Sandra Lawrence MRes
Full Member
Biography
I've been a freelance writer for the past 23 years, writing for all the broadsheets and many, many magazines and websites, including The Times, Telegraph, The English Garden, LandScape, Homes & Gardens, Garden News, Modern Gardens, Country Life, Britain and British Heritage, for whom I've been a columnist for ten years. I also spent eleven years at the BBC.
The Witch's Garden series, for Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew discusses the folklore of plants. The Witch's Garden covers folklore of plants,, The Magic of Mushrooms, fungi, The Witch's Forest, trees.
My 'magnum opus', however, is a new biography of Edwardian plantswoman Ellen Willmott, Miss Willmott's Ghosts, published in May 2022. Ellen still consumes me and I continue to recover her papers after their 'miracle' discovery in a basement in 2019.
www.misswillmottsghosts.com discusses matters I was unable to fit into the biography.
Additional Interests
My urban allotment is high on Greenwich Hill in South East London, overlooking Canary Wharf. My home garden, in a small Victorian terrace, is secluded, part formal, part loosely planted. Interests outside gardening include swing dancing, film noir, folklore, femmes fatales, magic lanterns and Arthurian legend. Not necessarily in that order.
Talks
Based in: London, UK
Distance willing to travel: Most distances, though if it's a very long way an overnight stay might be necessary
Virtual talks available: Yes
Fees: Negotiable
Talks:
"Miss Willmott's Ghosts - The Life and Gardens of a Forgotten Genius" An introduction to Miss Willmott, her life, work and rediscovery
"A Virtual Walk around Warley Place" Using original photographs and modern images of the same areas, a guide to Ellen Willmott's now-ruined garden.
"As if the sick earth had burst into foul pustules: Fungi in Folklore and Superstition" Based on 'The Magic of Mushrooms' published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Address
London
United Kingdom
Contact Details