Todd Longstaffe-Gowan explores gardens that range in date from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century, and from the capital’s humble allotments and gardens behind terraced houses to defunct squares, amateur botanical gardens and aviaries, princely pleasure grounds, royal-palace gardens, artists’ gardens and private menageries – gardens that either no longer exist or are unrecognisable today.
Our fascination with lost gardens is often fuelled by our interest in reconstructing worlds that supply us with a powerful means of making sense of the past, and a way of reading history. In this beautiful and evocative book, illustrated with a variety of images including watercolours, coloured engravings and photographs, Longstaffe-Gowan reminds us of what a precious asset gardened green space is, and how it has contributed over the centuries to the quality of life and well-being of generations of inhabitants of the Metropolis.
The book accompanies an exhibition at the Garden Museum, London, opening on the 23rd of October 2024 – 2nd of March 2025.
Lost Gardens of London (Modern Art Press) will be released on the 8th of October 2024.