John Ruskin (1819-1900) and Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) were both Londoners in the Lakes. To varying degrees, their artistic outputs, conservation attitudes, and cultural identity became grafted to their subsequent residence in this region. Both were keen gardeners at their Lakeland homes — Brantwood, Hill-Top, and Castle Cottage — and central to their cultivation of these spaces, was an interest in the presence of trees, including regional species like the Keswick Codlin. Through using diaries, correspondence, and sketches by the authors, alongside a consideration of literary works — from Ruskin's 'Modern Painters' (1843-60) and 'Prosperina' (1879) to Potter's 'The Oakmen' (1918) and 'The Fairy Caravan' (1929) — this talk will explore how Ruskin and Potter cultivated trees, woodland, and orchard spaces on their respective properties, and will draw out similarities in their attitudes towards arboreal caretaking, more broadly. In turn, this talk will investigate how, at the turn of the nineteenth century, Ruskin and Potter's corresponding arboricultural ideas contributed to their similar and significant environmental vision(s) rooted in, and responsive to, this particular landscape.
Dr Anna Burton is a Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Derby. Anna's research is concerned with representations of trees and woodland in nineteenth-century English literature and culture; her book, 'Trees in Nineteenth-Century Fiction: The Silvicultural Novel', was published with Routledge in 2021, and her current project focuses on the literary and cultural history of tree planting in the English Lake District. Alongside Dr Amanda Blake Davis, she also co-leads the 'Romantic Trees: The Literary Arboretum, 1740-1840' project and the interdisciplinary 'Tree Talks' seminar series.
Sorry, this event has passed
The Armitt Museum, AmblesideMuseum, art gallery and reference library covering the history life and arts of the Lakes.…
Museum, art gallery and reference library covering the history life and arts of the Lakes…
Occupying three floors within an historic building this bright and welcoming gallery…
Parkland and Gothic Revival castle sitting on the west shore of Windermere providing an…
Follow the lane behind Barclays Bank in Ambleside Village to reach the falls. About 1…
Visible from miles around that spire of St Mary’s nestles into the beautiful landscape of…
Rothay Park is a popular park situated in the centre of Ambleside, it is surrounded by a…
Receive all the latest news, special offers and information from the Lake District, Cumbria
Cumbria Tourism, Windermere Road, Staveley, Kendal, Cumbria, LA8 9PL