We are very pleased to welcome Sarah Rutherford, a distinguished landscape historian, author and researcher, to talk to us about the two extraordinary grottos at Virginia Water, and that at nearby Ascot Place in Berkshire.

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Sarah has extensive experience as an author and researcher which she will bring to her illustrated talk. She is a Kew-trained gardener who began her career at Oxford Botanic Garden. She was head of the English Heritage Historic Parks and Gardens Register and is now a freelance consultant and writer.

 

Sarah is currently writing a book on Grottos in the UK to be published next year (towards which BGT gave a small donation in 2025).

 

Sarah will look at the two enigmatic Georgian grottoes at royal Virginia Water, Surrey. She will explain what misfortune led renowned C18 artist and architect Thomas Sandby to be nicknamed ‘Tommy Sandbank' in his efforts (with mixed success) to enlarge the royal lake at Virginia Water, incorporating a grotto in the spectacular cascade. This was by the 1790s the largest man-made lake in Britain.
Illustrating the colourful grotto design drawings by Thomas Sandby scattered in the Bodleian Library, Royal Collection and V&A Sarah will tell the story of these regal grottoes and reveal a possible connection with the spectacular Grade I grotto at nearby Ascot Place in Berkshire.

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Booking:

 

Please book online before the 8th November. The tickets are £8 each
for both members and non-members. We will send you a Zoom link for the lecture a few days beforehand. The lecture will last approximately 1 hour, followed by questions. The lecture will be recorded with the link available for a week to those people who have booked for the event.

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