The Edwardian Head Gardener
The Head Gardener has for a long time remained an unsung and elusive hero. His name and something of his work may have survived but little of the man himself is recorded. This is quite remarkable when you consider there were over four thousand of them in 1914. In an age without formal education and classed as a servant, the Head Gardener had to be intelligent, adaptable, ingenious and be possessed of superb managerial skills and honed horticultural talent. The head gardeners of Victorian and Edwardian Britain enjoyed a status and an importance that extended far beyond the walled frontiers of the estate. Only the very best of the uneducated country lads who were taken on as garden boys survived the apprenticeship of up to fifteen years, but those that did were men of strong character who had educated themselves in the sciences of botany, etymology, plant breeding, plant physiology, surveying, perspective drawing and much else. As well as ensuring that the great houses were supplied with flowers, fruit and vegetables the year round.
First added by York Stories
Appears in:
York 1905Discovering the history of the Melbourne Centre and finding out about life in York around 1905.