Excerpts from the book
NORAH LINDSAY:
THE LIFE AND ART OF A GARDEN DESIGNER
Norah Bourke Lindsay, (1873-1948) British garden designer, was the charming and beautiful daughter of an upper class family who lived her entire life among England’s country house elite. She lunched with Winston Churchill, gardened for the Prince of Wales, holidayed with Edith Wharton, and hobnobbed with Hollywood’s Merle Oberon, David Niven, and Vivien Leigh. She was beautiful, musical, artistically talented, high spirited, and a great conversationalist. A consummate hostess, she mingled with the political and social luminaries of the era, all of whom were captivated by her clever repartee and quick wit. In 1904 her home, the Manor House of Sutton Courtenay, overflowed with garden beds filled with flowers, guest room beds filled with friends, and rowing boats on the Thames filled with the handsome youth of the day – many of them the young men of Oxford University. Weekends spent in the company of Norah Lindsay were always filled with laughter and music, glorious meals, and non-stop outdoor activities.
In 1924, at the age of 51, with her marriage having fallen apart and with her financial situation dire, she put her garden design skills to use and embarked upon a garden design career that continued for the next two decades. Her commissions ranged from manor houses on the country lanes of England, and grand aristocratic estates, to royal gardens on the Continent. Her client base consisted of royalty, English nobility, and American expatriates.
‘Norah Lindsay was one of the most instinctive gardeners of this generation. I wish that she had written more about it in the manner that old William Robinson did. Miss Jekyll had held the day in garden literature, and there was no one of quite the same calibre to follow her. I think that Norah Lindsay could have done that, and if she had written one-tenth as amusingly as she talked, she would have become a best-seller….Her monument must be in very truth the gardens that she has made, and would that they could retain their first pristine touch of genius that put scents and colours in their places…Norah Lindsay dealt with the sheer effect of it all.’
– Philip Tilden, the architect, from his book True Remembrances published 1954
Clients
NORAH LINDSAY:
THE LIFE AND ART OF A GARDEN DESIGNER
contains an Appendix of approximately 120 of Norah Lindsay’s clients
Norah Lindsay’s commissions ranged from the gardens of quiet English manor houses to the grand estates of the country house set, to royal gardens in Italy, France, Belgium, Germany, and Yugoslavia. Although she was often in the company of aristocrats and royalty, she could also be found working at several institutional clients, including grand hotels and educational establishments.
If you have knowledge of an estate that Norah Lindsay worked on or consulted on, please contact infoexchange@norahlindsay.com.
A Sampling of Norah’s Clients
Client Name: Astor, Waldorf & Nancy
Estate Name: Cliveden
Location: Berkshire/England
Scope of Work: Long Garden, Water Garden, Japanese Garden, Forecourt Gardens, Terrace Shrub Gardens
Client Name: Balsan, Consuelo & Jacques
Estate Name: Lou Sueil
Location: Eze/France
Scope of Work: Herbaceous and shrub plantings
Client Name: Balsan, Consuelo & Jacques
Estate Name: St. Georges-Motel
Location: Normandy/France
Scope of Work: Herbaceous and shrub plantings
Client Name: Berners, Gerald
Estate Name: Faringdon
Location: Oxfordshire/England
Scope of Work: Herbaceous gardens, wild gardens
Client Name: Dentice di Frasso Family
Estate Name: Villa Madama
Location: Rome/Italy
Scope of Work: Herbaceous garden plantings
Client Name: Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII)
Estate Name: Fort Belvedere
Location: Berkshire/England
Scope of Work: Herbaceous border along the battlement wall; lily pool, iris walk, shrubs along tennis court, wild woodland plantings
Client Name: Horner, John & Frances
Estate Name: Mells Manor House
Location: Somerset/England
Scope of Work: Herbaceous gardens, shrubs and roses
Client Name: Howard de Walden, Margherita
Estate Name: Chirk Castle
Location: Denbigshire/Wales
Scope of Work: Herbaceous borders, shrub garden, topiary proportion
Client Name: Johnston, Lawrence (Johnny)
Estate Name: Hidcote Manor
Location: Gloucestershire/England
Scope of Work: Influenced, consulted and advised on various aspects of the gardens – they worked together very closely planning and planting
Client Name: Johnston, Lawrence (Johnny)
Estate Name: Serre de la Madone
Location: Menton/France
Scope of Work: Influenced, consulted and advised on various aspects of the gardens – they worked together very closely planning and planting
Client Name: Kerr, Philip Marquess of Lothian
Estate Name: Blickling Hall
Location: Norfolk/England
Scope of Work: Herbaceous borders on terraces and in Parterre Garden, Temple Walk, and Wild Garden
Client Name: Mosley, Oswald (Tom) & Cynthia (Cimmie)
Estate Name: Savehay Farm
Location: Buckinghamshire/England
Scope of Work: Herbaceous borders; plans and plantings for Cimmie’s Memorial Garden
Client Name: Paul of Yugoslavia, Prince
Estate Name: Brdo Castle
Location: Yugoslavia
Scope of Work: Herbaceous gardens, shrubs and roses
Client Name: Paul of Yugoslavia, Prince
Estate Name: Bled Castle
Location: Yugoslavia
Scope of Work: Herbaceous gardens, shrubs and roses
Client Name: Prouvost, Jean
Estate Name: St. Jean
Location: Loire Valley/France
Scope of Work: Four herbaceous borders, yew hedges, terrace gardens
Client Name: Rhodes House
Estate Name: Rhodes House
Location: Oxfordshire/England
Scope of Work: Herbaceous garden plantings along wall in Warden’s Garden, and an avenue of yews
Client Name: Russell, Gilbert & Maud
Estate Name: Mottisfont Abbey
Location: Hampshire/England
Scope of Work: Parterre garden, herbaceous plantings in walled garden
Client Name: Sassoon, Sir Philip
Estate Name: Port Lympne
Location: Kent/England
Scope of Work: August and September blooming double herbaceous borders, Long Borders, front entrance, loggia, east, west and south terraces
Client Name: Sassoon, Sir Philip
Estate Name: Trent Park
Location: Hertfordshire/England
Scope of Work: Double herbaceous borders along bathing pool on east facing façade of house; long borders to the lake at north front of house; woodland wild garden; water garden
Client Name: The Gleneagles Hotel
Estate Name: The Gleneagles Hotel
Location: Perth and Kinross/Scotland
Scope of Work: Herbaceous garden plantings
Client Name: Tree Ronald & Nancy (later Nancy Lancaster)
Estate Name: Kelmarsh Hall
Location: Northamptonshire/England
Scope of Work: Double herbaceous borders; Fan Rose Garden; the Long Border and Lavender Garden; bulbs and shrubs in Wilderness area and Oak Walk
Client Name: Tree, Ronald & Nancy (later Nancy Lancaster)
Estate Name: Ditchley Park
Location: Oxfordshire/England
Scope of Work: Herbaceous garden plantings; herb garden
Client Name: Tritton, Robert & Elsie
Estate Name: Godmersham Park
Location: Kent/England
Scope of Work: Herbaceous borders in swimming court; stag courtyard with shrubs, roses and herbaceous plantings; water garden, wild gardens, rose garden, kitchen garden, tennis court terraces
Circle of Friends
NORAH LINDSAY:
THE LIFE AND ART OF A GARDEN DESIGNER
contains an Appendix of more than 250 people who Norah Lindsay considered her Circle of Friends.
A sampling of the list includes:
Belloc, Hilaire (1870-1933) British writer and poet. Norah and Hilaire enjoyed a close, intimate friendship with each other after the death of Belloc’s wife Elodie in 1910. Several letters written by Belloc to Norah exist in the archives.
Chaplin, Charlie Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (1889-1977) English comedy actor and film star. He married four times: in 1918, Mildred Harris; in 1924, Lita Grey, with whom he had two sons; from 1932-1940, a (probable) common-law marriage to Paulette Goddard; and in 1943, to Oona O’Neill, daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill with whom he had eight children.
Colefax, Sybil, née Halsey (1874 – 1950) Married to Sir Arthur Colefax (1886 – 1936). A prominent London hostess. Co-founder, with her partner John Fowler, of the interior design firm Colefax and Fowler.
Cooper, Lady Diana Olivia Winifred Maud, née Manners (1892-1986) Actress, society hostess, and author. She married Alfred Duff Cooper (1890 – 1954), later Viscount Norwich, in 1919. She was the daughter of the 8th Duke of Rutland (although her biological father was said to be the writer and politician Harry Cust) and Violet, Duchess of Rutland, and was Harry Lindsay’s niece.
Cunard, Maud (Emerald) Burke (1872 – 1948) Changed her name to ‘Emerald’ in about 1927 because of her love for wearing massive amounts of the gem. She was an American from San Francisco and a famed society hostess who in 1895 married Sir Bache Cunard (1851-1925), heir to the shipping fortune.
Doubleday, Frank Nelson (1862-1934) U. S. publisher. Founder of Doubleday & McClure Company, in 1897. The firm became Doubleday, Page & Co. in 1899. His first wife was Neltje Blanchan with whom he visited Sutton Courtenay.
Edward, Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII; from 1937 Duke of Windsor (1894 – 1972) King of the United Kingdom from January 20, 1936 until his abdication on December 11, 1936. He married Wallis Simpson in 1937. Norah helped design his gardens at Fort Belvedere, Windsor Great Park.
Field, Marshall III (1893-1956) Head of the Chicago brokerage firm Field, Glore & Co., and heir to the Marshall Field department store in Chicago. President Field Enterprises, Inc., published Chicago Sun-Times, owned Simon and Schuster, Inc., and Pocket Books, Inc., and operated radio stations. Norah designed gardens for Marshall Field and two of his wives.
Goddard, Paulette (1910 – 1990) Birth name: Pauline Marion Levy. Actress. Was at the height of her career in the mid-1940’s when Norah knew her. Married four times: Edgar James (1927-1931); Charles Chaplin (1936 – 1942); Burgess Meredith (1944-1950); Erich Maria Remarque (1958-1970)
Horner, Frances, Lady, née Graham (1858 – 1940) Hostess and patron of the arts; a member of The Souls, and friend of the painter Edward Burne-Jones. She married Sir John Francis Fortescue Horner (1842-1927) in 1883. She was a lifelong friend of Norah and her first paying client. Norah designed gardens for the Horners at Mells Manor House.
Lees-Milne, James (1908 – 1997) British biographer and historian. For many years on the staff of the National Trust as Secretary of the Country House Committee and architectural consultant.
Lloyd, Mary Helen Wingate (1868 – 1934) Married to Horatio Gates Lloyd, a financier and President of the Commercial Trust Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lived at Allgates, their estate in Haverford, near Philadelphia. Active in the campaign for woman’s suffrage and organized one of the founding clubs of the Garden Club of America (GCA). Served for many years as the editor of the Plant Material department of the GCA Bulletin. She served as Director of GCA from 1928-1933, and held the position of First Vice-President until her death. Active in many plant societies, including the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and a charter member of the American Iris Society. Mrs. Lloyd organized the tour of American gardeners who visited Sutton Courtenay and Cliveden in 1929.
Marsh, Edward Howard (1872-1953) Sir Edward Marsh (Eddie) was a British classicist, translator, and patron of poetry and painting. In 1906 became the private secretary to Winston Churchill, a post which he held for almost 25 years. He was a close friend of Rupert Brooke, with whom he edited four volumes of poetry, including the works of Walter de la Mare and D. H. Lawrence.
Maugham, Syrie Wellcome, née Barnardo (1879 – 1955)Interior designer. Famous for influencing the all white look in decoration in the 1920s and 1930s. Married in 1916 to Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), novelist. Divorced in 1927. Norah designed her gardens in London.
Mosley, Sir Oswald (Tom) (1896-1980) Politician and founder, in 1932, of the British Union of Fascists. When his first wife Cimmie died in 1933 Norah was asked to design and plant a memorial on their property, Savehay Farm, Buckinghamshire in Cimmie’s honour. In 1936 he married Diana Guinness, née Mitford. Hitler was in attendance at the ceremony.
Niven, David (1910 – 1983) British born film actor. Norah was friendly with him while he was acting in The First of the Few (1942) and The Way Ahead (1944). In later years his films included, Around The World In Eighty Days, The Guns of Navarone, The Pink Panther. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Separate Tables (1958).
Novello, Ivor (1893-1951) Welsh born actor, composer and playwright. David Ivor Davies was better known as Ivor Novello. He was one of Britain’s greatest geniuses on the musical stage. In 1914 he wrote the song ‘Keep the Home Fires Burning’, which became the most popular song amongst British soldiers. He appeared on stage in the West End in musical shows of his own devising, the best known being ‘The Dancing Years’ (1939). He also went to Hollywood and appeared in films such as ‘The White Rose’ (1923) and ‘The Vortex’ (1928). Ivor frequently visited Sutton Courtenay with his friends Ned Lathom and Eddie Marsh.
Prouvost, Jean (1885 – 1978) Prouvost founded Paris Soir in 1931, Marie Claire in 1937 the first magazine aimed at women, and Paris Match in 1938. In the 1950’s he acquired Le Figaro. Norah designed gardens at his estate in St. Jean, France. While she was there Prouvost was holding the initial meetings for the formation of Marie Claire. Norah was intrigued and interested in the process and often wrote about the meetings and the people involved.
Sackville-West, Vita (1892 – 1962) Novelist and poet. Wrote Passenger to Teheran (1926), The Edwardians (1930), Saint Joan of Arc (1936), The Eagle and The Dove (1943), The Garden (1946). Looked to Norah for advise on her famous garden at Sissinghurst. Visited Sutton Courtenay for gardening ideas.
Shaw, George B. (1856 – 1950) Playwright. Shaw wrote Pygmalion (1912) on which My Fair Lady (1956) is based. Other plays include Arms and the Man (1894), Saint Joan (1923), The Apple Cart (1929), and Geneva (1938). Often referred to as G.B.S. in Norah’s letters. A frequent house guest at Sutton Courtenay and the weekend parties that Norah attended at Cliveden and Blickling Hall.
von Hofmannsthal, Ava Alice Muriel Astor (1902 – 1956) Ava Alice Muriel Astor Obolensky von Hofmannsthal Harding Pleydell-Bouverie. Married four times to: Prince Serge Obolensky, Czarist officer; Raimund von Hofmannsthal, Austrian writer; Philip Harding, British journalist; David Pleydell-Bouverie. The only daughter of John Jacob Astor who was killed during the Titanic disaster. Society hostess and patron of the arts. Norah designed her gardens at Hanover Lodge, Regent’s Park, London.
Waugh, Evelyn (1903 – 1966) Novelist. Wrote Brideshead Revisited in 1945. Norah’s long-time friend and frequent guest at her home at Sutton Courtenay.
Wharton, Edith (1861 – 1937) American novelist. Wrote The Decoration of Houses (1897), followed by 32 volumes of fiction, including the House of Mirth (1905), Ethan Frome (1911), and The Age of Innocence (1921). She had homes in New York, Massachusetts, and on the French Riviera at Hyeres. Norah and Edith shared common interests in books and gardening. Norah often spent time at Edith’s home Chateau Ste. Claire in Hyeres. Edith wrote a portion of one of her novels while staying at Sutton Courtenay.
Whistler, Rex (Reginald John) (1905 – 1944) Celebrated trompe l’oeil mural painter and book illustrator. His commissions at Port Lympne and Mottisfont Abbey overlapped the time that Norah was working in those gardens. He was a frequent and welcome guest at Norah’s home at Sutton Courtenay.
Design Principles
A Sampling of Norah Lindsay’s Favorite Design Principles
In Norah’s own words:
‘An elaborate colour scheme should include all the tints of the rainbow, but the colours should be kept in their own group, with delicate shading being preferred to violent contrasts. For example, ton sur ton produces a happier result than the placing of blue with orange and scarlet with white.’
‘There must be a constant variety in design, one group of plants showing off and enhancing the next, and a cunning juxtaposition of contrasts achieved by planting in patches.’
‘Borders should be long and straight with a width proportionate to their length.’
‘As summer wears on and plants die back, fill up any vacancies with annuals that maintain or improve the colour scheme and the original design.’
‘Above all, let no earth be visible, but crowd up the front with large comfortable mats of permanent things, which can brim over the edge in uneven groups.’
‘…it would be hard to find a more exciting planting than Mrs. Harry Lindsay had in her old garden at Sutton Courtney (sic), very tall poppies of a cool pure scarlet floating high above gray artemisia, and Santolina incana with dark old yews as a background.’
– Mrs. Mary Helen Wingate Lloyd of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in an article for the Garden Club of America Bulletin after their tour of several English gardens in November 1929
