Hello, I'm Lucy Worsley, chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces.

You're listening to our podcast that explores the history and stories of our six palaces.

These talks are a collection of some of our best live events.

I really hope you enjoy listening.

The history of the English Garden reveals more than expected about the past and its people.

This series explores the theme of gardens as places of work, rest and leisure.

In this talk, historian Kate Falouche explores the Georgians relationship with gardens and pleasure.

I'm going to have to ask you to exercise your imagination. Here we are surrounded by all these wonderful

references to Tudor Gardens. I want you to forget the 16th century. Come with me into the 18th century. I think we're

going to be hearing a little bit later about how Tudor Kings enjoyed their gardens. I'm going to

talk mainly about the Georgian aristocracy because in the Georgian period, it was the upper

classes who innovated in garden design.

It was they who were the trendsetters.

George of the First and George of the Second were renowned Philistines.

Queen Caroline, she knew a thing or two.

She had some very interesting garden buildings.

We were talking about them earlier, Kate and I, at Richmond Palace, amongst other places.

But George I, the first and George the second, forget it.

They didn't really care.

But it was the aristocracy that innovated.

So I want you to picture the archetypal English landscape garden,

created by the great weak magnets of the day, some of the, some Tories as well, but also, quite interestingly, the middle classes, they emulated the upper classes, both in their design and

...