Secret laboratories and historic seedlings, topiary cats and exquisite portraits hidden behind two famous gardens lie the legacies of two extraordinary designers.
Overlooking the Sussex Weald stands Nymans, the half-ruined manor house and famous garden once home to the Messel family. Today it is celebrated for its romantic ruins and spectacular planting, but Nymans is preparing to celebrate one of its most famous residents – the legendary designer Oliver Messel, whose magical stage sets transformed British theatre, opera and film in the 20th century. A major exhibition is bringing together props, costumes and personal objects from across his extraordinary career.
At the centre of the exhibition is a newly acquired portrait of Oliver's beloved sister Anne painted in 1932. The painting captures both Anne's beauty and the close bond she shared with her brother, while also reflecting the glittering world of the "Bright Young Things" – the group of glamorous young aristocrats and socialites with whom they mixed and partied. But years of dirt and flaking paint have dulled its brilliance, and conservators must carefully clean and restore the canvas before it can take pride of place in the exhibition.
Meanwhile in Surrey, another creative visionary's legacy is being celebrated at Munstead Wood – the home and garden of Gertrude Jekyll, one of the most influential garden designers in British history. Her bold planting schemes changed the look of British gardens, replacing rigid Victorian formality with softer, naturalistic borders inspired by the English countryside.
The National Trust acquired the property in 2023 and has taken on the enormous challenge, begun by previous owners after the great storm of 1987, of restoring the garden to reflect Jekyll's original vision. Head gardener Annabel is working from Jekyll's original plans to rebuild her famous borders, while topiary expert Darren tackles one of the garden's most unusual survivors – Jekyll's much-loved yew cat.
First clipped into shape more than a century ago, it has grown wild over the decades. Restoring this overgrown feline requires patience, precision and more than a little imagination.
Few others of Jekyll's original plants survive, but those that do have a special status, called the "antiques of the garden" by Annabel. Amongst these antiques are the amazing collection of Azaleas and to preserve them for the future the National Trust is attempting to clone them through a technique called micropropagation. This involves taking cuttings to their bio-secure Plant Conservation Centre in the West Country, also home to many other important seedlings such as the Sycamore Gap tree and the apple tree that inspired Sir Isaac Newton's theory of gravity.
Inside the house, repairs are also being made to Jekyll's beautifully crafted workshop door, created with architect Edwin Lutyens and decorated with delicate inlays of bone, mother-of-pearl and abalone – a reminder that Jekyll's talents stretched far beyond planting design.
