Wisteria Walk, Pinces Gardens 2006
ECC
Wisteria Walk, 2006
ECC
Exeter Croquet Club in Pinces Gardens
ECC
The site of William Lucombe's nursery founded in 1720
ECC Parks and Open Spaces
The most famous introduction of this notable nursery was the Lucombe Oak. The nursery became Lucombe, Pince & Co. in the 1820s. Their catalogue featured an illustration of their Italian Garden. The nursery, shaded by fine old Lucombe Oaks, was famous for its "Wonder of the West" strain of cinerarias, calceolarias, and an extensive rockery.
By late Victorian times, when run by Pince, a grandson of the founder, the gardens were regarded as one of Exeter's finest sights, drawing visitors from far afield to admire its exotic plants (palms, orchids, other sub-tropicals).
In the nineteenth century the nursery was renowned for its vast glasshouses packed with orchids, gardenias, and rare palms. The nursery was sold in 1890 to the Exeter Nursery Company. In 1912 the City Council bought the site and converted it into a pleasure ground. The 45 yard long pergola of mature wisteria was one of the main features of the nursery in the 1880s and is still the most impressive feature to this day. The pergola is a very light construction of metal hoops and is reminiscent of the pleached alleys in Tudor gardens. The simple lodge and pavilions are of contemporary design and together with the well-kept bowling green and croquet lawn give a typical "Victorian" feeling to the gardens.