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| The Lucknow Botanical Gardens: Two years ago the aeriel roots seen in this pic were enclosed in hollow bamboo to help them take root, undisturbed by people walking past. A tree whose branches spreads so wide, needs not only more moisture and nutrients from the ground but added support! Sadly, the banyans in the Residency haven't had the same attention so are gradually dying. There is also the historic banyan at the Lucknow Zoo that, according to folklore, gave shade, at the height of summer to hundreds of soldiers during the uprising in 1857. This banyan tree has been pruned so drastically that there isn't much left. Adding to the problem is the fact that the area around has been paved. |
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| Who was Percy Lancaster that he should have this shed for plants given his name? A search of Wikipedia.org and Fibis.org revealed that Percy Joseph Lancaster was a banker who was also an amateur gardener. He married Ida Gordon Blunt at Fatehgarh in 1885. He was also Secretary, Agri-Horticultural Society at Alipore (Calcutta), a post that went to his son, Sydney Percy Lancaster on his father's death in 1904 at Alipore. It was Sydney who had worked at the Lucknow gardens and is said to have spent his last days in Lucknow but Wiki has no date of death. I have covered the Lucknow cemeteries quite extensively but I have yet to come across his place of burial. However, there is a grave for William Robert Lancaster 1885-1954 in the Nishatganj Cemetery, Lucknow but I've not found a family connection. |
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| The Flower Show on Saturday Jan 20 2018 at the Botanical Gardens in Lucknow |
13 comments:
George, I am Sydney's great grand daughter. He died in India in the 1972. You won't find a grave for him, but if you keep walking around the NBG in Lucknow you will find a memorial in his honour there. Half of his ashes are scattered in the gardens. I'm hoping to travel to India in the near future and visit the NBG too. Kind regards Annabel Percy-Lancaster
Wow, thanks for that Annabel! I'll look around for the memorial next time I'm there. So I take it that William Robert Lancaster was not related!
George
Hi George, I'm now not sure if the "memorial" is at the NBG in Lucknow (half his ashes) and the other half at the gardens in Alipore in Kolkata at the Agri-Horticultural Society. I have a photo of a "memorial" the only thing I don't know off the top of my head is where it is, I would have to research that for you.
William Robert is not related to our line. I have no idea where Sydney's father (Percy) is buried, if he is buried? I suspect seeing that he was the 1st generation horticulturist and worked at Alipore he may be buried in Kolkata??? Sydney was the 2nd generation horticulturist and he worked at Alipore at RAHS (Royal Agri-Horticultural Society) after his father passed away. My grandfather Alick was the 3rd generation horticulturist and he worked for Central Public Works Department in Delhi. The wikipedia referencing is a bit muddled and I'm chatting to someone so that we can get this sorted out. kind regards Annabel
Percy also worked at the NBG in Lucknow
Hi Annabel, that was a quick response! Yes, Percy also worked for the NBG at Lucknow something I must have discovered when I checked Wiki but I would have expected Sydney's and not Percy's name to be on the 'greenhouse' (not actually one) in my pic because, as the records show, Percy was a banker and 'amateur' gardener. What we do not know is whether it was not done during Sydney's tenure and at his behest. NBG Wiki or was it Fibis.org mentions that Percy Joseph Lancaster died at Alipore, Calcutta 23 Jan 1904. Thankfully, there aren't many 'variants' to this surname on Fibis.org otherwise it becomes really arduous.
I am curious about names that have disappeared in Lucknow for historical reasons and because I knew a Lancaster grave was at the local cemetery I saw a possible connection.
I have a blog for graves called guava gardens.
Too long a comment!!
Regards George
Hi George, please do not believe everything on Wiki, there are errors on the page. People are confusing the work done by Sydney in Lucknow with the work done by my grandfather (Alick) in Delhi. I'll be working on rectifying these errors soon. Percy was instrumental in cross breeding of various plants even though he was an amateur - in those days there was no formal training. Sydney trained under his father and others and also had no "formal" training. Only Alick had formal training. So all I am saying is don't let the word "amateur" mislead you. My father, Alan, was also an amateur and I saw what he did to a lesser scale as it wasn't his career.
Also I was in communication with NBG a few years ago and from what I understand is that the 'greenhouse'is named after Sydney. His surname is Percy-Lancaster. He was born Sydney Percival Lancaster but when his dad died changed his surname (by deed poll, which I am yet to find, as the the records are not available in the UK, only India apparently) to Percy-Lancaster. So all the Percy's and Lancaster's can seem a bit confusing to the person that doesn't know the family history.
Could you perhaps send me your email address, then we can chat "offline".
Regards
Annabel
Hi Annabel, yes, one tends to forget that Wikipedia carries errors. Yesterday I Googled your name and found some material on your dad. He was born in New Delhi in 1944 and died in 1995, is that right? Very young!
Have you broken with family tradition or are also into horticulture?
OK that can be answered later. Email:
georgeshepherdlkw@gmail.com
George
This is quite interesting, but after sometime the public exchanges between you and Annabel stopped and while researching this we are at loss to know further what finally was discovered about the death/grave or was it a fact that he was cremated and ashes scattered at NBG, Lucknow.
I met Dr S. C. Sharma recently and was fascinated by his insights about Sydney Percy Lancaster. Dr Sharma worked under him and is an ardent admirer. Mr Lancaster spent his last days in Dehradun and was cremated there. Dr Sharma received his ashes in Lucknow and scattered them in the Botanical Gardens. You may write to Dr Sharma for further information at scsharmagardener@gmail.com.
Amrita Dass
(Dr Amrita Dass)
Dr Dass
Thank you for passing on this information. I will definitely write to Dr Sharma.
Kind regards
Annabel
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