A People's Elysium: Geoffrey Jellicoe's Brave, New & Bold Public Landscapes

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A series of online talks each looking at an important 20th century landscape project designed by Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe.

A series of 3 online talks focusing on three of Jellicoe's important designs on Mondays @ 10am from 11 October, £5 each or all 3 for £12.About this eventSir Geoffrey Jellicoe was one of the 20th century's greatest landscape architects. His contribution to landscape design, a discipline he credited as the 'Mother of all Arts', including also his writings on landscape, and his influence in shaping and nurturing the young profession, were all hugely significant. Jellicoe's traditional classical education, combined with his interest in the arts, and psychology and the subconscious, deeply influenced his creativity and the landscapes and gardens that he designed. In every project that Jellicoe undertook he pushed the boundaries. In this three-part series of talks, we explore three seminal projects completed between 1955-1965, a decade that may be regarded as a turning point in Jellicoe’s long and distinguished career. The Cadbury Factory at Moreton, the Water Gardens at Hemel Hempstead and the JFK Memorial at Runnymede, these landscapes are all now on the Historic England Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest, but how have they all fared, what more do we know about them, and what is their future like? Join us and discover more. …..The ticket costs £12 for the entire course of 3 sessions or you may purchase a ticket for individual sessions, costing £5 each via the links below.Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk. A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards.<a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/166133448617">Week 1. Oct 11. Behind the Scenes of the JFK Memorial at Runnymede</a>: Part of a series of 3 online lectures, £5 each or all 3 for £12.<a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/166166254741">Week 2. Oct 18. The Serpents of Moreton Marsh</a>: Part of a series of 3 online lectures, £5 each or all 3 for £12.<a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/166167313909">Week 3. Oct 25. Saving the Serpent</a>: Part of a series of 3 online lectures, £5 each or all 3 for £12.

Photo by Susan Jellicoe from LI Collection at The MERL

Week 1. Oct 11: Behind the Scenes of the JFK Memorial at Runnymede by Annabel DownsGarden historian Cherrill Sands will introduce our series and provide a brief overview of the life and work of Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe (1900-1996) FRIBA (Dist TP); PPILA; FRTPI RA, VMH. [ Following this 15 minute introduction, Annabel Downs will talk to us about the John F Kennedy Memorial at Runnymede.The JFK Memorial (1964-65) was the most frequently requested project at the Landscape Institute’s archive and library and yet apart from Geoffrey Jellicoe’s published writings and Susan Jellicoe’s photos, the archive held only a couple of photographs of drawings produced after the project was completed. It has been over 50 years since the memorial was erected, people continue to write about it and yet we know so little more about its history. What was the design brief? How was Jellicoe appointed? Who appointed him? Why Runnymede? How was the project financed? How much did it cost? Who selected the words for the memorial stone? Where are Jellicoe’s other drawings for the memorial? What was the public response? How has it been managed? Research in a number of unexpected archives has revealed some answers - and many more questions of course! ....Cherrill Sands is a freelance garden historian with an MA in the Conservation of Gardens, Landscapes &amp; Parks from the Architectural Association in London. She is a Representative Member for Painshill Park Trust and delivers talks, guided tours, and is responsible for the archives. She has been a member of Surrey Gardens Trust for over 25 years, is a former Chairman, and remains part of the Research &amp; Recording team.Annabel Downs is a chartered member of the Landscape Institute and Fellow of the Society of Garden Designers. She worked for 13 years as part time archivist at Landscape Institute and established the drawings collection, which started with Geoffrey Jellicoe’s gift of his plan chest full of drawings and ended up as the largest single collection of 20c landscape drawings in the UK. The LI archive and library was subsequently gifted to Reading University. Annabel is currently chair of FOLAR (Friends of Landscape Archive at Reading) - to promote awareness and use of this most fabulous and growing collection. She edited and wrote several chapters for award winning monograph on Peter Shepheard in which Ed Bennis (see below) also contributed. The research on the JFK memorial is currently being prepared for publication.

Week 2. Oct 18: A Factory Garden - The Serpents of Moreton Marsh by Ed BennisReconstruction in post-war Britain brought new opportunities. The Cadbury Factory at Moreton (1952-3) in the Wirral was located to provide employment and the production of chocolate year round. How and why Geoffrey Jellicoe received the commission is not known, but he used this opportunity to develop his long held ideas and philosophies in a hostile environment.Moreton is pivotal in the development of Jellicoe’s thinking; it is the first of his water gardens that combined his theories on perspective, illusion and the use of metaphor. The site proved to be his experimental ground for greater things to follow where details and ideas were replicated at Hemel Hempstead. Jellicoe married his abstract ideas with technical competence, and a story line that would inspire the imagination; hence the wind breaks and mounds became the Serpents of Moreton Marsh. Ed Bennis was Head of the School of Landscape at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), and then Head of the Centre for Landscape Research. He has been a landscape consultant to English Heritage and regional governments, to several professional practices as well as designing and managing his own projects in the private sector. He has held numerous positions on regional and national bodies/committees: Landscape Institute Education Committee; Green Flag Judge, CABE/Civic Trust; editorial board of 'Green Places' and ‘Landscape Design’, chairman and trustee of Cheshire Gardens Trust.

Week 3. Oct 25: Saving the Serpent by Kate HarwoodHemel New Town was the third of the Mark 1 post-war sites to be designated as sites for New Towns. Geoffrey Jellicoe was awarded the commission to design the new town, both neighbourhoods and town centre in 1947. However, his ideas were not accepted and the New Towns’ Commission produced their own plan. After several years delay, Jellicoe was approached to draw up plans for the town centre gardens. These were executed and were much beloved. Unfortunately, the council allowed them to fall into decay and alarm bells were rung when they decided to build their new council block in the gardens themselves. This is the story of the gardens from rise to fall to resurgence today with the help of an Heritage Lottery Fund grant.Kate Harwood is Conservation &amp; Planning Officer of Hertfordshire Gardens Trust and a member of the Gardens Trust Conservation Committee. She has an MA in Garden History from Birkbeck and taught on their certificate course for several years, and at ICE Cambridge. She now lectures, writes and researches garden history as well as helping residents of Hertfordshire protect and enhance our historic parks and gardens.

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A People's Elysium: Geoffrey Jellicoe's Brave, New & Bold Public Landscapes

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