Edward James, part II: AT WEST DEAN by Jim Buckland & Sarah Wain

The Edward James Foundation, to which we referred in an earlier post devoted to its munificently generous creator, did not merely endow the much respected West Dean College, devoted to Arts & Crafts and horticultural education, but also a glorious suite of interconnected gardens dating back to 1622, the latter revived and landscaped across fully 6,000 acres of lush, Sussex countryside, thanks in large part to the authors of this remarkable book: the newly retired husband and wife team of Jim Buckland and Sarah Wain.

Under such prefatory essays as "authors", "stage set", "players", and "the theatre", one is then guided to the body proper: an astonishing and colourful account of how this enormous, sadly neglected estate, in which Edward James hadn't lived for years (though he lies buried in his arboretum), was not only brought back to life over the quarter of a century the authors were in charge, but to full self-sufficiency, deploying an enormous vegetable garden, meticulously maintained glasshouses (fuelled by a biomass boiler), a sophisticated system of prunings (a profession in itself), more than a hundred varieties of heirloom apples, a pergola 300 feet long, borders galore, and a landscape filled to the brim with flora and fauna alike (sheep being the principal mowers).

West Dean offers degrees and diplomas for full-timers, and a rich array of courses and workshops for transients, at very reasonable rates by British standards. To accommodate an endless procession of guests (the gardens are among the most visited in Britain), it owns and lets over 150 cottages on and around the estate; but nothing and no one is allowed to detract from its overriding vision: that of executing "horticultural rigour and contemporary efficiencies, set against a Victorian backdrop".

What a place of learning!

This is not a book for horticultural neophytes; but as an adrenalin-generating, eye-popping example of one of the top ten such properties in Britain, where both house and garden are maintained to exacting standards (the specialist horticultural photographer, Andrea Jones, took the shots), this noble book reflects, through both photographs and text, a truly stupendous achievement.

Well worth the indulgence, for those so inclined - and a highly appropriate legacy from its creators, who should be given a 12-gun salute for their efforts.

Photos courtesy of Andrea Jones and Ian Watt

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