Craze for Collecting - She Sleeps on a Volcano! Dora Stafford

Were they intrepid explorers and suppliers of beauty and scientific advancement, or imperialist plunderers and destroyers of fragile environments? The reputation of plant-hunters as brave adventurers tracking down botanical wonders has taken something of a battering in recent years. Make your own mind up about their role and continuing importance as we share some plant-hunter stories in this new series. Learn about the exploits of the late-18th century ‘father’ of modern plant-hunting and the adventures of a once-celebrated woman who led botanical expeditions to the Andes. Hear tales from those who’ve followed in the footsteps of famous collectors, revisiting the native habitats of exotic plants which are now staples in the British garden, and ponder on ideas about the very different role of collectors today in plant conservation and public education.

This ticket is for this individual session and costs £8, and you may purchase tickets for the other individual session via the link below, or you may purchase a ticket for the entire course of 5 sessions at a cost of £35 via the link here. (Gardens Trust members £6 or £26.25).

Ticket sales close 4 hours before the first talk

Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days (and again a few hours) prior to the start of the first talk (If you do not receive this link, please contact us), and a link to the recorded session will be sent shortly after each session and will be available for 2 weeks.

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Week 1. 15th October: She Sleeps on a Volcano! Dora Stafford. First in this series of 5 online lectures, £8 each or all 5 for £35 (Gardens Trust members £6 each or all 5 for £26.25)

Week 2. 22nd October: Sir Joseph Banks. Second in this series of 5 online lectures, £8 each or all 5 for £35 (Gardens Trust members £6 each or all 5 for £26.25)

Week 3. 29th October: In the Footsteps of.. Third in this series of 5 online lectures, £8 each or all 5 for £35 (Gardens Trust members £6 each or all 5 for £26.25)

Week 4. 5th November: A mid-summer Expedition to Yunnan. Fourth in this series of 5 online lectures, £8 each or all 5 for £35 (Gardens Trust members £6 each or all 5 for £26.25)

Week 5. 12th November: Dispatches from the Cape. Last in this series of 5 online lectures, £8 each or all 5 for £35 (Gardens Trust members £6 each or all 5 for £26.25)

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Week 1. 15 October: She Sleeps on a Volcano! Dora Stafford – tracking the forgotten plant hunter of Peru with Hamish MacGillivray

Amongst the famous plant-hunters that Britain produced the name of Dora Stafford is ignored. Yet, in the 1930s she managed a syndicate of wealthy collectors and botanical gardens to fund her expeditions to the Andes mountains, in southern Peru. Miss Stafford’s plant-hunting exploits made sensational headlines in newspapers and amazed readers in society magazines. A plant catalogue card from Highdown Gardens sparked a three-year investigation by the speaker into related archival materials: letters, newspapers and 90-year-old pressed flowers. Each piece contributing to a larger historical jigsaw of the remarkable Miss Stafford. Discover her other surprising horticultural/botanical links with Enfield, Kew Gardens and the alpaca trade from Arequipa in Peru. This is a work in progress.

After 20 years working in museum exhibitions, Hamish MacGillivray became a curatorial freelancer evolving into a story hunter. He now helps volunteer groups in south-east England discover hidden stories in archives or museum stores. He became fascinated exploring links between horticulture, botany and social history when working at Great Dixter House and Gardens and later for the National Trust (Chartwell), Highdown Gardens and Cranleigh Heritage Trust.

For more information, please visit https://www.acmemuseumservices.co.uk/about/

Image: Miss Stafford from a 1932 press article, photo used with permission from the Mary Evans Picture Library

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