Helichrysum italicum at Yalding Organic Gardens, a 10-acre garden open to the public near Benover, Kent. Photo by Oast House Archives.
If a tour of the great gardens of the British Isles is not in your cards this summer, one vicarious alternative is Geograph® — an online project that “aims to collect geographically representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of Great Britain and Ireland.”
Since 2005, contributors have submitted over 3.5 million images covering over 81% of the total area. You can search them by kilometre grid, by place name, by national trails, or by subject of interest (‘gardens’).
You can also join for free and upload your own images. (Much of rural Ireland needs filling out.)
I spent an hour looking for gardens and country landscapes and found. . .
Fann Street Wildlife Garden, a private residents’ garden in Barbican Estate, London, by David Hawgood. The garden includes a meadow, nest boxes, a pond, and old logs for insects.
Garden and gardener at Gravens, Shetland Islands, by Oliver Dixon. He wrote: “Despite the unpromising climate, there are some very keen gardeners on Shetland, with some fine examples of rock gardens.”
Former garden pond and fountain of the gardens of Bestwood Lodge, Nottinghamshire, by Mick Garratt. The steps now lead nowhere but once went to the Lodge.
Snowdrop, an Old Sussex Star, at Harlow Carr Gardens, near Beckwithshaw, North Yorkshire, by Rich Tea. The garden is run by the Royal Horticultural Society.
Wickham Gardens, near Lincoln, by Richard Croft. He wrote: “[T]he pavilion has lost its roof and the playground [is] almost completely denuded of all play equipment, condemned by health & safety concerns. I played here for countless hours as a boy in the 1960s and I wonder what the future holds for Wickham Gardens playground.”the weird,
Riverhill Himalayan Gardens on the grounds of Riverhill House, near Underriver, Kent, by Richard Croft. The gardens feature rhododendrons and rare trees and a view point over the Weald of Kent –and a person dressed as a yeti, “moving through Chestnut Wood . . . looking rather uncomfortable in 30°C heat.”
10 thoughts on “Picturing England (square by square)”
Cindy, you are a real blessing.
Oh, thank you! How are all your feathered babies?
I have decided to vicariously raise chickens through your blog!
Wow, what an interesting project and your selections were all wonderful.
It’s a fun site. I’m going to try to upload some of my photos of London and Oxford from last summer.
The first image looks like a pattern for an embroidery or needlepoint cushion. What a great collection of pictures. Love the geraniums.
I had to look up that first plant. Its common name is curry plant because of its smell (but it’s not the culinary herb), and it likes dry, rocky, or sandy soils.
I like that arrangement of geraniums too. There seem to be 2 or 3 kinds, but all in light orange.
This raises the question of what purpose Geograph has? Other than mere curiosity.
The site says:
“What is Geographing?
It’s a game – how many grid squares will you contribute?
It’s a geography project for the people
It’s a national photography project
It’s a good excuse to get out more!
It’s a free and open online community project for all”
Geograph is also sponsored by the Ordnance Survey, the national mapping agency of Great Britain, as an online gallery of images for teachers and students. And it probably serves much the same purpose as some of the photography collections of our Library of Congress. Over time, it will record some interesting sociological, historical, and environmental changes in the country.
For bloggers, it is also good source for Creative Commons License photos of garden and landscape features.
Fascinatingly diverse photos. I hope to find some time to browse the site myself.
enclos*ure 
Cindy, you are a real blessing.
Oh, thank you! How are all your feathered babies?
I have decided to vicariously raise chickens through your blog!
Wow, what an interesting project and your selections were all wonderful.
It’s a fun site. I’m going to try to upload some of my photos of London and Oxford from last summer.
The first image looks like a pattern for an embroidery or needlepoint cushion. What a great collection of pictures. Love the geraniums.
I had to look up that first plant. Its common name is curry plant because of its smell (but it’s not the culinary herb), and it likes dry, rocky, or sandy soils.
I like that arrangement of geraniums too. There seem to be 2 or 3 kinds, but all in light orange.
This raises the question of what purpose Geograph has? Other than mere curiosity.
The site says:
“What is Geographing?
It’s a game – how many grid squares will you contribute?
It’s a geography project for the people
It’s a national photography project
It’s a good excuse to get out more!
It’s a free and open online community project for all”
Geograph is also sponsored by the Ordnance Survey, the national mapping agency of Great Britain, as an online gallery of images for teachers and students. And it probably serves much the same purpose as some of the photography collections of our Library of Congress. Over time, it will record some interesting sociological, historical, and environmental changes in the country.
For bloggers, it is also good source for Creative Commons License photos of garden and landscape features.
Fascinatingly diverse photos. I hope to find some time to browse the site myself.