Talk at BPCG | Fiona Davison: An Almost Impossible Thing

Join us to celebrate Fiona Davison’s aclaimed book An Almost Impossible Thing. The book follows six convention-busting women gardeners in the years before the First World War, examining their lives in the context of suffragism, collectivism and Empire.

‘Gardening, taken up as a hobby when all the laborious work can be done by a man, is delightful, but as a life’s work for a woman, it is almost an impossible thing.’ Sir Joseph Hooker, 1817-1911.

While working at the Royal Horticultural Society, Fiona Davison came across a cache of letters from a young gardener who was denied a fellowship because she was a woman. Appalled, and intrigued to discover what became of Olive, Fiona began researching the wider story of early female professional gardeners whose struggles changed forever the rights and opportunities for women gardeners.

Tickets are Pay What You Can from £7 | Find out more and book here