Garden Tool Set

Book Review: Westonbirt - A celebration of the seasons

This book, published in 1995, is the first I've read about the great arboretum at Westonbirt. We've visited many times and enjoyed the different seasons. So I thought this it would be nice to get a view of seasonal change at Westonbirt from a different perspective.

The book starts well, with a foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales. I'd never read anything written by Prince Charles before. This short foreword was captivating and set a high bar for the rest of the book.

While I'm glad that I read the book, which is separated into each of the four seasons, it fell short for me for a few reasons. The first is that while the writer tries to take us on a journey around Westonbirt, mentioning many of the drives and avenues - there is no map -so as a reader it's hard to orientate yourself and get the full impact of context. Secondly, other than seasons, there is no connectivity between writing and photographs. Each season has four pages of writing followed by a series of photographs - what has been talked up in the writing may not appear in the photographs or it may be a very small photograph. While leads me on to the third 'problem', the form factor of the book is too small for such a book. Some photographs are so small that even a reader of good eyesight can struggle to see any of the detail.

So, while I am glad that I read it, I wouldn't read it again. However, it has inspired me to look for other books about the arboretum. If anything, it would be a great introductory book for anyone looking to visit for the first time as it shows that regardless of the season you plan to visit - there is much to see and enjoy.