On June 3rd, 1929, ninety delegates from the Garden Club of America (GCA) arrived in London for a thirteen-day "pilgrimage" throughout England. The trip was organized by the English-Speaking Union, and its headquarters at the Dartmouth House in London was the first stop for the GCA members. The members toured collectively for the first nine days, visiting the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Hampton Court Palace; and the Royal Horticulural Society's Gardens, as well as gardens in Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Sussex, and Kent. In addition to garden visits, the GCA delegates were invited to the Iris Society flower exhibition held at the Royal Horticultural Society, and attended lectures on a variety of garden topics.
On June 12th, delegates divided into five groups and went their separate ways. Departing from Sulgrave, Northamptonshire, groups A and B went to Warwickshire, C and D to Oxford, and group E to Banbury. Each group had a full three days visiting surrounding estates and notable gardens. They all returned to London on June 15th for the last days of the trip. These final days included laying a wreath on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Westminster Abbey, formal entertainments at the home of Lady Hudson in Sussex, and a departure dinner led by the Marquess of Reading.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
