£31.50 RHS members £45.18 Non RHS members (Non JG member)
Overview
A wonderful exhibition on what will, hopefully, be a crisp bright day. Explore more than a century of transformation at RHS Garden Wisley. Through historic photographs, archival treasures, contemporary photography and personal recollections, this new exhibition reveals how the RHS’s flagship garden has evolved from its origins as George Fergusson Wilson’s Oakwood estate into one of the world’s most visited gardens. The story begins before the RHS acquired the site in 1903. Visitors can discover how George Fergusson Wilson transformed a muddy Surrey landscape into an experimental horticultural garden known as Oakwood. His passion for science, plants and innovation laid the foundations for what would later become RHS Garden Wisley. Through early photographs, maps and archive material, the exhibition traces this remarkable origin story and explores the vision that helped create one of Britain’s most important gardens. Gardens are never static, and Wisley has continuously been reinvented in response to new ideas, new challenges and changing expectations. The exhibition explores how landscapes have been reshaped, buildings constructed, altered or removed, and planting styles adapted over time. Visitors will encounter stories ranging from storm damage and changing weather patterns to ambitious development plans and changing approaches to horticulture. Alongside the physical history of the garden, Wisley: Then and Now highlights the people whose lives have been intertwined with the site. Through oral histories and personal testimonies, visitors can hear stories from staff, volunteers, and other people with ties to the garden. These first-hand accounts reveal the human side of Wisley, from memorable moments and traditions to surprising anecdotes and little-known secrets. There is a good choice of places to get lunch etc. and you can enjoy the rest of the gardens too.