Pashley Manor Gardens

8/8/2019 Pashley Manor Gardens

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Award winning Pashley Manor Gardens is one

of England’s most beautiful gardens – and one

of its nest sculpture galleries. Take a stroll

around Pashley and discover how itsowners have created a spectacular and

unique venue for the works of

noted artists.

T Gden as Scuptur Gly

Art in the GA

TexT and PhoTograPhs

bygeorgianna L ane



Art in the GArden

he air is intoxicating with the

breeze-borne scent of a thousand

roses as a nymph pulls back her hair

at the edge of a tranquil spring. A youthful autist entices

you around a corner and in a clearing, two human-sized

hares spar like boxers. You have entered the sumptuous,

romantic and imaginative world of Pashley Manor

Gardens, set in the rolling, wooded countryside of East

Sussex, England.

An historically important Tudor-era estate, Pashley had

lain empty and was overgrown with years of neglect when

purchased by Mr. and Mrs. James Sellick in 1981. The

grounds were further devastated by the epic hurricane of

1987, when over 1,000 trees on the property were felled.

Despite these challenges, the Sellicks persisted in realizing

their dream of creating a beautiful, quintessential English

garden. With the assistance of well-known landscape

architect Anthony du Gard Pasley, they have brought

Zoé by Kate Denton



their passionate vision to reality and the gardens to their

present glory. Pashley has since won the Historic Houses

Association/Christie’s “Garden of the Year” award, and

has been called one of the nest gardens in England.

Among the lush plantings, and along the inviting

pathways and gorgeous vistas, the Sellicks have also

established a considerable outdoor sculpture gallery,

impressive in its eclectic scope. Celebrated during the

annual Sculpture Fortnight (16 May - 28 May 2009),

and displayed and sold throughout the season, Pashley’s

collection represents the work of many prominent sculptors

including Philip Jackson, James Milborrow, Ann Hogben,

John Brown, Kate Denton, Jenny Wynne-Jones, Mary

Cox, Guy Portelli, Peter Clarke and Helen Sinclair. Local

sculptors are also included, providing them a marvelous

opportunity to introduce their work.

t A of igag

A o evom

A t Pashley, the sculptures are not passive

spectators, stuck arbitrarily here and there

on isolating pedestals. Rather they are involved and

integrated into their surroundings, vital participants in

creating the magical atmosphere of the gardens. They sit

primly on benches, bathe in pools, recline among the roots

Art in the GArden

Ll Flaus by Mary Cox (top right) and May by Ann Hogben (bottom right).



of trees. And it is this thoughtful integration of art into

the environment that is one of the continuing sources of

delightful surprise.

A leisurely exploration of the grounds results in the

discovery of dozens of realistic as well as fanciful sculptures,tucked in among the trees, roses and rhododendrons in

pastoral repose. But some make a more dramatic entrance,

as gures commanding attention upon a vast stage.

Among these are three stunning works by eminent British

sculptor Philip Jackson – graceful, poised, enigmatic,

faceless gures alone with their thoughts:

Chanting Cimarosa – An elegant woman in romantic 18th

century Venetian costume sings from a book of music by

Italian opera composer Domenico Cimarosa, the

exaggerated curve of her hat echoing her open

book and the top of her skirt. At six feet tall, the

imposing bronze is riveting, holding court on the

sloping lawn in front of the manor house. The

stylized, modern sculpture framed by the rose-

clad 16th-century house provides a startling and

unexpected juxtaposition, but, as with all wonderful

art, gives the viewer’s preconceptions a thrilling and

thought-provoking jolt.

Mr. Bennet’s Daughter – Like Chanting Cimarosa, Mr.

Bennet’s Daughter is a larger than life size bronze.

The tilt of her wrists project the coyness of a coquette but

the viewer is left to interpret the secrets behind her sharply

turned head. Mr. Bennet’s Daughter occupies a prominent

location at Pashley, at the far end of the famous herbaceousborders, with verdant pastureland beyond, and has justly

become a lovely symbol of the gardens.

Philip Jackson’s sculptures have been known to move

viewers to tears. And his third, and most affecting at

Pashley, is Anne Boleyn, positioned on the Island near the

classical temple. Head bowed, hands clasped, the doomed

Anne contemplates her fate in a grove of towering

rhododendron. The location is so perfect, the gure so

Art in the GArden

M. B’s daug (left) and Cag Cmaosa

(above), both by Philip Jackson



poignant, it sends a chill to the spine, even on a warm day

in summer.

But the sculptures at Pashley invoke a broad gamut of

emotions. As a counter to the somber and mysterious

elegance of Philip Jackson’s work, the bronzes of Kate

Denton engender wonder, surprise and humor. Double

takes abound when visitors behold Stubble Stags, giant hares

boxing balanced on hind legs. The incongruity of the pair

is mesmerizing and

another example

of the marvelous

use of location atPashley. Stumbling

upon Stubble Stags

in their private

clearing, one feels

one has made a

personal discovery

of a fantastical

land. Likewise,

Denton’s Lazy Days makes one hesitate at intruding upon

the reading girl seated on an iron bench.

Abstracts share space

with the abundant roses,

as Peter Clarke’s Feather

Form joins an exuberant

display of Rosa ‘Pashley’

in the walled garden.

Art in the GArden

Subbl Sags

(left) and Lazy

days (above),

both by Kate

Denton

A Boly by Philip Jackson. Pashley Manor was once owned by Anne Boleyn’s family and it is likely she visited as a child.



Wo s Sylva? (top left) by Helen

Sinclair in the Rose Garden;

Fa Fom by Peter Clarke(above left); rosa by Jenny

Wynne-Jones (top right); Apac

and Moosaow (right) by

Gillian Simpson.

G

illian Simpson’s ligreed Moonshadow and welded

copper Apache ank the stairs to the patio, which offers

breathtaking views to the verdant elds beyond the garden

boundary, open land one can imagine the horses yearning

to escape to.

More traditional gurative works inhabit the pool area,

where Rosetta by Jenny Wynne-Jones peeks out through

billowing roses and Ann Hogben’s Sophie shyly greets

visitors ascending the brick stairs.

As the sculpture installations at Pashley form a changing

exhibition, visitors in future years may encounter pieces

different to those reviewed here. But that is part of the

enduring appeal of Pashley. Whatever the style or subject

matter, the inspirational marriage of sculpture and setting

at Pashley shows a delicate sensitivity in the use of art to

enhance the spell of an already enchanting location. ✍

(For information on visiting Pashley Manor Gardens, see next page).

Art in the GArden



Pasly Mnor Grden In addition to the Sculpture Fortnight, Pashley hosts a

number of important art and garden related events each

year, including an exhibition of botanical and ower

drawings by leading artists, a very popular Tulip Festival

and the Special Rose Weekend. Sculptures on the property

can be viewed during any of these events.

For 2009, the gardens are open to the public from April

through September. See the web site for days, times and

admission rates.

Pashley Manor Gardens is located on the B2099 road,

near the village of Ticehurst, in East Sussex, England.

For full details, visit www.pashleymanorgardens.com

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (UK) 01580 200888

© 2008 Global Fine Art Registry, LLC. All Rights Reserved. FAR® and the Fine Art Registry Logo are registered trademarks of Global Fine Art Registry, LLC.

Garden Credit: Pashley Manor Gardens Photographs © Georgianna Lane

Art in the GArden

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Pashley Manor Gardens