Table H and the Banquet (8 Oct 1990) to celebrate the 90th birthdays of Dame Sylvia Crowe DBE PPILA and Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Kt CBE RA FRIBA PPILA FRTPI

John Medhurst has shared with FOLAR his invitation, a glittering guest list and his table plan for this dinner. These papers will go to the Landscape archive at The MERL. In the meantime we invited John to say a little more about the event and this is what he told us:

Dame Sylvia Crowe and Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe both celebrated their 90th birthdays in 1990 and a dinner to mark the occasion, organised by Derek Lovejoy. was held at the Directors Club in Pall Mall, London, on Mon 8 Oct. Michele and I both went to the dinner, though I cannot remember if this was by invitation or simply upon application.

We were met in the foyer to the dining room by both of the hosts, Sir Geoffrey energetically and enthusiastically bouncing about (bouncing seems the right adjective for such a portly little man) kissing the hands of lady guests. Dame Sylvia, obviously less active, sat at the door but gave a smiling welcome.

We were bidden to arrive by 6.45 and we sat down to eat at 7.30 (salmon and spinach terrine with tomato sauce which was followed by a breast of duck in blackcurrant sauce, finishing with a fruit salad and coffee with petit fours).

Dame Sylvia and Sir Geoffrey had apparently suggested the seating arrangements and I found myself on the same table as Ivor Cunningham (1928-2007). He introduced himself, modestly suggesting I wouldn’t have heard of him, but of course I was able to say that I had, for his name and the landscapes of the Span estates were synonymous. I was flattered when I mentioned my name and he immediately said, ‘Ah John Medhurst, you worked in Lambeth’.

Further conversation revealed that we had both lived in Barnehurst and had gone to the same primary school. This does not appear in his obituary notices, which mention that he lived in Bromley and Green Street Green, near Orpington but I cannot imagine that he would have made such a claim without it being true and, as he went on to Dartford Grammar and Orpington would have been outside that school’s catchment area, I think that at some stage he did live close to me when we were children.

At the end of the dinner Sir Geoffrey gave a rousing speech, noting that although the Landscape Institute had achieved a lot since he was active in its foundation as the Institute of Landscape Architects between the wars there was still much to be done and he raised his hand above his head as if he was wielding a sabre and exhorted us all to ‘charge!’

I think I have done a lot of charging both before and after Sir Geoffrey’s command but looking back it seems I have been no more effective than the Polish cavalry.

I never really knew Sir Geoffrey and I now regret not going to see him. When I asked Peter Youngman for his signature in my copy of the book in which he was featured I mentioned that I would go to Sir Geoffrey with a similar request and Peter had thought Geoffrey would be pleased if I did, as he was very lonely following the death of his wife Susan. For some reason I never followed this up and lost the opportunity, perhaps, to talk with him on his own, and learn first-hand a little more about his ideas and philosophy.

I didn’t really know Sylvia Crowe either but I did visit her when she was living in her little flat on an estate in Ladbroke Grove, north London. I found her sitting in the garden and I had taken with me my copy of her book Garden Design in which she inscribed, ‘Sylvia Crowe, with good wishes for all your landscapes’ .