Berwyn -- Toad Hall

Object Details

sova.aag.gca_ref16441
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6e3b1b5b5-8127-40af-8584-7f3bb37afed7
General
Located on an 11.5 acre site, this garden surrounds Toad Hall, the house which sits at the crest of a hill. The current owners acquired the property in 1961 and have been developing the site and the gardens ever since. One owner grew up on an English estate, an experience that is reflected in her grasp of site planning, views and vistas, understanding of plants, love of roses, and the use of garden accents such as ornamental iron gateways, treillage, containers, brightly painted obelisks, fountains, and numerous metal and wood sculptures. Various established gardens are organized by axes and cross axes and include a woodland garden, a pergola and reflecting pool, a secret garden, and a vegetable garden with raised beds for tender tropicals. From the bottom of these gardens a long vista leads the eye to a fountain set in a small side terrace next to the house. At the rear of the house a flagstone terrace has a dramatic view down a sweep of meadow to the woodland edge below. Many of the mature trees are original to the property, while other plants, like native rhododendron, were added by the original owner. Along the entrance driveway and beneath the house large stone boulders and carpets of spring bulbs, native ferns, and wildflowers enliven the forest floor, accessible by woodland paths. Deer are kept at bay by high iron fencing and a cattle guard at the gate.
Persons associated with the property and garden include Sally Wood (landscape designer, 1979); Wendy Stasen (gardener-horticulturist); James M. Willcox (former owner, 1930-1961); and Arthur W. Hall (architect, 1930).
Landscape designer
Wood, Sally
Gardener
Stasen, Wendy
Horticulturist
Stasen, Wendy
Former owner
Willcox, James M.
Architect
Hall, Arthur W.
Provenance
The Weeders
Collection Creator
Garden Club of America
Place
Toad Hall (Berwyn, Pennsylvania)
United States of America -- Pennsylvania -- Chester County -- Berwyn
Topic
Gardens -- Pennsylvania -- Berwyn
Landscape designer
Wood, Sally
Gardener
Stasen, Wendy
Horticulturist
Stasen, Wendy
Former owner
Willcox, James M.
Architect
Hall, Arthur W.
Provenance
The Weeders
See more items in
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Pennsylvania
Sponsor
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
Custodial History
The Weeders Garden Club facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation.
Archival Repository
Archives of American Gardens
Identifier
AAG.GCA, File PA670
Type
Archival materials
Collection Citation
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Collection Rights
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Scope and Contents
The folder includes worksheets, site plans, additional images of the house (including one of it under construction in 1930-31), and other information.
Collection Restrictions
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Related Materials
Toad Hall related holdings consist of 1 folder (19 35 mm. slides (photographs))
AAG.GCA_ref16441
Large EAD
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6e3b1b5b5-8127-40af-8584-7f3bb37afed7
AAG.GCA
AAG
Record ID
ebl-1643208220039-1643210185593-1
Berwyn -- Toad Hall
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
1 result(s)
  • The Garden Club of America collection
    sova.aag.gca
    GUID
    https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb617385372-1028-4cb7-b07d-04fea2e51c47
    Creator
    Garden Club of America
    Names
    New York Flower Show
    Topic
    Gardens -- France
    Gardens -- Italy
    Gardens -- Japan
    Gardens -- Mexico
    Flower shows
    Gardening -- United States -- societies, etc
    Gardens -- England
    Landscape architecture
    Gardens -- United States
    Gardens -- Spain
    Gardens -- Scotland
    Creator
    Garden Club of America
    See more items in
    The Garden Club of America collection
    Sponsor
    A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
    Summary
    This collection contains over 37,000 35mm slides, 3,000 glass lantern slides and garden files that may include descriptive information, photocopied articles (from journals, newspapers, or books), planting lists, correspondence, brochures, landscape plans and drawings. Garden files were compiled by Garden Club of America (GCA) members for most of the gardens included in the collection. Some gardens have been photographed over the course of several decades; others only have images from a single point in time. In addition to images of American gardens, there are glass lantern slides of the New York Flower Show (1941-1951) and trips that GCA members took to other countries, including Mexico (1937), Italy, Spain, Japan (1935), France (1936), England (1929), and Scotland. A number of the slides are copies of historic images from outside repositories including horticultural and historical societies or from horticultural books and publications. The GCA made a concerted effort in the mid-1980s to acquire these images in order to increase its documentation of American garden history. Because of copyright considerations, use of these particular images may be restricted.
    Accruals note
    The GCA continues to document American gardens and submit images and documentation to the Archives of American Gardens. Further accruals are expected.
    Biographical/Historical note
    The Garden Club of America was established in 1913 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when the Garden Club of Philadelphia and eleven other garden clubs met to create a national garden club. Its purpose is to foster the knowledge and love of gardening and to restore and protect the quality of the environment through educational programs and gardening and conservation efforts. The GCA was incorporated in Delaware in 1923, with its headquarters established in New York City. Today, local clubs are organized under twelve regional zones. The GCA continues its tradition of hosting flower shows and publishing material related to gardening in the United States. The GCA's glass lantern slides were used by The GCA for presentations and lectures about notable gardens throughout the United States dating back to colonial times. An effort was made in the late 1980s, in preparation of the 75th anniversary of the Garden Club of America's founding, to collect the disbursed slides. These slides were to eventually form the Slide Library of Notable American Parks and Gardens. The informational value of this collection is extensive since a number of images of the more than 4,500 gardens represented show garden designs that have changed over time or no longer exist. While the majority of images document a range of designed upper and upper-middle class gardens throughout the U.S., the scope of the collection is expanding as volunteers photograph and document contemporary gardens including community and vernacular gardens. The gardens illustrate the design work of dozens of landscape architects including Marian Coffin, Beatrix Farrand, Lawrence Halprin, Hare & Hare, Umberto Innocenti, Gertrude Jekyll, Jens Jensen, Warren Manning, the Olmsted Brothers, Charles Platt, Ellen Biddle Shipman, and Fletcher Steele. Because of their proximity to the gardens, works of notable architects and sculptors may also be featured in the images.
    Extent
    37000 Slides (photographs) (35mm slides)
    33 Linear feet ((garden files))
    3,000 Lantern slides
    Date
    circa 1920-present
    Custodial History note
    The GCA's Slide Library of Notable American Parks and Gardens was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1992; this became the core collection of the Archives of American Gardens.
    Archival Repository
    Archives of American Gardens
    Identifier
    AAG.GCA
    Type
    Collection descriptions
    Archival materials
    Slides (photographs)
    Lantern slides
    Plans (drawings)
    Brochures
    Articles
    Correspondence
    Clippings
    Citation
    Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
    Rights
    Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
    Genre/Form
    Plans (drawings)
    Brochures
    Articles
    Correspondence
    Clippings
    Lantern slides
    Slides (photographs)
    Restrictions
    Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
    AAG.GCA
    Large EAD
    https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb617385372-1028-4cb7-b07d-04fea2e51c47
    AAG.GCA
    AAG
    Record ID
    ebl-1562776092361-1562776095300-0
Back to Top