Kyoto Gosho Imperial Palace Garden

The Kyoto Imperial Palace (, Kyōto Gosho) is an imperial palace of Japan, though the Emperor of Japan is not in residence. The Emperor has resided at the Tokyo Imperial Palace since 1869 (Meiji Restoration) and ordered the preservation of the Kyoto Imperial Palace in 1877.

Today the grounds are open to the public, and the Imperial Household Agency hosts public tours of the buildings several times a day.

The Kyōto Imperial Palace is the latest of the imperial palaces built at or near its site in the north-eastern part of the old capital on Heiankyo after the abandonment of the larger original Heian Palace (, daidairi) that was located to the west of the current palace during the Heian Period. The Palace lost much of its function at the time of the Meiji Restoration, when the capital functions was moved to Tokyo in 1869. However, the Taisho and Showa Emperors still had their coronation ceremonies at Kyōto Gosho.

The buildings and grounds

The palace is situated in the Kyōto Gyoen (, kyōto gyoen), a rectangular enclosure 1.3 km north to south and 0.7 km east to west which also contains the Sento Imperial Palace gardens. The Gyoen dates from the early Edo Period when the residence of high court nobles were grouped close together with the Palace and the area walled. When the capital was moved to Tokyo, the residences of the court nobles were demolished and most of Kyōto Gyoen is now a park open to the public.

The Imperial Palace has been officially located in this area since the final abandonment of the Daidairi in late 12th century. However, it was already much earlier that the de facto residence of the emperors was often not in the Inner Palace (dairi of the original Heian period palace, but in one of the temporary residences (, sato-dairi) in this part of the city and often provided to the emperor by powerful noble families. The present palace is a direct successor - after iterations of rebuilding - to one of these sato-dairi palaces, the Tsuchimikado Dono (, tsuchimikadodono) of the Fujiwara clan. The Palace, like many of the oldest and most important buildings in Japan, was destroyed by fire and rebuilt many times over the course of its history. It has been destroyed and rebuilt eight times, six of them during the 250-year-long peace of the Edo Period. The version currently standing was completed in 1855, with an attempt at reproducing the Heian Period architecture and style of the original Dairi of the Heian Palace.

The Palace Grounds include a number of buildings, along with the Imperial Residence, or dairi. The neighboring building to the north is the sentou or residence of the retired Emperor, and beyond that, across Imadegawa Avenue, sits Doshisha University. The Imperial Household Agency maintains the building and the grounds. They also run public tours, requiring a passport or Alien Registration Card and at least 20 minutes advance notice before allowing foreign visitors into the Imperial Palace. [Note: "Visiting Procedures for Foreigners -- Kyoto Imperial Palace". Retrieved on 2007-09-12.]

The main building on the Palace Grounds includes, among other halls, the Shishinden (Hall for State Ceremonies), Seiryōden (lit. 'cool, refreshing hall'), Kogosho (Court Room), Ogakumonsho (Imperial Study or Library), and a number of residences for the Empress, high-ranking aristocrats and government officials.

The main gate on the front, south, side of the Palace has a cypress-wood roof, and is supported by four pillars. This gate would have been used on the rare occasions of the Emperor welcoming a foreign diplomat or dignitary, as well as for many other important ceremonies of the State. To the sides lies a fence separating the inner areas from the general Palace Grounds, and just past this main gate is a second gate, painted in vermillion and roofed in tile, which leads to the Shishinden, the Hall for State Ceremonies. The Shishinden was used for such important ceremonies as the coronation of an Emperor and installation of a Crown Prince. It is 33 by 23 meters in size, and features a traditional architectural style, with a gabled and hipped roof. On either side of its main stairway were planted trees which would become very famous and sacred, a cherry (sakura) on the eastern, left side, and a tachibana tree on the right to the west.

The center of the Shishinden is surrounded by a hisashi , a long, thin hallway which surrounded the main wing of an aristocrat's home, in traditional Heian architecture. Within this is a wide open space, crossed by boarded-over sections, leading to the central throne room. The Throne itself, called takamikura , sits on an octagonal dais, five meters above the floor, and could be separated from the rest of the room by a curtain. The sliding door that hid the Emperor from view is called kenjou no shouji , and had an image of 32 Chinese saints painted upon it, which became one of the primary models for all of Heian period painting.

The Seiryōden sits to the west of the Shishinden, facing east. It, too, has a hipped and gabled roof, and is comprised primarily of cypress wood. Originally a place where the Emperor would conduct his own personal affairs, the Seiryouden was later used for various gatherings and meetings as well. In the center is an area where the Emperor would rest, and on the east side of the hall, an area of two tatami was set aside for dignitaries and aristocrats to sit. Here was where the Emperor could conduct formal affairs. On the north side of the hall was an enclosed area where the Emperor would sleep at night; later, Emperors began to use the official residence. The west side was set aside for the Emperor's breakfasts, and also contained the lavatories, while the south side was used by the keeper of the Imperial Archives. This area contained paintings by the masters of the Tosa school, and just outside, various rare bamboos were planted.

The Palace's Suzaku-mon Gate is walking distance from JR Nijo Station.

from wikipedia.org
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Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens are located on 47 acres (19 hectares) in Fort Bragg, California, USA between California's Highway One and the Pacific Ocean. It includes canyons, wetlands, coastal bluffs, and a closed-cone pine forest.

The Gardens were founded in 1961 by Ernest and Betty Schoefer. In 1992, the California Coastal Conservancy purchased the Gardens and transferred them to the Mendocino Coast Recreation and Park District. They are now operated as a nonprofit organization. Collections include: Camellia Collection, Coastal Bluffs, Dahlia Garden, Fern Canyon, Heather Garden, Heritage Rose Garden, North Forest, Pacifica Iris Collection, Perennial Garden, Tender Rhododendrons, Vegetable Garden and Woodland Garden, and over 80 wild mushroom varieties.

from wikipedia.org
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Stockwood Park

Stockwood Park is a large urban park in Luton, Bedfordshire near to Junction 10 of the M1 motorway and is acclaimed for its period formal gardens, leading crafts museums and extensive golfing facilities.

Museums

Stockwood Craft Museum is housed in the 18th century stables of the former Stockwood House and the setting is well suited to the displays of rural crafts and trades which give visitors a flavour of life in Bedfordshire before the industrial revolution.

The collection of rural crafts and trades on display at Stockwood Park Museum was amassed by T W Bagshawe and is one of the finest regionally based collections in the country.

Stockwood Park is also home to the Mossman Collection of horse-drawn vehicles. The collection of over 50 vehicles shows the development of horse drawn road transport in Britain from Roman times up to the 1930s.

History

The park was originally the estate and grounds to Stockwood house, which was demolished in 1964.

When Stockwood house was built in 1740 by John Crawley, the grounds were laid out in a fashion befitting one of Bedfordshire’s leading landowners. The enclosed walled gardens provided shelter for growing fruit and vegetables for the house. One of the walled gardens now displays a series of gardens illustrating the changing styles of gardening through the ages.

Gardens

The Medieval Garden (12th to 15th century) shows herbs and plants grown for medicinal, cookery and dyeing uses. The 16th century garden is laid out in a knots, a typical feature of the Elizabethan garden. The knots were planted out with germander, hyssop and box with the open spaces filled with brick dust or crushed shells to contrast the greenery.

Clipped hedges and urns decorate the small formal Dutch Garden, replicating those designed by William Kent for Alexander Pope’s garden at Twickenham and the Wilderness Garden at Great Lindford Manor.

English 17th century gardens were heavily influenced by Dutch, French and the Italian styles. The Italian Garden is centered around a well head that once stood in front of Stockwood House.

The Victorian era was a time when plant collectors travelled the world in search of rare and exotic species and styles. Rock gardens and formal flower bedding schemes were also popular, decorated with a bright and showy variety of half-hardy plants. The invention of the practical mowing machine in the 1830s made lawns easier to manage and by 1860 were an essential part of garden equipment.

Stockwood is one of the few places where visitors can enjoy the work of international artist, Ian Hamilton Finlay outside his native Scotland. The Improvement Garden is a classical garden with sculptures full of allusions to ancient Greece and Rome.

Football, rugby, and golf facilities are available.

from wikipedia.org
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Torosay Castle and Gardens, Scotland

Torosay is a spectacular 150 year old Scottish baronial style castle surrounded by magnificent and unique gardens, just a mile from the ferry pier at Craignure on the south- east of the Isle of Mull. Connected by its very own narrow gauge steam railway, the castle and gardens have become a ‘must see’ attraction for visitors to Argyll and the Isles alike. History and garden lovers are particularly drawn to Torosay, although any visitor can’t fail to have their breath taken away by the spectacular setting of this unique part of Scotland.

FACILITIES

Torosay Castle has a tea-room which is open every day serving light snacks and refreshments, and a shop selling not only souvenirs of your visit but also the work of local craftspeople. For the children and within the gardens there is an Adventure Playground. Free coach and car parking is situated near the entrance to the gardens. Two cottages set in beautiful tranquil surroundings are available for holidays whereas the principal floor of Torosay Castle itself, along with the Gardens, is an elegant venue for concerts, talks, seminars, functions and weddings.

TOROSAY FARM

Torosay is very proud of its farming activities, and if you're lucky you may be able to say hello to some of the natives - our herd of pedigree highland cattle, which sometimes graze in the fields near the castle. These magnificent animals are always a pleasure to see, as is the sight of the shepherd using his collie dogs to herd our flocks of cheviot and blackface sheep.

from torosay.com
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Generalife Garden

The Palacio de Generalife (Arabic: Jannat al-'Arif - Architect's Garden) was the summer palace and country estate of the Nasrid sultans of Granada.

The palace and gardens were built during the reign of Muhammad III (1302-1309) and redecorated shortly after by Abu I-Walid Isma'il (1313-1324).

The complex consists of the Patio de la Acequia (Court of the Water Channel or Water-Garden Courtyard), which has a long pool framed by flowerbeds, fountains, colonnades and pavilions, and the Jardín de la Sultana (Sultana's Garden or Courtyard of the Cypress). The former is thought to best preserve the style of the medieval garden in Al-Andalus. Originally the palace was linked to the Alhambra by a covered walkway across the ravine that now divides them. The Generalife is one of the oldest surviving Moorish gardens.

The present-day gardens were started in 1931 and completed by Francisco Prieto Moreno in 1951. The walkways are paved in traditional Granadian style with a mosaic of pebbles: white ones from the River Darro and black ones from the River Genil.

from wikipedia.org
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