Rock Landscapes - The Pulham Legacy: Rock Gardens, Grottoes, Ferneries, Follies, Fountains and Garden Ornaments

Description

This book tells the story of James Pulham & Son, the eminent family of Victorian and Edwardian landscape artists who specialised in the construction of picturesque rock gardens, ferneries, follies and grottoes. The book covers more than four generations of the family business that was also responsible for the manufacture of extremely high-quality terracotta garden ornaments including fountains, vases, sundials and bulastrading. The rock gardens, for which the firm are mainly remembered today, were built with 'artifical' rocks - formed from heaps of old bricks and rubble, coated with cement, and sculpted to simulate the colour and texture of natural stone. The author's interest in James Pulham & Son stems from the fact that no fewer than five of his ancestors worked for the company as 'rock builders'. AUTHOR: Claude Hitching is a retired Management Accountant, and started to research his family tree in 1999. He always knew that his grandfather, Fred Hitching, worked for James Pulham and Son as a 'Rock Builder', and soon discovered that no fewer than five of his ancestors - including his grandfather and great-grandfather - all worked for the firm in the same capacity. Claude spent the next 10 years researching the family and their business. Claude received endorsements and encouragement for his research from several National organisations, such as English Heritage, the Garden History Society and the National Trust, and he decided to set up this website devoted to the Pulhams at www.pulham.org.uk in 2003. Traffic increased steadily to several thousand visitors per month, and his reputation as 'The Pulham Expert' spread to the point where he has been able to assist a number of local authorities and organisations validate the provenance of their parks and gardens, and thus qualify for Heritage Lottery restoration grants. ILLUSTRATIONS: 450 colour & 340 b/w photographs

Claude Hitching was a retired Management Accountant, and started to research his family tree in 1999. He always knew that his grandfather, Fred Hitching, worked for James Pulham and Son as a 'Rock Builder', and soon discovered that no fewer than five of his ancestors - including his grandfather and great-grandfather - all worked for the firm in the same capacity. Claude spent the next 10 years researching the family and their business. Claude received endorsements and encouragement for his research from several National organisations, such as English Heritage, the Garden History Society and the National Trust, and he decided to set up a website devoted to the Pulhams at www.pulham.org.uk in 2003. Traffic increased steadily to several thousand visitors per month, and his reputation as 'The Pulham Expert' spread to the point where he has been able to assist a number of local authorities and organisations validate the provenance of their parks and gardens, and thus qualify for Heritage Lottery restoration grants.

A recent book, Rock Landscapes: The Pulham Legacy, by Claude Hitching, is the result of many years' patient research, pulling together fascinating information on the Pulhams' work, which extended from grand gardens such as Sandringham and Waddesdon to modest suburban villas. The Times (UK) A charming labour of love, this offers everything you could wish to know about Pulhamite-and probably much more... the photographs are superb, the research exhaustive, and the gazetteer makes it invaluable for the study, restoration and maintenance of Pulhamite features in 19th to early 20th-century gardens. Gardens Illustrated This is a very desirable book, which at last accords the Pulham dynasty its proper share of fame for its wonderful and lasting contribution to the history of garden-making. It is a mine of information for the research and visitor, and can surely never be superceded. Country Life