About us

The Garden Historians were established in 2013 to address the lack of teaching in garden history  and to promote the study of the subject more broadly.

We enjoyed immediate success at Burgh House and  increased our courses to two sessions per week. During the summer term we teach class based sessions and site visits. Burgh House has also provided a venue for a varied range of introductory sessions for new students and we plan a further range of lectures and study days in the future. Our courses will continue to evolve in theme and content allowing students from previous years to continue their study, whilst encouraging new students to join us. 

Our sessions are informal and involve no course work and require no previous knowledge of garden history. Free introductory sessions are held every September with dates to be announced on our courses page nearer the time.  This academic year, from September 2016, we will be joined by occasional visiting experts and lecturers.

We also conduct historic garden tours and are available for private hire by request. Please use our contact page for suggestions and course enquires. We encourage you to book our courses via this eventbrite link as places are limited. 

Deborah Trentham trained in History of Art, Architecture and Garden History. She has been teaching Garden History for fourteen years. She currently teaches Garden Design students for KLC School of Design at Hampton Court Palace and is in her third year as the historic judge for the Society of Garden Designer’s Awards.

Deborah writes articles for magazines and periodicals:

The Walled Garden at Brent Eleigh

The Swiss Garden

Listen to Deborah on BBC Radio 4's Making History

If you would like any further information or have any special requests for lectures or tours please contact us here