Subject to the resources available, activities may include:
- Public lectures.
- Specialist seminars, lecture series, and academic symposia.
- Research projects.
- Fellowships or scholarships.
- Co-ordination and support for books, articles, and other publications.
- Expert advice.
- Promotion and co-ordination between national and overseas institutions and scholars.
- Liaison with funders and supporters.
Below is our President’s Report from June 2020, outlining our activities in the previous year:
The Garden History Research Foundation has launched several new initiatives over the last year. For these, I thank the energy and hard work of Foundation members: Treasurer Ian Duggan, Gail Pittaway, Peter Sergel, and Marilyn Yeoman, as well as Secretary James Cassidy. I also want to thank the financial support provided to us by the Friends of Hamilton Gardens.
2020 Achievements
- Graduate Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Garden History:
- July 2019, awarded to Zoë Heine (Victoria University of Wellington), to assist with her thesis on: ‘Community gardening’.
- This was supported through funding provided by the Friends of Hamilton Gardens.
- Blog series:
- Over the last year, we have had 12 original blogs published on our website, with many gaining national and international coverage: https://gardenhistoryresearchfoundation.com/blog-posts/
- Over May 2020, we had 3 blogs: garnering, 625 views from 329 visitors
- One of these blogs was subsequently picked up and published by newsroom: https://www.newsroom.co.nz/ideasroom/2020/05/02/1153981/the-origins-of-the-nature-weve-rediscovered
- In all, we have achieved the following coverage:
- Website: 26 followers via WordPress websites and email alerts.
- Twitter: 239 followers (https://twitter.com/gardhistnz).
- Facebook: 61 followers (https://www.facebook.com/GardenHistoryResearch).
- Journal & Occasional Papers series
- Two issues of the journal, International Review of Environmental History have beem published: https://press.anu.edu.au/publications/journals/international-review-environmental-history
- We have launched the Occasional Papers series to highlight aspects of the background garden history of aspects of the designs of Hamilton Gardens.
- Book Series: Routledge Research on Gardens in History series announced: Routledge Research on Gardens in History series
- Garden History Lecture Series
- COVID-19 lockdown has delayed the start of this series. Subject to a lifting on assembly and movement, we anticipate speakers at Hamilton Gardens on topics including gnomes, chinoiserie, and much more besides.
- Announcement of International Patron: Jenny Uglow, OBE
- Jenny is an internationally renowned writer on garden history, and provides considerable backing to our Foundation: https://jennyuglow.wordpress.com/
- Her writing may also be viewed in New York Review of Books, The Guardian, Times Literary Supplement, and other leading journals and newspapers: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/jenny-uglow; https://www.nybooks.com/contributors/jenny-uglow/
- Bank account opened with SBS.
Looking to the year ahead, we plan to:
- present a 2020 Graduate Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Garden History.
- develop closer relations with the Australian Garden History Society, especially over research connections and the sharing of international speakers.
- further a Garden History Public Lecture Series.
- publish our first Occasional Papers
- continue to expand our national and international outreach through blogs, publications, talks, social media posts, and advocacy.
- open a donate page on our website.
James Beattie
Chair, Garden History Foundation
