Great Britain is rich in gardens and garden landscapes. Gardening is in the British blood! Every week, you can watch a programme about gardens and gardening on BBC Television or another channel.
Nearly every country estate is, or was, surrounded by gardens and parks. In 1983, the British Post Office (Royal Mail) issued a series of four stamps featuring stately gardens. Pitmedden is a rural village in the parish of Udny, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Pitmedden Garden, part of which is seen on this 31p stamp, is a walled garden with vibrant floral designs and a Museum of Farming Life.
Near the town of Woodstock in Oxfordshire, lies Blenheim Palace. Built for the First Duke of Marlborough, it is the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. The palace was a gift from Queen Anne to the Duke in gratitude for his victory at the Battle of Blindheim on August 13, 1704. The parkland was laid out in 1764 by Lancelot “Capability” Brown (pictured above). He commissioned the artificial lake depicted on the 28p stamp.
Capability Brown designed over 170 parklands belonging to country houses and castles, many of which still exist and can be visited. His nickname “Capability” comes from a saying he used with his clients: “Your garden has ‘great capabilities.'” And he certainly lived up to that promise, with a collection of large trees and ample water. He is considered the greatest gardener of his time.
Two Egyptian sphinxes, seen on the stamp here, flank a stone passageway in the garden of Biddulph Grange. The garden and country house are located near Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. A grange was originally a manor house, but later evolved into a comfortable country house. The garden was designed by James Bateman, who lived from 1811 to 1897. He moved to Biddulph in 1840, where he designed the garden with the help of his friend Edward William Cooke. He was a great lover of orchids. The rhododendrons and azaleas in the garden, which bloom profusely in late spring, are famous.
One of the most famous gardens is also called “The most beautiful garden in England,” a 1930 creation by author Vita Sackville-West and her husband, Sir Harold Nicolson. The garden has been owned by the National Trust since 1967, and thousands of visitors enjoy its countless flowers. The garden is located near Cranbrook in Kent. Numerous walls and hedges have been erected throughout the garden, creating dozens of beautiful passageways. The most beautiful garden is undoubtedly the white garden, which features only white flowers. And, of course, a magnificent rose garden, home to many varieties, which are also depicted on the 1976 series of postage stamps below.
