The temperature in London rose dramatically on Tuesday, and not simply because the Chelsea Flower Show was such a hot ticket. Walking through the teeming crowds became quite an ordeal in the heat. Despite the ongoing hosepipe ban, nannying announcements were made regularly over the tannoy to remind visitors to keep hydrated. I took the advice given and stopped for a long break at the Laurent Perrier champagne lounge…
Here are some photographs of quirky British style at the show – unsurprisingly in great abundance for the Diamond Jubilee year.
I never knew that bosch garden tools were made in the UK, I had just assumed they were made by the bosche
has anyone here actually tried tregothnan teas? do they in any way match up against ‘normal’ tea?
I didn’t get a flavour of this from the news coverage which only seems to cover the big and definitely not quirky items so it is interesting to see what actually went on there. Too bad no one gave an E Type the treatment – or perhaps someone did, with Waterloo Sunset on the soundtrack.. I’ve stayed away from SW3 for the past couple of weeks: the risk of seeing Alan Titchmarsh was simply too great.
There seemed to be more of the smaller gardens this year, Mark – and many of the larger displays also had an English country garden feel about them – herbs, wild berries, poppies etc The ‘artisan’ section had summer houses characterfully dressed by the likes of florist Nikki Tibbles, Orla Kiely and VV Rouleaux. Some of the water companies’ gardens were innovatively designed for lack of water, or water-saving. One of my favourites was the Plant Explorers’ garden by students at the Scottish Agricultural College.
Yes, there were the usual over-hyped big sponsor funded ‘grand’ designs – in fact I did spot Alan Titchmarsh being interviewed in front of the prize-winning Brewin Dolphin garden, which was one of the more traditional ones. And there was the whole schbang of tacky garden sculptures, household kitsch and hot dogs for sale too.
As for Jaguar, the E type treatment was over at Clerkenwell Design Week, which I also visited – more on that later.
If you were in Clerkenwell you should have rung on my bell. Did you ntoice the 9-foot high and splendidly yellow letter A in Great Sutton Street? I tried to negotiate for it (though I fear this was a fantasy, lowered ceilings being what they are), but the creator decided to keep it for himself. My aim had been to worship it as a form of lexicographical deity.
If only I’d known, Jonathon! I have to admit I was thinking of you when I found myself to be the only person sipping gin at 11.30 am in a pop-up bar based on a Hogarth etching of Gin Lane… And also in The House of Detention. A full report coming soon.