Description

by Shirley Anne Cook

Tilgate Park in Crawley, Sussex, was once home to a country estate and mansion, known as the Tilgate Estate. It covered over 2,000 acres, of which the present-day public park is a relatively small part.

Over the years, many notable families made their home there, such as the artist William Haygarth, the Indian-born merchant George Ashburner and, more recently, the Nix family, bankers who were also keen horticulturists and helped establish the ornamental gardens, with many exotic trees sourced from all over the world.

My grandfather, George Cook, worked at Tilgate for sixty years, from the age of twelve. He became head gardener in 1938 and lived with my gran in the gardener’s cottage adjacent to the walled garden.

In this book, I write about the mansion, the estate’s history, and the memories of those who lived and worked there.

258 pages 201 illustrations