Cocos
What's in a name? Well, quite a lot actually, it turns out! See, 'Cocos' is the name my house was given when it was built in 1929. And this is the story of how, all these years later, I am making the garden live up to the name and creating a mini tropical paradise in the South of England.
When the house was purchased in 2000, some of the history of the house was recounted as follows:
A young man, returning to England from a post in the South Pacific, bought a plot of land and built the house. He was a keen gardener, and is said to have wanted to recreate the 'paradise' in the gardens of the house. He named the house 'Cocos' after the islands where he was stationed. Tiny islands in the middle of the sea...
I did some research into the islands:
They also have a quite fascinating history for such a small remote place! HMS Beagle stopped there in 1836 on her second survey expedition. And it was here that Charles Darwin, then a young graduate still planning to "see the world" then become a parson, confirmed a theory he had about the formation of coral reefs, which was later published in The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs.
It seems it was because of the wireless station that there was the Battle of Cocos, one of the first naval battles of World War I. For those history buffs that enjoy retelling of battles, you can find more details of the battle here.
All in all, I can see why it made such an impression! I may even take some inspiration from the photos available via the National Archive. More background can be found on the page dedicated to the Islands on the British Empire site.
Although the garden at 'Cocos' has (slightly :P) lower average temperatures than the Islands of Cocos, I am sure that growing hardy palms and other tropical effect plants is somehow fulfilling the destiny of the garden and is more like those far-away islands than the original owner could have ever imagined!
When the house was purchased in 2000, some of the history of the house was recounted as follows:
A young man, returning to England from a post in the South Pacific, bought a plot of land and built the house. He was a keen gardener, and is said to have wanted to recreate the 'paradise' in the gardens of the house. He named the house 'Cocos' after the islands where he was stationed. Tiny islands in the middle of the sea...
I did some research into the islands:
which are about mid-way between Australia and Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. It's climate is mild and pleasant:The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are a remote territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. Its 2 coral atolls comprise 27 tiny islands with white-sand beaches, palm trees and lagoons. (Google Maps Quick Facts)
I also found the reason the builder of my house was stationed on the islands. The more I dug, the more treasure I discovered!The hottest month is March with average high temperature 29.8 °C (85.6 °F), while the coolest month is August with average low temperature 23.6 °C (74.5 °F). (Wikipedia)
In 1901 a telegraph cable station was established on Direction Island. Undersea cables went to Rodrigues, Mauritius, Batavia, Java and Fremantle, Western Australia. In 1910 a wireless station was established to communicate with passing ships. The cable station ceased operation in 1966. (Wikipedia)
They also have a quite fascinating history for such a small remote place! HMS Beagle stopped there in 1836 on her second survey expedition. And it was here that Charles Darwin, then a young graduate still planning to "see the world" then become a parson, confirmed a theory he had about the formation of coral reefs, which was later published in The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs.
It seems it was because of the wireless station that there was the Battle of Cocos, one of the first naval battles of World War I. For those history buffs that enjoy retelling of battles, you can find more details of the battle here.
All in all, I can see why it made such an impression! I may even take some inspiration from the photos available via the National Archive. More background can be found on the page dedicated to the Islands on the British Empire site.
Although the garden at 'Cocos' has (slightly :P) lower average temperatures than the Islands of Cocos, I am sure that growing hardy palms and other tropical effect plants is somehow fulfilling the destiny of the garden and is more like those far-away islands than the original owner could have ever imagined!
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