124 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
August  10,  ]£99. 
LON  BON  GARDENS  OYER  FIFTY  YEARS. 
No.  11. 
Wandsworth  was  to  have  been  the  finish  of  our  walk  after 
quitting  Vauxhall,  hut  somehow,  in  the  article  j  receding,  we  turned 
elsewhere,  and  did  not  reach  our  destination,  to  which  we  now  wend 
our  way.  Named  from  the  river  AVandle,  which  flows  through  the 
village  before  it  enters  the  Thames,  Wandsworth  was  much  benefited  by 
the  stream  that  fertilised  the  fields  and  gardens  along  its  course,  also 
carrying  o£E  superfluous  water  from  rainfall.  It  received  many 
springs  in  its  windings  formerly,  like  other  minor  rivers  which  helped 
to  swell  the  the  volume  of  Thames  water,  so  seriously  reduced  now. 
One  of  the  circumstances  which  made  Wandsworth  famous  was  its 
election  of  a  mock  mayor,  called  the  Mayor  ot  Garratt,  an  event 
which  usually  took  place  at  every  general  election,  the  scene  being  a 
little  hamlet  amongst  market  gardens  between  this  suburb  and 
Tooting.  Thousands  flocked  to  it  from  all  parts  of  London.  The 
election  having  been  made,  there  was  a  grand  procession  through 
Wandsworth  with  an  escort  of  horsemen  apd  music. 
About  1567  a  large  number  of  emigrants  came  to  England  from 
Flanders,  flying  from  severe  persecutions,  and  many  of  them  settled 
round  London,  others  were  scattered  over  the  southern  counties,  a  few 
went  northward.  Wandsworth  had  its  share  ol  these  Walloons,  and 
they  managed  to  have  a  church  of  their  own,  also  a  burial  ground, 
called  “  Mount  Nod,”  still  to  be  visited  in  East  Hill,  which  contains 
some  noteworthy  memorials.  Many  of  the  emigrants  had  skill  and 
taste  in  gardening,  but  those  w  ho  came  to  Wandsworth  seem  to  have 
been  chiefly  occupied  in  weaving  straw  and  wool.  Possibly  some  of 
them  grew  Beans  and  Asparagus  on  the  fields  of  Batteisea,  or  forced 
Grapes  for  spring  eating  in  pits  and  low  houses,  which  Holland  had 
learnt  to  do  centuries  ago  Then  the  Flemings  excelled  in  producing 
choice  Pinks  and  Roses,  amongst  other  flori.-t’s  varieties,  and  one  of 
our  guests  is  supposed  to  have  introduced  double  flowers. 
Unlike  some  London  suburbs,  Wandsworth  never  was  a  region  of 
market  gardens  ;  it  had  a  fewr  nurseries  scattered  along  the  course  of 
the  main  road.  It  resembled  Clapham  in  having  afforded  a  rural 
home  to  many  merchants,  who  surrounded  their  mansions  with  parks, 
and  cultivated  vegetables,  fruit,  and  flowers  in  extensive  gardens. 
Twenty-five  years  since  there  were  several  of  these  yet  remaining 
about  Lavender  Hill  and  Battersea  Rise,  their  magnificent  trees,  says 
a  stroller,  standing  like  giant  guards,  bidding  defiance  to  thedestroyin 
angel — the  ruthless  builder.  But  they  got  the  worst  of  it,  and  miles 
of  bricks  and  mortar  have  taken  possession  of  these  hills.  Did 
gardeners  ever  cultivate  Lavender  thereabouts?  Some  say  so,  hence 
the  name.  I  never  remember  seeing  the  plant  conspicuous  on  the 
slopes  between  Wandsworth  and  Battersea,  though  some  other  fragrant 
herbs  were  grown  for  the  market  in  patches  amongst  vegetables. 
When  the  acres  attached  to  the  Firs  and  Ni  rmandy  House  had 
been  seized  by  the  builders,  there  yet  remained  on  the  hill  the  nursery 
of  Mr.  Merry  weather ;  but  this,  too,  was  doomed,  so  he  migrated  to 
another  plot  of  land  not  far  distant,  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  Wands¬ 
worth  friends.  He  settled  in  Wix  Lane,  towards  Tooting,  taking  a 
garden  surrounded  by  fine  old  hedges  of  Holly  and  Hawthorn.  This 
was  ten  or  twelve  years  ago,  but  the  “Horticultural  Directory  ”  of 
the  present  year  reveals  the  lact  that  he  has  been  again  disturbed  ; 
his  vineries  and  flower  beds  there  are  things  of  the  past. 
Probably  the  Watercress  grounds  of  Wandsworth  have  also 
vanished.  These  were  near  the  main  road,  in  a  spot  very  suitable 
for  the  culture  of  this  salad.  The  pleasant-named  Springfield 
Nursery,  now  held  by  Mr.  Chard,  diminished  in  space,  is  a  memorial 
of  rural  Wandsworth.  Valler's  Nursery  has  ceased  to  exist.  Near 
Battersea  Rise,  a  tavern  bearing  the  sign  of  the  “  Brookland  Arms” 
reminds  us  of  Brookland  Nursery,  a  branch  establishment  commenced 
in  1850  by  the  well-known  nurseryman,  Mr.  Knight  of  Chelsea,  who 
then  occupied  the  establishment  carried  on  these  later  years  by 
Messrs.  Veitch  &  Sons.  Mr.  Knight  took  12  acres  of  the  higher 
ground  of  Battersea,  chiefly  for  the  cultivation  of  young  trees,  the 
space  beiDg  laid  out  in  squares,  upon  a  peculiar  plan  of  his  own.  It 
was  only  in  operation  for  a  few  years.  Then  Courland  Nursery  has 
gone,  which  was  near  the  L.C.D.  station,  Wandsworth  Road,  and  did 
a  good  trade  in  shrubs,  specially  evergreens.  Trinity  Read,  near  the 
common,  exhibits  the  nursery  of  Mr.  R.  Neal,  with  a  display  of  trees 
and  shrubs  suited  to  the  London  air.  Towards  Southfields,  which  is 
an  outlying  part  of  Wandsworth,  we  still  find  a  nursery,  that  of 
Mr.  Gold. 
About  the  middle  of  this  century,  gardeners  on  a  visit  to  the 
metropolis  often  sought  an  opportunity  to  see  the  houses  and  garden 
of  Buintwood  Grange,  Wandsworth,  which  w^ere  then  under  the  car; 
of  Mr.  Hoskins.  The  Gothic  conservatory  attached  to  the  residence 
was  deemed  noteworthy  enough  to  be  figured  in  a  new  “  Handbook  ot 
London.”  It  was  of  a  somewhat  novel  design,  rather  ornate,  and  so 
contrived  as  to  show  to  advantage  a  variety  of  plants  of  moderate  size 
without  any  overcrowding.  This  was  the  work  of  Messrs.  Trollope  of 
London  ;  but  for  the  forcing  houses  and  the  general  plan  of  the 
grounds,  Messrs.  Rollisson  of  Tooting  were  responsible.  A  splendid 
show  of  summer  flowers  was  made  along  the  chief  walk.  On  W  est 
Hill,  towards  Putney,  were  the  gardens  of  Mr.  Rucker,  known  in  1851 
as  an  enthusiastic  grower  of  Orchids,  and  an  admirer  ot  Heaths,  ot 
which  he  had  a  large  collection.  His  lawns  displayed  fine  clumps  of 
Azaleas  and  Rhododendrons,  while  they  were  surrounded  by  Pines, 
Araucarias,  and  Deodars,  amongst  other  tree.s  of  deciduous  foliage. 
Visitors  were  attracted  by  a  Tosery,  in  which  Hybrid  Perpetuals  figured 
principally,  and  did  very  well  in  the  atmosphere  as  it  wras  then. 
Battersea  for  many  years  had  a  large  extent  of  garden  ground. 
Some  writers  of  last  century  refer  to  it  in  connection  with  Asparagus. 
The  locality  suited  this  vegetable,  and  it  was  doubtless  freely  grown 
here  at  one  time,  but  not  in  my  recollection.  Loudon  speaks  ot 
Battersea  as  a  home  for  Cabbages,  and  certainly  Brassicas  ot  various 
inds  were  conspicuous.  Beans  had  a  large  space  allotted  to  them 
during  the  period  1  knew  these  gardens  ;  Peas  were  very  iittle  grown  ; 
Lettuces,  Beet,  Horseradish,  Rhubarb  weie  common  ;  Potatoes,  too,  of 
course;  but  not  much  was  done  in  the  production  of  Cucumbers, 
Marrows,  or  Melons.  These  market  gardens  were  situate  between  the 
well-known  Battersea  Fields  and  the  upland,  on  ground  that  was 
inclined  to  be  moist;  if  neglected  marsh  plants  appeared  upon  it,  and 
I  can  quite  believe  that  in  the  olden  time  the  Thames  at  some  seasons 
flowed  over  Battersea  to  the  foot  of  the  hills.  Still,  there  is  nothing 
in  the  jocose  supposition  that  the  name  has  allusion  to  such  local 
floods.  Evidently  at  first  it  was  Patrick’s  Eye,  variously  spelt ; 
perhaps  comnn  morating  St.  Patrick  or  Peter,  the  place  beiDg 
ecclesiastical  property.  The  shrinkage  of  Battersea  market  gardens 
went  on  steadily  from  about  1860,  till  but  little  remained  in  1885. 
It  was  comical  to  see  that  occasionally  the  gardener  fled  some  time 
before  the  builder  arrived,  leaving  his  plants  to  produce  a  self-sown 
crop  amongst  weeds  and  grass.  That  the  Battersea  gardeners  did  some 
lorciDg  appears  from  two  lines  in  a  satirical  poem  published  early  in 
the  century,  when  the  public  mind  was  much  taken  up  with  balloon 
schemes : — 
“Gardeners  in  shoals  from  Battersea  shall  run, 
To  raise  their  kindlier  hotbeds  in  the  sun.” 
Time  is  thinning  the  number  of  those  who  recollect  old  Battersea 
Fields,  where  the  boys  fished  in  its  streamlets  and  ponds,  or  climbed 
its  "Willows,  while  older  folks  thought  the  fields  afforded  a  pleasant 
stroll,  only  it  was  needful  to  look  out  for  stray  shots  from  the  pigeon 
shooters.  But  the  ground  was  only  a  waste,  and  it  has  bren  trans¬ 
formed  into  one  of  the  best  London  parks,  affording,  indeed,  displays  of 
vegetable  life  and  beauty  which  are  not  to  he  had  in  parks  <  f  older  date, 
situate  in  more  pretentious  localities.  Like  several  of  the  other  parks 
that  are  under  the  London  County  Council,  this  park  has  its  zoological 
characteristics  ;  besides  birds  and  fish,  we  have  deer  introduced,  and 
lataly  an  attempt  has  been  made  to  start  a  colony  of  squirrels.  This 
park  of  2C0  acres  is  a  conspicuous  example  of  horticultural  skill  and 
progress,  the  alj  ine  and  sub-tropical  gardens  particularly. 
The  Government  were  fortunate  enough  to  secure  this  large  space 
for  the  sum  of  £11,000,  arid  £6000  was  expended  on  the  original 
laying  out.  Purchased  in  1851,  it  was  not  till  1858  the  park  could 
he  opened  to  the  public,  some  alterations  needing  considerable  time, 
especially  as  the  low  ground  of  a  great  portion  had  to  be  elevated, 
much  of  the  rockwork  being  manufactured  on  the  spot.  Many  of  the 
masses  bear  close  resemblance  to  natural  rocks,  as  the  water  trickles 
down  their  rugged  sides  into  the  lake  below,  while  here  and  there  in 
gaps  or  knolls  flourish  Ferns,  Irish  Yews,  Cypresses,  and  Austrian 
Pines,  with  other  evergreens.  Various  climbers  cover  part  of  the  rocks, 
supported  by  wires,  and  at  the  base  are  creep  ers  or  low-growing 
species.  Again,  in  the  alpine  garden  we  have  miniature  hills,  where 
peaks  are  made  to  look  wintry  by  Antennaria  tomentosa,  and  the  sides 
are  bedecked  with  the  dwarf  plants  and  Conifers  characteristic  of 
alpine  regions.  Most  years  greenhouse  succulents  such  as  Cacti  and 
Aloes  have  also  been  added  during  summer. 
Probably  the  subtropical  garden  is,  in  the  eyes  of  most,  the  gem  of 
the  park,  planned  by  Mr.  John  Gibson,  who  had  the  great  advantage 
of  having  seen  the  plants  here  placed  growing  in  their  native  lanas. 
The  Palms,  Dracaenas,  Aralias,  Tree  Ferns,  and  hundreds  of  other 
exotics,  some  of  them  rare,  produce  a  delightful  effect  by  their  shapes 
and  rich  foliage,  intermingled  as  they  are  with  brilliant  flowers. 
Another  speciality  of  Battersea  Park  is  the  array  of  ornamental 
Grasses,  those  of  an  aquatic  or  semi-aquatic  habit  showing  up  well  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  lake;  others  have  been  grouped  in  hollows.  Then 
the  Fern  gladets  beneath  Ivy-clad  banks  are  delightfully  shady  just 
now,  and  flourish  to  admiration. — J.  R.  S.  C. 
