I mentioned at our meeting a chance encounter with a local historian who has given me a number of leads to follow up. This picture is of the Lodge Gardens. Philip Jones, the historian in question, has this image on a postcard that can be dated from the 1920s or 30s (the postmark isn't clear). This very much challenges the image date given on the website of 1960. It looks like it has probably been taken from the Lodge probably looking slightly East of South and shows a pretty luxuriant well-tended garden. This may throw a little light on the way the Japanese Water Garden might have looked. Click on the link, and then zoom in on the picture.


http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/fronte ... 0zNyZ5PTE0

More information from historian Philip Jones which suggests that the photo dates from 1917 or earlier! He reports as follows:

"Back to my postcard labelled Bestwood Lodge Grounds, No. 383, published by W.H. Smith & Sons, which appears on the picturethepast website dated 1960. Looking closely through a magnifying glass, I now believe my postcard has a postmark of 1918 on it. I also have postcards nos. 384 and 385 in the series (these are of Bestwood Lodge rather than the grounds). No. 384 was never posted, but no. 385 has a definite postmark of 1917. My postcard no. 383 must therefore have been published by 1917 at least. So the website date of 1960 is way out."