Exhibitors
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Tatton Park (Cheshire County Council)
Venetian Retreat
Designer: Tatton Park Gardens
Sponsors: Cheshire Brick & Slate Company, Brentwood Moss Nurseries, Four Oaks Nursery
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Inspired by the serenity of Venice’s monastery island San Lazzaro degli Armeni, the design of Venetian Retreat recreates the tranquillity sought by English gentlemen looking to escape the intensity of 19th century Venice.
Venice was an essential part of the Grand Tour. Popular amongst the young British upper class, it served as a rite of passage during the late 17th and 18th centuries. The young male tourist would have engaged in a potent combination of aesthetic, social, political and sexual experiences.
Samuel Egerton of Tatton (1711-1780) would have benefited from these experiences whilst in Venice as an apprentice to the art dealer Joseph Smith. Wilbraham Egerton, 2nd Baron of Tatton, undertook his own Grand Tour in pursuit of scholarly fulfilment. These experiences obviously had a long lasting influence on the Egertons, resulting in (among other things) the design of the Italian garden, which still occupies a prominent position in front of the Tatton Mansion.
The garden’s design incorporates elements that create an ambience of calm and tranquillity. Serenity is achieved through soothing floral hues, soporific water features and the therapeutic scent of herbs and lavender.