3 January 2006 -
France
Good
afternoon, We own a house, the garden of which was designed by
Russell Page (in the 1950’s I think). I would love to find some
original designs, projects or any other documents related to our
property. Do you know if someone took care of his archives when he
died ? I do not know if you can help, but any lead would be highly
appreciated. Best regards, and happy new year.
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4 January 2006 -
England ( response to France )
Cannot find anything but why
not contact Lady Walton on the Island of Ischia (Italy) where he
spent a lot of time helping with the design of the La
Mortella Garden.
Good luck. Let me know how you get on.
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| 9 January 2006 -
Italy ( reply received from Superintendent of Gardens - La
Mortella)
In
1998
I organized an exhibition about Russell Page with the American
Academy in Rome. On that occasion I reviewed his archive, which
was then kept in a very precarious and unofficial
arrangement at the Kalmthout Arboretum, Belgium.
Russell Page left all his papers to the Family De Beldeers,
who were personal friends of him; I do
not know what the arrangements were at the time between M.me
Helena De Beldeer, who legally owned the archive, and the
new management of the Arboretum; what I know is that I found the
papers kept in open boxes, in a sort of a garage,
without any proper archival device to preserve them against pests,
humidity etc.
The person in charge of the archive at the time was an
architect, Mr. Benoit Fondue, who claimed that he had
almost finished a catalogue raisonée of the archive, but
this catalogue actually never came out. However Mr. Fondue
had made several lists of the papers, and I would suppose that
since M.me De Beldeers has died the collection
must have been passed over to the Arboretum. I would think
he is still in charge; I hope the drawings and other
papers have not passed into private hands and have received the
attention they deserve.
I suggested at the time that the whole bulk be passed to a
serious archival institution that would give the documents the
proper care, and a place where researchers and scholars
could have easier access and facility, but to no end.
I would suggest then that now the person to
contact is the general director of the Arboretum, and I am
copying this message to their email address.
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12 January -
England ( email to Kew Gardens London - home to some of the most
important Garden Archives in the world)
I spoke to you recently
regarding archives for Russell Page.
We were recently asked for help in finding an archive for a garden
in France designed by Russell Page. Following a trail we have
recently received an email from - Superintendent of the Gardens at
La Mortella.
She has suggested that the archives should be kept at a
serious archival institution and I think Kew would be an ideal
place.
It would be such a loss if these papers were lost to future
generations and I am wondering if you would like to pursue this.
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13 January -
Belgium - Email from Kalmthout Arboretum
Dear all,
The archives of Russell Page still belong to the de Belder Family.
They are now archived in the estate Hemelrijk in Essen, nearby the
Arboretum Kalmthout in Belgium.
After Mr. Fondu has been working on this archive there has been
done a lot of work. Nowadays the condition of storage is a lot
better than the situation you describe. Now it is also structured.
If you would like to have some information about the archive you
should contact Daniel De Belder
Since Mrs Jelena de Belder died, he is now the person to contact
about Russell Page's
archive and the library of de Belder.
Hopefully this information will help you to find the information
needed/wanted.
Many greetings. |
13 January -
England to French Garden Owner-
This
is really exciting news and with a bit of luck your archives may
be there. In any event you may have contributed to ensuring his
papers exist for future generations. Look forward to further news
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February 6 -
Belgium Garden Writer to England -
I came upon your quest perchance. It so happens I have just
published a book about the De Belders titled Jelena and Robert De
Belder, Generous as Nature herself. (see www.debelderbook.be)Quite
a few Pages are devoted to the extraordinary friendship between
Page and Robert De Belder. Russell Page did indeed leave his
archive to Robert when he died. Robert suffered a
stroke soon after and therefore nothing was done about
finding a suitable place for these archives. If you need any help
getting in touch with the family just let me know.
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February 7 - England to Belgium Writer -
Many thanks for taking the time to contact me. The book you have
written sounds really interesting. Russell Page must have been
very close to the De Belders for him to leave his archives to
them.
It seems that Russell Page may have had more friends in
Europe
than the
UK
as
it seems he spent most of his time abroad. I think he is now
recognised as one of the leading garden designers of the 20th
century.
I know that
Kew
Gardens
in
London
would
be interested in maintaining the archives for future generations
in a safe environment but I also recognise that they were
trusted to the De Belder family. If you have the opportunity
perhaps you could ask that they might consider this.
If you have any information on how many documents and plans
are held, I would be very interested. By the way can you tell me
where Russell Page was laid to rest after his death?
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February
8 - Belgium Garden Writer to England -
Page was indeed not a prophet in his own country. As a homosexual,
he had fallen out with his family and was an extremely solitary
person. At the De Belders, he found a family who loved and
understood him for his qualities, a garden where he could
experiment freely and a tremendous source of energy and
inspiration.
When studying in
France
, he was helped
and encouraged by André de Vilmorin, a descendant of a remarkable
family, devoted to plants for generations.
He had a good friend and admirer in Gabrielle Van Zuylen (lives in
Paris
), who wrote a
book about his gardens. The
archives are sorted and kept in an attic in good conditions. I
believe all his plans and sketches are there, except things
previous to WWII, which all burnt when the building they were kept
in was bombed. It must not be forgotten that R. Page had
offered his archive to the RHS and the
Victoria
and
Albert
Museum
, who turned down
the offer! There had also been contacts, after his death, with
Dumbarton Oaks,
Washington
D.C.
As to the
place he was laid to rest, I quote a text on Page, written by
Jelena De Belder, in my book : "The burial was simple
and intimate. The Duke and Duchess of Beaufort offered a sheltered
spot under an oak tree in their park, which he knew well."
It is always a pleasure to discuss remarkable people and ensure
the interest in them remains alive.
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February
9 - England to Belgium Garden Writer-
Thanks for the additional information. It paints rather a sad
picture of his experiences with his family and own country.
Fortunately now we are more enlightened about sexuality and I am
sure things would have been different today.
I am surprised that the RHS and
V&A
Museum
turned down the archives but then again perhaps at the time they
did not realise the impact that his work would have on people all
around the world. The De Belders will be happy to know that if at
any time in the future they want to find a home for the Archives
then
Kew
Gardens
will be interested.
Thank you for also giving me details about his final resting
place. It sent a small shiver down my spine as we live in Beaufort
country and are only about 8 miles from Badminton House. I
will be contacting them to see if I can see where he is buried and
also to have a look at the garden he designed there. (with my
camera of course). I will let you have a look at any images I
obtain.
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