William Sangster, the Scottish-born nurseryman and garden designer played a major role in the establishment of substantial public and private gardens in the period of the early development of Melbourne, Australia. He was instrumental in introducing the picturesque style of landscape design to Melbourne and its environs.^[1]

His notable designs for public gardens include Carlton Gardens in Carlton, Daylesford Public Garden, and Victoria Gardens in Prahran.
His notable designs for private gardens include Como House in South Yarra, Rupertswood in Sunbury, Rippon Lea Estate in Elsternwick, Stonington mansion in Malvern, and Ard Choille at Mount Macedon, Victoria.^[2]

In the 1880s he influenced public taste and appreciation for gardens by writing extensively for The Australasian newspaper using the pseudonym 'Hortensis'.^[2]

Life and career

Sangster was born in Old Deer, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He worked in the celebrated gardens at Hamilton Palace near Glasgow in Scotland which is said to have had a profound influence on his design style. At the age of 22 years, he emigrated to Victoria, Australia in December 1853.^[2]
He initially worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne under Curator John Dallachy who he had worked under at Hamilton Palace. After that, he worked as a gardener for Mr Dickenson at Mt. Pleasant near the vicinity of Kensington Rd in South Yarra for nine months.^[3]

In December 1855 he was appointed head gardener and overseer at Como House by John Brown.^[4] In this time, he oversaw the design and development of the site utilising the principles of picturesque garden design. The design incorporated an elaborate five-acre ornamental garden and new carriageway from the main road (now Toorak Road) on the Northern boundary. He also established several productive areas of orchards and vegetable gardens on the slopes down to the river. Along the southern Yarra River boundary he planted willows, poplars and Dutch elms which augmented the "borrowed view". Many elements of his design remain, and the surviving trees are magnificent specimens.^[1] He married Janet Yates in Melbourne in 1856. When Brown’s bank sold to George Armytage he remained until mid-1866.^[4]

In mid-1866 he left to form a partnership with William Taylor. Earlier in 1864 Taylor had established the Vice-Regal Nursery in Toorak Rd (on the corner of Wallace Ave) after working at Government House in Toorak. The business was then renamed Taylor & Sangster and known as the Toorak Nursery.^[2] This business continued until the site was sold by his daughter Jane Yates Sangster in 1907.

Between 1874 and 1876 he worked at Rupertswood, Sunbury where he designed a pleasure garden on a grand scale for Sir William Clarke on a 60-acre site. Sangster created the expansive gardens surrounding the house using many of the elements from his “Picturesque” repertoire including a rockery, gullies, lakes, an extensive excavated gully fernery and created hills and dales to achieve the full effect.^[2]

In 1875 Taylor & Sangster established a nursery business at Mount Macedon.^[2] Sangster's daughter, Jane Yates Sangster, inherited his share of the nursery following his death, which she acquired outright in 1912, and ran it until 1930, when it was sold.^[5]

In February 1879 Sangster was engaged as a contractor to redesign and redevelop the Carlton Gardens, Carlton in preparation for the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition.^[6]

Between 1881 and 1884 Sangster was engaged as a consultant by Frederick Thomas Sargood for significant re-design work at Rippon Lea Estate, Elsternwick. In 1882 the Nursery lawn replaced flower beds. In 1883 the lakes were significantly expanded, and the hill and lookout were created.^[1]

In 1884 the Daylesford Borough Council commissioned William Taylor and William Sangster to re-design and create the Daylesford Public Garden at Wombat Hill (now Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens). Of the design based around the extinct volcano of Wombat Hill, little remains except the cascade and fernery.^[7]

The Victoria Gardens, Prahran were designed and created by Sangster in 1885. The design remains relatively intact with only minor changes made to the scheme by Edna Walling in the 1940s. The plan of the original design is held by Stonington History Centre and has notations by Sangster.^[8][9]

Stonington mansion, Malvern was built for John Wagner, a partner in Cobb & Co coaches in 1890. In 1892 he commissioned Sangster to design and create the gardens. The design included a grand terrace at the rear, extensive lawns, parterres and shrubberies with an orchard and vegetable garden beyond.^[3]

In 1896 Sangster designed and oversaw the creation of Ard Choille, on the north side of Mount Macedon which is notable for the intactness of his original design. The very steep site was planted with a fine collection of rhododendrons and other plants requiring a cool-temperate climate. Sangster utilised the steep site to create terraces and mini “lochs” and a series of three cascades using a water reticulation system.^[1]

Death

In 1910 William Sangster died age 79, in Toorak, Melbourne, Australia.^[10] He is buried with his family at St Kilda Cemetery.

Pseudonyms

Sangster wrote extensively for The Australasian newspaper during the 1880s using the pseudonym 'Hortensis'.^[10]

References

Further reading

Haynes, Estelle; Royal Botanic Gardens (Vic.); National Estate Grants Program (Australia) (1993), A study of selected nineteenth century nurserymen and the sites they operated from / Estelle Haynes, Royal Botanic Gardens?]