The garden at the Laskett in Herefordshire is always described as the largest formal garden laid out in Britain since the war and one of most important and interesting gardens of the second half of the twentieth century. It was made by Roy Strong and his wife, theatre designer Julia Trevelyan Oman, between 1973 and 2003. In the latter year Roy's book about the garden and how it was made (The Laskett: the story of a garden) was published, Julia died, and Roy started to remake the garden. Remaking a Garden: the Laskett Gardens Transformed is the story of that remaking, told by Roy, with photographs by Clive Boursnell, who has photographed the whole process from the beginning.

Remaking a Garden- The Laskett Transformed

History

Strong, Sir Roy

Europe

Frances Lincoln

600 Years of British Painting: The Berger Collection at the Denver Art Museum

600 Years of British Painting: The Berger Collection at the Denver Art Museum

Arts & Photography

History & Criticism

Denver Art Museum / W.M.B. Berger Charitable Trust

Scenes and Apparitions begins where its predecessor, Splendours and Miseries, left off. It covers a period of Roy Strong's life from 1988 to 2003. 
Shaking off the shackles of public life, Roy was free for the first time to reinvent himself, leaving behind the political and cultural machinations of the art world. Left with little to live on, he turned his hand to what came his way, first as a consultant to the Canary Wharf development; then as a television and radio presenter; and finally as a full-time writer of books on the nation's history and civilisation, as well as on garden design and history.
The urge to keep a diary ebbed and flowed and continues to be nothing other than sporadic - when this or that prods his pen to describe a scene or a person. This volume of his diaries is an unmissable record of how a citizen at the close of the second Elizabethan age observed and chronicles his own world, as the last decade of the twentieth century gave way to the first decade of the twenty-first.

Scenes and Apparitions

Biographies & Memoirs

Arts & Literature

Weidenfeld&Nicolson

'Viper wit from the gardener, writer and Knight of exquisite taste' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Funny, barbed and moving ... magnificently readable' THE TIMES
Scenes and Apparitions covers a period of Roy Strong's life from 1988 to 2003. A sequel to Splendours and Miseries, it is an unmissable record of how a citizen at the close of the second Elizabethan age observed and chronicled his own world at the turn of the century. Although it is not without tragedy - the murder of his friend Gianni Versace, and the death of his beloved wife Julia Trevelyan Oman - there is plenty to enjoy from his descriptions of Elton John's fiftieth birthday party, to a concert for the Queen Mother, and his portraits of marriage, friendship, work and his celebrated garden, The Laskett.

Scenes and Apparitions: The Roy Strong Diaries 1988–2003

'The Alan Clark diaries of cultural politics' Sunday Times 'At every word a reputation dies' A. N. Wilson
Roy Strong is best known as the flamboyant former director of two great cultural institutions - the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria &amp; Albert Museum. In his first volume of diaries, he takes the reader into the heart of his career, revealing himself to be not just a mercurial and brilliant administrator, but also a shrewd observer of the glittering and political milieu into which he was drawn.
We encounter David Hockney in his studio, the poignant figure of Cecil Beaton in decline, Nureyev fizzing with ideas and the Philistine Mrs Thatcher among many others, including a bevy of the Royal Family. And throughout the diaries runs the thread of an exceptional marriage, following his elopement with the designer Julia Trevelyan Oman.
Splendours and Miseries provides a unique panorama of the world of the arts, fashion and society, taking us from the outrageous Swinging Sixties to the hard-edged glitz of Thatcher's Britain.

Splendours and Miseries: The Roy Strong Diaries, 1967-87

Types and Shadows: Diaries 2004-2015

In January 2004, where his third volume of Diaries begins, Roy Strong was in a state of deep grief following the death of his wife, Julia Trevelyan Oman, three months earlier. Yet the following years demonstrate his determination and resourcefulness, as well as extraordinary energy and creativity. New ideas for books are brought to fruition, regular forays into the worlds of TV and radio are made, and a three-year photographic portrait project with John Swannell concluded with the Sir Portrait exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. The final year, 2015, sees Roy Strong celebrate his 80th birthday, agree the takeover of The Laskett house and garden, and receive news of his forthcoming appointment as a Companion of Honour for services to the nation's culture. As with the two previous volumes, here is a wonderful window on to Roy Strong's world. His encounters with churchmen, politicians, royalty - and friends old and new - are all described with a telling eye for detail and delicious wit. While there is frustration at the changing world around him, and the loss of beloved friends, TYPES AND SHADOWS is a hugely informative and entertaining record of a uniquely full and colourful life.

'Roy Strong's diaries are a treasure . . . magnificently readable' THE TIMES 'Essential reading' TATLER 'When it comes to viperish high-society gossip, Roy Strong is in a class of his own' DAILY MAIL In January 2004, where his third volume of Diaries begins, Roy Strong was in a state of deep grief following the death of his wife, Julia Trevelyan Oman, three months earlier. Yet the following years demonstrate his determination, energy and creativity. New ideas for books are brought to fruition, regular forays into the worlds of TV and radio are made, concluding with the Sir Portrait exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery and news of his forthcoming appointment as a Companion of Honour for services to the nation's culture. Encounters with churchmen, politicians, royalty - and friends old and new - are all described with a telling eye for detail and delicious wit. While there is frustration at the changing world around him, Types and Shadows is a hugely informative and entertaining record of a uniquely full and colourful life.

An authoritative and sweeping history of Britain from the Romans to the present day—in a newly revised edition for the next generation of readers.\nThe Story of Britain is an accessible one-volume history that clearly depict Britain's origins—and explain how the past shaped the nation's current identity. He begins the story of Britain from the very earliest recorded Celtic times, and with this new edition has now brought it up to date via the Blair years and into the present day of Brexit Britain.\nA magnificently eloquent volume, the narrative chronicles two thousand years of Britain's history, the triumph of its people, the glory of its culture, and its dramatic influence on other nations of the world, especially the United States. It is a remarkable achievement and, with his passion, enthusiasm and wide-ranging knowledge, Strong is the ideal narrator. The book is ideally suited for everyone who cares about Britain's past.

The Story of Britain: A History of the Great Ages: From the Romans to the Present

Africa

Pegasus Books

London's Pride: The Glorious History of the Capital's Gardens

London's Pride: A History of London's Gardens

Galinou, Mireille

Anaya Publishers Ltd

Uman. The Essays is a series of commentaries by contemporary connoisseurs, who explore the sources of men's costume - sports, discovery, passions - to reveal the traditions and ethos at the basis of the ideal wardrobe.

Majorelle: Men's Fashion and Garden Fashion. Uman. The Essays 3

Reference

Skira

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Strong, Sir Roy. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Strong, Sir Roy

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Strong, Sir Roy. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Remaking a Garden- The Laskett Transformed

600 Years of British Painting: The Berger Collection at the Denver Art Museum

Scenes and Apparitions

Scenes and Apparitions: The Roy Strong Diaries 1988–2003

Splendours and Miseries: The Roy Strong Diaries, 1967-87

Types and Shadows: Diaries 2004-2015

Types and Shadows: Diaries 2004-2015

The Story of Britain: A History of the Great Ages: From the Romans to the Present

London's Pride: A History of London's Gardens

Majorelle: Men's Fashion and Garden Fashion. Uman. The Essays 3