Boston Flora

Tag: Sir Edwin Lutyens

  • Thursday, April 15, 2:00 pm – The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House, 1918 – 1939, Online

    It is said that there is nothing quite as beautiful as an English country house in summer. And there has never been a summer quite like the summers between the two world wars, a period in which the sun set slowly on the British Empire and the shadows lengthened on the lawns of a thousand stately homes.

    Life in the English country house during this period was often punctuated by glamorous parties and decadent gatherings, with all of the occupants above and below stairs conspiring to protect the idea and image of the country house.

    Join historian and author Adrian Tinniswood and the Royal Oak Foundation on April 15 at 2 pm as he discusses and illustrates these houses—some designed by the leading architects of the period such as Edwin Lutyens and Philip Tilden while others were bought up by the newly rich and “historicized” with salvaged bits from elsewhere. He will show some of the modernized new Art Deco decoration, such as the onyx-walled bathroom at Middleton Park, as well as the old faded grandeur of the inherited country house.

    But above all, he will explore these homes through the lends of the house parties, or Saturday-to-Mondays, full of exhausting dress codes, extravagant parties, a full schedule of activities (including corridor creeping!), and a generation of characters. From society decorator Sibyl Colefax, burning rosemary on saucers so that her Chelsea villa might smell enticing to guests she hoped to bag as clients; to the future Edward VIII doing his needlepoint on a low modern sofa at the newly remodeled Fort Belvedere in Windsor Great Park.

    Drawing on hundreds of memoirs and unpublished letters and diaries, on the eye-witness testimonies of belted earls and unhappy heiresses, Tinniswood’s lecture is filled with entertaining stories and gossip more fantastical than Downton Abbey.

    Adrian Tinniswood is a Senior Research Fellow in History at the University of Buckingham. He is the author of 15 books on architectural and social history including the New York Times bestseller The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House Between the Wars and Behind the Throne: A Domestic History of the Royal Household.

    His most recent book is The House Party: A Short History of Leisure, Pleasure and the Country House Weekend. Tinniswood was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2013 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to heritage.

  • Wednesday, March 3 – Monday, March 15 – The Gardens of India

    Every now and then we will call your attention to a luxurious garden tour opportunity.  We are in no way affiliated with any of these tour providers, so please do your own research, but if you’re looking for unusual, garden related travel, read this:

    India, most incredible India … the national fruit is the mango, the national tree is the Ficus bengalensis or the banyan tree and the national flower is the Lotus. Just like the Lotuses, prized for their serene beauty, the Taj Mahal is also prized for its beauty, beauty made as a result of a grief stricken Emperor Shahjahan as a memorial to his beloved wife Mumtaj Mahal. This is a very special one of a kind garden tour as it will focus on some incredible gardens and sights.Old Delhi – Raj Ghat – resting place of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, Monument of Jama Masjid, Red Fort, Qutub Minar – Victory Tower, Lotus Shaped Bahai Temple, India Gate, Presidents Palace and Parliament House. Visit to Lodhi Garden, Mughal Garden – designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and very rarely open to the public, Humayun’s Tomb – built in 1570, is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal.

    Agra – Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Taj Garden – Charbagh – In Islamic style of architecture, the garden is not just another feature but has a well-defined meaning and it symbolizes the spirituality.

    Bharatpur – the Royal City of Fatehpur Sikri – the city built of red sandstone includes the principal mosque of Old Delhi in India.

    Jaipur, the Pink City – Sisodia Rani Ka Bagh Garden – a symbol of love, Amber Palace, tour Pink City and Hawa Mahal for photos, Jantar Mantar – observatory built by the founder in 1728, City Palace Museum.

    Jodhpur – Mandore Garden, city tour including Jaswant Thada – Taking pride of place amongst the ornamental gardens and chattris is the fabulous white marble memorial to Jaswant Singh II, built in 1899.

    Udaipur, the city of lakes – Evening boat ride on Lake Pichola, visit to Jag Mandir Island, city tour including visits to City Palace, Sahelion-ki-bari – garden of the maidens, Jagdish Temple – built in 1651.

    Tour provider Donna Dawson achieved her master gardener certificate in 1995, through the University of Alberta Devonian Botanic Garden. She is a current member of the Royal Horticultural Society as well as the Garden Writers Association, Affiliate Member Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors and member of the North American Travel Journalists Association.  Donna has been featured in numerous gardening magazines including Homemaker’s, Gardener for the Prairies, Gardens West, Canadian Gardening and Gardening Life, as well as local newspapers and Internet sites such as Familywave.com and iParenting.com where she is currently the expert on gardening. She is part of the expert panel at www.WorldReviewer.com with her specialty in gardens. She has also had the opportunity to provide photographs to European Homes & Gardens, BCAA and Doctor’s Review. Donna is the only outside writer for Tai Pan Travel magazine featuring gardens and plants from around the world and is also a writer for Vivir Bien, a lifestyle magazine out of the Republic of Panama where she talks about plants in tropical areas – in Spanish and English.

    Donna has appeared on Canada AM, HGTV’s Indoor Gardener and Calling All Gardeners. She and her husband were one of the few chosen to do a TV special called “the Garden Tourist” on Recreating Eden and while in China on tour, she was a special guest on China TV. She has also been a featured guest speaker at numerous Canadian gardening events including Canada Blooms and Victoria’s Art in Bloom.

    Land only cost of this trip $4,995, double occupancy.  For more information call toll free 1-866-642-7120 or email Donna Dawson at donna@icangarden.com.