Arts and Crafts and Gardens



Overview

The Arts and Crafts movement encompassed two strands – a socio-political reaction to the evils of the Industrial Revolution and an aesthetic reaction to the excesses of high Victorian art by the Pre-Raphaelites and their followers. In William Morris both strands are fused but among his followers William Robinson best represents the socio-political strand while Gertrude Jekyll was pre-eminent in her artistic approach to the garden. This course will begin with a very brief résumé of English garden history in order to set the Arts and Crafts garden into context, then examines the work of such designers as William Morris, Reginald Blomfield, Thomas Mawson, William Robinson, Alfred Parsons, Edwin Lutyens and especially Gertrude Jekyll.

This course is part of The Oxford Experience summer school.

Programme details

Seminars meet each weekday morning, with afternoons free for course-related field trips, individual study, or exploring the many places of interest in and around the city.

Monday
Garden history at speed: gardens 2000BC to 1860AD, from the great classical cultures through mediaeval and renaissance gardens to the English Landscape Garden and the Victorian ‘gardenesque’. This will set the Arts and Crafts movement into historical perspective and begin to reveal the roots of the movement.

Tuesday
John Ruskin, William Morris and William Robinson: Put very simply, Ruskin conceived the ideas underpinning the Arts and Crafts, Morris brought the movement into being and Robinson translated Ruskin’s social arguments into the language of the gardener, being eager to vanquish the ‘industrial’ gardening of the Victorian era in favour of a system which would acknowledge the individual ‘personalities’ of his plants and improve the lives of the poor.

Wednesday
Gertrude Jekyll: Miss Jekyll had lectures from Ruskin and Morris and was a friend of Robinson for the last fifty years of their lives. She wanted to be known as an ‘artist-gardener’ and, as an artist-gardener, influenced the making of gardens across the developed world. We will look at her life, her work (including her writing) and her influence.

Thursday
Visit to the house and garden of Rodmarton Manor in the morning, and the garden of Hidcote Manor in the afternoon. 

Friday
Life after Gertrude: Miss Jekyll’s influence was spread through many channels but particularly through her long association with William Robinson and his association with the artist Alfred Parsons. Some of Parsons’ work was for Harper’s Magazine in New York so he was involved with the Cotswolds group of American anglophiles including Henry James, John Singer Sargent and Lawrence Johnston, the creator of Hidcote Manor garden.

Field Trip
Destination: Rodmarton Manor and Hidcote Manor

Website: 
www.rodmarton-manor.co.uk 
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/gloucestershire-cotswolds/hidcote 

Excursion Rating: Moderate - up to two hours' walk on even ground or up to an hour's walk on rough and/or steep ground or up lots of stairs and steps.

Fees

Description Costs
Fee option 1 (single en suite accom and meals per person) £2280.00
Fee option 2 (single standard accom and meals per person) £2155.00
Fee option 3 (double en suite accom and meals per person) £2105.00
Fee option 4 (twin en suite accom and meals per person) £2105.00
Fee option 5 (twin set standard accom and meals per person) £2105.00
Fee option 6 (no accom; incl lunch and dinner per person) £1605.00

Funding

Please note there are no sources of funding (scholarships, bursaries, etc) available for applicants.

Payment

All fees are charged on a per week, per person basis.

Please be aware that all payments made via non-UK credit/debit cards and bank accounts are subject to the exchange rate on the day they are processed.

Payment terms

  • If enrolling online: full payment by credit/debit card at the time of booking.
  • If submitting an enrolment form: full payment online by credit/debit card or via bank transfer within 30 days of invoice date.

Supplementary costs

  • Extended stay fee: Participants staying multiple, consecutive weeks are offered bed and breakfast accommodation for the Saturday night between their courses. The extended stay rates are charged on a per person basis, depending on your enrolment accommodation. An invoice will be emailed alongside your confirmation of enrolment. 
  • Excursion fee where applicable: £5-130. This fee is built into the above course fees and will not require a separate payment. If your course includes a day-long excursion, you may need to make your own lunch arrangements.
  • Course transfer fee: Please note that course transfers may be permitted in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the programme administrator, up to the 1 May 2024. In accordance with our Terms and Conditions, an administration fee of £50 will be charged.
  • Any ticketed activities, as outlined in the Social Programme.

Cancellations and refunds

1. Cancellation by you

Participants who wish to cancel must inform the Programme Administrator in writing: by email to oxfordexperience@conted.ox.ac.uk, or by post to The Oxford Experience, OUDCE, 1 Wellington Square, OXFORD, OX1 2JA, UK.

The following cancellation and refund policy applies in all cases:

  • Cancellation within 14 days of online enrolment / payment of fees – full refund of all fees paid. 

  • Cancellations received up to and including 30 April 2024 – OUDCE will retain an administration fee of £100 per week booked; all other fees paid will be refunded.
  • Cancellations received between 1-31 May 2024 – OUDCE will retain 60% of the fees paid; the remaining 40% of fees paid will be refunded.
  • Cancellations received on and after 1 June 2024 - no refunds will be made under any circumstances.

Where course fees have been paid in currencies other than pounds sterling, refunds will be subject to the exchange rate on the day they are processed.

2. Cancellation by us

Where there is good reason, OUDCE reserves the right to cancel a course by giving you notice in writing at any time before the course is due to start. In these cases, we will endeavour to offer a transfer to another available course if practical and acceptable to you, subject to payment or refund of any difference in course fees. Alternatively, we will refund the course fees that you have already paid. If we cancel a course, our liability is limited to the fees that we have received from you; this means that we will not compensate you for any pre-booked travel costs or any other expenses incurred. The status of this course will be reviewed on 1 May 2024. If it is likely that the course may be cancelled, anyone affected will be notified by email within 7 days; if you have not heard from OUDCE by 8 May 2024, you should assume that your course will be running. You may wish to delay finalising your travel arrangements until after this date.

OUDCE reserves the right to cancel a course at short notice in exceptional circumstances that would prevent the course from being delivered e.g. tutor illness. In these rare instances, and if we are unable to find a replacement tutor, we will notify you as soon as possible and arrange a transfer to another available Oxford Experience course. If we cancel a course, our liability is limited to the fees that we have received from you; this means that we will not compensate you for any pre-booked travel costs or any other expenses incurred.

Where course fees have been paid in currencies other than pounds sterling, refunds will be subject to the exchange rate on the day they are processed.

3. Travel insurance

All participants must purchase travel insurance to cover the programme fee, travel costs, and any other expenses incurred. OUDCE cannot be held responsible for any costs you may incur in relation to travel or accommodation bookings as a result of a course cancellation, or if you are unable to attend the course for any other reason. 

Tutor

Mr Richard Bisgrove

Tutor

Richard Bisgrove studied Horticultural Science in England and Landscape Architecture in the USA. He lectured in Landscape Management at the University of Reading for forty years, during which time he was awarded the Veitch Memorial Medal by the Royal Horticultural Society, the Peter Youngman Award by the Landscape Institute and was made an Honorary Life Member of the Kew Guild. He was a member of the National Trust’s Gardens Panel for nearly twenty years and had several roles within the Garden History Society. Richard has been involved with Oxford Experience for many years.

Teaching methods

Participants will be taught in seminar groups of up to 12 people. The teaching methods used during this course may include:

  • Short lectures/Presentations
  • Physical handouts
  • Seminars/group discussions
  • Tutor-led field trip

Assessment methods

There are no assessments for this course.

Application

Registration closes on 1 May 2024. Most courses fill up fast so early registration is recommended.

Single accommodation and non-residential places may be booked online by clicking on the “Book now” button in the “Course details” box at the top right-hand side of the course page.

Those requiring twin or double accommodation should complete an enrolment form as these rooms cannot be booked online. Completed forms should be sent:

Level and demands

The Oxford Experience is aimed at non-specialists: no prior knowledge is required, and classes are pitched at an introductory level. The courses are designed for an international audience aged 18 and over.

Accommodation

During your course you will stay in typical Oxford student accommodation at Christ Church, in buildings which range from the 18th to the 20th century. Please note that bedrooms are modestly-furnished and do not have air-conditioning.

The course fee includes breakfasts Monday-Saturday, lunches Sunday-Friday, and 3-course dinners Sunday-Thursday. On Friday, there will be a special 4-course Gala Dinner to celebrate the closing of the week. All meals are taken in Christ Church’s spectacular dining hall.

Single bedrooms

  • Single en suite;
  • Single standard.

En suite rooms include private bathroom facilities (shower, washbasin and toilet). Standard rooms include a washbasin and shaver point only, with bathroom facilities shared with other rooms.

Shared bedrooms

Shared rooms can only be booked by two people attending the programme together, and are charged on a per person basis.

  • Double en suite;
  • Twin en suite;
  • 'Twin Set' standard.

En suite rooms include private bathroom facilities (shower, washbasin and toilet). 'Twin set’ standard rooms comprise two separate single standard rooms, each with a washbasin and shaver point only, opening onto a private sitting room, with bathroom facilities shared with other rooms.

Those requiring twin or double accommodation must complete an enrolment form (see ‘Application’), as these rooms cannot be booked online.

Christ Church rooms do not have lift access, and the higher rooms can be located up a few flights of stairs. If you need a room on a ground or lower floor please indicate this on your enrolment form, or contact the programme administrator directly at oxfordexperience@conted.ox.ac.uk as soon as possible before 1 June.

We regret that we are unable to arrange accommodation at Christ Church prior to or following your course. Additionally, family or friends who are not enrolled in the programme cannot be accommodated in college. Please contact Christ Church directly if you require additional nights of bed and breakfast accommodation.

Participants Attending Multiple Weeks

The Oxford Experience welcomes participants who want to attend multiple courses over the summer. Resident participants staying in Christ Church for consecutive weeks are offered bed and breakfast accommodation for the Saturday night between their courses. The extended stay rates are charged on a per person basis, depending on your enrolment accommodation. An invoice will be emailed alongside your confirmation of enrolment. 

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support