Constance Villiers-Stuart: Earthly Delights

Charming small display at the Garden Museum to mark donation of Constance Villiers-Stuart’s archive to the museum. 

Villiers-Stuart was a garden historian most known for her work on Indian/Murghal gardens. She went to India’s in 1911 with her husband where she studied gardens, did watercolours of them and  designed one of her own in Jabalpur. In later life she turned to photography and flower arranging. She wrote for Country Life and produced small calendars.

The display had a selection of beautiful watercolours of English and Indian scenes plus a selection of ephemera including a palate, passport, selection of lantern slides and sketch books.

Having read the statement “Constance remained drastically out of touch with the concerns and treatment of Indian people under colonial rule” but also learning she had an elite circle of friends who met at her home Beachamwell Hall I’m off to find out more.

Closes 30 November 2022

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