[Walk in the park] The grass is greener on both sides according to British ambassador

If gardens could speak, the one at the British diplomatic residence would have a lot of stories to tell. “This is a very old garden, given that we bought this site soon after we established ties with Korea in 1883,” said Colin Crooks, British...

The Chatsworth House, Derbyshire Dales, England [CHATSWORTH HOUSE TRUST]

If gardens could speak, the one at the British diplomatic residence would have a lot of stories to tell.

“This is a very old garden, given that we bought this site soon after we established ties with Korea in 1883,” said Colin Crooks, British ambassador to Korea, standing before a patch of roses at the residence in central Seoul.

Every turn in the garden seemed to reveal a root in the history of the 140 years of relations between the United Kingdom and Korea, such as the cherry tree that Queen Elizabeth II planted during her visit in April 1999, or the foundational stone laid by then-consul-general couple in Korea in 1890.

Crooks, who has the unique experience of heading diplomatic missions on either side of the inter-Korean border, recounted the peculiarities of the garden’s history.

“The last time we had the King’s birthday party in the garden was 1950, and the North Koreans invaded about a week later,” he said.

Much of the garden by the British diplomatic residence holds true to the landscape style of many gardens in the U.K., which is not entirely by coincidence.

The man behind the British landscape gardens, Lancelot “Capability” Brown, has worked on at least 170 gardens and parks in the U.K., including the well-known Blenheim Palace, the Chatsworth House and Stowe.

To hear more about the gardens and parks in the U.K., and where their stories may overlap with Korea’s, the Korea JoongAng Daily recently sat down with Crooks at his diplomatic residence.

British Ambassador to Korea Colin Crooks speaks with the Korea JoongAng Daily recently at the diplomatic residence in Seoul. [PARK SANG-MOON]

The legacy of Capability Brown If you’re standing in a garden or park created by landscape designer Capability Brown and wondering where the nature has done its work and where man-made work begins, you wouldn’t be alone.

“The landscape is so carefully designed, it feels almost like you’re in nature just the way it was,” said Crooks, recalling his visits to the Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire.

The palace, also the birthplace of Winston Churchill, is one of 170 locations that Brown designed in his lifetime from 1716 to 1783, leaving a legacy in landscape gardening alongside other famous pioneers such as William Kent.

Some of Brown’s works received spotlight again in recent years as TV series such as “Downton Abbey” were filmed at Highclere Castle and “Pride and Prejudice” chose Chatsworth House as one of its filming locations, both of whose landscape gardens were designed by Brown.

The gardens at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire Dales, England [CHATSWORTH HOUSE TRUST]

While the 1,000 acres of Highclere Castle and its grounds are perfect for those looking to meander through natural landscapes, Stowe lends visitors a closer look into Brown’s earlier work. He joined the gardening team at Stowe in Buckinghamshire in 1741 at the age of 25.

“Brown really transformed the idea on gardens in the 18th century,” said Crooks. “Gardens at the time in big mansions or palaces were quite formal. He showed that gardens could look beautiful but also very natural.”

A visitor to Chatsworth House will be greeted from the driveway by its rolling hills and bodies of water and trees, all placed with careful consideration by Brown to look as if only nature had done its work. As the estate is not open all-year-round, it’s best to check its calendars before a visit. Sometimes the estate hosts equestrian events such as the annual Chatsworth International Horse Trials in May.

St. James Park It’s hard to miss St. James Park if you are in London.

A file photo of spring flower beds outside of Buckingham Palace and the Queen Victoria Memorial dated 2014 [DARREN WILLIAMS/THE ROYAL PARKS]

Surrounded by the Buckingham Palace and its predecessor St. James Palace, 10 Downing Street and the Westminster, the park was once a marshland that was largely used for deer hunting by royal family members.

From Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, James I and Charles II, the park underwent quite a few different renovations until its current design was put forward by John Nash, a landscape designer commissioned in the 1820s by then-prince regent, George IV.

“It’s a popular place with tourists in general, but it’s also right next to the Foreign Office headquarters, so there’ll be some of us walking in the park, when the weather’s nice,” Crooks said.

An archive image of a pelican on a bench in St. James Park in London [THE ROYAL PARKS]

He recommends that visitors check out the bridge in the middle of the lake.

“Once you reach the middle of the bridge, you will get a very classic view of the Whitehall, where the British government and ministries are based,” he said. “It’s quite a picturesque scene there, and when you look in the other direction, it also provides a good view of Buckingham Palace.”

Lucky visitors may spot a pelican or perhaps a former prime minister or two crossing the park. The birds have been inhabiting the park since they were gifted by foreign envoys several decades ago.

Sissinghurst Gardens These are gardens of “romantic profusion,” writer Anne Scott-James once said about the flower beds and walls of Sissinghurst.

Located about an hour and a half drive southeast from London, the estate consists of gardens, a farm and some buildings on about 450 acres of land known to have been inhabited since the Middle Ages.

Largely left abandoned for years, the estate was picked up and developed to what it is today by a diplomat and writer couple Harold Nicholson and Vita Sackville-West in 1930.

“It was designed so that every garden has a different theme, such as the White Garden, or the Rose Garden,” said Crooks. “But overall you will be met with lots and lots of flowers, to have a real profusion of flowers all over.”

The gardens were designed so that visitors will find a different view every time they turn or move into an enclosed space, almost like a labyrinth of flower walls.

The estate was handed over to the National Trust, which records an increase of visitors from around 13,200 in 1961 to 200,000 in 2017.

The gardens and parks of two Koreas As one of the last diplomats to have had a glimpse of the nation before it shuttered its borders further with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Crooks brings interesting perspectives when it comes to his experiences with the natural landscapes of both Koreas.

“The great benefit of living in Seoul is that there are so many mountains — Namsan, Inwangsan, Bugaksan, Bukhansan,” said Crooks, listing the hiking trails he’s been on since his posting to Seoul last year, following his three-year post to Pyongyang. Before that, he was posted to Seoul in the 1990s.

“But, interestingly, when I am asked about a park in Korea, the one I think of is Moranbong Park in Pyongyang,” he said.

Packed during national holidays in North Korea, at least before Covid, the park offered a rare glimpse into the everyday lives of the citizens of Pyongyang.

“On the first of May there would be thousands of people, every patch of grass occupied by somebody having a picnic,” said Crooks.

Despite having lived divided lives, the Korean peoples may still share their affinity for nature — and sharing food out on a picnic.

“Koreans take hiking very seriously here,” Crooks said, mentioning the gear people take onto the trails. “But the other nice thing about hiking in Korea is that people bring food with them to the top of the mountains, and are quite happy to share some fruits or snacks with you. Those kinds of spontaneous interactions are always quite fun.”

BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]