The Russell family collection of Royal Horticultural Society...

The Russell family collection of Royal Horticultural Society and other horticultural medals, c.1898 to 1980s, notably RHS Gold Medals, for their stunning fuchsia, camellia, tree, and shrub displays at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, comprising Awarded to Mr John Russell - Richmond Horticultural Society, Silver-gilt medal, June 1898, for miscellaneous group, 50mm, The Royal Horticultural Society, Silver medal, June. 13. 1899, for tree ivies, designed by W. Wyon ARA, 55mm, The Royal Horticultural Society, Silver medal, Mar. 27. 1900, for hardy flowering shrubs, designed by W. Wyon ARA, 55mm, The Royal Horticultural Society, Silver-gilt medal, Mar. 26. 1901, for forced hardy shrubs, designed by W. Wyon ARA, 55mm, The Royal Horticultural Society, Silver-gilt medal, Aug. 27. 1901, for alocasias, designed by W. Wyon ARA, 55mm, The Royal Horticultural Society, Banksian Silver-gilt medal, Temple Show 1902, for ornamental trees and shrubs, Rev. Portrait of Joseph Banks Bt. P:R:S. born 1743 died 1820, 37mm The Royal Horticultural Society, Banksian Bronzed Copper medal, Oct. 21. 1902, for acubas, Rev. Portrait of Joseph Banks Bt. P:R:S. born 1743 died 1820, 37mm The Royal Horticultural Society, Banksian Silver-gilt medal, Mar. 8. 1904, for flowering shrubs, Rev. Portrait of Joseph Banks Bt. P:R:S. born 1743 died 1820, 37mm The Royal Botanic Society of London, Silver medal, 1904, for clematis, designed by B. Wyon, 50mm, Richmond Horticultural Society, Silver-gilt medal, 1900 Show, for A Group, designed by G G Adams, 51mm, Unnamed but presumably awarded to Mr John Russell - Cardiff Horticultural Society, Silver-gilt medal, 1901, the front applied with a red enamel shield, suspension hoop, 43mm, St. Fagan's Horticultural Society, Silver medal, 7 August 1901, by Luigi Gori Inc. in Firenze, 40mm, to Mr L. R. Russell - Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea show, 1913, for stove and greenhouse plants, unmarked gold, 25mm, we have an example of a similar design award card dated 1924 To Messrs. L. R. Russell Ltd. - Royal Horticultural Society, Silver-gilt 'The Lawrence medal', 'Staged on 4th Nov. 1930', for the exhibit of stove and greenhouse plants ornamental and flowering trees, shrubs, engraved edge, 51mm, initialled BM, probably designed by Sir Bertram Mackennal. Nb. The Lawrence Medal, a prestigious award established in 1906 by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) to honour the best horticultural exhibit shown to the society during the year Royal Horticultural Society, Silver medal, Southport Show 1930, for economic and medicinal plants, inscribed edge, 45mm, Royal Horticultural Society, Silver medal, 24 February 1931, for platyceriums, inscribed edge, 45mm, Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Great Autumn Show 1933, for their exhibits of clematis, vines and other shrubs and stove and greenhouse plants, hallmarked 9ct., 35 mm, Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Show 1938, for their exhibit of stove and greenhouse plants, hallmarked 9ct., 35 mm, Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Show 1938, for an exhibit of stove and greenhouse plants, hallmarked 9ct., 35 mm, Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, April 4, 1950, for an exhibit of magnolias, camellias & other flowering trees & shrubs, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Show, 1951, for an exhibit of flowering trees & shrubs & climbers, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Show, 1953, for an exhibit of fuchsias, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Flower Show, 1954, for an exhibit of an informal shrub garden, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, 13 March 1956, for an exhibit of flowering trees and shrubs, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Show, 1957, for an exhibit of flowering and ornamental trees and shrubs, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Show, 1957. for an exhibit of fuchsias, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Flower Show, 1958 for an exhibit of fuchsias, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Flower Show, 1958, for an exhibit of flowering and ornamental trees and shrubs, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, 18 March 1958, for an exhibit of flowering trees and shrubs, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card The Royal Horticultural Society, Gold 'Williams Memorial medal', Chelsea Show 1960, for an exhibit of fuchsias stamped 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Show, 1960, for an exhibit of fuchsias, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Show, 1961 for an exhibit of fuchsias flowering, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Show, 1961, for ornamental trees & shrubs, including climbers, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Show, 1962, for an exhibit of fuchsias, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, for an exhibit of fuchsias, Chelsea Flower Show, 1963, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Show, 1963, for ornamental trees & shrubs, including climbers, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Unnamed society, Silver-gilt medal, engraved Messrs. L. R. Russell Ld. 1934, hallmarked on edge, 37 mm, The Rhododendron Association, Silver medal, 4 May 1937, designed by HP, 32mm, satin finish To L. R. Russell Ltd. - Royal Agricultural Society of England, Gold medal, 1928, Horticultural Exhibition, rev. portrait George V, 32mm, hallmarked 9ct. Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, 23 October 1929, for a group of stove plants, unmarked but tests as 9ct., 35mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Silver medal, November 1929, for a group of nepenthes, inscribed edge, 45mm, Royal Horticultural Society, Silver medal, Autumn show 1933, for group of Dracaena Victoria, 45mm Royal Horticultural Society, Gold 'The Lawrence medal', Chelsea Flower Show, 1965, for ornamental and flowering trees, shrubs, hallmarked 9ct., 51mm, initialled BM, probably designed by Sir Bertram Mackennal, Nb. The Lawrence Medal, a prestigious award established in 1906 by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) to honor the best horticultural exhibit shown to the society during the year, the related standard RHS gold medal award card is included Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, 20.9.66, for flowering & ornamental trees & shrubs, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Show, 1966, for ornamental & flowering trees & shrubs, including climbers, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Show, 1967, for ornamental & flowering trees, shrubs & climbers, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, 19.9.67, for ornamental trees, shrubs and climbers, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea show 1968, for flowering and ornamental trees and shrubs, including climbers, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with a award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Show, 1969, for flowering & ornamental trees & shrubs, including climbers, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Royal Horticultural Society, Gold medal, Chelsea Show, 1970, for an exhibit of flowering & ornamental trees & perennial plants, hallmarked 9ct., 32mm, with award card Birmingham Horticultural Society, Gold medal, July 1921, hallmarked 9ct., 37mm Shropshire Horticultural Society, Silver medal, 1926, For clematis in groups, 44mm, British Dairy Farmers' Association, Silver medal, Dairy Show 1938, for clematis & ornamental trees & shrubs dairy show, 51mm, Unnamed but presumably awarded to L. R. Russell Ltd - Cardiff & County Horticultural Society, Silver-gilt medal, no official date of issue, but hallmarked for Birmingham 1908, coloured enamels, 49mm, Three Royal International Horticultural Exhibition, Silver-gilt medals, London 1912, vacant wreath cartouche, 55mm, three cases Societe Royale D'Agriculture Et de Botanique de Gand (Ghent), silvered bronze plaquette, designed by Henri Thiery, stamped Fonson, 92mm, case inscribed [presented by Mr Robert Delmotte assistant secretary of the Royal Society of agriculture and botany of Ghent], probably 1920s/30s Societa Italiana Amici dei Fiori, Silver-gilt medal, Pallanza Septembre XIII, stamped '800', 44 mm, to Louis R. Russell - International Garden Festival, Silver-gilt medal, Liverpool, 1984, 51 mm, hallmarked Awarded to L. R. Russell Ltd. Richmond - Southport Flower Show, Gold medal, August 1924, for stove and greenhouse plants, stamped E & Co, hallmarked 15ct.., 37mm, Southport Flower Show, large gold medal, August 1929, for a group of economic and medicinal plants, stamped E & Co, 9ct., 51 mm, with an example of an award card from 1936 Alderley Edge and Wilmslow Horticultural and Rose Society, Gold medal, 1934, for water lilies and plants, hallmarked 9ct., 32 mm, Awarded to L. R. Russell - Shropshire Horticultural Society, Gold medal, 1913, for 'tree ivies', hallmarked 12ct., 26mm, Awarded to Mr L. R. Russell - The Royal Horticultural Society, Banksian Silver medal, Nov. 29. 1904, for berried shrubs, Rev. Portrait of Joseph Banks Bt. P:R:S. born 1743 died 1820, 37mm The Royal Horticultural Society, Silver medal, June 1904, for Crotons, 37mm The Royal Horticultural Society, Bronzed Copper medal, July 26, 1904, for stove and greenhouse plants, designed by W. Wyon ARA, 55mm Royal Botanic Society of London, Silver-gilt medal, 1905, for trees and shrubs, designed by B. Wyon, 51mm, The Royal Horticultural Society, Silver-gilt medal, Chelsea Show 1905, four trees and shrubs, designed by W. Wyon ARA, 55mm, Brighton and Sussex Horticultural Society, Silver medal, November 1, 1904, for excellent exhibit of berried plants, 42mm, Brighton and Sussex Horticultural Society, Silver-gilt medal, August 22nd 1905, for excellent exhibit of hardy shrubs, 42mm, Shropshire Horticultural Society, Silver-gilt medal, 1907, for collection of standard and tree ivies, 44 mm, Please note the catalogues and photo are not included in this lot and are for reference only. L.R. Russell Ltd. (operating out of Richmond Nurseries) was a highly prestigious, multi-generational British commercial nursery famous for its massive contributions to twentieth-century horticulture. Originally established in 1802, the business operated under the name "L.R. Russell" from 1904 onward. Though originally tied to the Richmond area, the business purchased a new tree and shrub site in Windlesham, Surrey in 1936. They carried the name with them, establishing the famous Richmond Nurseries on London Road in Windlesham. The Russell family was legendary within the Royal Horticultural Society. Over a 35-year period, they won 51 RHS Gold Medals, notably for their stunning fuchsia, camellia, tree, and shrub displays at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The nursery was instrumental in introducing or naming iconic garden plants. For example, they formally introduced the popular Mahonax media 'Charity' seedling. John Russell also famously bred the beautifully fragrant Viburnum burkwoodii 'Anne Russell' in 1951, naming it after his wife. The Russell family have helped shape some of the country's most eminent places. Down the years, L.R. Russell was one of two nurseries that adjoined Lord's Cricket Ground, leading to the name 'The Nursery End'. In 1907, at the behest of the Rugby Football Union, Russell's laid the pitch at the newly built Twickenham stadium. And in 1951, at Winston Churchill's request, the family created an avenue of beech trees – Victory Drive – along the entrance to Chequers. Perhaps most notable of all, the Russell family achieved the extremely rare feat of three successive generations each being awarded the prestigious Victoria Medal of Honour (V.M.H.) for their services to horticulture.

Estimate:£15,000

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