In the beginning…
Until the early 80s, Garden Designers were not able to display their work in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show Design marquee. Although this was little more than a large tent, with boards containing sets of plans and photographs of designer’s work and finished projects, only Landscape Architects were allowed to take space in the tent.
A small group of Garden Designers, who were not Landscape Architects decided to make presentation to the RHS with a view to getting the rules changed, to recognise Garden Design in its own right, and garden designers as serious professionals worthy of inclusion in the Garden Design section.
These were seasoned and experienced people, with a strong background in the industry.
The ‘leader’ or instigator of the project was Peter Rogers, a Garden Designer based in Oxted in Surrey, who ran a sole practice supplemented with a small nursery growing open ground plants, installed by Peter and his colleague Tom Hardaway. Peter was mainly involved in producing planting plans for Building Developers, helping them with Planning Applications, but with a fair percentage of his work coming from private clients.
Peter had already designed several gardens at Chelsea, for local firms such as Knights Garden Centre in Warlingham.
Robin Templar Williams – father of Robin Templar Williams (Robin Senior dropped the Templar (a family name) to Robin T Williams, Robin Junior as I have always called him, became Robin Templar Williams, who is also a highly successful Garden Designer in his own right) was the second of the group. Robin started out as a landscaper in the Bristol area in 1958, but his skill with a pen and his highly sought after hand coloured final plans were often framed by his clients and hung on the walls in the house, they were so attractive!
Paul Temple, a London based garden designer (whose daughter, Gillian Temple has carried on the tradition as a successful Garden Designer) was also a successful Garden Designer, who latterly specialised in interior landscaping.
Paul was a regular Chelsea Designer, and his practice took on commercial works as well as private gardens.
I had the pleasure of constructing many gardens for the above trio, especially Robin Williams and Peter Rogers, winning the 1982 British Association of Landscape Industries Principal Domestic Award for a project in Knightsbridge (as Adecksol Ltd) and several Golds at Chelsea with Peter in the 80s with my firm, Town and Country Gardens, for sponsors such as McAlpine, Countryside, Telegraph, NSPCC, London Association For The Blind and many others.
Father and son Basil and James Seymour, of Seymours Landscapes, a well established firm who have been building gardens in the Surrey and South London area since the 1920s were numbers Four and Five in the Magnificent Seven as they became known in the Design world.
Seymours are a successful landscape business, now running out of Cobham in Surrey, but at the time of getting together were based in Ewell in Surrey.
Seymours are founder members of BALI, and have strong connections to this day. Robin was also involved with BALI at the time of meeting, acting as Secretary to the South Thames Region sector.
Number Six was Geoff Whiten, who with his then wife Fay, were successful Chelsea Designers, working mainly with sponsor Bradstone, building their award winning gardens. Geoff has since broadened his career, becoming Chair of the Garden Media Guild and holder of many other distinguished industry posts, as well as designing dozens of other Show gardens and private domestic schemes, plus writing several successful books.
Number Seven of The Magnificent Seven was Rosemary Alexander, although she unfortunately was unable to attend the inaugural meeting, sending her apologies instead.
INAUGURAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY
The first meeting to discuss the probable formation of a professional body governing the activities of landscape and garden designers was held at Pit House, Ewell in Surrey at the offices of Seymour Landscapes (and not as is often reported, at Paul Temple’s house) on Thursday 15th October 1981.
The original title for the new organisation was The Society of Landscape and Garden Architects, although this was altered at the next meeting to The Society of Garden Designers, as those present were not Architects and the title would have led to some confusion by the RHS.
The primary business of the inaugural evening meeting was to appoint Principal Officers to enable the Society to move on to other business.
Chairman – Peter Rogers. (Prop. James Seymour, seconded by Paul Temple)
Secretary/Treasurer – James Seymour (Prop. Peter Rogers, seconded by Paul Temple)
Publicity & Press Officer – Geoff Whiten (Prop. Peter Rogers and seconded by Robin Williams)
Robin Williams was nominated to formulate preliminary rules for the Society, and also design the Society’s logo (which was a rather splendid rampant lion and shield as I recall)
It was agreed to open an account with The National Westminster Bank, and each person present to paying £50.00 into the new Account.
The main business proposal after the elections was to agree and write to the RHS requesting Affiliation to the Society as soon as possible. No mention of the new Society was to be made to a wider audience until the matter with the RHS had been resolved i.e. that Affiliation was possible.
Other business was fairly routine, agreeing to request that the RHS allow the new Society to stage a board at the 1982 Chelsea Flower Show, and to attempt to produce some Terms and Conditions and Standard Specification for working with Landscape Contractors.
The meeting closed, with a second date agreed as 19th November 1981, again at Pit House in Ewell, Surrey.
There followed many other meetings at various locations, and once the RHS had readily agreed to allow the new Society to display at Chelsea, the new organisation was announced to the wider world, quickly becoming THE place for professional garden designers to join.
TODAY!
The Society of Garden Designers is the premier organisation for Garden Designers in the UK, probably thorough out the world!
With over 1600 members, now including Fellows, Full Members and Pre-Registered Members, although other organisations such as the British Association of Landscape Industries and the Association of Professional Landscapers now have Designer Members, the SGD remains THE Society for aspiring Garden Designers.
Now with The Garden Design Journal, Awards Ceremonies and mutual shared meetings between the Landscape Industry working together as one united front, the Magnificent Seven would have been surely very pleased to see their efforts come to fruition.
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For the record, I was invited by Peter Rogers to become involved in ensuring that the new Society could work amicably with the Landscape Industry. I worked closely with Peter on various projects and he used me as a sounding board for all kinds of industry matters. He shared his thoughts and ideas for the creation of the SGD, allowing me full disclosure of minutes and other business papers, which I have not mentioned in this article.
I was heavily involved with BALI at that time, an Officer on South Thames Regional Committee and keen to see the Landscape industry grow and become ever more professional.
Alan Sargent