufacturing a wide range of very high-quality garden ornaments, such as fountains, vases, urns, seats and balustrading etc in their Manufactory in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire.   Continue reading “The Pulham Legacy in London” →

James Pulham in Wales

James Pulham and Son are best remembered these days for the picturesque rock gardens, ferneries, follies and grottoes they constructed during the Victorian years.   This was the time when tourists returning home from their ‘Grand Tours’ of Europe sought to create natural habitats in their gardens for the ferns and Alpine plants they had collected during their travels.   Hence the fashion for rock gardens, and, if natural rocks were not economically available, the Pulham craftsmen would ‘make their own’ by building up heaps of rubble and old bricks, and coating them with their own proprietary brand of cement that soon became known as Pulhamite.   The craftsmanship of the ‘rock builders’ lay in their ability to sculpt the surfaces to simulate the colour and texture of natural rock.   Continue reading “James Pulham in Wales” →

Articles

This section contains a portfolio of articles written by Claude Hitching about James Pulham and Son for publication in various magazines and newspapers etc prior to – or to coincide with – the publication of Rock Landscapes: The Pulham Legacy. Continue reading “Articles” →

London Landscapes – Autumn / Winter 2012

Rock Landscapes: The Pulham Legacy

Claude Hitching

Published by Garden Art Press, for the Antique Collectors Club, Suffolk 2012 – (RRP 235) ISBN 978-1 -87067-376-1

 During the nineteenth and early twentieth century, as new plants flooded into the UK from around the world, rockeries, and decorative rockwork gained in popularity.   Many were built on a grandiose scale to display rare and unusual alpine and mountain plants, both in private gardens and later in public parks.   A large rockery might have mini-ravines, grottoes, waterfalls and even purpose-built caves.  Continue reading “London Landscapes – Autumn / Winter 2012” →

Trafodion – Welsh HGT – November 2012

Rock Landscapes: The Pulham Legacy

Rock Gardens, Grottoes, Ferneries, Follies, Fountains and Garden Ornaments

Claude Hirching, with photography by Jenny Lilly

Garden Arr Press, 2012, £35, (£28 if ordered online from wwwanriquecollecrorsclub.com/ uk), 320pp, ISBN 978-1-870673-76-l

 Claude Hitching°s article ‘James Pulham in \Wales’ which appeared in the first issue of Trafodion, anticipated the publication of this ‘big book’, large in format and lavishly illustrated.   The author’s interest in the Pulhams sprang from his researches into his own family history, and the discovery that his grandfather, Frederick Hitching, had worked for the Pulham family firm for over half a century.   The present publication is the culmination of decades of intensive, patient and evidently enjoyable research by Claude Hitching, and is both an impressive ‘business history’ and an appropriate tribute to his grandfather. Continue reading “Trafodion – Welsh HGT – November 2012” →

Garden History Journal – Autumn 2012

Review by Brent Elliott of

Rock Landscapes: The Pulham Legacy

in the Garden History Journal – Winter 2012 (pp.308-310)

 Claude Hitching, Rock Landscapes: The Pulham Legacy (Woodbridge: Garden Art Press, 2012), 320 pp., illus. in colour and black-and-white, £35.00 (hbk). ISBN 9-781870-673761 Continue reading “Garden History Journal – Autumn 2012” →

1896-97 – Wotton Park, Dorking, Surrey

SM 19 – Dec 12

Just three miles west of Dorking, in the valley of the Tillingbourne, lies the Grade II* listed Wotton House, which was purchased by George Evelyn in 1579, and has remained in the Evelyn family ever since.   George’s youngest grandson was John Evelyn, the famous diarist, who eventually inherited Wotton at the age of 79, on the death of his elder brother.   He wrote of Wotton: Continue reading “1896-97 – Wotton Park, Dorking, Surrey” →

1919-20 – Shipton Court, Shipton under Wychwood, Oxfordshire

SM 18 – Nov 12

Shipton Court, in Shipton under Wychwood, in deepest Oxfordshire, is an impressive Jacobean mansion that dates from 1603, part of which is still lived in, and part of which has now been converted into flats.   I first became aware of it, and its possible association with James Pulham, via a letter that arrived completely out of the blue.   Continue reading “1919-20 – Shipton Court, Shipton under Wychwood, Oxfordshire” →

1859 – Danesbury Park, Welwyn, Hertfordshire

SM 17 – Oct 12

One of James 2’s earlier assignments – before he brought James 3 into the business, and expanded the firm to become James Pulham and Son – was to build a fernery on a small chalk pit in Danesbury Park, near Welwyn, which was at that time owned by William-John Blake FRS, formerly the Whig MP for Newport, Isle of Wight, between 1837 and 1841. [i] Continue reading “1859 – Danesbury Park, Welwyn, Hertfordshire” →

1864-71 – Lockinge, Wantage, Oxfordshire

SM 16 – Sep 12

According to his promotional booklet, Picturesque Ferneries and Rock Garden Scenery, the work done in 1864 by James 2 for Robert Loyd-Lindsay and Lady Overstone at Lockinge, near Wantage in Oxfordshire, involved the construction of:

 ‘Waterfalls, Rocky Stream, and Cliffs for Alpines and Ferns.’ Continue reading “1864-71 – Lockinge, Wantage, Oxfordshire” →

F T Weekend Review – 14 July 12

Sham rock

By Robin Lane Fox

The tale of the Pulhams, a self-made family renowned for its fake stone, is not over yet

©Jenny Lilly

The boathouse and ‘The Nest’ at Sandringham, part of a series of Pulham rockscapes rediscovered in the late 1980s

Across four generations a self-made family dominated the solid features in the gardens of Britain’s new rich. The story is inspiring and has only been known so far in outline. Now, much more of it has become clear, from Las Vegas to the country seat of England’s Rothschilds.   More is surely out there, waiting to be added.   The tale of the Pulhams is not over yet. Continue reading “F T Weekend Review – 14 July 12” →

1874 – Gunnersbury Park, Hounslow, London

SM 15 – Aug 12

The 186-acre estate of Gunnersbury, on the boundaries of Hounslow and Ealing, in southwest London, was once owned by the Bishops of London, but was purchased by Princess Amelia, favourite daughter of George II, in 1761.[i]   She improved the estate, and used it as her summer residence until her death in 1786, and Princess Amelia’s Bath House – a battlemented Gothic style building at the far end of the terrace to the house – still survives. Continue reading “1874 – Gunnersbury Park, Hounslow, London” →

News Updates

The Pulham Website Newsletters

In an attempt to keep our readers and visitors up-to-date with everything that is happening in the ‘World of Pulham’, we have decided to produce occasional News Updates that can be accessed from this page.   Just click on the dates to go to the complete Newsletter selected.

March ’18
  • A coveted award from The Gardens Trust
  • Welcome to ‘pulham.rocks’ – a new name for The Pulham Legacy website
  • Coming Soon – ‘The Pulhams of Broxbourne’ DVD
  • St Albans Court, Nonington, and Thornby Hall, Northamptonshire – two newly rediscovered Pulham gardens
  • Leonardslee Gardens to reopen to the public this year
  • Lever Park, Rivington – Restoration update
  • Your R V Lifestyle – ‘100 Things to do in the U K’
  • The Rectory, Wallington, Hertfordshire – a link with the Hitching family?

Click Date on left for Details

November ’17
  • The final ‘Pulhams of Broxbourne’ presentation – for the ‘Worth Park Friends’ at Worth Park, Crawley.
  • News of two newly-discovered Pulham sites – Nymans and Bournemouth Gardens
  • A Linked Series of Coincidences involving Silver Cups and a Pulham Family Bible and Photograph Album.
  • An update on the Gardens at Dyffryn, South Wales
  • A new website launched by The Friends of Danesbury Fernery
  • Looking for a book to buy for all your friends and family – or even yourself – for Christmas? . . .

(Click Date on left for Details)

August ’17
  • Heading for my final ‘Pulhams of Broxbourne’ presentation before I hand over the reins to Val. (See below)
  • A Pulham fountain is discovered in Rhode Island, New Jersey
  • Probable Pulham garden features are discovered in Dyffryn Gardens and Dumbleton Hall
  • Previously unreported Pulham gardens are discussed for the first time at Chateau Impney. Rosherville Gardens and Headley Park.
  • Pulham gardens at Sunningdale Park, Bearwood College, Leonardslee and Bawdsey Manor pass into new hands.
  • A Pulham Rockwork Trail has been set up at Waddesdon Manor.
  • Great News at Lowewood, but discouraging news at Ewell Court House.

(Click Date on left for Details)

June ’17

• A previously unrecognised and unrecorded Pulham rock garden in West Sussex
• Completed and newly-commissioned restoration projects part-funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
• Archive pictures of the Villa Ste Ursule, in Cannes, France – Obadiah’s first assignment for Thomas Smith
• Pictures of some (non-Pulham) rockscapes around the French Riviera
• Examples of work done by one of Pulham’s most gifted stone modelers
• The restoration of a Pulham fountain in the Isle of Wight
• A Silver Award for Val Christman and her team for their garden at the Chelsea Show

(Click Date on left for Details)

March ’17

(The Pulham Memorial Letter)
  • Report on the Special Pulham Memorial Event, including the Opening of the Memorial Site and Garden, and the Launch of the ‘Romance in Stone’ Exhibition at Lowewood Museum, that runs until 29th April 2017
  • Interactive Video Tours of five of the Pulhams’ most prestigious gardens
  • Recording of the BBC’s Three Counties Radio interview about the Exhibition and the Pulham Story
  • Report on the Pulham Conference on 9th March
    • (Click Date on left for Details)

Christmas ’16
  • Latest Update and Programme for the Special Pulham Memorial Exhibition, 14th January – 29th April 2017
  • Two Video Clips
  • Is there Pulhamite in Francem and Have we Found one of Pulham’s First Terracotta Pieces?
  • Two Pulham ‘Paris Vases’ find a New Home
  • Updates from two ‘Pulham Castles’
  • How the Heritage Lottery Fund has helped two of Pulham’s Parks
  • Val has the Last Word in Video Interview.
    • (Click Date on left for Details)

November’16
  • Update on the new Pulhams Memorial Project at Broxbourne
  • How About a Pulham Convention on 9th March 2017?
  • A Special Interest Day at Waddesdon Manor
  • A ‘New’ Pulham Site at The Newgate Gap, Margate, Kent
  • ‘Rock Landscapes’ Gets onto a Book Club List
  • 2016 Presentation Diary Ends on a High Note
  • Does Your Local Park Need a ‘Friend’?
    • (Click Date on left for Details)

July’16
    • The new Pulhams of Broxbourne Memorial Project
    • A Trip to End All Trips
    • The Pulhams of Broxbourne’ Presentations
    • www.pulham.org.uk Gets a Facelift and Makeover
    • Discovery, Recognition and Restoration – A review of five sites and restoration projects
(Click Date on left for Details)

May ’16
  • Reports on Latest ‘Pulhams of Broxbourne’ Presentations
  • Another Great Day in Woodbridge
  • ‘Site of the Month’ Reaches its final Chapter
  • The Pulham Picture Puzzles
(Click Date on left for Details)

March ’16
  • An Exciting New Discovery in S E London 
  • A Wonderful Picture of the Pulham Family
  • The Heritage Lottery Fund Steps in Again
  • ‘Smash Hit’ Results in a Return Booking for ‘The Pulhams of Broxbourne’
  • The Pulham Picture Puzzles
(Click Date on left for Details)

Christmas ’15
  • The Pulham Picture Puzzle
  • A Fascinating Day in Woodbridge
  • Two more Special Dates for the Presentation Diary
  • A Special ‘Site of the Month’ for January
(Click Date on left for Details)

November ’15
  • The Special Pulham Study Day at The Swiss Garden
  • Presentation to the Welwyn Garden City U3A Gardening Group
  • ‘Rock Landscapes: The Pulham Legacy’ – A Special Gift for Christmas
  • A Fascinating Day in Woodbridge
(Click Date on left for Details)

September ’15
  • A Special Pulham Study Day at The Swiss Garden
  • Major Pulham Restorations at Worth Park, Crawley
  • ‘Buy TheBook’ Page Updated
  • ‘PL1’ – Your Key to a Very Special Offer
(Click Date on left for Details)

April ’15
  • ‘The Pulhams of Broxbourne’ Presentations
  • A Special ‘Pulham Study Day’ at The Swiss Garden
  • Dewstow – One of Alan’s ‘Best Back Gardens’
  • ‘Sites of the Month’ since May ’14
  • ‘PL1’ – Your Key to a Very Special Offer
(Click Date on left for Details)

November ’14
  • ‘The Pulhams of Broxbourne’ Presentations
  • Rediscovery, Restoration and Preservation
  • More Pages on the Pulham Legacy Website
  • ‘PL1’ – Your Key to a Very Special Offer
(Click Date on left for Details)

July ’14
  • Pulham Garden Crafts Ltd Triumph at Chelsea
  • The Pulhams of Broxbourne’ Presentations
  • ‘PL1’ – Your Key to a Very Special Offer
(Click Date on left for Details)

May ’14
  • Forthcoming Presentations in Hertfordshire
  • ‘Site of the Month’ Updates
  • ‘PL1’ – Your Key to a Very Special Offer
(Click Date on left for Details)

November ‘13
  • ‘PL1’ – Your Key to A Very Special Christmas Offer
  • A Most Interesting Approach from NADFAS
  • We Mark the Passing of a Truly Remarkable Lady
  • The ‘Pulhams of Broxbourne’ Presentations go to Wales
         (Click Date on left for Details)

September ‘13
  • Danesfield House Book Signing on 13th August
  • What’s new on www.pulham.org.uk
  • Getting ready for Wales.
(Click Date on left for Details)

August ‘13
Part of the NGS Open Day Celebrations at

Danesfield House,

Henley-on-Thames
will be a Book Signing of

Rock Landscapes: The Pulham Legacy

by Claude Hitching

between 2.30 – 4.30 p.m.
(Click Date on left for Details)

June ‘13

A Miscellany of Trips

  • Rediscovery of a New Pulham Site
  • An Accidental Trip on a Trip to London
  • A ‘Pulhamite Celebration’ at Bawdsey Manor
  • A Presentation and Tour at Shipton Court
  • Dewstow on BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live

April ‘13
  • Dates for the Diary – Presentation Bookings
  • ‘Pulhams of Broxbourne’ Exhibition
  • The www.pulham.org.uk Site Map

January ‘13
  • The ‘Pulhams of Broxbourne’ Exhibition Rolls On
  • Dates for the Diary – Presentation Bookings
  • American Guests Enjoy Their Day in Hoddesdon and Broxbourne
  • Heritage Lottery Grants for Pulham Sites

December ’12
  • Four Prestigious Book Reviews
  • Pulhamite Featured on Channel 4 tv
  • New Pulham Garden Discovered
  • New Silver Cup Discovered
  • Original Prize Pulham Vases Discovered
  • Report on the ‘Pulhams of Broxbourne’ Exhibition at Lowewood Museum, Hoddesdon
  • St Katherine’s, Parmoor, Frieth – Report on Presentation on 8th November
  • Site of the Month Website Feature
  • Take the Advice of the Experts

1873-80 – Park Hill, Streatham, London

SM 14 – Jul 12

‘Park Hill Mansion’ was one of several very large properties situated on Streatham Common North, in southeast London.   They were once the homes and estates of some very wealthy people – providing, as they did, a commanding view over Streatham, and to the heights of Wimbledon and the Surrey Hills beyond. Continue reading “1873-80 – Park Hill, Streatham, London” →

1910-12 – Gatton Park, Reigate, Surrey

SM 13 – Jun 12

Gatton Park, near Reigate, in Surrey, is a 250-acre estate that can be traced back to the 15th century. [i]    In 1761, it became the seat of Sir George Colebrook, an extremely keen gardener who, between 1762 and 1768, paid Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown more than £3,000 – one of his largest commissions – for works at Gatton that included a ‘great water menagerie’.[ii] Continue reading “1910-12 – Gatton Park, Reigate, Surrey” →

1891-94 – Gisselfeld, Denmark

SM 12 – May 12

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.   Continue reading “1891-94 – Gisselfeld, Denmark” →

1909-10 – Luton Hoo, Luton, Bedfordshire

SM 11 – Apr 12

The grounds of Luton Hoo were originally laid out by ‘Capability’ Brown c1770, for John Stuart, the 3rd 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. Continue reading “1909-10 – Luton Hoo, Luton, Bedfordshire” →

Notice Board, Links and Ordering Instructions

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MAJOR WEBSITE UPDATE

Publication of Original Pulham Documents

  • Click on the ‘Archive’ Button to link to .pdf copies of Publications, Catalogues, Reports, Letters and Diaries etc relating to the lives and work of James Pulham and Son.   They include:
    • The Lockwood Reminisces
    • Working with Thomas Smith
    • Picturesque Ferneries and Rock Garden Scenery’ by James 2
    • The Fred Rickett Diaries
    • Garden Ornament Catalogue
    • .  .  .  and more .  .  .
  • Click on ‘Book Shop’ for a more direct and efficient way to order and qualify for your 40% discount per copy of ‘Rock Landscapes: The Pulham Legacy’

Keep up-to-date with all the latest Pulham News.   Click the News Desk Button to access the Pulham News Letters Archive
Button - Gazetteer Direct Links to more than 100 illustrated articles written by Claude Hitching on gardens, parks and features created by James Pulham and Son.
Button - Picture Puzzles Complete a Jigsaw, and create a beautiful picture of a genuine Pulham garden scene.
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Check out the principal People and Places – plus a few selected photographs – featured in each Chapter of ‘Rock Landscapes’
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