ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many names are scattered throughout this book. Their owners’ skills, talents and physical efforts all helped us to realise this adventure; we will be for ever grateful to them.

In 2012 Joy Hall formally suggested that a book should be written to record our work and vision. Her idea was further pressed by Val Corbett and Tim Longville, who pointed out that if someone else takes on the garden after us, it would be important for them to have a record of why the garden was designed and planted as it is, and how it is maintained. Their argument seemed instantly sensible and we are most grateful to them.

We are also grateful to Val for her exquisite photographs and to her husband, Tony, for his great patience in translating my handwriting into legible typescript, while Tim scrutinised the text and made most helpful and perceptive suggestions.

Joy and Val also publicised the possibility of this book, with the help of a leaflet which Val produced. We are grateful to garden owners including Lord Howick of Howick Hall, Sir Humphry Wakefield of Chillingham Castle and Mr and Mrs Norton of Whalton Manor, who generously had them available for their visitors; to David Wheeler, the editor of Hortus, who included them in an issue of his distinguished journal; to the many other kind and supportive people who helped to distribute them; and to all those who responded to the leaflets so enthusiastically.

Over the years, articles about the garden have appeared in many newspapers and magazines, and we are grateful to all of the writers, photographers and editors involved. It is impossible to name them all, but we are particularly grateful to Country Life, which has featured the garden thrice, the first time when it was still young in 1992, then in 2013, and again in 2014, and to those most distinguished of photographers, Jacqui Hurst, Andrea Jones, Andrew Lawson and Karen Melvin, for their contributions to this book.

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