[This document comes from Christopher Arnander's site for the Jekyll Estate, which the author has graciously shared with readers of the Victorian Web. Copyright on text and images remains of course with the estate. Click on the title to obtain the original site, which has additional information.]

1843 Birth of Gertrude Jekyll in London, in sixth year of Queen Victoria's reign

1848 Gertrude Jekyll and family move to Bramley, Surrey

1854 Crimean War (lasted to 1856)

1861 Gertrude Jekyll enrols in South Kensington School of Art, London; start of American Civil War (lasted to 1865).

1868 Gertrude Jekyll and family leave Bramley and move to Wargrave, Berkshire; Disraeli and Gladstone both Prime Minister for the first time

1870 Franco-Prussian War

1873-4 Gertrude Jekyll spends four months travelling in Algeria

1876 After her father's death, Gertrude Jekyll moves to Munstead, Surrey; first garden designs (she created over 400 during her life)

1881 Gertrude Jekyll's first gardening articles in The Garden (she wrote over 1,000 articles for various publications during her life)

1883-4 Gertrude Jekyll cooperates with William Robinson on his book The English Flower Garden and his garden at Gravetye

1889 Gertrude Jekyll meets 20-year-old architect, Edwin Lutyens; fruitful collaboration ensues

1896 Lutyens designs Gertrude Jekyll's house, Munstead Wood. The creation of house and garden are described in her books, Wood and Garden (published 1899) and Home and Garden (1900)

1901 Death of Queen Victoria, succeeded by King Edward VII

1910 Death of King Edward VII

1914 Gertrude Jekyll's first American designs; outbreak of First World War (lasted to 1918)

1930 Gertrude Jekyll wrote 43 articles for Gardening Illustrated after passing 86th birthday

1932 Death of Gertrude Jekyll at Munstead Wood, Surrey


Last modified 15 Janaury 2009