Pages from Nature, Croome Court

Pages from Nature was a sensory walk with an accompanying exhibition that we designed for Croome. This project marked the 200th anniversary of the ’Hortus Croomensis’, a book written William Dean, Croome’s botanical gardener, for The Earl of Coventry who was blind. The book contains a detailed walk of the park that describes scents that the Earl could enjoy as well as a detailed list of all the plants growing at Croome in 1824, that has become a treasure trove for the team at Croome and other sites that are involved in restoring 18th century landscapes as well as for social historians and garden buffs.

Re-using some existing stands, we designed scent boxes with lift up lids. These were engraved with a leaf pattern, to add a touch element to the walk, and painted gold with bright pink graphics – the brief was to stand out and grab attention in the vast landscape. Inside the boxes, we designed and cut intricate removable fretwork so each scent could be topped up but also kept secure from visitors. The guidebook detailing the walk and key plants to find on the route was designed and printed to be sold in the shop was accompanied by leaf shaped interpretation panels – again using the vibrant pink to stand out in the landscape. We used icons and illustrations that were inspired by 18th century prints to highlight the historic nature of the surroundings. All items: guidebook, scent boxes, leaf shaped tree interpretation and welcome flags were all designed in the same style and colours to ensure a linked experience.

Inside the court, we transformed three rooms into a comprehensive display inspired by the book and its impact. We made a welcoming entrance to the exhibition, constantly reflecting the plants from around the park with illustrations and icons. We designed unique fabrics using botanical drawings to soften the room and used a rich colour palette to stand out from the bare walls of the semi-derelict room.

A key part of the book is a list of the 5000 plants that were growing at Croome at the time of publication. Each plant entry contains its origin, which illustrates how far collectors went to get new and exotic plants, many of which came from colonised countries. Using a historic font, we recreated part of the list and designed an impactful wallpaper that was printed and installed floor to ceiling to act as background to contemporary artworks by a local botanical illustration group. Finally, a 18th century World map was sourced to show where plants had come from
and the global distribution of William Dean’s book.

selected clients