ENTRY DESCRIPTION
The Lost Italian Garden at Great Ambrook is a beautiful example of 1909 by Arthur Smith Graham of Great Ambrook House and designed by acclaimed architect T H Lyon to bring a taste of Italy to South Devon. It is a rare example of an early 20th Century designed landscape – a walled, secret garden of pools, terraces and garden buildings – all hidden away in the Devon countryside. Together with the rest of the Great Ambrook Estate, the garden was recreated as the fictional Sonorusciello, the idyllic secluded estate in the novel Nicolas Crabbe: A Romance, by Frederick Rolfe. It is Grade 2 listed and has been neglected and 'lost' for the last 20 years. I am fortunate to have approached the new owners and now have permission to photograph it whenever I like. The garden lends itself to black and white photography and this image uses my pinhole camera and a 120mm infra red Rollei film to give the ethereal and timeless effect through the pinhole and the long exposure that was needed. The image shows the summerhouse, a two storey building that has lost its roof and is gently deteriorating through lack of maintenance over the years. It still retains it's original sense of elegance though and the whole garden still exudes charm and magic in a secret garden kind of way despite the broken up paths, overgrown and derelict buildings and general sense of former grandeur that follows you everywhere in these amazing gardens.

AUTHOR
LRPS QGPP
B.A. Hons (Visual Arts / Cartography)

Vicki brings over 20 years’ experience to her photography, work which is constantly evolving. She has won several competitions including being a Finalist in the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition 2020, been awarded an Honourable Mention in the International Monochrome Awards and won first and third prizes in the Royal Horticultural Society’s prestigious photography competition amongst others. She has also received Arts Council funding for a large outdoor collaborative piece with another local artist.

Based in South Devon, her main inspiration comes from the natural environment and Vicki champions causes that protect this. Much of her work focuses on the normally indiscernible detail of living flora and fauna, as a means to expose the intricacies of natural beauty. By using a range of different media and techniques, Vicki strives to explore engaging alternatives for photographic imagery. Most recently Vicki has become interested in using a pinhole camera, going ‘old school’ with film and camera alongside her more normal digital camera work.

Vicki supplies leading photo libraries with images, runs workshops and courses, has exhibited on many occasions (Devon Open Studio’s, Intel HQ, Cockington Court, Birdwood House, Poltimore House and with the collective Incidental Imagery) and sells products featuring her images. Vicki is Garden Photographer for the Italian Garden at Great Ambrook where she documents the gardens as they undergo restoration and is also a member of the Garden Media Guild and photographs other gardens, particularly those involved in the National Garden Scheme. Vicki is also trained in Mindfulness and Meditation and runs Mindfulness in Photography courses. She also has Qualified status from the Guild of Professional Photographers and has been recommended for Licentiate with the Royal Photographic Society.

Facebook - Vicki Gardner Photography – Devon
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www.vickigardnerphotography.co.uk
www.gardnerandhill.co.uk

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