TheHerkomerArtSchoolWhilstlivinginBushey,Herkomerwasapproachedbyaneighbour,MrEcclestonGibbtogivearttuitiontohisward,AnnieSalter.HerkomerpersuadedGibbtotakepartinamuchmoreadventurousenterprise–thefoundingofanartschoolinBushey.In1883theHerkomerArtSchoolopenedonthesitenowoccupiedbytheRoseGarden.InhisteachingHerkomerwantedtoavoidtheweaknessesheexperiencedwhenheattendedartschoolbrieflyatSouthKensington.Herkomerclaimedanumberofspecialfeaturesforhisartschoolincludingitsruralsettingwhichalsomeantthattheartistswereawayfromthetemptationsofcitylife;usingplastercastsofrealfacesandbodyparts(includingdeathmasks)toteachfrom,ratherthancopiesofantiquestatues;providinglifeclassesforwomenstudentsandfinally,Herkomerencouragedstudentstodeveloptheirownindividualstyleofpainting,withnocompetition,ratherthancreatingaschoolstyle.

TheSchoolbecameworldfamousandmorethansixhundredstudentsattendedoveraspanoftwenty-oneyears.Womennumberedabouttwothirdsofthestudents,thoughmoremenwentontocommercialsuccess.ThisreflectsVictoriansocietyratherthanthequalityoftheSchool.Itwasfarfromeasyforawomantobeacceptedasaprofessionalartist.Herkomerinsistedthatwomenmustbeunder28whentheyenrolledandthatwhentheymarriedtheywerenolongereligiblefortheSchool.RefusalofmarriedwomenwasnormalpracticeatthetimeandonereasonwasthatHerkomerwantedtoencouragewomenascareerartists.

In1904HerkomergaveuptheArtSchoolandLucyKemp-WelchopenedtheBusheySchoolofPaintingintheHerkomerSchoolpremises.By1912LucyKemp-WelchvacatedtheArtSchoolpremises,whichweredemolishedtomakewayfortheRoseGarden.

SirHubertVonHerkomerHubertHerkomerwasbornin1849inWaal,avillagenearLandsberg,inBavaria.In1851thefamilyemigratedtoAmericabutcouldnotsettlesotheymovedtoSouthampton,

Englandin1857.ThefamilywereextremelypoorandtheylivedoffHerkomer’smother’searningsasamusicteacherandconcertorganiser.Herkomerwaseducatedathomebyhisfatherandfromanearlyageheshowed

promiseasanartist.HebrieflyattendedartschoolsinSouthamptonandSouthKensingtonbutfoundthemuninspiringandsowaslargelyself-taught.HebecameanillustratorfortheGraphicmagazinein1870butitwasnotuntil1875thatheachievedhisfirstcriticalsuccesswith“TheLastMuster”attheRoyalAcademy.In1873theHerkomerfamilysettledinBushey.

In1899HerkomerwasdecoratedbytheKaiserandbecamevonHerkomerfollowinganawardbythePrinceRegentofBavaria.Despitebeingverywealthyintheearly1900s,Herkomer’sgrandprojectsforcedhimtotakeonmoreworkandhishealthsuffered.HerkomerwasknightedbyEdwardVIIin1907.SirHubertvonHerkomerdiedin1914andwasburiedinStJames’churchyard,Bushey.YoucanseepaintingsbyHerkomerandsomeofhisstudentsinthe

BusheyMuseuminRudolphRoad,onlyashortdistanceawayfromthegarden.

Lululaund“…Everyhinge,everylockandkeyhadbeenspeciallydesigned,andeachshowedanamazingknowledgeofthebesttraditionsofthesmith’scraft…”

(ThomasMawson,1913)

Between1883and1894HerkomerbuiltLululaund,anenormousRomanesquemansioninMelbourneRoad,whichwasfilledwithcolourandcarvingsandnamedafterHerkomer’ssecondwife,LuluGriffiths.

Herkomer’s‘castle’wasbuiltasacelebrationoftheartisticgeniusoftheHerkomerfamily.HerkomercommissionedAmericanarchitect,HHRichardsontodesigntheexteriorofthebuildinganditwasconstructedofBavariantufa(atypeofrock)andWelshredsandstone.

TheinteriorwascoveredincarvingsbyHerkomer’sfather,Lorenzanduncle,John.

Afterlayingderelictfor15yearsorso,LululaundwasofferedasanartscentretoBusheyUrbanDistrictCouncilin1938butthecouncilturneditdownduetothehighrunningcostsandsadlythehousewasdemolished.Allthatremainstodayisthemainentranceporch,offMelbourneRoadwhichisaGradeII*ListedBuilding.

MuchofthemasonryfromthedemolitionwentashardcoretobuildBovingdonAirfield.ManyobjectsfromthehousecanbeseenatBusheyMuseum.

ThomasMawson“Thestrongeraman’sloveofartis,themorehewillappreciatenature.”

(ThomasMawson)

ThomasMawsondesignedtheRoseGardenin1913.MawsonwasborninScorton,nearLancasterin1861.LikeHerkomer,hecamefromhumblebeginnings,buthispassionforlandscapewouldtakehimfarandwide,althoughhisheartwasalwaysintheLakeDistrict,wherehelivedformostofhislife.

Heleftschoolattheageof12,learnttechnicaldrawingandworkedfornurseriesinLondon.LaterhesetuphisownbusinessinWindermereintheLakeDistrictwithhistwobrothers.Fromthenonhisfamilywasalwaysinvolvedinthebusiness.

MawsonwasapopularlandscapearchitectduringEdwardiantimes.HiscontemporariesincludedGertrudeJekyll,EdwinLutyensandHaroldPeto.ManyexamplesofhisgardensareintheLakeDistrict.Henotonlydesignedgardensbutalsohousingestates,publicparksandhouses.

Duringhiscareerhedesignedover210gardens,25parksand30townplanningprojects.HisprojectstookhimaroundtheworldtoAmerica,Canada,Denmark,GermanyandGreece.

HewasemployedbymanyfamouspeopleincludingSirHubertvonHerkomerandLordLeverhulme(of'SunlightSoap').

HebecamePresidentoftheLandscapeInstitutein1929.

Mawsonwroteanumberofbooksincluding'TheArtandCraftofGardenMaking',whichwasaveryusefulreferenceforusinreproducingtheseatingandplantingyouseehereinthegardentoday.

The mystery of the CloistersThe Cloisters, currently located in the lawn area, wereoriginally part of the Art School. Here is a little known storyabout the Cloisters...

After a terriblehurricane in the 1980s,Andrew Hodges,Contracts &Environmental Managerfrom Veolia Water(formerly Three ValleysWater), was carrying outsite inspections of allthe water company’ssites to record damage.

When visiting the Clay Lane pumping station site, Andrewdiscovered a structure of Welsh red sandstone largely intactbut it had become overgrown with ivy and had been hiddenby trees. Andrew approached Bryen Wood at BusheyMuseum and upon seeing the structure, Bryen immediatelyrecognised the Cloisters from the Art School. Afterdiscussions with the council and the museum, Veolia Waterkindly donated the Cloisters to the Rose Garden and thestructure was moved and erected in the lawn area in 1995with new foundations also financed by Veolia Water.

No one knows how the Cloisters arrived at Clay Lane or howlong they had been there. Perhaps the original ownerpurchased them from Herkomer? However, we are fortunateto have them back in their original home. The newarrangement of the Cloisters provides an attractive backdropfor musical andtheatricalperformances to beenjoyed onsummerafternoons. Thankyou Veolia Water!

The garden restorationThe garden was opened to the public in 1937. During theearly years, local people can recall a gardener caring for thegarden and would grow plants in a greenhouse. Elderlygentlemen would frequent the Summer House and playcards by the fire.

Sadly, in recent times, thegarden became neglectedand suffered from vandalismresulting in the SummerHouse being boarded up andthe original yorkstonearound the fountain wasstolen on Christmas Eve2005. Thanks to fundingfrom the Heritage Lotteryand Big Lottery Fund ‘Parksfor People’ programme, fromHertsmere Borough Counciland additional funding fromLandsberg-am-Lech and theRotary Club, the gardenreceived a much needed cash injection to fully restore it toits former glory between 2009 and 2010.

The garden was officially openedby the Lord Lieutenant ofHertfordshire, Countess of Verulamon 23 July 2010.

Further details on the history andrestoration of the garden can befound in the Summer House.

General informationGarden opening hours:1 April to 30 September – 7.30am to 7pm1 October to 31 March – 7.30am to 4pm

How to find usThe Bushey Rose Garden is located in the centre of Busheyjust off the High Street.

By car: The Bushey Rose Garden is situated 10 minutes fromjunction 5 of the M1 and 20 minutes from the M25 andA1(M). Please contact us if you would like detaileddirections.

Parking: Garden visitors can use the car park at the BusheyCountry Club which is located in the High Street (WD231TT), over the road from the garden. There is an alternativecar park in Kemp Place just off the High Street (WD23 1DW).Please can we ask that you respect our neighbours aroundthe garden and not park in the surrounding roads.

By train and bus: Thenearest station is Busheymain line station(operates in and out ofLondon Euston). Thegarden is approx1.5km/1 mile from thestation. Both the 142 and258 buses stop at thestation and in the HighStreet near the garden.

Contact usFor further information about the garden please contact:Phone: 0800 731 1810 (office hours)or 020 8950 2186 (potting shed answer phone)Email: parks@hertsmere.gov.ukWebsite: www.hertsmere.gov.uk/busheyrosegarden

or www.busheymuseum.org

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Images courtesy of Bushey Museum Trust, the Thomas Mawson family, The Art & Craft ofGarden Making and Hertsmere Borough Council.

BusheyRose

Garden

LawnThomas Mawson called this area the ‘kitchengarden’ but no evidence has been found toconfirm this. Aerial photographs from the1930s show a meadow or rough grass area.The lawn is a popular place for picnics andwatching performances. The planting schememainly consists of Mawson’s favourites.

Summer HouseBecause of vandalism this building had been boarded up for almost a decadebefore the restoration work. Extensive repairs had to be carried out includinga new roof of handmade clay tiles, new leaded fanlights and new doors andwindows. The interior has been repaired using traditional lime plaster; theoriginal paint colours were established using microscopic analysis and havebeen reinstated. The Summer House contains a display about the history ofthe garden, Sir Hubert von Herkomer and its designer Thomas Mawson.

Sunken GardenMawson designed a ‘panel garden’ in a geometric pattern surrounding thefountain. The gravel pattern would have originally been cut grass (called aparterre). The rose pillars and seating were recreated from black and whitephotos as part of the restoration. This area was completely replanted exceptfor the trees around the perimeter. The planting is mainly roses but theshrubs have been chosen for all year round interest from the early floweringcornus through to the scented Christmas box.

The CloistersThese were originally part of the ArtSchool and were donated by VeoliaWater to the council in the 1990s. Thestructure is red Welsh sandstone andhas been reconstructed to form abackdrop for musical and theatricalperformances.

PergolaThis structure would have originally linked theSummer House with Lululaund. The originalpergola had a curved oak top which wasremoved many years ago but has now beenreinstated based on photographs. Climbingroses and clematis have been planted which willcover the pergola in years to come.

FountainThe fountain is constructed of Bavarian tufa rock and replacement pieceshad to be found to repair it. The fountain had not worked for decades soit was a challenge for contractors to discover how it operated. The wateris recycled on a pump system.

Please note: the fountain water is treated with chemicals and is notsuitable for drinking. Please do not throw pennies into the bowls.Thank you.

PavingEach brick had to be carefully lifted and asmany as possible were reused. The pathhas been relaid in the original‘basketweave’ pattern. If you look closely,you will see that one side of the SunkenGarden has been laid with the originalbricks and other the new.

Lululaund plaqueThe original was designed byHerkomer and is believed to havecome from Lululaund. The plaque wasrelocated to be a feature at the end ofthe pergola but sadly it was stolen in1967. An artist has recreated thereplacement.

Rose WalkThis walkway was not part of ThomasMawson design and was added tothe garden in 1937. The gates andrailings have been designed in an ArtDeco style. The planting includesroses, shrubs, box balls andperennials in a repeated pattern.

Rose TempleThe central brick column has stood alone in this areaof the Sunken Garden for decades and is constructedfrom the remains of the Art School. A gardenhistorian suggested that it was once an arbour andresearch at the Thomas Mawson archives in Kendalgave us further clues to its original appearance. Roseswill eventually cover the feature.

High StreetThe existingentrance gate wastaken down andrestored. Newrailings have beenfitted on to theHigh Street wall.

Potting shed and toiletsThis new single-storey building was designed in asimilar style to the Summer House withrendering, red brickwork and handmade roof tiles.

The toilets are only open during events andsummer weekends when the gardener is on duty.Visitors are welcome to use the toilet facilities atthe Bushey Country Club which is located overthe road from the garden in the High Street.

To find out more about this parkand over a hundred flagshipparks across Hertfordshire, visitwww.ParksHerts.co.uk