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The garden at Buckingham Palace is probably one of the best-known 'secret gardens' in the world. Its name is recognised as the venue for the Queen's summer garden parties and, at 16 hectares (40 acres), it is one of the largest private gardens in London. As part of the Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace, the garden has been seen by millions of visitors from around the globe. Yet despite this, its centuries-long history and its year-round character remain almost unknown.
In THE GARDEN AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY, renowned garden historian Jane Brown presents the story of the garden, from its beginnings as a seventeenth-century mulberry plantation to the role it plays in the private and public life of the Royal Family today. Drawing on previously unpublished material in the Royal Archives, this book uses contemporary maps and plans - together with drawings, paintings and photographs from the Royal Collection - to illustrate the changing appearance of the garden, from Victorian shrubbery to the 'oasis in the middle of London' that it is today, with its 350 species of wild flowers and exceptional variety of bird and animal life. |