Oxford College Gardens

From the bijou corners of Corpus Christi to the wide open lawns of Trinity, Oxford’s gardens are full of surprises and hidden corners – not least the fellows’ or masters’ gardens, which are usually kept resolutely private. Take a tour of the stunning gardens of this prestigious British institution without leaving your armchair with this elegant, authoritative analysis full of glorious photographs which reveal their full interest and charm. The gardens of Oxford’s thirty or so colleges are surprisingly varied in style, age and size, ranging from the ancient mound in the middle of New College to the fine modernist design which is St Catherine’s. The eighteenth-century landscape school is represented in the magnificent acreage of Worcester, while the twentieth-century vogue for rock gardening is reflected at St John’s. Founded in 1621, the university’s Botanic Garden is the oldest botanic garden in Britain, holds one of the most diverse plant collections in the world, and has been a source of inspiration for writers from Lewis Carroll to Philip Pullman.

Reviews of Oxford College Gardens

`These Pembroke men make a dream team, since Lawson has a true and careful eye while Richardson is a most thoughtful and intelligent writer' * Spectator * `Richardson's well-informed narrative and Andrew Lawson's superb pictures conjure the gardens at their peak' * FT Weekend * `Another treat…with beautiful photographs…This is a book to be savored; sketching out a history of Oxford, its text is as lively and informative as its photographs are absorbing.' * New York Times * 'Exquisite.' * Guardian *