Garden History: Botanic Gardens: A Story of Beauty, Corruption, Medicine and Pirates

Course Programme (subject to modification)

• The earliest records – texts revealing botany in Egypt and plant use in ancient times
• The Kingdom of Flowers – China – oranges and camelias
• The rediscovery of the ancients – texts and gardens in the Renaissance
• Pisa, Padua and Florence – gardens for learning and collecting
• Portugal – plants, spices and parrots
• Spanish botanic discoveries and Philip II’s garden notebook
• Herbals and a little plagiarism
• Dutch East India Company, piracy and pineapples
• France and the gardener botanist
• Botanists and the Enlightenment

Additional Reading

There is no compulsory reading required for this course, and there is no set course text.

Debbie Trentham trained in the history of art, architecture and garden history at the University of Leeds, and has been teaching garden history for around twenty years.

Previously a teacher of garden history at Birkbeck (University of London) and Capel Manor College where she also taught the history of architecture, Debbie currently teaches garden design students for KLC School of Design at Chelsea Harbour and Hampton Court Palace.

She has published articles in magazines and periodicals, and appeared on radio and television, and her major new book, Botanic Gardens of the World, was published in 2023.

Rate Categories and Discounts

Standard Rate

• Available to all except those who fall under the Internal Rate or Associate Rate category, respectively.

Internal Rate

• Current Imperial College students and staff (incl. Imperial NHS Trust, Imperial Innovations, ancillary & service staff employed on long-term contracts at Imperial College by third-party contractors)
• Individuals enrolling under our Friends & Family scheme
• Staff of the English Chamber Orchestra
• Students, staff and Governors of Woodhouse College and the IC Mathematics School

Associate Rate

• Alumni of Imperial College and predecessor colleges and institutes
• Austrian Cultural Forum staff
• City & Guilds College Association members
• Co-operative College members
• Francis Crick Institute staff, researchers and students
• Friends and Patrons of the English Chamber Orchestra
• Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens
• Friends of Leighton House/ Sambourne House
• Friends of the Royal College of Music
• Harrods staff
• Historic Royal Palaces staff
• Lycee Charles de Gaulle staff
• Members of the Friends of Imperial College
• Members of the Kennel Club
• Members of the London Zoological Society
• Members of the South London Botanical Institute (SLBI)
• Members of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
• National Health Service (NHS) employees
• Natural History Museum staff
• Residents of postcodes SW3, SW5, SW7, SW10 and W8
• Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council staff
• Royal College of Art and Royal College of Music tutors and other staff
• Royal Geographical Society staff
• Science Museum staff
• Staff of Exhibition Road Cultural Group (Discover South Kensington) organisations
• Students (non-Imperial College)
• Teachers and other staff of UK schools
• Tutors and other staff of institution members of the Association of Colleges
• Tutors and other staff of other universities and higher education institutions
• Victoria and Albert Museum staff

Late enrolment

It is possible to enrol on many of our adult education courses after the course has already started. For non-language courses this is subject entirely to agreement by the tutor. For language courses it is subject to agreement by the language coordinator conducting level assessment. If you want to join a course late do bear in mind there might be work you will need to catch up on, particularly in language courses.

Friends and Family Scheme

This course is eligible for the  allowing Imperial College students and staff to share their discount with their friends and family.

Web enrolment is now open

Enrolment and payment run through the Imperial College eStore. When enrolling:

• Do check on the drop down menu above called "Course Fees and Rate Categories" to see if you are eligible for a discounted rate and also do make sure you select that rate when enrolling on the eStore
• If you are a first-time eStore user you will need to create an account before enrolling. You can do this by entering an email address and password. This account can then be used for any future enrolments via the eStore.

When you have enrolled you will be sent the following email notifications:

If you have any questions about the academic content or teaching of this course please contact the programme manager for adult education, Dr Michael Paraskos, m.paraskos@imperial.ac.uk

If you have any questions about your enrolment or payment processes please contact the Programme Administrator, Christian Jacobi, eveningclass@imperial.ac.uk