Art in the Garden

The Garden as
Sculpture Gallery
Award winning Pashley Manor Gardens is one
of England’s most beautiful gardens – and one
of its finest sculpture galleries. Take a stroll
around Pashley and discover how its
owners have created a spectacular and
unique venue for the works of
noted artists.

Text and Photographs

by Georgianna Lane
 Art in the Garden

T 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 flautist 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
Zoé by Kate Denton

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

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

Little Flautist by Mary Cox (top right) and May by Ann Hogben (bottom right).
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 finest 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
Art in the Garden
Cox, Guy Portelli, Peter Clarke and Helen Sinclair. Local
sculptors are also included, providing them a marvelous
A
opportunity to introduce their work.
The Art of Integrating
Art into the Environment
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
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 figures commanding attention upon a vast stage.
Among these are three stunning works by eminent British
sculptor Philip Jackson – graceful, poised, enigmatic,
faceless figures alone with their thoughts:
Chanting Cimarosa – An elegant woman in romantic 18th
century Venetian costume sings from a book of music by
Mr. Bennet’s Daughter (left) and Chanting Cimarosa
(above), both by Philip Jackson
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 herbaceous
borders, 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 figure so
 Art in the Garden

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

poignant, it sends a chill to the spine, even on a warm day Denton’s Lazy Days makes one hesitate at intruding upon
in summer. the reading girl seated on an iron bench.
But the sculptures at Pashley invoke a broad gamut of Abstracts share space
emotions. As a counter to the somber and mysterious with the abundant roses,
elegance of Philip Jackson’s work, the bronzes of Kate as Peter Clarke’s Feather
Denton engender wonder, surprise and humor. Double Form joins an exuberant
takes abound when visitors behold Stubble Stags, giant hares display of Rosa ‘Pashley’
boxing balanced on hind legs. The incongruity of the pair in the walled garden.
is mesmerizing and
another example
of the marvelous
use of location at
Pashley. Stumbling
upon Stubble Stags
in their private
clearing, one feels Stubble Stags
one has made a (left) and Lazy
Days (above),
personal discovery
both by Kate
of a fantastical Denton
land. Likewise,
 Art in the Garden

Who is Sylvia? (top left) by Helen

Sinclair in the Rose Garden;
Feather Form by Peter Clarke
(above left); Rosetta by Jenny
Wynne-Jones (top right); Apache
and Moonshadow (right) by
Gillian Simpson.

G illian Simpson’s filigreed Moonshadow and welded

copper Apache flank the stairs to the patio, which offers
breathtaking views to the verdant fields beyond the garden
boundary, open land one can imagine the horses yearning
to escape to.
More traditional figurative 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

Pashley Manor Gardens

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 flower
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: info@pashleymanorgardens.com
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.