1
ANCIENT
BEGINNINGS
Millions of years before
humans walked the
earth wild roses grew in
rugged terrain where little else
could. These attractive hardy
plants thrived in Asia before
spreading to the northern
hemisphere as far as the
American states of Montana
and Oregon where rose
fossils dated 35 million
years old have been
uncovered. In ancient
Greece stories of its
origin were woven into
legend while in Egypt
Damask rose water was
a favourite of Cleopatra
who scattered its petals on
her palace floor to seduce
Mark Antony. The sacred rose
even adorned currency sitting alongside characters
such as Helios the sun god as it does on this
304â167BC example found in Rhodes.PjrStudio/Alamy Stock Photo; Historical Picture Archive/Getty Images; National Trust/Marianne Majerus; Christieâs;The Soul of the RoseJW WaterhouseKey stories in the history of
THE ROSE
3
IN AN ENGLISH
COUNTRY GARDEN
Now a National Trust property 13th-
century Mottisfont in Hampshire started
life as a priory and was a popular stop-o for
pilgrims as they made their way to the ancient
capital of Winchester. After the Dissolution of
the Monasteries in the 16th century the house
was converted into a country manor and over
time some of the countryâs most prestigious
gardeners worked on its grounds. When the last
owner died in 1972 the National Trust enlisted
Graham Stuart Thomas who had been cultivating
a collection of old roses from around the world.
Out of favour at the time (as they flowered only
once a year) Thomas saw their potential and set
about transforming the neglected walled garden at
Mottisfont into a tribute to this forgotten flower.
His legacy is today said to be âthe most beautiful
rose garden in Britainâ with over 500 varieties.2
THE SYMBOL OF KINGS
In medieval England two families fought for the throne in a war
that lasted over 30 years. Today at Bosworth ags bearing the
red rose of the House of Lancaster and the white rose of the House of
York y as riders re-enact the battle that decided Richard IIIâs fate. When
Henry VII eventually took the throne in 1485 he united the roses to signify
the end of the struggle. Since then the Tudor Rose has become a royal
badge of England used by British monarchs and appearing on coins to
this day including the new 12-sided pound. The Arts and Crafts movement
embraced it too and you can view this textile design by Charles Voysey
dated 1915 at the Victoria and Albert Museum.126 H&A SUMMER 2017