Gardeners at Trinity College, Cambridge, have reconstructed a 336-year-old garden to celebrate the upcoming 400th anniversary of the birth of John Ray, the 17th-century botanist often called the “father of natural history”.
The project involved excavating the college’s front lawn to restore the historic garden Ray established during his tenure as a tutor in the 1650s. Ray is a foundational figure in biology, credited with introducing the scientific terms “petal” and “pollen” and being the first to study plants through a systematic lens, reports The Guardian.
The garden has been reinstated in its precise original location, guided by details found in a 1690 engraving. The site carries immense scientific weight, situated in front of a descendant of the apple tree that inspired Isaac Newton and directly above the location of Newton’s former private laboratory.
To identify the original plant life, Head Gardener Karen Wells translated Ray’s 1660 Latin text, Catalogue of Plants Growing Around Cambridge. While Ray’s original efforts involved approximately 700 species – including exotic and toxic plants like American pokeweed – the modern recreation focuses on drought-tolerant and pollinator-friendly species to enhance biodiversity and climate resilience.
The current planting list includes wood avens, betony, golden rod, pasqueflower, and white-flowered moth mullein. The gardeners also included the herb “Good King Henry” as a tribute to King Henry VIII, who founded the college in 1546.
Professor Richard Serjeantson, a history specialist at Trinity, remarked that the garden occupies what may have been “the most scientifically important spot of land in the 17th century”. This historical significance was reinforced in 2005 when Professor Peter Spargo of the University of Cape Town confirmed the site as Newton’s laboratory after discovering high concentrations of mercury, arsenic, and gold in the soil.
Reflecting on the restoration ahead of its opening on Thursday, Wells described the experience of seeing the 17th-century design come to life as “time travel”. Ray, the son of a blacksmith, originally turned to botany to aid his recovery from illness, eventually revolutionising the field by promoting rigorous fieldwork and the systematic documentation of local flora.
