NATIONAL TRUST OF AUSTRALIA Heritage in Trust
(ACT)
May 2014
_________________________________________________________________
The Hanbury Gardens: La Mortola Last year, ACT National Trust members John and Esther Tucker undertook an eight-day tour of “Exceptional Gardens of Menton and the Cote d’Azur”. Among the gardens visited was La Mortola, also known as the Hanbury Gardens, on the Italian Riviera, not far from the border between Italy and France1. John brought the property to our attention and this article is the result. La Mortola was created by a wealthy Englishman, Thomas Hanbury, who is also known for purchasing and donating Wisley to the Royal Horticultural Society in England. In 1960 La Mortola was sold to the Italian government and in 2006 it applied to UNESCO for the property to be listed as a World Heritage site. Despite the change in ownership, Carolyn Hanbury, the wife of Thomas Hanbury’s great grandson, still lives at La Mortola and is actively engaged with the 150 year old garden. In her article, Carolyn describes the genesis of the garden, its trials and tribulations, and the challenges it faces currently.
Thomas Hanbury began his garden on the Italian Riviera in 1867. He was born in 1832, the fourth child of seven in a Quaker family. At the age of 20 he set out to make his fortune trading in Shanghai. He left China in 1866 at the age of 34, an exceptionally wealthy man. However his health had suffered so he travelled on holiday to the French Riviera with his elder brother Daniel. From a boat he saw the rocky sparse promontory of La Mortola. Thomas recorded: “my heart moved within me ”. He purchased the point comprising 18 hectares (44 acres) in May 1867. He and Daniel recognized that the micro climate at La Mortola had great potential for acclimatizing subtropical plants. Daniel was a pharmacist, and plants and their medical properties formed the foundation of his livelihood. He had a vast wealth of botanical and
horticultural knowledge as well as global access to botanical institutions. Thomas was not a botanist, but he created a beautiful and historic garden with a good botanical collection and a strong horticultural tradition. It was also a place where the glory of God was reflected, in true Quaker spirit.
Inside From the President Heritage Diary Heritage Happenings Travels with the Trust Heritage Festival wrap-up Support the Trust
p4 p7 p8 p 13 p 17 p 21