The Figure in the Estate.

I am honoured to have been invited by Laurent Châtel to the Maison Française d’Oxford tomorrow to represent Compton Verney in a seminar titled: The Figure in the Estate – The Rôle of Gardeners and Stewards in the Designing of Landscapes. The seminar is open to visitors, please click on the link above for more information.

The seminar is taking place between 10:45am and 4:30pm at the Norham Road base, and from a garden and landscape history perspective, it looks to be a fascinating day. Key players in the line up are Sarah Law and Susanne Seymour, Nottingham University, Sally O’Halloran, Sheffield University and Clare Bucknell, All Souls College, Oxford. Towards the end of the day, I shall be joining Glyn Jones (Hidcote), Nick Lightfoot (The Vyne), and Barry Smith (Stowe), in a discussion titled: ‘From The National Trust Head gardener’s Point of View : Current Practice – Consensus or Dissensus?‘ Of course, I shall be trying my best to hold a candle up to Compton Verney, moreso in the presence of such notable National Trust gardeners – wish me luck!

 Gary Webb, 

Head of Landscape and Gardens, Compton Verney