Pallant House Gallery, Chichester
British Landscapes: a sense of Place
30th May – 1st November
This landmark exhibition explores how artists from the 18th to the 20th century have responded to the landscapes of the British Isles. Bringing together works by more than 60 artists, the exhibition reveals landscape not simply as scenery, but as a powerful expression of memory, identity and emotion.
Spanning Romanticism, Modernism and postwar abstraction, the exhibition traces a rich lineage from Thomas Gainsborough and the golden age of British watercolour to the postwar works of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Barbara Hepworth, Paul Nash, and Eric Ravilious.
From quiet lanes and chalk hills to industrial sites and abstract coastlines, painters, printmakers and sculptors have depicted places shaped by labour, conflict and imagination. British Landscapes: A Sense of Place invites visitors to reflect on how Britain’s landscapes have been lived in, remembered and reimagined – and how they continue to shape our collective sense of belonging and resilience.
This exhibition is accompanied by a new illustrated catalogue written by Director Simon Martin, with contributions from contemporary artist, Haroun Hayward, whose exhibition Haroun Hayward: Path through Trees runs alongside British Landscapes: A Sense of Place.
For further information and booking here
The Garden Museum
Garden Museum Literary Festival
Friday 26 June
Gyles Brandreth & Alan Titchmarsh on Winnie-the-Pooh, enchanted places and the magic and humour of gardens
Kendell Cronstrom & Alejandro Saralegui on Madoo: The Making of an American Garden
Antonia Fraser on Lady Caroline Lamb: A Free Spirit
Francois Gordon in conversation with Tania Compton on Russell Page
Lord Michael Howard of Lympne on Lord Melbourne – His extraordinary Life and Times
Andrea Jones & Jodie Jones on Melbourne Hall Gardens
Arabella Lennox-Boyd
Matthew Parris on How I got where I am today
Harriet Rix on The Genius Of Trees
Saturday 27 June
Rupert Everett
Mary Keen on A garden for every day of the year (a small one)
Jack Lindfield on Sandringham Gardens Then & Now
Philip Mansel on Versailles in England; the influence of the gardens of Louis XIV
Gabriel Wick on Anglomanie and the French Landscape Garden
Sarah McNear in conversation with Sue Stuart-Smith on Edward Steichen and the Garden
Dan Pearson
Orlando Reade on John Milton’s Garden Designs
Miranda Seymour on A Radical Princess
Tom Stuart-Smith on Optimism
Sonja Waites & Shane Connolly on Memories of Pulbrook & Gould
Plus garden tours, workshops from JamJar Flowers and live music. To book click here.
Ashmolean Museum
In Bloom: How plants changed our world
What do we really know about the plants and flowers in our gardens and window boxes?
Beyond their beauty, many have hidden histories – tales of exploration, obsession, and knowledge.
This major new exhibition takes visitors on a journey from Oxford to the farthest corners of the world and back, uncovering the global stories behind some of Britain’s most beloved blooms – from roses and tulips to camellias and peonies.
Featuring over 100 artworks and objects, including drawings, paintings, rare prints, and ceramics, In Bloom explores our changing relationship with the natural world.
From the fascinating stories of curiosity and ingenuity of early plant explorers to the networks that shaped global trade, this exhibition reveals how the pursuit of exotic plants transformed landscapes, economies, and cultures, leaving a legacy that still shapes our world today.
Tickets available from 19th March here
The Alpine Garden Society has a programme of events, zoom lectures, seed exchanges and regional groups
The Cottage Garden Society has a North Oxford Group
The Oxford Special Interest Group The Oxfordshire Flora Group specialising in plant identification meetings