Fanny Wilkinson

Fanny Wilkinson (1855–1951) has been described as the first professional female landscape designer in Britain. She was responsible for the design and the layout of more than 75 public gardens across London in the late 19th century.[1]

Fanny Rollo Wilkinson
Born	(1855-06-06)June 6, 1855 Chorlton upon Medlock, Manchester, UK
Died	January 22, 1951(1951-01-22) (aged 95) Leiston, Suffolk
Alma mater	Crystal Palace School of Landscape Gardening and Practical Horticulture
Known for	Professional landscape gardener
Notable work	Vauxhall Park, London; Designer for 75 public gardens for Metropolitan Public Gardens Association 1884 - 1904; Principal, Swanley Horticultural College 1904 – 1916 and 1921 – 1922

Early life and education

Fanny Wilkinson was born in 1855 in Manchester, the daughter of Matthew Eason Wilkinson, a prominent doctor in the city and a president of the British Medical Association, and his wife, Louisa. She was educated ‘privately and abroad’, but by the end of 1883 she had completed an 18-month course at the Crystal Palace School of Landscape Gardening and Practical Horticulture in London, at a time when such classes were intended only for men. She later said that 'I was always fond of gardening as a child, and I took it up because I felt it suited me, and I wanted to do something …’. She may have been inspired by the grounds of Middlethorpe Hall, the family residence in Yorkshire.[2]

Career

In 1884 she was elected as honorary gardener to the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association but two years later this was changed to a professional position for which she was paid a fee. In an interview in 1890 she commented that ‘I certainly do not let myself be underpaid as many women do. … I know my profession and charge accordingly, as all women should do.’[2] Among the many public gardens across London that she planned and that were laid out under her supervision were Goldsmith’s Square, Hackney; Myatt’s Fields Park, Camberwell[3]; Paddington Street Gardens, Marylebone; Meath Gardens, Bethnal Green; and the churchyard of St John, Smith Square, Westminster.

In 1887 Fanny Wilkinson was also working as a landscape designer to the Kyrle Society, which aimed to ‘bring beauty to the lives of the poor’.[4] Through the society she was commissioned to design Vauxhall Park, opened in 1890.[5] This was created on land saved from development and purchased by Henry Fawcett and Millicent Garrett Fawcett; the latter, along with her sisters, became good friend of Fanny.[6] Fanny's sister Louisa married Millicent’s brother.

In 1902 she also became the first female Principal of Swanley Agricultural College and in that post she encouraged other women to enter the profession. She was also a founder member of the Women’s Agricultural and Horticultural International Union (1899), through which women were recruited to sustain agriculture and food production during the First World War.

References

1. "'Fanny Rollo Wilkinson'". Retrieved 11 May 2020.
2. "Wilkinson, Fanny Rollo (1855–1951), landscape gardener". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/97936. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
3. "'An extended history of Myatt's Fields Park'". Retrieved 11 May 2020.
4. Whelan, Robert (2016), Baigent, Elizabeth; Cowell, Ben (eds.), "'The poor, as well as the rich, need something more than meat and drink':: the vision and work of the Kyrle Society", Octavia Hill, social activism and the remaking of British society, University of London Press, pp. 91–118, ISBN 978-1-909646-00-1, retrieved 2020-05-13
5. "'A Blue Plaque for Fanny Wilkinson, Vauxhall Park's Designer'". Retrieved 11 May 2020.
6. Crawford, Elizabeth. (2002). Enterprising women : the Garretts and their circle. London: Francis Boutle. ISBN 1-903427-12-6. OCLC 51730406.