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Cobbett’s Wey DFAS report May Lecture "Surrey’s Gardening Genius" With the growing season in full swing, this month’s lecture to Cobbett’s Wey Decorative and Fine Arts Society was most appropriate. GJ spent most of her life only a few miles from Farnham. She was keenly interested in both her beloved Surrey countryside and in the vernacular architecture of the county. Helen McCabe began her fascinating talk ‘In the Spirit of Gertrude Jekyll: Her Ideas and Influence on 20th Century Garden Design’ by describing the famous gardener’s early life. Born in 1843, Gertrude Jekyll came from a privileged background. She studied painting for two years and was indeed a fine watercolourist. When, in her 40s, her eyesight deteriorated, Jekyll turned to gardening. The lecturer pointed out that as a contemporary of Monet’s, she was well aware of the Impressionists’ colour theories. Jekyll often juxtaposed a primary colour with complementary ones, for example, yellow with violet or blue with orange in her planting schemes. Jekyll first met Edwin Lutyens when he was a very young man. She appointed him as architect for her own new home – Munstead Wood. They formed a partnership in which Lutyens designed the house and structure of the garden whilst Jekyll planned the planting schemes. Helen McCabe said that although Jekyll was influenced by the Impressionists and The Arts and Crafts Movement, it is difficult now to realise quite how radical her ideas were. She abandoned Victorian artifice and stressed the natural. Plants were allowed to spill over paths, cascade down walls and grow into each other. She introduced companion planting, so a clematis would trail through a rose and she pioneered the idea of drifts of plants and colours. Gertrude Jekyll has had a profound influence on gardeners ever since. Vita Sackville West at Sissinghurst introduced many of her ideas. Jekyll-inspired gardens can also be seen abroad in, for example, Normandy and in Connecticut. The lecture was beautifully illustrated with slides of some of the gardens which Jekyll designed including, locally, Munstead Wood and Upton Grey. The Chairman, Elisabeth Cort, reminded members that the AGM will be held just before the next lecture, ‘Pretty Witty Nell: Mistress, Mother and Matriarch’, on 28 June and will begin at 7.30pm CWDFAS is a member of NADFAS |
“Pretty, witty Nell: Mistress, Mother and Matriarch” The June meeting of Cobbett’s Wey DFAS started with the AGM. After the business part of the meeting, the Chairman, Elisabeth Cort, presented Ben Phillips, a student from Farnham College, with a bursary to be used for materials in his foundation art course, at Farnham University of the Creative Arts. Last year’s winner, William Lewis, showed members a video he had made about an exhibition at New Ashgate Gallery. The lecture was called ‘Pretty, witty Nell: Mistress, Mother and Matriarch.’ Peter Dewar, who is a descendant of Nell’s, said he felt justified in talking about her to an arts society as she was very decorative in herself and her love-making was a fine art! He explained that mystery surrounds Nell: nothing is known about her father, the date of her birth is disputed and there are even twelve variations of the spelling of her name. When theatres opened after Charles II’s restoration, Nell initially sold oranges at the King’s House before joining its company as an actress in 1664. She became a popular comedy actor. Dryden even wrote plays especially for her and she is often mentioned by Pepys. The lecturer said that it was at the theatre that Nell caught the eye of Charles II. She called him Charles III as her first two lovers had also been named Charles. Nell delighted Charles and the court with her wit and merry pranks – she once laced the food of a rival mistress with a laxative! Nell was one of the three principal mistresses of the king. Unlike the other two, she seems to have loved the man rather than his title. Peter Dewar painted a picture of a loveable, amusing, generous woman who had none of the airs and graces of her rivals. He quoted from ballads written at the time to give a flavour of the period. The birth of two sons gave Nell financial security. Charles conferred honours on them, the elder becoming Earl of St Albans – a title which still exists. Charles’ deathbed plea ‘Let not poor Nellie starve’ was respected by his brother James who gave her a pension. She died in 1687. After the lecture members stayed on to chat together whilst enjoying a glass of wine and some snacks. GO TO PRESS ARCHIVE MARCH 2006 & APRIL 2006 GO TO PRESS ARCHIVE JANUARY 2006 & FEBRUARY 2006 GO TO PRESS ARCHIVE OCTOBER 2005 & NOVEMBER 2005 GO TO PRESS ARCHIVE JUNE 2005 & SEPTEMBER 2005 GO TO PRESS ARCHIVE APRIL 2005 & MAY 2005 GO TO PRESS ARCHIVE FEBRUARY 2005 & MARCH 2005 GO TO PRESS ARCHIVE NOVEMBER 2004 & JANUARY 2005
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