TOP SOURCES

BOOK

Diary of a Victorian Gardener by William Creswell (English Heritage, 2006) The diary of William Creswell, a gardener on a prestigious Essex estate, was discovered at a flea market and published in 2006.

MUSEUMS The Garden Museum Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7LB 0207 401 8865 gardenmuseum.org.uk The museum has a permanent display of paintings, ephemera, tools and gardening artefacts.

Lost Gardens of Heligan Pentewan, St Austell, Cornwall PL26 6EN 01726 845100 heligan.com Abandoned in 1914 but restored in the 1990s, the Lost Gardens are a living museum of gardening during the Victorian and Edwardian periods.

WEBSITES

British Newspaper Archive

britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk Search for horticultural news in the articles digitised on this site (or, for Pro-level subscribers, at findmypast.co.uk).

Historical Directories of England and Wales

bit.ly/ SCO- directories The directories on the University of Leicester’s Special Collections website list gardeners employed at country houses and large suburban residences.

National Archives Discovery Catalogue

discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk Discovery can help you locate estate records that might refer to gardeners in documents such as wages books.