I suspect that the roots of this book lie in the satisfaction I got as a child from looking of the train window and comparing the wildly different arrangements people made on identical back garden plots as the Horsham train snaked into Victoria. But equally I had always loved the fanciful 18th and 19th century pattern books of garden buildings and furniture: rustic, Chinese, Egyptian. I thought of one of my favourite paintings by Charles Gere of an Edwardian tennis party, and I remembered wonderful garden scenes in novels from Jane Austen to E.F.Benson. This all coalesced and what emerged was a social history of how people have used their garden spaces over the ages; how they sulked and dreamed, smoked and ate, danced, played games, raised money, had parties, kept animals and children. Somehow among all the many books published on how to make a garden, or on the history of how gardens looked, no one else had quite looked at them in this way.

‘Philippa Lewis has written a highly entertaining and original book, quirkily designed to match the eccentric but very informative contents.’  Robin Simon, The British Art Journal

‘Philippa Lewis’s anthology . . . gives a delicious overview of eccentric behaviour – such as enthusiasts for outdoor eating. The quotations and illustrations range over a staggering amount of material, from Henry James to Punch magazine via a 1950s ad for fireworks. It’s a delight.’
Anna Pavord, The Independent Magazine

‘Philippa Lewis has clearly researched deeply and fresh eye pays dividends throughout. There are lengthy disquisitions on topics such as Turkish tents, 18th-century umbrellos and the possibilities of flirting while indulging in, for example, archery.’ Tim Richardson, The Telegraph