On Tuesday 6th February a group of Buckinghamshire Gardens Trust members met at the Royal Horticulture Society to have a tour of the historical archive collection that is held by the Linley Library having negotiated the challenging train service!
We were able to view a large range of archives including an amazing photographic record of the development of a Horticuture Society set up by British prisoners of war housed on a horse racing track outside Berlin at the beginning of the 1st World War. They managed to engage with the RHS during the war who supported them with equipment, seed and all the proper vases required for a horticulture show. The Ruhleben Horticultural Society archive is fascinating and some images and documents are available on line though the RHS Digital Collections.
We viewed a number of other archives which are listed below with the relevant links:
The herball or generall historie of plantes / Gathered by John Gerarde of London Master in Chirvrgerie. Bookplate is available on the RHS Digital Collections.
A curious herbal / Blackwell. Both volumes of the book can be viewed on the RHS Digital Collections.
The natural history of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands / Catesby Vol 1 and The natural history of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands / Catesby Vol 2
Erucarum ortus / Maria Sibylla Merian
We can thoroughly recommend a visit to the library. If you are interested and would like to stay in touch with the library to keep up to date with their events and projects, you are welcome to sign up to their newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/781BD6BDF8F7CD05
