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Catalog Data

Former owner:
Burke, John, 1880s-1892  Search this
Babcock, John, 1955-1968  Search this
Robbins, Charles, 1967-1999  Search this
Garden designer:
Poinier, Lois W.  Search this
Landscape architect:
Morrison, Mark K., 2000  Search this
Provenance:
Garden Club of the Oranges  Search this
Collection Creator:
Garden Club of America  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Place:
Woodlands Stables, Llewellyn Park (West Orange, New Jersey)
United States of America -- New Jersey -- Essex -- West Orange
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets and historical information.
General:
The residence originally was a horse stable built circa 1880 and the gardens now include an enclosed courtyard, designed in the 1960s during the conversion of the residence, and kitchen, vegetable and shade gardens, on about two acres, with another two acre lot kept as a mowed meadow for horseback riding and jumping. The original courtyard garden contained specimen trees including a Sir Harry Lauder walking stick and two white birches, no longer existing. Ornamental features include brick and ironwork gates with a sandstone carving of a horse's head, the original horses' water trough converted into a fountain, and brick walls. Trees planted by another previous owner that are still growing include star magnolias along a split rail fence and a giant sequoia and dawn redwood that have grown to impressive heights. The current owners are growing vegetables in raised beds, containers, and hay bales. Their kitchen garden has perennials, shrubs, a peach tree, berries and herbs; both areas are fenced to keep out deer. The shade garden between the house and meadow has been augmented with more ferns, mountain laurel, viburnum and a wisteria arch, and bluestone and brick walkways. In the courtyard garden the drainage has been redone and new trees and shrubs planted, including hawthorn, kousa dogwood, redbud, elms, maples, Norway spruce, and fruit trees.
The large estate mansion was built in the late nineteenth century by a member of the Guinness family, John Burke, who emigrated from Ireland to market Guinness stout in the United State. The mansion was demolished, and the property was divided among family members of the next owners, with the stables eventually given to a granddaughter as a wedding present. In addition to the house there are two studios for photography and ceramics, a garage and woodworking shop enclosing the courtyard. Llewellyn Park was one of the first planned suburbs in the United States, noted for naturalized plantings and specimen collections of trees.
Persons associated with the garden include John Burke (former owner, circa 1880s-1892); Mr. and Mrs. William Scheerer (former owners); John Babcock and Mary Scheerer Babcock (former owners, circa 1955-1968); Charles and Margaret S. Robbins (former owners, 1967-1999); Lois W. Poinier (garden designer, 1950s-1960s); Mark K. Morrison and Melissa Ix (landscape architects, 2000); and Claudia Thornton (landscape architect, 2008).
Related Materials:
Woodlands Stables, Llewellyn Park related holdings consist of 2 folders (12 35mm slides (photographs); 18 digital images, 4 digital prints)
See others in:
Lois W. Poinier slide collection, circa 1920-1999.
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.
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.
Topic:
Gardens -- New Jersey -- West Orange  Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Identifier:
AAG.GCA, File NJ319
See more items in:
The Garden Club of America collection
The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / New Jersey
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Gardens
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb69f6942fe-ab2f-4d4e-a199-b11720624db4
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref20283