580 
JOURNAL  OR  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
December  17, 1898. 
■uch  persoas  Tfsckney  became  known  in  distant  parts  of  the  world, 
but  by  the  fame  of  Loddiges’  Nursery,  There  were  aboat  half  a 
dozen  London  nurseries  of  the  last  century,  which  stood  in  a  position 
of  pre-eminence  that  perhaps  none  can  occupy  now,  when  first-class 
establishments  are  so  numerous.  Before  entering  upon  a  descrip- 
tion  of  this  hi;  ioric  nursery,  which  disappeared  about  forty-five 
years  ago,  som*  thing  mast  be  said  of  the  association  of  Hackney 
with  gardenin  ;  pursuits  at  an  earlv  period.  Lord  Zouch  carries  us 
back  in  thought  o  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizahj^th,  when  he  was  a 
well-known  courtier,  who  acted  a.^  one  of  Q‘ieer.  Mary’s  judges, 
and  was  a  friend  of  Sir  H  rry  Wotton  Horticuiture  was  his 
hobby,  and  on  his  estate  at  Hackney  he  had  a  physic  “garden,” 
so  called  ,  also  a  nursery  for  exotics,  and  large  orchards.  He  tried 
various  methods  of  gardening  then  new  to  Britain,  and  caused  some 
surprise  by  his  successful  transplantation  of  Apple  and  Pear  trees 
twenty-five  or  thirty  years  old.  Dying  in  1625,  this  worthy 
amateur  escaped  the  troubles  of  the  Civil  Wars  ;  who  had  his 
gardens  is  uncertain. 
Then  the  ever  quaint,  inquisitive  Pepys  has  told  us  his  story  of 
sundry  visits  to  Hackney  which  he  made  after  the  Restoration. 
He  went  to  see  Sir  Thomas  Cock's  garden,  but  the  owner  was  out. 
The  head  gardener  showed  him  over,  calling  special  attention  to 
the  greenhouses,  which  Pepys  did  not  think  extraordinary.  In  fact, 
one  of  them  was  in  a  state  of  dilapidation,  for  “  the  roof  had  been 
made  a  receptacle  for  water,  and  this  overcharged  with  weight  fell 
down,  causing  great  damage  to  the  trees  and  pots.”  This  seems 
odd,  but  the  greenhouses  of  that  day  we  must  remember  had  not 
usually  glass  or  sloping  roofs.  Originally,  too,  greenhouses  were 
thus  named  because  they  were  chiefly  filled  with  evergreens,  for  our 
ancestors  shut  up  ridiculously  during  the  winter  many  shrubs  which 
would  have  borne  its  cold  well  enough  out  of  doors  when  not 
exceptionally  severe.  Other  gardens  at  Hackney  which  Pepys 
saw  were  those  of  a  Mr.  Drake  and  Mr.  Burke,  the  latter  being  a 
cultivator  of  Oranges,  which  were  just  beginning  to  be  grown  in 
England. 
There  exists  a  curious  record  of  a  survey  made  in  1650  of 
divisions  of  the  land  belonging  to  the  Manor,  which  were  leased  out 
to  several  tenants.  On  some  of  these  the  trees  are  numbered  and 
the  value  estimated,  also  particularised  as  Oak,  Elm,  and  Ash.  One 
plot  of  an  acre  and  3ft  perches  is  called  the  Rose  Garden,  indicating 
the  growth  of  that  flower  thereabout.  “  Broom  Hill  ”  and  “  Broom 
Field”  occur  as  names,  presumably  the  plant  abounded  in  the 
neighbonrhood.  “Mutton  Close”  is  mentioned,  suggestive  of  sheep 
pastures  we  think  on  the  marshy  ground.  For  what  is  now  known 
as  Mare  Street,  Hackney,  seems  to  have  been  first  called  Mere 
Street  or  Road,  leading  to  some  mere  or  fen.  Adjacent  to  the  east 
side  of  this  road  was  an  estate,  which  had  the  odd  title  of  Berbun 
Berns,  upon  which  a  mansion  was  built  in  1591 ;  the  name  was  by 
the  vulgar  altered  to  Barber’s  Barn .  It  was  for  awhile  the  residence 
of  Colonel  Okey,  one  of  the  regicides.  After  sundry  changes,  about 
the  year  1750  the  house  and  grounds  were  taken  by  John  Busch 
to  be  used  as  a  nursery.  This  gardener  was  a  native  of  Holland, 
and  by  his  skill  and  industry  he  soon  took  high  rank  amongst 
London  nurserymen  ;  his  fame  also  travelled  to  distant  lands. 
When  Catherine  II.  of  Russia  was  seeking  a  first-class  gardener 
for  her  establishment  Busch  was  recommended  to  her,  and  his 
acceptance  of  her  offer  led  him  to  sell  his  Hackney  nursery 
to  the  Messrs.  Loddiges  in  1771,  The  new  owners  expended  a 
large  amount  of  capital  on  the  erection  of  hothouses,  constructed 
on  improved  principles,  and  principally  heated  by  steam.  Like 
Bome  other  firms,  they  had  a  staff  of  correspondents  and  travellers 
abroad. 
The  precise  extent  of  Loddiges’  nursery  is  uncertain,  probably 
]  5  acres  at  its  largest,  but  the  space  was  turned  to  the  best  account. 
Mr.  Conrad  Loddiges  had  added  6  acres  in  1787,  purchased  from 
St.  Thomas’  Hospital,  there  being  insufficient  room  for  the  large 
consignments  of  plants,  and  the  business  continued  to  grow  till 
near  the  end  of  the  century.  It  was  promoted  by  means  of  the 
press,  lor  the  Loddiges  issued  catalogues  of  plants  and  seeds  when 
few  nurserymen  had  commenced  the  practice.  Later  on  they 
produced  a  monthly  called  the  “Botanical  Cabinet,”  which  appeared 
from  1817  to  1834.  But  a  serious  check  to  their  trade,  and  that  of 
most  English  nurserymen,  was  given  by  the  long  war  with  France, 
which  intei’cepted  communications  with  many  other  countries,  also 
its  heavy  expenses  which  more  or  less  affected  all  classes,  preventing 
indulgence  in  such  luxuries  as  flowers.  Also  the  export  trade  was 
interfered  with  ;  Loddiges  in  particular,  sent  numbers  of  plants 
abroad,  the  firm  being  famous  for  skill  in  packing.  Their 
object  often  was  to  retard  the  natural  growth  of  plants  during 
a  long  voyage  till  they  reached  the  climate  for  which  they  were 
intended.  To  effect  this  Loddiges  packed  them'  in  layers  with 
sphagnum,  a  bad  conductor,  which  was  trodden  or  pressed  down 
firmly. 
Alter  the  Battle  of  Waterloo  the  nursery  trade  improve  i 
decidedly,  though  gradually,  and  from  1820  to  1840,  or  so,  Loddiges 
was  at  its  best,  London  gives  it  the  title  of  Hackney  Botanic 
Nursery  Garden,  and  there  was  something  quite  original  in  its 
arrangements  as  he  describes  them.  The  principal  entrance  was 
in  Mare  Street,  which  ushered  the  visitor  at  once  to  a  range  of 
hothouBe*,  leading  him  to  the  grand  Palm  house,  then  from  the 
dry  stoves  to  the  Camellia  house,  and  sundry  greenhouses.  All 
these  formed  a  square.  In  the  central  space  were  pits,  frames,  beds 
of  tender  herbaceous  species,  and  a  collection  of  plants  in  pots 
ready  for  sale.  Upon  the  north  side  of  the  ground  another  space 
was  reserved  for  propagating  pits  and  plantations  of  species  in 
much  demand  Near  the  entrance  was  the  path  to  the  arboretum, 
which  consisted  of  a  number  of  winding  walks  or  circular  paths, 
occupying  the  larger  part  of  the  grounds.  Along  these,  on  the 
right  hand,  were  trees  and  shrubs  arranged  alphabetically  ;  behind 
each  named  specimen  were  stools  and  stocks  for  laying  or  grafting, 
also  usually  rows  of  young  plants  ready  for  removal.  'The  left- 
hand  side  of  the  arboretum  exhibited  at  the  beginning  of  the  walks 
a  collection  of  all  the  Roaes  obtainable,  and  then  a  succession  of 
herbaceous  plants  to  the  end.  Enclosed  in  the  arboretum  was  the 
American  garden.  This  was  formed  on  a  similar  plan — a  series 
of  circular  grass  walks,  along  which  were  beds  of  bog  earth  inter¬ 
sected  by  short  paths.  The  increasing  smoke  of  the  neighbourhood 
and  the  demand  for  building  land  led  to  the  break  up  of 
Loddiges  in  or  about  1852. 
At  Hackney  there  were  other  gardens  once  of  note,  concerning 
which  we  know  now  but  little.  Evelyn,  who  explored  nearly 
every  garden  accessible  in  his  time,  mentions,  in  1654,  that  of  Lady 
Brooke’s  as  “  the  neatest  and  most  celebrated  in  England,”  which 
was  high  praise.  Elsewhere  he  states  that  he  saw  there  what  was 
believed  to  be  the  first  Queen  Pine  grown  in  England,  by  a  plant 
brought  from  Barbadoes  ;  also  he  noticed  a  number  of  Vines,  planted 
10  feet  apart,  and  supported  by  stakes.  Some  time  ago,  observing 
at  Hackney  the  Vine  Nursery  of  Mr.  John  Balaam,  Hackney  Downs 
Road,  I  wondered  whether  this  might  be  near  the  spot  where  once 
was  the  vineyard  of  Lady  Brooke.  Nursery  men  of  that  name  were 
well  known  in  Georgian  times.  Living  not  far  distant — that  is,  at 
Ball’s  Pond  Nursery,  the  establishment  of  Brooks  &  Co.,  started 
about  1770,  connected  with  which  were  several  collectors.  This 
was  one  of  the  nurseries  at  which  Chrysanthemums  were  con¬ 
spicuous  at  a  period  when  the  flower  had  not  become  popular. 
Early  in  this  century  the  nursery  of  Mr.  Browning,  near  the  old 
turnpike  at  Kingstand  Gate,  had  some  repute,  also  Mr.  Smith  had 
extensive  grounds  about  Hackney  and  Dalston. 
To  the  south-east  of  Hackney  was  the  celebrated  Mile  End 
nursery  started  by  Gordon  in  the  eighteenth  century.  He  had 
been  one  of  the  gardeners  working  under  Dr.  Sherard  at  Eltham, 
who  had  a  very  large  collection  of  exotics.  Another  of  his  gar¬ 
deners  (Knowlton)  became  a  skilled  botanist,  and  was  afterwards 
employed  by  the  Earl  of  Londesborough.  The  Mile  End  nursery 
had  several  proprietors,  the  last  being  Thompson  &  Co.  It  did  a 
large  business  with  City  people  for  many  years.  Forsyth,  who 
was  an  extensive  seed  merchant,  had  grounds  at  Mile  End  to  supply 
his  warehouses.  Near  Hackney  is  De  Beauvoir  Town,  which 
represents  an  old  estate  called  Balmes,  where,  two  centuries  ago, 
there  was  about  100  acres  of  orchard,  the  trees  chiefly  Apple  and 
Pear  I  suspect. — J  R.  S.  C. 
Beckenham  Hoeticuetdkal  Society.— On  Friday  evening  last, 
before  a  large  number  of  the  members,  Mr.  A.  Dean  of  Kingstou- 
on-Thames  gave  a  lectare  on  “  Apples,”  dealing  first  with  their  culture 
in  gardens  as  bush,  espalier,  and  cordon  trees,  and  second  with  their 
market  culture  on  the  more  modern  fashion  of  bush  trees  planted 
relatively  thickly,  embodying  nursery  culture  with  that  of  the  garden, 
so  as  to  secure  the  finest  fruits  in  the  most  convenient  way  in  bulk  for 
market  sale.  The  lecturer  said  that  to  plant  Apple  trees  in  driblets 
for  the  purpose  of  getting  fruit  to  satisfy  the  needs  of  the  nation  was 
useless.  'What  was  needed  was  not  only  that  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
the  best  situated  arable  land  in  the  southern  counties  should  be  planted, 
bat  that  the  trees  should  be  counted  by  millions.  It  was  only  in  that 
way  it  would  be  found  possible  to  combat  the  existing  enormous 
importations  from  abroad.  Of  course,  it  was  satisfactory  to  know  that 
their  immense  population  had  such  quantities  of  Apples  to  eat,  but  it 
was  humiliating  all  the  same  to  realise  that  they  were  not  grown  at 
home.  Yet  they  had  thoasands  of  acres  of  good  land  that  would,  properly 
cultivated  and  planted,  produce  as  fine  Apples  as  any  the  world  now 
sent  them.  Mr.  Dean  held  that  it  was  chiefly  through  the  agency  of 
dwarf  or  bush  trees  that  they  must  look  for  the  fine  samples  that  could 
alone  be  expected  to  checkmate  the  beautiful  Canadian  fruit,  now  so 
plentiful  in  shops,  and  so  cheap,  lusts  of  the  best  varieties  for  market 
culture,  both  on  bash  trees  and  on  standards,  were  given.  The  lecture 
was  illustrated  by  a  fine  collection  of  Apples  sent  by  Messrs,  J.  Laing 
and  Sons,  Forest  Hill.  Some  beautiful  Cyclamens  from  the  same  firm, 
and  some  grand  Calanthes  from  Mr,  Webster,  Kelsey  Park,  helped  to 
decorate  the  room. 
