Runcorn Memories: Gardening in Shinto style at Tatton Park

By Runcorn And Widnes Weekly News on Nov 30, 09 09:13 AM in 1900-1945

BASKING in spectacular autumn colours, Tatton Park's Japanese garden is regarded as one of the finest examples of its kind in the whole of Europe.

The rich jewellery-box colours in the autumnal leaves of the acers and ferns may have faded for this year, but their beauty was not lost on members of Runcorn Historical Society when Tatton's head gardener, Sam Youd, lifted the November gloom with a beautifully illustrated show for the benefit of society members.

And while the best time of year to see the Japanese garden is between September and October there are many evergreen plants in the garden which add to the winter interest.

Sam Youd took up gardening at the tender age of eight and went on to work for Liverpool Parks and Gardens for a number years before moving to Tatton Park in 1980, becoming head gardener three years later.

Unlocking the secrets of the Japanese garden, the speaker traced its beginnings to the days when Alan de Tatton Egerton initiated the building of the garden in 1910, following a visit to the Anglo-Japanese Exhibition at White City in London that same year.

A team of Japanese workmen, overseen by the then head gardener, a Mr Cubberley, gave the garden its shape, structure and planting scheme, all of which have been enjoyed by millions of visitors during the last 100 years.

Japanese gardens had their origins in China and Sam Youd showed black and white prints from the remote regions of south China - the source of the plants which formed Japan's gardens.

A Shinto shrine and artefacts contained in the Tatton garden are all reputed to have been brought from Japan, especially for the construction of the garden.

The garden itself is in the style of a tea garden which does not reflect the strict discipline of other Japanese styles, for example, the dry garden or the 'stroll' garden.

In this form of art, the Japanese portray many scenes, both mythical and factual, but all must harmonise with nature. The important elements of plants, stones and rocks are carefully placed to produce a natural balance.

The stones and rocks are selected for their form, particularly their representative shape. It is not unusual for a mound to be built in such a way that it is already capped off with white stones, representing the snow-capped Mount Fuji.

Lanterns come in all shapes and sizes, having different functions, such as the specially shaped snow-viewing lanterns, designed to trap as much snow as possible on the top of a lantern to add to the beauty of the garden in winter.