Ralph Hancock - Family, The Chelsea Flower Show and World War II

Family, The Chelsea Flower Show and World War II

By 1936 the Hancock family were living at 110 Sloane Street in London's fashionable Kensington, as well as owning a country house at Horne, Lingfield, Surrey. Ralph had purchased the derelict 16th century farmhouse in a dilapidated state and set about restoring the property to its former glory. He also designed and built one of his trademark gardens using many of the features that have become familiar, such as a herringbone brickwork path.

Ralph and his young family took to the country life. Ralph decided to keep pigs and, although he employed someone to look after them, he even purchased a pig keeper's white coat, much to the amusement of the family. The family house at Horne was sold by Ralph in 1941.

Ralph continued to be a very successful exhibitor at the Chelsea Flower Show, winning gold medals in 1936, ’37 and ’38. The gardens constructed at Chelsea had moved away from the naturalistic rock garden style towards the arts and crafts style that is now more associated with his later work. One of Ralph's specialities became the use of Moon Gates, which he used both at Chelsea and a number of other garden projects. His 1938 Chelsea garden was particularly popular. A review in Amateur Gardening said, “Mr Ralph Hancock had one of the most ambitious schemes in the garden avenue; a model of an old mill cottage, complete with millstream and sunken garden, the whole construction being carried out in a most realistic manner. It was a centre of attraction throughout the show.”

As well as designing gardens, Hancock also wrote a book titled When I Make a Garden, which was reprinted in 1950 and updated to include images of the Derry and Toms roof gardens as well as later work. He also exhibited gardens at the Ideal Home Exhibition in 1936, ’37 and ’38. Each of the Ideal Homes gardens was required to conform to a theme. In 1936 the theme was Gardens and Music. The garden featured 1,200 plants that were brought over from the USA. The 1937 theme was Gardens of the Lovers.

The theme for the 1938 show was Novelist and their Gardens for which the designers had to take as inspiration their favourite living author. Ralph chose as his inspiration Rafael Sabatini. Sabatini was famous for his tales of high adventure such as Scaramouche, Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk, all of which became successful motion pictures. Captain Blood was produced in 1935 and gave a young Errol Flynn his first ever Hollywood starring role.

The show catalogue for that year hints at some form of collaboration between the author and the architect. Although of Italian birth Sabatini was living in Hereford. Ralph's garden tribute to Sabatini featured a half-timbered cottage and also his trademark herringbone brickwork. The planting consisted of rhododendrons, heathers and aquatic plants near a winding brook. In 1939 Ralph won a silver cup at Chelsea for a Formal Mediterranean Garden.

Gardens and beautiful landscapes were put on hold with the advent of World War II. Ralph, Denys and Bramley all joined the military, even Muriel drove ambulances.

Ralph, who had previously served in the Great War, was re-activated. Second Lieutenant Denys Hancock, who was to tragically lose his life in November 1941 at the battle of Sidi Rezegh, North Africa joined the Royal Tank Regiment and Captain Bramley Hancock served as an Artillery FOO (Forward Observation Officer). Sheila, who was only 11 when war was declared, was sent to neutral America to stay with friends.

Back home in England, Derry and Toms was damaged during an enemy air-raid. However, after the war ended it was rebuilt. Although the garden was restored to its pre-war splendour neither Ralph nor Muriel fully recovered after the death of their youngest son, Denys.