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History | Five Memorable Garden Parties

David Parker October 7, 2025

There’s something magical about a gathering in a beautiful garden. Here we remember five backyard bashes that have gone down in history


Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee

You may not know, but it was Queen Victoria who hosted the first ever Buckingham Palace Garden Party in 1868. But it took her a few years to hit peak party person at her Golden Jubilee celebration in 1887. As well as several banquets, a parade and two days of festivities, around 6,000 illustrious guests (including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Leopold II of Belgium and Emperor Frederik III of Germany) enjoyed a buffet in a tent in Buckingham Palace gardens, alongside music provided by the Royal Marines. The day was captured in oil on canvas by the artist Frederick Sargent in the painting ‘The Garden Party at Buckingham Palace’, which was bought for Queen Elizabeth’s collection in 1994… Perhaps it was the inspiration for her own ‘Platty Jubes’ celebrations…

Second Earl of Dudley’s 21st at Witley Court

Whether your 21st was a posh bash at the golf club or a few jars at the men’s working club and a homemade cake, it will have paled in comparison to the 21st birthday celebrations of William Ward, Second Earl of Dudley in 1888. The party was a three-day event comprising a ball for 214 with a music marquee as well as a separate marquee for coachmen and a temporary stable to accommodate 100 horses. But the party piece de resistance was Day Three when 900 of his tenants and workers lunched in a massive marquee in his park, after which guests enjoyed ‘swings and roundabouts and boats on the lakes, sports races and music’. Bunting hung all over the drive, the fountains were lit and the night ended with ‘one of the most splendid displays of fireworks ever seen in this country’. Inviting absolutely everyone in the vicinity including women, children and servants worked well in ensuring there were no complaints about the noise!

The Party of the Delights of the Enchanted Island, Versailles

One way to make a party memorable is a quirky theme, which is clearly what Louis XIV had in mind when he threw a party for his mother based on the story of Alcine the Magician from the book Roland Furieux by Ariosto. The party included a horseback parade, in which the King took part, playing the part of ‘Roger’ from the book, followed by Apollo’s Chariot down to ‘Alcine’s Palace’ built especially for the occasion. There were horse-riding competitions, operas, comedies, readings, shepherds and shepherdesses dancing while surrounded by animals… The King himself starred in a ballet just for the ladies, written for him by none other than Moliere and feasts were served by masked and costumed servants. On the third day, Alcine’s Palace was lit up by a firework display during which a floating ‘whale’ and two whale calves took Alcine and her servants away across the water. 

We don’t even want to think about how many bin liners it took to clear that little bash up. 

MOMA’s Party in the Garden 2022

MOMA (The Museum of Modern Art) in New York City has held an annual fundraiser every year since 1969. Sadly the party was cancelled due to the pandemic in 2020 and in 2021 it had to be held as an online-only event. So by the time the Party in the Garden returned in June 2022 everyone was even more excited than usual to be together in beautiful surroundings, raising money for the museum which had been closed to visitors for so long. New York’s arty types enthusiastically filled MOMA’s modern sculpture garden that evening to honour film-maker George Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson. The couple told the assembled crowd how they had enjoyed one of their first dates in the museum, everyone dined on a meal of halibut and burrata and then finished a magical evening dancing to rapper Anderson Paak and DJ Michael Brun. Sometimes the best garden parties are the ones you’ve waited the longest for.

Secret Garden Party

The indie arts and music festival, Secret Garden Party (SGP) was launched in 2004 by DJ and art student Fred Fellowes (SGP’s Head Gardener) and James Whewell, heir to Wyresdale Park, to be an alternative to the larger, mainstream music festivals. It began with just 300 revellers, growing to welcome some 35,000 people 13 years after its inception. As well as live music, art installations and performances, guests can take part in everything from outdoor swimming to parades to workshops, all in the magical setting of Abbots Ripton in Cambridgeshire in the grounds of a Georgian farmhouse, taking in lakes, a river, and beautiful landscaped gardens. Each year has a ‘theme’ that binds together all the acts and offerings and every year is special in its own way, but 2012 is generally accepted to have been the best SGP of all time, with acts including Orbital, KT Tunstall, Lamb and Tim Minchin. The festival is all about ‘secrets’ though, with one of the best being that the acts are not disclosed before the day itself, so you never know quite what sort of garden party you might get!


If you’re feeling inspired by garden parties and secret gardens you might enjoy our feature, Plot Twist, in our September issue, which is all about gardens from fiction. The illustration by Lucille Clerc, above, is taken from Literary Gardens: The Imaginary Gardens Of Writers And Poets by Sandra Lawrence (Frances Lincoln), and depicts a scene from the short story, The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield.
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Make | An Upcycled Jumper Blanket

David Parker October 4, 2025

Illustration by Christina Carpenter

A good use for any moth-eaten jumpers – sew them into a patchwork blanket for cosy reading sessions by the fire.

You will need
Old jumpers, throws and blankets; good scissors; paper; an old bed sheet; wool; large needle.

To make
1 Decide how big you want your squares and make somepaper templates – a 20cm square is a good size to work with. Cut a few paper squares, then pin them to the jumpers or blankets and cut out. Keep cutting squares until you have enough. The size of the blanket is up to you but 10 x 15 squares is good.

2 Zig-zag stitch around the edges of your squares to stop unravelling, lay them out on the floor and arrange them in an order you like. Sew together the squares in each long row first, giving you several ‘strips’ of squares. Then sew the strips together. You can do this by hand or use a sewing machine.

3 Place the blanket right side down on an old bed sheet and sew the two together leaving a gap to turn the blanket right side out, then close it up by hand. Using wool and a large needle, blanket stitch all around the blanket’s edge.

4 Curl up on the sofa under it.

You can find more seasonal things to note and notice, plan and do on our Almanac pages every month.

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Make | Koromogae Linen Spray

David Parker September 28, 2025

Photography by Louise Gorrod

Koromogae is the switchover between the seasons in Japan: a chance to get out the clothes and furnishings you’ve had in storage, and carefully stash away the things you’ll no longer need for the coming months. This homemade linen spray will keep your clothes fresh (and moth free) until the warmer weather. Simply spritz sheets, clothes, towels, curtains and other fabrics in your home for a refresh that you can make in minutes.

Makes 1 bottle

You will need
90ml vodka or rubbing alcohol
20-30 drops of essential oils (see suggested combinations below)
350ml distilled water
Measuring jug
Spray bottle (at least 500ml)
Small funnel

To make…
1 Pour the vodka or rubbing alcohol into a measuring jug and carefully add your essential oil drops. If using a blend, rather than just a single scent, do it slowly so you can make sure you have a fragrance that you like.

2 Add the water and mix thoroughly.

3 Using a funnel, add the liquid to the spray bottle and screw the top on. Label the bottle and remember to shake thoroughly before using.

Maker’s note: If you use rubbing alcohol rather than vodka it’ll have a stronger smell and requires a more thorough shaking to mix the ingredients each time you use it. This spray will last up to one year – however, if the spray starts to smell differently, it’s time to replace.

Scent combinations to try: Lemon and lavender; Sandalwood and clementine; Rose, lavender, jasmine and sandalwood.

This project is from our Home Economics page which, this month, is all about the Japanese tradition of Koromogae - the seasonal switchover in the home. You can read more about it in our October issue.

Project by Karen Dunn, photography by Louise Gorrod.

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Recipe | Baked Pear Pies

David Parker September 27, 2025

Photography by Kym Grimshaw

Making little pastry leaves to go on a pie is a core memory for many of us. There is something about adding small artistic touches that elevates food out of functionality and into aesthetically-pleasing fabulousness.

Serves 4

For the pastry
225g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
120g fridge-cold butter, grated
2 tbsp icing sugar
Pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten with 2 tsp very cold water

For the pies
4 pears
2 tbsp milk, for glazing
Crème fraîche, for serving
Maple syrup, for drizzling

1 First, make the pastry. Put the flour in a bowl and add the grated butter. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

2 Mix in the icing sugar and salt followed by the beaten egg mixture. Combine to make a rough dough using a table knife then turn out the pastry onto a work surface and bring it together into a ball. Wrap in cling film and put in fridge for 30 mins.

3 Preheat the oven to 175C/Fan 155C/ Gas 4.Peel and halve the pears, leaving the stem intact. Use a small knife to scoop out the core and seeds. Place flat side down on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.

4 Roll out your pastry so that it’s around 5mm thick. Cut it into four equal squares and place over each pear – they should be big enough to fit over a pear half. Cut away the pastry from the edge of each pear.

5 Make a couple of slits into the top of the pastry and use the pastry you cut away to create leaves. Attach these to the top of the pears with a little milk and then brush all over.

6 Bake for 20 mins.

7 Let the pies cool on the tray and then transfer them to serving plates, pastry side down. Top with crème fraîche and drizzle with maple syrup.

This recipe is just one of the ideas from our October issue’s Kitchen Therapy pages, which also include recipes for a Turmeric & Ginger Tonic, Mushroom Risotto with Crispy Sage, Cardamom Knots and Seed & Nut Brittle, alongside ideas for seasonal ways to pass the time while the oven is doing its work. The recipes are by Lottie Storey and the photography is by Kym Grimshaw.

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Playlist | Sunday songs

David Parker September 17, 2025

Our October playlist is compiled by Daniel Gray, author of Sunday Best: Travels through the day of rest.

These are songs that sum up the spirit of a Sunday. Have a listen on Spotify here.

You can see some of Daniel’s ‘Sunday best’ outing suggestions in HUG, the October 2025 issue of The Simple Things magazine.

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Featured
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Order  our new Celebrations Anthology   Pre-order a copy of  Flourish 4 , our new wellbeing bookazine   Listen to  our podcast  – Small Ways to Live Well
Aug 29, 2025
Aug 29, 2025

Buy, download or subscribe

See the sample of our latest issue here

Order our new Celebrations Anthology

Pre-order a copy of Flourish 4, our new wellbeing bookazine 

Listen to our podcast – Small Ways to Live Well

Aug 29, 2025
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The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

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