PROJECT PROFILE
A Gardener’s Diary 1795–1798
Audley End House
Thanks to a generous donation from the Friends of Audley End, we have recently acquired the diary of Thomas Challis, an 18th-century gardener. Our garden history volunteer, Susan Jellis, tells us about it.
T
homas Challis (1777–1845) was born in Cambridgeshire and worked at Audley End as a young man from 1795 to 1798. English Heritage had already obtained the 1870s diary of the young Audley End gardener William Cresswell and published it in 2006 as Diary of a Victorian Gardener: William Cresswell and Audley End, but this handwritten book took the story of the kitchen garden back another 80 or so years into the late 18th century. The kitchen garden had been enlarged by Sir John Griffin Griffin (the ‘Lord Howard’ mentioned in the extract shown on the opposite page) in the 1770s, and had a somewhat old-fashioned ‘Green House’ with a slate roof, which was more like an orangery. It has now been replaced by the Vine House. There was also a wall of lean-to glasshouses, which have all now gone. The diary brings it to life with its record of daily tasks throughout the year. An 18th-century diary of garden work is a rare thing and an exciting acquisition. Transcribing it helped me survive the dark days of last January and February’s lockdown. I am usually a garden history tour guide at Audley End, but that activity was off limits for a long time.
28 english-heritage.org.uk
From Cheveley to Standlynch The book, titled ‘Thomas Challis His Book 1792’, begins with a timeline of Thomas’ career, moving from place to place as was usual to gain experience. Starting in 1792 he worked at Cheveley Park in Suffolk from whence he came to Audley End. From 1798 Thomas worked in nurseries and other estates in East Anglia until 1802 when he moved to London, again working in nurseries, some well-known, such as Lee and Kennedy in Hammersmith. In October 1804, Thomas was employed in Billingbear Park as gardener to Lord Braybrooke, who also owned Audley End. By 1809 Thomas was gardener at Standlynch Park, Wiltshire, where he was to remain for the rest of his life. Standlynch, later known as Trafalgar Park, was from 1814 the home of Lord Nelson, older brother of Admiral Horatio Nelson, and his heirs. Work dun at Audley End Thomas’ diary lists ‘Work Dun at Audley End’ (mainly on cucumbers and melons) and separately ‘Work Dun at Audley End in the Kitchen Garding’, virtually day by day from
An 18thcentury diary of garden work is a rare thing and an exciting acquisition
