Dean Philip speaks at the World Federation of Rose Societies in Brussels

A message from Dean Philip.

“I went to Brussel at the invitation of the World Federation of Rose Societies last week. This is part of the talk I gave to the conference of some 250 delegates from across the world – mostly presidents of their own Rose Societies – Japan, America, Australia, Korea, Uruguay, Romania – you name it”.

The Federation were extremely interested in what we are doing at Rochester with the Gardens and the re-introduction of historic roses.

 ‘Fellow rosarians, thank you for your invitation, it is an honour to be asked to address you.  You might well ask what is the Dean of an English Cathedral doing at your convention? Well, my answer is my distinguished forebear Dean Samuel Reynolds Hole, who would be delighted to know that, at least one of his successors in the Deanery at Rochester, has been inspire by that fair beauty, her majesty Queen Rosa.  Indeed, enough to want to create once again at Rochester a place of pilgrimage for her adoring subjects.

To those of you acquainted with Dean Hole you will know that, along with some other of his besotted friends, he established the first national rose shows and then in 1876 the National Rose Society – alas now defunct in terms of a physical location.  Although, I was fortunate enough to rescue some of the benches from the gardens at St Albans which now reside at Rochester.  My thanks to Mr Paul Rochford.

Reynolds Hole was a Victorian colossus – standing well over six feet tall and striding the whole period of Queen Victoria’s long reign. Born in 1819 and dying in 1904 he was involved in every literary, horticultural, and ecclesiastical aspect of his age.  A member of the Garrick Club and the only clergyman to join the contributors of Punch, he was the close friend of John Leech, the said illustrator of Punch, William Makepeace Thackery, who proposed him for membership of the Garrick, and Charles Dickens – so popular was his preaching, laced with humour and anecdote, that he was referred to as the ‘Dickens of the Pulpit’. To others he was known simply as the ‘Rose King’, an epithet given to him by Lord, Alfred Tennyson the poet laureate. 

Hole was both squire and priest and lived most of his life on his family estate at Caunton in Nottinghamshire where he planted between 1,000 – 5,000 roses - it’s difficult to be sure.  So much manure was used on the ‘common brier’ that his father feared for the rest of the crops.  Then at the young age of 68 he was appointed, to popular acclaim, to the industrial and naval city of Rochester in the Medway Towns.  At that time Rochester was a place very different from the today and both naval/military dockyard and over seventy cement works contributed to a rather lively nightlife and strong odour.  When Gertrude Jekyll came to Rochester with her parents, as they often did, Dean Hole remarked, with the smell of lime in his nostrils, that ‘Rochester was such a beautiful place to get away from’! 

Yet, it was at the Rochester Deanery that Dean Hole created one of the most famous gardens in England – assisted by friends, such as William Robinson and Robert Marnock and, not least, his green fingered wife, Caroline. Gertrude Jekyll included the Deanery Garden in her book Some English Gardens (1904) accompanied by the wonderful paintings of George Samuel Elgood.  The gardens at Rochester were also painted by Arthur Rowe.

At Rochester, Dean Hole planted 135 varieties of rose all of which are recorded.  Planted this year, La France is doing very well, Reynolds Hole is struggling a bit this year and way out classed by Mrs Reynolds Hole, who is bursting out all over!

So, what of the future.  It is my intention to try and restore something of the splendour of the gardens at Rochester in memory of Dean Hole and recognise the major contribution he played to the popularity of the Rose.  It would be lovely to think that the National Rose Society might have once again a physical home and place for celebration and gatherings.  Perhaps, the awarding of the Dean Hole Medal? 

We have this year already planted over 500 roses to join the existing ones and a new heritage rose bed, with suitable acknowledgement to Dean Hole’s firm favourites. However, unlike Robinson, who dedicated his book, The Wild Garden to Hole, without any trace of underplanting - God forbid!

The green spaces of Rochester were given to the Cathedral by William Rufus back in the day and, with the exception of Dean Hole, remained a place only for vines and fruit trees, protected by the Medieval City Wall.  Now, with roses and vines restored, it is part of a programme to provide an open space for children with special educational needs and vulnerable adults.  It is the Cathedral’s hope to attempt to create a place of wellbeing and, of course, the gardens will be open to the public to admire.

Perhaps, this could be a suitable venue for a future Conference in years come.  Certainly, to take in the sounds and sights of historic Rochester, Norman castle and cathedral, home to Dickens and so much more – not least, the man who did so much to promote and popularise the rose and to whom we owe so much.’