大象传媒 Scotland - 大象传媒 Scotland - The two trailblazing women whose vision helped create a landmark 1908 garden that remains ahead of its time today

The two trailblazing women whose vision helped create a landmark 1908 garden that remains ahead of its time today

13 June 2018

The Japanese gardens at Cowden Castle, Clackmannanshire

Japanese designer Taki Handa created the garden in Cowden Castle’s boggy grounds.

The decision to employ a female designer – made by estate owner Ella Christie – was notable because, according to her great-great-niece, “Even in 2018, Japanese women are not allowed to be credited to a design of this size.”

“The fact [the garden] was created] in 1908 is of major significance to Japanese gardens around the world.”

Ella Christie inherited the Cowden Castle estate in 1908 after the death of her brother.

She used her inheritance to travel the world, during which time she became the first woman to meet the Dalai Lama and – along with her lady’s maid – the first woman to enter Uzbekistan.

Because of her travelling and exploring, Sara Stewart described her great-great-aunt as something of a ‘trailblazer’.

She brought Taki Handa to Scotland to create the Japanese garden at Cowden Castle.

Volunteers from around the world helped restore the garden to its original glory.

Ella named the gardens Sha Raku En – Japanese for ‘the garden of pleasure and delight’.

They were enjoyed for many years but, in the 1960s, vandals burned every wooden structure, throwing the gardens into a period of neglect and disrepair.

In recent years, Sara Stewart has embarked on a project to regenerate the gardens, helped by volunteers from around the world.

Landward

More people and stories from the heart of the Scottish countryside. This week, Dougie and Nick celebrate traditional Ayrshire bacon in the Landward food van.