Miss Willmott of Warley Place: Her Life and Her Gardens by Audrey le Lievre; Faber and Faber Limited, 1980
8vo; 240 pp; 1st edition; hardback; dustjacket with slight tear and stain on inside; embossed book stamp on dustjacket and half-title page: ‘Library of CID Colin Dove’.
Born in 1858 to a wealthy family, Miss Ellen Willmott owned three gardens, Warley Place in England, Tresserve in France and Boccanegra in Italy and employed one hundred and four gardeners. Her name was associated with many of the great gardeners of the time including Gertrude Jekyll, William Robinson and EA Bowles and in 1897, she was one of only two women, alongside Gertrude Jekyll, to receive the Victoria medal of honour. In 1904 she became one of the first women to be elected a fellow of the Linnean Society of London. And yet, she suffered great personal sadness, and died alone and nearly bankrupt, at the age of 76
She published two books: Warley Garden in Spring and Summer and The Genus Rosa.
More than 60 plants have been named after her or her home, Warley Place.
Her younger sister, Rose, married Robert Valentine Berkeley in 1891. They lived at Spetchley Park in Worcestershire.
£15.00
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