Sidney’s latest exhibition in the College Library — titled ‘Recreating Eden: Gardens, Gardeners and Botanists’ — is all about the history of Sidney’s gardens and botanists. Sidney’s Archivist Nicholas Rogers curated the exhibition and is on hand to note some of the highlights.

The exhibition is full of interesting material relating to the history of Sidney’s gardens and three Sidney botanists: Thomas Martyn (1735-1825), who established the University Botanic Garden in the 1760s, Edred J.H. Corner (1906-1996), famous for training monkeys to collect specimens in the tropical forests of Malaya, and William T. Stearn (1911-2001), who began his career as a gardener at Sidney.

Edred Corner and two of his 'botanical monkeys'

A colourised photo of Edred Corner and two of his ‘botanical monkeys’ (date and photographer unknown). Image credit: Singapore Botanic Gardens Archive

E.J.H. Corner with his monkeys

Edred Corner with his monkeys. Image featured in Botanical Monkeys (Edinburgh, 1992)

Even a familiar image like David Loggan’s view of the College reveals new information about the gardens which has not been previously documented. This includes the two-storey summer house in the Fellows’ Garden, which resembles the banqueting houses found in the grounds of Elizabethan country houses. 

Two-storey summer house in Fellows' Garden

The two-storey summer house in the Fellows’ Garden, taken from ‘Sidney Sussex College’, Cantabrigia Illustrata, 1690, by David Loggan

Jeffry Wyatt’s 1821 scheme for the College grounds, on the other hand, shows a feature which was never realised: a new university museum in the Tennis Court Garden. A century later T.H. Lyon sketched a garden design centred on a projected new Master’s Lodge near Jesus Lane.

A series of letters found in a file of correspondence about the College’s gardens reveals how a rose border, formerly in the Master’s Garden, was designed by the noted rose-grower Peter Harkness in 1961-62. 

Of the many personalities associated with Sidney’s gardens a particular favourite is William T. Stearn, elected an Honorary Fellow in 1968. Although he was awarded three honorary doctorates by Cambridge, Leiden and Uppsala, and was the author of some 500 publications, he had no formal university education. Having left school at 13, he first worked as a gardener at Sidney, before becoming a bookseller at Bowes & Bowes, while studying informally in the Botany School. This led to an appointment as Librarian of the Royal Horticultural Society and, after war service in the jungles of Burma, to the post of Senior Principal Scientific Officer at the Natural History Museum. His contribution to botany has been considered equal to that of Darwin and William and Joseph Hooker.

W.T Stearn at the installation of Professor Linnett as Master in 1970

A rare shot of W.T. Stearn at the installation of Professor Linnett as Master on 16 September, 1970, taken from a group photograph of the Fellowship.

In the 1920s Stearn assisted the new dean and horticulturally minded fellow, B. T. D. Smith, in constructing an ambitious rock garden strung out against the College’s north wall.

The rock garden, oil painting by Keith Henderson

The rock garden, oil painting by Keith Henderson

The exhibition will run in the College Library until the end of July 2022. All current Sidney members who are living or working onsite may drop in to visit the exhibition between 9.00am-3.00pm, Monday to Friday. Other visits may be arranged with the College Librarian.


If you have something that would make a good news or feature item, please email news@sid.cam.ac.uk