Author Archives: carolinemmurray

Garden Work for Every Day

Posted on 23/10/2017 by carolinemmurray

Back in the day, I was involved in reissuing several books by the polemical garden writer William Robinson (1838–1935), he of Gravetye Manor. The Wheel of Fortune having nudged on a bit, I am now spending a few hours each … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Gardens, History | Tagged Foster's Schoo, head gardener, Sherborne Castle, Victorian country estate, W.G. Pragnell, William Robinson | 2 Comments

The Shoemaker of Banff

Posted on 18/10/2017 by carolinemmurray

Samuel Smiles, biographer and enthusiast for those who demonstrated the ability to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, was very taken with Thomas Edward, of Banff, Scotland. He name-checked him in Self-Help (1859), as follows:

Posted in Biography, Botany, Natural history | Tagged Banff, natural history, Samuel Smiles, Thomas Edward | Leave a comment

Object of the Month: September 2017

Posted on 26/09/2017 by carolinemmurray

Now that I spend part of my time in a museum (tough gig, but somebody has to do it), I am getting quite good at pausing mid-stride and staring without actually falling over or causing anyone else to fall over. … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Cambridge, History, Museums and Galleries | Tagged cranes, Fitzwilliam Museum, Godfrey Gompertz, history of Korea, Korean pottery, W.M. Tapp | 5 Comments

Torcello

Posted on 22/09/2017 by carolinemmurray

Assuming anyone can be bothered to make the trip, I think I’d like my ashes scattered at the Secret Cat Place on Torcello. Though alas, even Torcello is going a bit downhill, since today, for the first time ever, there … Continue reading →

Posted in Archaeology, Art, History, Italy, Venice | Tagged Byzantium, mosaics, Sta Maria Assunta, Torcello, Venice | 4 Comments

Robert Harrild and Sons

Posted on 11/09/2017 by carolinemmurray

Just as everything is connected to everything else, so one thing leads to another. I was leafing through an ancient copy of Country Life in the doctor’s waiting room the other day, and was electrified to see a photograph of … Continue reading →

Posted in Bibliography, Biography, History, London, Printing and Publishing | Tagged Christ's Hospital, Gothic novel, Great Exhibition, printing, printing press, printing roller, Robert Harrild | 14 Comments

St Antholin’s

Posted on 04/09/2017 by carolinemmurray

4 September 1666 is generally reckoned to have been the most destructive day of the Great Fire of London, during which large amounts of the city on the north bank of the Thames were razed to the ground. The lost … Continue reading →

Posted in Bibliography, Biography, History, London, Printing and Publishing | Tagged City of London, Great Fire of London, London churches, Richard Newcourt, Sir Joseph Banks, St Antholin's church, St Anthony Abbot, Temple of Mithras, The Gentle Author | 3 Comments

Father of the More Famous

Posted on 01/09/2017 by carolinemmurray

I’m currently reading a book about Sir Joseph Banks as an Enlightenment figure (yes, I probably should get out more), and was struck by this quotation: ‘Mann [the Abbé Mann (1735–1809), a Yorkshire Catholic convert and savant who became a … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Biography, History, Italy, Literature, London, Printing and Publishing | Tagged Anthony Panizzi, Dante, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Gabriele Rossetti, Sir Joseph Banks, Ugo Foscolo | Leave a comment

The Unusual Grand Tour of Sir J.E. Smith

Posted on 28/08/2017 by carolinemmurray

Although, in my previous existence, I had been involved in reissuing the hagiographic two-volume ‘life and letters’ of Sir J.E. Smith (1759–1828), founding president of the Linnean Society, written by his delightfully named widow, Pleasance, I did not actually read … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, Botany, France, Gardens, History, Italy, Natural history, Printing and Publishing | Tagged Grand Tour, Jonas Dryander, Linnaeus, Linnean Society, Sir J.E. Smith, Sir Joseph Banks | 7 Comments

Plant of the Month: August 2017

Posted on 13/08/2017 by carolinemmurray

Quasi-familial motives led the Hedgehog ménage to Thessaloniki recently, and a jolly time was had by all, in spite of 40 degrees C, 98% humidity, and the overwhelming nature of Greek hospitality. We had time for a little light sightseeing; … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, History, Natural history | Tagged Greece, invasive plants, Solanum, Thessaloniki | 2 Comments

Plant of the Month: July 2017

Posted on 30/07/2017 by carolinemmurray

Regrets, I’ve had a few … but none so profound as for the fatal day on which I gratefully accepted a kind neighbour’s gift of a single plant of Meconopsis cambrica. Up to my oxters (whatever they are) in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Gardens, Natural history | Tagged Himalayan balsam, invasive plants, Meconopsis cambrica, non-native plants, Welsh poppy | Leave a comment