0:00:05 > 0:00:08Four iconic English gardens.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11Each is the product of one moment in history,
0:00:11 > 0:00:15and each gives us a fascinating window into the century
0:00:15 > 0:00:18in which they were made, and the people who created them.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Much more than just a history of gardening,
0:00:22 > 0:00:27these are extraordinary tales of escape, social ambition,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30heartbreak, downfall and disaster.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36In unravelling these remarkable stories, we reach back over
0:00:36 > 0:00:40the centuries, to see these four great gardens through fresh eyes
0:00:40 > 0:00:44and gain a greater understanding of their real significance.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58Biddulph Grange lies almost completely hidden on the edge
0:00:58 > 0:01:03of moorland near the industrial heartlands of Staffordshire.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06It was created over 170 years ago
0:01:06 > 0:01:10and is probably the best surviving Victorian garden in the country.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15This garden is like a very bizarre piece of Victorian theatre.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19For me, it feels almost as if I've stepped into Alice in Wonderland.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21This revolutionary
0:01:21 > 0:01:25and theatrical garden was conceived by James Bateman,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29a deeply religious man who devoted much of his life to its creation.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31There's a mystery here,
0:01:31 > 0:01:35which I would like to uncover, which is what kind of obsession drove
0:01:35 > 0:01:38this wealthy, eccentric Victorian industrialist to create this
0:01:38 > 0:01:43remarkable garden, which eventually would lead him to financial ruin.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Biddulph Grange is made up of several smaller individual gardens
0:01:48 > 0:01:50stocked with exotic specimens
0:01:50 > 0:01:52collected by the Victorian plant hunters.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03These wildly different gardens are linked by subterranean tunnels
0:02:03 > 0:02:04and passages,
0:02:04 > 0:02:08transporting the visitor around the globe in just a few steps.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13The garden caused a sensation in the world of Victorian horticulture,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16and allowed its creator, James Bateman,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20to rise from humble beginnings to the very top of society.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Gardens like this really would have been classified
0:02:26 > 0:02:29by the educated classes as being really a bit of horticultural bling.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35But this Victorian masterpiece was nearly wiped from history.
0:02:35 > 0:02:41This is a garden that came within a moment of being lost for ever,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45and only brought back to life at the very last minute.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54To find out more about the character who created Biddulph Grange,
0:02:54 > 0:02:59historian Andrea Wulf has been delving into Bateman's past.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05James Bateman comes from a family of industrialists,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08part of the new middle classes.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13They have a lot of money but he's not a nobleman.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19James Bateman descended from a long line of entrepreneurs with flair
0:03:19 > 0:03:23and determination, characteristics that would stand him in good stead.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31His grandfather had invested very wisely in an emerging technology -
0:03:31 > 0:03:34steam engines - which made the family a fortune.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Initially, Biddulph Grange had been purchased
0:03:41 > 0:03:43so the family could extend their business interests
0:03:43 > 0:03:47and mine the huge reserves of coal around the house.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51James Bateman had other ideas.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53He had just turned 30
0:03:53 > 0:03:56and wanted to use his vast inheritance to indulge
0:03:56 > 0:04:00his passions for horticulture and the new emerging sciences.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07We are in the Grand Hall of Biddulph Grange and there are some
0:04:07 > 0:04:11clues behind me which tell us a little bit about Victorian Britain.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16So, when we look at these windows, we see on the one hand the money,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18the coal mining, the Potteries,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20the steelworks, and then, on the other hand,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24you have the new discoveries, kind of scientific disciplines
0:04:24 > 0:04:27are emerging - astronomy, chemistry and electricity,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30so there are new discoveries happening,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33and Britain is marching towards progress.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Great advances in horticulture also had a huge impact
0:04:39 > 0:04:41on Victorian gardens.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45One invention in particular revolutionised plant hunting.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50The Wardian case was a simple method to ship plants across the globe,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54and into the hands of passionate horticulturists like Bateman.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00Garden designer Chris Beardshaw has been exploring how
0:05:00 > 0:05:04technological advances helped to fuel a gardening revolution.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11This very simple piece of engineering
0:05:11 > 0:05:16means that we can bring into the UK plants from around the globe
0:05:16 > 0:05:20in living condition, and great condition.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25And, as a consequence, this became a tool for the creation
0:05:25 > 0:05:28and proliferation of Victorian gardens.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32Without it, British gardens just simply wouldn't have been the same.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37But new scientific discoveries didn't just affect horticulture.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41They were dramatically altering the Victorian's view of their world.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45In particular, geology, which threatened the religious
0:05:45 > 0:05:48convictions of devout Christians like Bateman.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55This is James Bateman's geological gallery
0:05:55 > 0:06:01in which he displayed fossils and rocks,
0:06:01 > 0:06:05and he displayed them in seven bays,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08which was the Bible, the genesis.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12So, the religion is at the top, the science is at the bottom.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16Although Bateman presented the two conflicting worlds together,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18it would prove to be an uneasy compromise
0:06:18 > 0:06:21that unsettled him for years to come.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26What this was, this was the entrance to the garden,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29so his visitors would come in, would be educated
0:06:29 > 0:06:33about the latest scientific knowledge, meanwhile being reminded
0:06:33 > 0:06:37that behind all this creation is still the divine architect.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40And then they would enter the garden, which is almost like
0:06:40 > 0:06:42they enter the Garden of Eden.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Bateman had to build his garden from scratch. Although he possessed
0:06:48 > 0:06:53a keen horticultural mind, it was still a huge challenge.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57The site was rocky, steep and far from ideal,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00but he ventured forward in the true pioneering spirit
0:07:00 > 0:07:02of the Victorian age.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10One of the things which is very apparent
0:07:10 > 0:07:13during the Victorian era is that anything can be solved
0:07:13 > 0:07:15with technology and no problem is too great.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18He terraces, he constructs,
0:07:18 > 0:07:22he builds, he gouges, he moves earth.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25He's not afraid of radical change to the site in order to create
0:07:25 > 0:07:27the right conditions for his plants.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30One area of the garden might well have been inspired
0:07:30 > 0:07:32by those early excavations.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39The stumpery's display of upturned oak roots expressed Bateman's
0:07:39 > 0:07:41growing interest in botany.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49I love the stumpery.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51It's got such an atmosphere about it.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54All the garden parts are very clear in their identity.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59But of all of them, this is the one that has the biggest personality.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01It's incredible to think that
0:08:01 > 0:08:06when the land that Bateman acquired for this garden
0:08:06 > 0:08:10was full of bog and redundant, geriatric trees,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13this was largely what he did with them. These are the oak trees
0:08:13 > 0:08:17that he ripped out of the ground to clear the garden.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19The idea of turning the roots
0:08:19 > 0:08:22and displaying the roots must have really delighted Bateman,
0:08:22 > 0:08:27because what other opportunity does a polite, Victorian gentleman,
0:08:27 > 0:08:31or lady, for that instance, have at seeing the roots of a plant?
0:08:31 > 0:08:33It's a kind of modification of a rockery, really,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36but using the timber that was extracted from the site.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38It's pure science, but it just happens to be theatre.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Bateman's garden would be shaped by his love for horticultural
0:08:43 > 0:08:48showmanship, inspired in part by his wife's family
0:08:48 > 0:08:49who lived at Arley Hall in Cheshire.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55The Egerton-Warburtons were gardening pioneers.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01And Bateman's marriage to Maria Egerton-Warburton would prove
0:09:01 > 0:09:04to be both horticulturally and socially beneficial.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08She comes from a very well respected Cheshire family,
0:09:08 > 0:09:13in the social class hierarchy higher than he is.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Arley Hall's crowning glory is the theatrical herbaceous border,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24which was the first of its kind anywhere in the country.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29Arley Hall is a hidden
0:09:29 > 0:09:33and very often forgotten gem in the development of British horticulture.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39The idea of combining perennial and herbaceous plants
0:09:39 > 0:09:43together in a way which hadn't been seen before,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46to such scale and proportion,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49was something that set the horticultural world on fire.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Letters between Bateman
0:09:53 > 0:09:57and his brother-in-law in which they exchanged horticultural ideas
0:09:57 > 0:10:01suggest there was some friendly rivalry between the two.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07At Biddulph, Bateman upstaged Arley Hall by taking his border
0:10:07 > 0:10:11in a different direction. Reflecting his interests in science
0:10:11 > 0:10:15and religion, he chose to build a showcase for just one plant
0:10:15 > 0:10:18which, at the time, was the subject of a national craze.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26The dahlia was such a wonderful example of how the Victorians
0:10:26 > 0:10:29became obsessed - and obsession is certainly appropriate
0:10:29 > 0:10:33in this sense - obsessed with a particular plant.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38Bateman's own obsession with dahlias was serious.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42He built this entire walkway packed with every variety available
0:10:42 > 0:10:45in a celebration of both botanic advancement
0:10:45 > 0:10:48and, as he believed, the wonders of God's creation.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54The display today at Biddulph is a big attraction.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00The garden team's work to get it ready starts early in the year.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07In the warmth of the greenhouse, 900 dahlia cuttings are potted on.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12This job falls to one of the garden team, Bob, who started working
0:11:12 > 0:11:16at Biddulph Grange when he left school 35 years ago.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21All the plants that go in the garden have to be
0:11:21 > 0:11:25in the era of the Victorian times.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28We can't just plant anything what we like.
0:11:29 > 0:11:34Over 40 different varieties will be planted out in the Dahlia Walk.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38In Bateman's day, dozens of gardeners were employed,
0:11:38 > 0:11:40but today it's just a team of five,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44including the garden manager, Paul Walton.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46That's it, brilliant, that is, yeah.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50It's one of the show gardens at Biddulph.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53We have all the team in, we're planting 900 dahlias,
0:11:53 > 0:11:55nine individual bays.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59It's a huge team effort. I say it's one of the best displays
0:11:59 > 0:12:02you'll see in any garden in the country.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05James Bateman would've wowed in the Dahlia Walk.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08He was in love with these flowers, so he would show them off
0:12:08 > 0:12:10to their best potential.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13I'm sure he'd have done a better job than us, to be honest.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28The dahlia wasn't just admired for its flowers.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31It also became fashionable in parts of Europe
0:12:31 > 0:12:33for an entirely different reason.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40The plant itself is a peculiar beast. It grows from tubas.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43In South America, the South American tribes
0:12:43 > 0:12:44ate them at tribal feasts
0:12:44 > 0:12:47and it was the tuba itself that was eaten in just
0:12:47 > 0:12:52the same way that we eat a potato, and the Spanish opted for the dahlia
0:12:52 > 0:12:55as an edible crop. In fact, in many parts of Spain today you still see
0:12:55 > 0:13:01recipes for dahlia-related products - dahlia bread and dahlia pastries.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Dahlias are great examples of horticultural bling,
0:13:10 > 0:13:16but that bling is largely man-made. At least, it's bred into the plants.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21The Victorians exploited the dahlia's potential
0:13:21 > 0:13:26for cultivation, which was almost limitless due the plant's structure.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28So, if we look at a flower like this
0:13:28 > 0:13:31and think of it as being a single bloom,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34in the centre here we have many, many hundreds
0:13:34 > 0:13:36individual flowers which are petal-less,
0:13:36 > 0:13:40and that means that there's not only great nectar and pollen
0:13:40 > 0:13:45for insects, but also many blooms means many opportunities to breed.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Whilst Bateman embraced the cultivation of plants
0:13:49 > 0:13:54of a similar species, his strongly held religious beliefs meant
0:13:54 > 0:13:58he abhorred the cross breeding of plants of differing species.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Hybrids were the genetic engineering of their day
0:14:01 > 0:14:03and had no place in his garden.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Bateman envisaged his garden as a way to display
0:14:11 > 0:14:14the treasures of nature.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17It was a vision that inspired him
0:14:17 > 0:14:21to create one of the most significant pinetums in the country.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31I think the professionals that were writing about gardens
0:14:31 > 0:14:35during Bateman's time at Biddulph would have said that it was
0:14:35 > 0:14:38THE pinetum to visit in the country at the time.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Alan Power is head gardener at Stourhead.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46He has an unquenchable passion for trees
0:14:46 > 0:14:48and he's come to Biddulph to find out
0:14:48 > 0:14:51just why Bateman's pinetum stood apart from others.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59He's being shown around by one of the garden team, Leslie Hurst.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03So, this is Bateman at his best.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08This is one of his eccentricities. This is a sudden change
0:15:08 > 0:15:11so you're in a completely different part of the world,
0:15:11 > 0:15:12you've got different architecture.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15- So you've got no idea what's round the corner?- No.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17There's a real sense of excitement.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19You're funnelled through a narrow little tunnel,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22and then you come out to this view.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Oh, look at that! It's just fantastic.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29This is his next little surprise, is the pinetum.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47Bateman's pinetum was inspired by the wealth of new species
0:15:47 > 0:15:49being introduced from the Americas.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52One star of the show he chose to give pride of place
0:15:52 > 0:15:57was the Chilean pine, more commonly known as the monkey puzzle.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01This is really interesting, this mound planting effect that
0:16:01 > 0:16:02Bateman did, isn't it?
0:16:02 > 0:16:05You know, he just wanted to do justice to these exotic...
0:16:05 > 0:16:07He wants to show it off, it's something so unusual,
0:16:07 > 0:16:11so precious that it's been given real good treatment,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13and now it's sitting there as a prime example.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16You can't walk past and not see it, you can't ignore it.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19You want to get right around it and make sure you don't miss anything.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24In the early 1840s, plant hunter William Lobb
0:16:24 > 0:16:27collected 3,000 monkey puzzle seeds
0:16:27 > 0:16:30on an expedition to the southern Andes in Chile.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Bateman was among the first to get hold of these new introductions.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40This isn't just any old monkey puzzle,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43this is one of Lobb's seeds and this is where, I suppose,
0:16:43 > 0:16:47I get tickled inside that I can travel through
0:16:47 > 0:16:51William Lobb's experience looking at and touching this tree.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55This is James Bateman's dream, this is his ideal tree,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57and he must've been so proud of them
0:16:57 > 0:17:00although, obviously, he didn't see them at this size.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06This highly unusual tree was to be the star attraction
0:17:06 > 0:17:08in Bateman's collection.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13There's a bit of this monkey puzzle here.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15You know, what is that all about?
0:17:15 > 0:17:17In Victorian times,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20it must've been a real novelty to see this thing growing.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25It's curious, it's unusual, it's properly exotic.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28So the excitement Bateman must have been feeling
0:17:28 > 0:17:30would have been something else.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Bateman exhibited his new specimens in a unique fashion,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45making his pinetum one of the most unusual
0:17:45 > 0:17:48and highly regarded in the country.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57This is great, isn't it? This really is what Bateman wanted to see.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00- Yeah.- You know, this whole tree,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02and you're not just seeing it come straight out
0:18:02 > 0:18:05of the ground but you're actually seeing the anchors of the tree.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07You can see the root system.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11He had a thing about roots. He loved the whole of the tree,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15not just the leaf, or the form, he loved everything about it.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17- The whole thing, top to bottom. - Yeah.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22The more time I spend admiring Bateman's trees at Biddulph,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26the more I feel as if I'm getting to know Bateman, you know,
0:18:26 > 0:18:29and getting to know a bit about himself as a horticulturalist,
0:18:29 > 0:18:31as a curious scientist.
0:18:31 > 0:18:37And he's displaying these trees at Biddulph like little museum pieces.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49James Bateman's fascination with botany started at an early age.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58When he was just eight, he became fixated with a plant that
0:18:58 > 0:19:02would change his life - the orchid.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Bateman was clearly obsessive about many areas of his garden -
0:19:07 > 0:19:10the Dahlia Walk, the stumpery, the ferns collection,
0:19:10 > 0:19:15the pinetums. Orchids fitted perfectly into that obsessive streak
0:19:15 > 0:19:19that he undoubtedly had because there were so many to collect
0:19:19 > 0:19:23and because they were such complex and little understood organisms.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27You know, what else is going to deliver that diversity, the range,
0:19:27 > 0:19:32the beauty, the rarity, but also satisfy that scientific craving?
0:19:35 > 0:19:39While he was studying at Oxford University, Bateman used his
0:19:39 > 0:19:43wealth to pay others to risk life and limb collecting orchids for him.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47Such was the strength of his love affair with orchids
0:19:47 > 0:19:50that he wrote an entire book devoted to them.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57But this is no ordinary book.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01It's the largest botanical book ever produced and extremely rare.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Only 125 copies were printed,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07and this one is held at the Lindley Library in London.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Its publication set the horticultural world alight,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15establishing Bateman as a leading botanist
0:20:15 > 0:20:17and bringing him international fame.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23Here at Biddulph, they have a copy of Bateman's book -
0:20:23 > 0:20:27The Orchidacea of Mexico and Guatemala.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30The original is, of course, held in Lindley Library,
0:20:30 > 0:20:36but this one, albeit slightly smaller, is no less spectacular.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38It's a beautiful, beautiful piece of work,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41both in text and also in its illustrations.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46I mean, they are just the most beautiful pieces of work.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50The level of detail, the botanic detail is unrivalled,
0:20:50 > 0:20:52I mean, it really is breathtaking.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02Someone who understands where a passion for orchids can lead
0:21:02 > 0:21:04is modern day plant hunter, Tom Hart Dyke.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16Here we have an exquisite orchid. It was the first orchid
0:21:16 > 0:21:20I was ever given at the age of six or seven by my inspirational granny.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24It's a naturally occurring hybrid called the Common Spotted Orchid,
0:21:24 > 0:21:26or Southern Marsh Orchid cross.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Very exotic, and it's a naturally occurring orchid.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36James Bateman and his superb illustrations that were produced
0:21:36 > 0:21:38in the 1830s, '40s, inspired me to go abroad to see orchids
0:21:38 > 0:21:42in the wild, in particular a place that he was fascinated by -
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Central America.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Tom Hart Dyke followed in the very footsteps
0:21:53 > 0:21:55of Bateman's plant hunters,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58travelling the globe to find new orchids.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Going down these steep bits is quite a...whoa!
0:22:04 > 0:22:07There I was, seeing plants in the wild that these people would
0:22:07 > 0:22:11have seen back in the pre-Victorian era in some cases.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15There's something about an orchid, they are just exquisite.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20But his obsession took Tom on one trip into a remote and dangerous
0:22:20 > 0:22:24part of the Columbian jungle, which nearly cost him his life.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32He was kidnapped by local guerrillas and held captive for nine months.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35His family never expected to see him again.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40Through orchids, I got into this situation.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42We went on these armed orchid patrols -
0:22:42 > 0:22:46James Bateman would've been proud - going into these amazing areas
0:22:46 > 0:22:48of cloud forest and, I'm not recommending it,
0:22:48 > 0:22:52but after being kidnapped I saw some absolute belters, orchids.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55There were new species just literally
0:22:55 > 0:22:57dripping from the tress, you couldn't see
0:22:57 > 0:23:00the trees for the orchids and they were just absolutely fantastic.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02It was just horticultural heaven.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12After nine months, Tom's kidnappers realised he was no threat
0:23:12 > 0:23:17but was simply an obsessive orchid collector and so released him.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25To this day, he's kept the one memento from his fateful trip
0:23:25 > 0:23:28which kept him sane during his captivity,
0:23:28 > 0:23:30and he has James Bateman to thank for it.
0:23:33 > 0:23:39And what I've got here... Well, I don't often show this, I have to say.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43This golden bag is full of Columbian, Panamanian
0:23:43 > 0:23:46kidnap paraphernalia and, at the top of it,
0:23:46 > 0:23:48the absolute star of the show,
0:23:48 > 0:23:52my little James Bateman address book with illustrations
0:23:52 > 0:23:57inspired from the most, I think, famous botanical book ever produced.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Look at those illustrations.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03God, you smell the Columbian air getting up your nose.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Fetid heat of the tropical rainforest,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11it's extraordinarily, extraordinarily emotional.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14To some people, just a couple of illustrations of orchids.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17To me, a life-changing experience having this book.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21I haven't read this since being captive 13 years ago.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24And to think that this little book in the times of sheer hell,
0:24:24 > 0:24:26to be honest with you, sheer darkness,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29seeing this inspired me to stay sane
0:24:29 > 0:24:33and to think about the positive botanical delights in life,
0:24:33 > 0:24:38rather than a big M-16 by the temple of your head.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44In a very strange way, Mr James Bateman, basically,
0:24:44 > 0:24:48however indirectly it might be, saved my life.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59James Bateman's book was the talk of the horticultural world.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Orchid collectors at the very top of Victorian society
0:25:03 > 0:25:05were falling over themselves to get a copy.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12When you read the list of subscribers that Bateman
0:25:12 > 0:25:15puts at the front of the book, it's in descending hierarchical order,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17which is fascinating. So, you've got the Duke of Bedford,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21the Duke of Devonshire, the Duke of Marlborough, the Duke of Northumberland...
0:25:21 > 0:25:23It is the who's who of anyone in horticulture.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26This gives him licence to knock on the door of the great
0:25:26 > 0:25:29and the good in the world of gardens and gardening
0:25:29 > 0:25:31and say, "You know who I am."
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Bateman's acceptance by the horticultural elite gave him
0:25:36 > 0:25:40an entree to the very highest echelons of Victorian society.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46I think James Bateman is a very confident young man.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51He writes a letter in February 1835, when he's just 23 years old,
0:25:51 > 0:25:55to the 6th Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59It's beautifully written because he wants to make a very good impression.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02This is one of the wealthiest landowners
0:26:02 > 0:26:06in the whole of the country, and he writes to him and he says,
0:26:06 > 0:26:11"It is possible that my name may not be altogether unknown to you."
0:26:11 > 0:26:15So, he's expecting the Duke of Devonshire to know him.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19It's almost like he's using their love for plants as a way in
0:26:19 > 0:26:24to this other social class that he's really not part of at all.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33Chatsworth at that time in the mid-1830s is one of the most
0:26:33 > 0:26:36spectacular gardens in the country.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40I mean, there are gardeners going on a horticultural pilgrimage
0:26:40 > 0:26:41up to Chatsworth.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48James Bateman had clearly made an impression on the Duke
0:26:48 > 0:26:50and they continued to exchange letters
0:26:50 > 0:26:52about their shared love of orchids.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Well, he writes one letter where, I think it's really beautiful,
0:26:57 > 0:27:01where he says, "Before I was so violently smitten
0:27:01 > 0:27:04"with the orchids, I devoted much of my time
0:27:04 > 0:27:07"to growing or attempting to grow the different tropical fruit trees."
0:27:07 > 0:27:11So, he's talking... He's "violently smitten" by the orchids,
0:27:11 > 0:27:15so he's talking - like so many other gardeners about his plants -
0:27:15 > 0:27:17almost as if they are lovers.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21So there is this... You know, they are really crazy about these plants
0:27:21 > 0:27:24and that's something that transcends class.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32The Duke of Devonshire's very close friendship with his head gardener,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Joseph Paxton at Chatsworth, is testament to the way
0:27:35 > 0:27:38in which horticulture broke down social barriers.
0:27:39 > 0:27:44Joseph Paxton would find world fame by exploiting his skills
0:27:44 > 0:27:48as both a horticulturist and engineer, establishing him
0:27:48 > 0:27:52as the most influential force in the world of Victorian gardening.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58At Chatsworth, his crowning glory was to design the largest glass
0:27:58 > 0:28:01structure to be built at that time.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Paxton called it his Great Stove.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07Now, at that time, glass is quite heavily taxed,
0:28:07 > 0:28:11so this is very expensive just in terms of the materials.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13And it's only five years later,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16in 1845, that the glass tax gets repealed.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21So it's this extraordinary moment when the glasshouse is finished
0:28:21 > 0:28:24when they have to fill it, and gardeners like Bateman
0:28:24 > 0:28:28are very happy to offer some of their plants for this.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34Paxton exploited all the latest Victorian advances in technology
0:28:34 > 0:28:36to construct his Great Stove.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38It was revolutionary.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44He's said to have been particularly inspired
0:28:44 > 0:28:47by the construction of the regal lily,
0:28:47 > 0:28:52the water lily that comes from the Amazonian forests,
0:28:52 > 0:28:55the pad of which is several feet across.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59In fact, he was so convinced by the structural stability of the pad,
0:28:59 > 0:29:03he stood his own daughter on it to prove that
0:29:03 > 0:29:06floating on the surface of the water,
0:29:06 > 0:29:08this single leaf could support the weight of a child.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11And it was the veining on the underside of the leaf that
0:29:11 > 0:29:15Paxton was particularly interested in because that gave him
0:29:15 > 0:29:17the inspiration for some of his greatest
0:29:17 > 0:29:19architectural glass constructions.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27This revolution in glass technology triggered a new
0:29:27 > 0:29:30craze for using tender bedding plants to great effect,
0:29:30 > 0:29:34as at Waddesdon Manor, the creation of Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43One of the things that became really fashionable is the idea
0:29:43 > 0:29:46of using plants in the same way
0:29:46 > 0:29:49as one would use a thread in a tapestry.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51So, carpet bedding.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54And carpet is where we really are inspired by,
0:29:54 > 0:29:56in terms of horticultural planting,
0:29:56 > 0:30:00because it's about taking vibrant textures and tones through,
0:30:00 > 0:30:03and weaving them together into the most flamboyant
0:30:03 > 0:30:05of horticultural fabrics.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11Like Bateman, Rothschild spent prodigiously on his garden
0:30:11 > 0:30:13as a means of displaying his wealth and status.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27Waddesdon Manor is a fantastic example of the way in which
0:30:27 > 0:30:32bedding becomes almost ridiculous with this sort of extravagance
0:30:32 > 0:30:36and approach of producing hundreds and thousands of plants,
0:30:36 > 0:30:40not just propagated but then planted out and very carefully tended.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42And, of course, any bedding is only very,
0:30:42 > 0:30:44very temporary by its nature.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46It's an exotic plant that's not hardy,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49and therefore the period interest is really rather short,
0:30:49 > 0:30:51so the investment in labour
0:30:51 > 0:30:54and the investment in plant material is really quite extraordinary.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57So it is only the moneyed classes who can really afford
0:30:57 > 0:30:59this rather radical approach to horticulture.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22Bateman's botanical tastes were more rarefied than Rothschild's,
0:31:22 > 0:31:26but he still had ambitions to put Biddulph on the horticultural map.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29The catalyst for this was meeting Edward Cooke,
0:31:29 > 0:31:31a man of considerable talents,
0:31:31 > 0:31:35which Bateman was able to deploy to great effect in his garden.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41Edward Cooke was a successful painter and gardener.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45His natural flair as a landscape designer would transform Biddulph
0:31:45 > 0:31:47and make it the most unique garden of its age.
0:31:52 > 0:31:57I think that's why Biddulph feels so confident as a garden,
0:31:57 > 0:32:02because it isn't just one man's wild and childlike imagination.
0:32:02 > 0:32:07It's grounded with the foundation of design and horticulture,
0:32:07 > 0:32:09and that must surely have been inspired by Cooke.
0:32:18 > 0:32:23But one momentous event in Victorian history would be a huge inspiration
0:32:23 > 0:32:26for Bateman and his designer, Cooke -
0:32:26 > 0:32:29The Great Exhibition of 1851.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36Chatsworth's head gardener, Joseph Paxton, achieved world fame
0:32:36 > 0:32:40and a knighthood when he was chosen to design and build
0:32:40 > 0:32:43the largest glass structure on earth, The Crystal Palace.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48It took 2,000 men eight months to build.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53When the Great Exhibition happens, that's really the moment
0:32:53 > 0:32:57when Britain is showing to the world we are the workshop of the world,
0:32:57 > 0:32:59we can produce all these things,
0:32:59 > 0:33:02we are better than the rest of the world.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05James Bateman was among the 6 million visitors.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08He was accompanied by his friend, Edward Cooke,
0:33:08 > 0:33:11who recorded these visits in his personal diary.
0:33:12 > 0:33:17This diary gives us glimpses of how they worked together here,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20but also what kind of stuff they did.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24So, for example, I've found one entry where Cooke and Bateman
0:33:24 > 0:33:28go together to the Great Exhibition in London, and this is what is says.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31"Mr Bateman called early and I went with him to gardens
0:33:31 > 0:33:35"in Great Exhibition. Home at 12, very cold east wind."
0:33:35 > 0:33:37Always mentioning the weather, very important.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40Then, a few days later, they go again, and it says,
0:33:40 > 0:33:42"Mr Bateman called.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45"I met him at the Great Exhibition at five. Saw Egypt".
0:33:45 > 0:33:48Now those two words, "Saw Egypt,"
0:33:48 > 0:33:52they tell us a lot about a particular part in this garden.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20What I think really must have blown them completely away
0:34:20 > 0:34:23was the Egyptian court at the Great Exhibition.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27So you had this huge space in the Crystal Palace,
0:34:27 > 0:34:32which was dedicated to Egypt, and when you look at pictures
0:34:32 > 0:34:36of it now, you see dozens and dozens of those guys,
0:34:36 > 0:34:41huge, sitting exactly this way, lined up one after another.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45And they went there to see that, and you can see how they take that
0:34:45 > 0:34:48journey from the Great Exhibition and bring it into the garden here.
0:34:53 > 0:34:59The whole Exhibition was one big build up to show the world
0:34:59 > 0:35:03how great Britain is and, in a way, that's what Bateman is doing here.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08One of the delightful things about Bateman's work is that
0:35:08 > 0:35:12you're transported from one region of the world to another,
0:35:12 > 0:35:14almost in the flick of an eye.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19Victorian England was fascinated by Egypt,
0:35:19 > 0:35:23but more ambitious explorations to the exotic East
0:35:23 > 0:35:27stimulated Bateman and Cooke to even higher levels of creative endeavour.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34This part of the garden would be the most acclaimed
0:35:34 > 0:35:38and confirm Biddulph as one of the wonders of the Victorian age.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18I think it's the most wonderful piece of theatre, I really do.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20And what's really impressive is,
0:36:20 > 0:36:24every time you come through, you're surprised.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28As the season changes and you see different highlights,
0:36:28 > 0:36:31as the sunlight catches the different trees,
0:36:31 > 0:36:35you know, different areas of the garden become enlivened.
0:36:35 > 0:36:36It's just beautiful.
0:36:37 > 0:36:42The Chinese garden was hugely exotic for the Victorian visitors.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45Its appeal and dramatic effect transported them
0:36:45 > 0:36:49to a world few, if any, would get the chance to see.
0:36:50 > 0:36:55China is incredibly important in the history of horticulture in the UK.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59Horticulturalists and gardeners were very keen to send explorers in
0:36:59 > 0:37:02to discover the riches of horticulture
0:37:02 > 0:37:04that lay in this vast country.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08An example of a plant hunter
0:37:08 > 0:37:12who's particularly relevant to this garden is Robert Fortune,
0:37:12 > 0:37:16a dour and miserable, somewhat humourless Scot, some described him as,
0:37:16 > 0:37:21who was despatched off to China on several occasions.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25And he is responsible for supplying at least one plant
0:37:25 > 0:37:28directly from China into Bateman's collection -
0:37:28 > 0:37:30a wonderful golden larix,
0:37:30 > 0:37:35which is one of three that came in as part of an expedition,
0:37:35 > 0:37:36and the other two failed.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39The one here in Biddulph is still thriving.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45But Bateman never travelled further than Europe.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47In fact, his Chinese garden
0:37:47 > 0:37:49was inspired by something far closer to home,
0:37:49 > 0:37:51in Stoke on Trent,
0:37:51 > 0:37:53which at the time was the beating heart
0:37:53 > 0:37:55of the British pottery industry.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00This is the inspiration for China here in Biddulph.
0:38:00 > 0:38:05And it's a plate, produced by Spode,
0:38:05 > 0:38:10which was a local pottery, and it's their most popular pattern.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13And what you can see here is you can see a Chinese scene,
0:38:13 > 0:38:17you can see a willow tree, you can see a Chinese temple,
0:38:17 > 0:38:22you can see a Chinese boat, a Chinese bridge, a Chinese fence,
0:38:22 > 0:38:25and it's almost like as if he took this plate
0:38:25 > 0:38:29into his garden and tried to recreate exactly this.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35The British fascination for all things Chinese
0:38:35 > 0:38:39wasn't just down to the wealth of new introductions for the garden.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42Big business had its eye on the Far East, too.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48Robert Fortune was employed by the East India Trading Company
0:38:48 > 0:38:53to penetrate into the depths of China and bring out the secret of tea.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57Tea was being held within China.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01The plants, the most sacred plants weren't allowed to cross the borders,
0:39:01 > 0:39:04and the British, particularly, were very keen to gain access
0:39:04 > 0:39:07because tea was gaining in popularity.
0:39:07 > 0:39:13Robert Fortune ventured in on his second expedition in China in 1842,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16and he went armed, rather bizarrely,
0:39:16 > 0:39:18with an English-Chinese dictionary,
0:39:18 > 0:39:23a gun, some rather rudimentary horticultural tools,
0:39:23 > 0:39:25and a Chinese wig and a cloak.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29He got himself in to the most sacred gardens,
0:39:29 > 0:39:32to the best plantations of tea and managed to steal cuttings.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35And it's said that he brought live plant material
0:39:35 > 0:39:39tucked in his cloak across the border into India,
0:39:39 > 0:39:42and it broke the stranglehold of China on tea.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51Bateman succeeded in bringing the world into his garden,
0:39:51 > 0:39:54despite never travelling to these exotic locations himself.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58It was Cooke's skilful designs that would transport the visitor
0:39:58 > 0:40:00to different parts of the globe.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05In this case, the Himalayan glen.
0:40:09 > 0:40:14One of the lovely things about this glen area and the upper glen beyond
0:40:14 > 0:40:16is just how realistic it is.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20I mean, this is about displaying ferns, you know,
0:40:20 > 0:40:22in the way that ferns grow.
0:40:22 > 0:40:28And there's no doubt Cooke's genius in assembling the rocks,
0:40:28 > 0:40:31so he understood, clearly, the geology and the formation,
0:40:31 > 0:40:33the way that the layers were working, you know.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37It's just a fabulous piece of work, very convincing as a piece of work.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40This upper glen area has been opened up
0:40:40 > 0:40:43and restocked with plants that were all the rage in Victorian times.
0:40:46 > 0:40:47Ferns.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56I would like it as close here as we can so when you walk under here
0:40:56 > 0:40:59I'd like just that canopy and the leaves coming over
0:40:59 > 0:41:02so you're actually walking under a bit of an archway here, yeah?
0:41:02 > 0:41:03And also they get a bit close
0:41:03 > 0:41:05where they can almost touch it, as well.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08Lovely. Cheers. I'll catch you in a bit.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10For gardener manager Paul,
0:41:10 > 0:41:13this project has been a personal ambition.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17We're currently restoring this area.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19We try and keep it in with the spirit of the place.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22We haven't got a lot of history about some of the things,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25but we do know that ferns were in this area.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27Yeah, I think we'll have it back here,
0:41:27 > 0:41:29cos then you will see it from down there
0:41:29 > 0:41:32and it'll sort of tail down either side of the rock.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35This top area's never, ever been open to the public
0:41:35 > 0:41:37and we're looking to plant it up with ferns,
0:41:37 > 0:41:41get the bridge replaced, and it'll be a nice addition to the garden.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44And you've got some spectacular views across to the lily pond,
0:41:44 > 0:41:48and also you do get a glimpse of the Chinese garden, which is nice.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53James Bateman kept few records or plant lists,
0:41:53 > 0:41:56but the team at Biddulph have one key piece of reference,
0:41:56 > 0:42:00written in 1862, which has given them some vital clues.
0:42:02 > 0:42:03We've got some tree ferns.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06We are going to be placing one of the tree ferns here.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09We've put one in there, which creates a nice canopy...
0:42:09 > 0:42:13Volunteer Elaine Laws and Paul have been trying to match up
0:42:13 > 0:42:17Bateman's original varieties with any that are still available today.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22Of these, have you managed to source any of these?
0:42:22 > 0:42:26We have. What we have found out is some of those names
0:42:26 > 0:42:28- are old Victorian names... - Right, yeah, of course.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31..so we've had to find out the modern equivalent.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33That's brilliant. Shall we go walk up...?
0:42:33 > 0:42:36Fern collecting became a Victorian craze,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39and James Bateman was no exception,
0:42:39 > 0:42:43encouraged by Edward Cooke, who was fixated with them.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54The fern is a curious creature because it is acceptable
0:42:54 > 0:42:58in Victorian society for women to be engaged in the propagation
0:42:58 > 0:43:01and collection of ferns, and also the depiction of ferns
0:43:01 > 0:43:04within artistry and embroidery and tapestries.
0:43:04 > 0:43:08The fern is seen as a very polite plant.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12It's a plant which is appropriate for proper ladies to be involved with
0:43:12 > 0:43:18because the fern doesn't display any overt sexual function.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22The absence of flowers and sexual reproduction,
0:43:22 > 0:43:25which is obvious to the human eye, is something which is considered
0:43:25 > 0:43:28appropriate for ladies to be involved with.
0:43:28 > 0:43:29Ferns are perfect.
0:43:36 > 0:43:40Bateman's garden had consumed a vast amount of his wealth,
0:43:40 > 0:43:43but he continued to expand and develop new areas
0:43:43 > 0:43:48which he stocked with the latest and most extravagant introductions.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52What a CV these trees have.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55You know, they're said to be the oldest, largest,
0:43:55 > 0:43:58heaviest living organisms on the planet.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03Bateman was one of the first in Britain to get hold of seeds
0:44:03 > 0:44:07from a tree which at the time was the talk of the horticultural world.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13He chose to show them off in a grand avenue.
0:44:15 > 0:44:19You couldn't really stand anywhere more appropriate
0:44:19 > 0:44:22and get a real sense of the Victorian era of gardening.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26This is spectacular, really exciting.
0:44:31 > 0:44:33I know them as the giant sequoias.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36They are gigantic, and they are sequoias.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39They're also known as Wellingtonias.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42That name came about, really, because,
0:44:42 > 0:44:45if you send a plant hunter from Britain to America
0:44:45 > 0:44:48to discover and to bring back seed from the biggest, best,
0:44:48 > 0:44:51greatest tree that stories have been told about,
0:44:51 > 0:44:54you're going to want to give it an everlasting name.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56So it was named after the Duke of Wellington.
0:44:56 > 0:45:00But in America it's commonly known as the Washingtonia.
0:45:03 > 0:45:07They were over £2 a seed, you know, back in the 1850s.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09That's expensive.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12And he bought enough seed to plant an avenue.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14It's a real statement of wealth.
0:45:14 > 0:45:18I'm just really grateful that this is what
0:45:18 > 0:45:19he chose to put his money into.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23I mean, the Victorians threw their money at industry,
0:45:23 > 0:45:25at engineering, all kinds of things,
0:45:25 > 0:45:29but we're incredibly lucky that Bateman had a passion for plants.
0:45:33 > 0:45:37But these precious trees never reached full maturity.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41Tragically, they were felled by the next owner of Biddulph Grange.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45In 1990, the National Trust decided to restore
0:45:45 > 0:45:49the Wellingtonia Avenue to Bateman's original designs.
0:45:51 > 0:45:56They've been planted here by the Trust now for nearly 20 years,
0:45:56 > 0:45:59I suppose, and they're just starting to get away and in my lifetime,
0:45:59 > 0:46:03fingers crossed, I'll come back and see them two or three times again.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05And they will achieve 80, 90, 100 feet.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08And I want to sit at the bottom of one of these trees and just look up
0:46:08 > 0:46:10and see it at Biddulph
0:46:10 > 0:46:13and see it happy in the English landscape.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16I do want to come back as an old aged pensioner
0:46:16 > 0:46:18and see them twice this height.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26After almost 25 years, James Bateman had achieved respect
0:46:26 > 0:46:29as an accomplished horticulturist.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31He'd risen up the social ranks
0:46:31 > 0:46:34and become Vice President of the Royal Horticultural Society
0:46:34 > 0:46:37and Biddulph received great accolades
0:46:37 > 0:46:40when scrutinised by the garden critic of the day, Edward Kemp,
0:46:40 > 0:46:43for a hugely respected magazine.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49Edward Kemp's article in Gardeners' Chronicle -
0:46:49 > 0:46:52a key journal of the day - is really the first point
0:46:52 > 0:46:56at which Bateman's work becomes more broadly celebrated.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59So, aside from friends and relations and invited guests,
0:46:59 > 0:47:02this is the first example of somebody coming specifically
0:47:02 > 0:47:04to write about it and document it
0:47:04 > 0:47:07and publish it to a much broader audience,
0:47:07 > 0:47:09and it signals social acceptance
0:47:09 > 0:47:13because the article is actually incredibly favourable.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17Bateman's achievements were only possible thanks to the extraordinary
0:47:17 > 0:47:20developments in science and technology.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23Yet, to Bateman, his garden was a testament
0:47:23 > 0:47:26to his deeply held religious beliefs -
0:47:26 > 0:47:28beliefs that were about to be tested
0:47:28 > 0:47:30by one of the great scientists of the age.
0:47:32 > 0:47:36This gallery was finished by 1862. This is three years after
0:47:36 > 0:47:40Charles Darwin publishes his Origin Of Species,
0:47:40 > 0:47:44which is the moment he presents to the world his evolutionary theory,
0:47:44 > 0:47:47which is the most important book in the 19th century
0:47:47 > 0:47:48and that changes everything.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51And Darwin and Bateman knew each other.
0:47:52 > 0:47:56Bateman sent Darwin some orchids to persuade him
0:47:56 > 0:47:58they were the wonders of God's creation.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02But Darwin studied them and concluded they in fact supported
0:48:02 > 0:48:05his scientific theories of evolution.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11So, on the one hand you have Charles Darwin
0:48:11 > 0:48:15who used these orchids to find out about how orchids had adapted
0:48:15 > 0:48:17to their environment and to their pollinators.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20And, on the other hand, you have Bateman,
0:48:20 > 0:48:24a deeply religious man who believed that plants and animals
0:48:24 > 0:48:28had been created entirely for the use of mankind.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31So these two really did not agree at all.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35But Darwin didn't just disagree with Bateman.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38He went ahead and published his theories on the evolution
0:48:38 > 0:48:40of the orchid in a well-received book.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43For Bateman to have come out on the losing side
0:48:43 > 0:48:46in such a public squabble must have been a humiliation.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49If you come to Biddulph
0:48:49 > 0:48:54in the hope of learning something about its creator, Bateman,
0:48:54 > 0:48:57and trying to get under the skin of the man,
0:48:57 > 0:49:00you're left, I think, slightly perplexed.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03It's either the work of genius
0:49:03 > 0:49:07or it's the work of a man who is wrestling internally
0:49:07 > 0:49:12with religion on one hand and science on the other,
0:49:12 > 0:49:14both opposing.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21Yet, despite his garden being hailed as a masterpiece,
0:49:21 > 0:49:24Bateman had a bigger problem on the horizon.
0:49:24 > 0:49:28It had cost him so much money that his debts were crippling.
0:49:36 > 0:49:38So when you read through Cooke's diary,
0:49:38 > 0:49:42towards the end there's an entry which reveals
0:49:42 > 0:49:45a little bit to us that this might be the beginning
0:49:45 > 0:49:50of the end of this garden, because on the 24th September 1869
0:49:50 > 0:49:54there's an entry, which says, "Mr Bateman wrote a sad letter."
0:49:54 > 0:49:56It's a letter in which he explains
0:49:56 > 0:50:00why he's intending to sell Biddulph Grange.
0:50:00 > 0:50:06He says, "I only wish now that I had not laid out so much money upon it."
0:50:06 > 0:50:09You know, he did spend a fortune on this garden.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13By that time he has a mortgage of £35,000.
0:50:14 > 0:50:18In today's money that was a debt of over £1.5 million.
0:50:20 > 0:50:24He has really thrown money onto this place
0:50:24 > 0:50:26but he's ready to sell it.
0:50:28 > 0:50:30Biddulph Grange was sold in 1872
0:50:30 > 0:50:34to another wealthy Industrialist and MP, Robert Heath.
0:50:35 > 0:50:39So, when they're leaving here, you can imagine it's relatively easy,
0:50:39 > 0:50:41you pack your furniture, your crockery, your silver,
0:50:41 > 0:50:44that's all fine, you can take that with you.
0:50:44 > 0:50:45They're moving to London.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48But they have to leave behind all of this.
0:50:48 > 0:50:52You know, the thing that they are clearly most passionate about,
0:50:52 > 0:50:53that they can't take.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56So they are leaving behind China, Egypt, all their plants,
0:50:56 > 0:50:59the ferns, all of that stays here.
0:50:59 > 0:51:03So it must have been absolutely heartbreaking
0:51:03 > 0:51:06to pack up the house and leave the garden behind.
0:51:10 > 0:51:14Although the new owner's interest in gardening never matched Bateman's,
0:51:14 > 0:51:17the garden was very well maintained
0:51:17 > 0:51:19and the house was expensively renovated.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21But then disaster struck.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28The house was almost destroyed by fire.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32The local fire brigade posed after the event for this photograph,
0:51:32 > 0:51:34with flames painted in for effect.
0:51:40 > 0:51:42The outbreak of World War I
0:51:42 > 0:51:45signalled the beginning of the end for the garden.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47Robert Heath's money dried up
0:51:47 > 0:51:50and parts of the estate were sold off.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53The house was converted into an orthopaedic hospital,
0:51:53 > 0:51:56with drastic consequences for the garden.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01It is actually unbelievable to realise that this entire area
0:52:01 > 0:52:05was just completely covered over, it was just under the ground.
0:52:05 > 0:52:07So we didn't know it was there at all.
0:52:08 > 0:52:13In 1988, the National Trust took ownership of the garden,
0:52:13 > 0:52:17which by now was close to ruin and in danger of being completely lost.
0:52:21 > 0:52:25There's absolutely no doubt at all that we needed to save it.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Its importance, and it still is its absolute importance,
0:52:28 > 0:52:33is that it is absolutely the height of high Victorian gardening.
0:52:33 > 0:52:38It's probably is the only complete Victorian garden in the country.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43Julian Gibbs headed up the team
0:52:43 > 0:52:45that took the decision to restore the garden.
0:52:49 > 0:52:53At the time, we said it was the biggest garden restoration undertaken by the Trust.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56It had all been flattened, there had been hospital buildings here,
0:52:56 > 0:52:59the dahlia walk had been filled in, and so on.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02I mean, it was a mess. It really was a mess.
0:53:08 > 0:53:15We had to get diggers in to dig it all out and then dump the soil.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17I can remember the mess and the chaos here.
0:53:21 > 0:53:26Finally, in 1991, the first phase of the restoration was completed
0:53:26 > 0:53:29and the garden was opened to the public.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32If we had lost this garden,
0:53:32 > 0:53:35we would have lost one of the most important,
0:53:35 > 0:53:40or perhaps THE most important, garden in garden history.
0:53:40 > 0:53:44It is absolutely of its date.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47It's 1849-1864.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51That's when it was created and it's still here.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57Wow, look at that!
0:54:00 > 0:54:03I don't think I've ever seen it looking so good.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10If you need to justify -
0:54:10 > 0:54:13which you shouldn't really have to justify
0:54:13 > 0:54:16trying to save and restore a beautiful place -
0:54:16 > 0:54:18this is it.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23Today, the garden is Grade I listed
0:54:23 > 0:54:28and its rescue is especially valued by the Biddulph village locals.
0:54:28 > 0:54:30Derek Wheelhouse was amongst those
0:54:30 > 0:54:33who originally campaigned to save the garden.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36He now visits almost every day to keep an eye on things.
0:54:38 > 0:54:41It doesn't matter what the weather's like, it can be snowing, icy,
0:54:41 > 0:54:44rain, Derek will still be here.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46We can be there brushing steps off in the snow
0:54:46 > 0:54:48and Derek comes round the corner.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51- Good morning, Paul. - Morning! How you doing, Derek?
0:54:51 > 0:54:54- I'm all right, thank you. - Here again.- Very, very well.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57When it comes down to what's given me the most pleasure
0:54:57 > 0:55:00during my retirement,
0:55:00 > 0:55:04it's the Grange garden.
0:55:04 > 0:55:08I remember Paul coming here in 1992, didn't you?
0:55:08 > 0:55:11- Yes, that's it. Yeah, yeah. - Directly from school.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14- We've known each other a while, haven't we?- Oh, yes.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18I use him a little bit as an advisor, really.
0:55:18 > 0:55:22He sort of gives me his opinion the garden.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24Sometimes we sort of work to that,
0:55:24 > 0:55:28sometimes I say, "Well, we're leaving that for whatever reason."
0:55:28 > 0:55:32But he wants to see Biddulph at its best all the time.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34It's filled so much of my life,
0:55:34 > 0:55:36I don't know what I would've done without it.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38He's a good friend, a very good friend.
0:55:38 > 0:55:40I'm sure if I asked Derek to come and help us
0:55:40 > 0:55:43plant a few bulbs today, he'd come along.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46I think I would do that in the past.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48I think I've got past that stage a little bit.
0:55:48 > 0:55:50THEY LAUGH
0:55:51 > 0:55:53For Derek, the greatest pleasure
0:55:53 > 0:55:56is seeing Biddulph Grange continue to thrive.
0:56:02 > 0:56:06Today, the upper glen is to be reopened to the public
0:56:06 > 0:56:08for the first time in 100 years.
0:56:08 > 0:56:13It's been replanted with ferns, as it was in James Bateman's time,
0:56:13 > 0:56:15together with a new walkway
0:56:15 > 0:56:18being opened by the longest-serving member of the team, Bob.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21The bridge is now officially open.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:56:28 > 0:56:32Bateman's garden was every bit a reflection of the Victorian age.
0:56:34 > 0:56:36We can't understand who we are as a society,
0:56:36 > 0:56:39we can't move forward as designers and horticulturalists
0:56:39 > 0:56:42and gardeners unless we appreciate where we've come from,
0:56:42 > 0:56:46what we've learnt and the experiences of our forefathers.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49And that's why Biddulph plays such an important part
0:56:49 > 0:56:53in that jigsaw of horticultural delights that is the British garden.
0:56:55 > 0:57:02It is bold, theatrical, inventive and, above all, hugely original.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05Whilst Bateman would have shuddered at the thought that his garden
0:57:05 > 0:57:09was so nearly lost, its restoration has now secured its future.
0:57:11 > 0:57:14It is a showpiece, it's a showman's garden.
0:57:14 > 0:57:19A garden that is extrovert and introvert in equal measures.
0:57:19 > 0:57:23It entertains, it delights and it poses questions.
0:57:23 > 0:57:29It's a garden that really encourages you to think about what a garden is,
0:57:29 > 0:57:31what part plants play in the garden,
0:57:31 > 0:57:34and what part gardens play
0:57:34 > 0:57:36in our understanding of the much wider world.
0:57:56 > 0:57:58Next time, Nymans in Sussex.
0:57:58 > 0:58:02An extraordinary story of one of the most romantic
0:58:02 > 0:58:04and fashionable gardens of the Edwardian era,
0:58:04 > 0:58:08which came so close to being wiped off the horticultural map.
0:58:08 > 0:58:13It endured, despite the fact that almost every conceivable
0:58:13 > 0:58:16disaster and challenge was thrown at it.