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.

Each term we are joined by visiting experts and lecturers. Past guests have included Garden Historian and Classical Archaeologist, Michael Turner, the Garden Historian and author Helena Attlee, writer and novelist, Tessa Hadley, prolific author and garden and landscape writer, Tim Richardson and renowned landscape historian and author, Judith B. Tankard.

Pre-covid each course we ran included a trip to a garden or relevant institution. Some recent trips have included:

The Research Libray and Archive at The Sir John Soane’s Museum
RIBA British Architectural Library
The Royal Botanic Garden at Kew
RIBA at The V&A print room
The V&A Cast Court
The National Gallery
Chelsea Physic Garden

Recent visits:

The Royal Gardens at Kensington Palace
The Festival of Britain Gardens and The Old English Garden at Battersea Park
The Garden of Medicinal Plants of The Royal College of Physicians
Hatfield House including the private East Gardens
Fulham Palace and its restored botanic and walled gardens with a talk by Head Gardener, Lucy Hart
Cedar’s Park the original site of Theobalds Palace

We also conduct historic garden tours both in the UK and abroad and are available for private hire by request. If you would like to plan a private garden tour for a group of friends or have any other inquiries regarding our site please use our contact page. 

Trained in the history of art, architecture and garden history. She has been teaching garden history for over twenty years. Formerly a teacher of garden history at Birbeck (University of London) and Capel Manor College where she also taught the history of architecture. Deborah was the Historic Gardens judge for the Society of Garden Designers Awards for five years. Since 2021 she has been lecturing for the Imperial College, London. She has recently become a member of The Luminaire’s team of experts and invited to curate bespoke journeys for its members. She joined KLC school of Design in Chelsea Harbour in 2003 (now West Dean College, Bloomsbury) as a tutor specialising in teaching Garden History.

Deborah has lectured for Art Pursuits Abroad, Highgate Scientific and Literary Institute, Windsor Castle, Academy Travel (with forthcoming tours in the UK and Europe), in February 2022 at The Royal Academy, London she presented ‘Landscape through the Artists Eyes - Visions of England in the 18th and 19th Centuries’ for the John Constable study weekend.

Alongside teaching she curates garden tours and visits for The Garden Historians and Academy Travel.

Publications:

For 2026: Penguin, Random House: The Best 500 Gardens of England.

Botanic Gardens of the World: The story of science, horticulture, and discovery in 40 gardens 2023

Art Quarterly A Brief History of the Winter Garden
Homes & Gardens The Walled Garden at Brent Eleigh
Homes & Gardens The Swiss Garden
BBC Radio 4's Making History
Channel 5 Inside Kensington Palace TX 16th April 2018.  

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