Anthony archer chill wills biography

Besides taking part in several radio and television programs, including Animal Planet, "The Pool Master. Evolution of a Pond Builder […] Read More. As soon as I was able to, I made a pond for myself that in hindsight was hideous. I dug the hole by hand and mixed concrete on the garage floor. But now I had my own little water world — it was a wonderful experiment and challenge.

This was soon followed by more ponds and a stream. As I increased my collection of water plants and fish, gradually people would come and visit. They would share my fascination.

Anthony archer chill wills biography

I was asked to come and build ponds for them — I was about nineteen and things gradually built up by word of mouth. Eventually, I had a small team and then brought another property for machinery and water troughs and greenhouses — so my career and business built up from building ponds from scratch and much trial and error. I knew John Brookes for a long time from his early days — John was such fun to be with and he possessed an infectious hyena-laughter.

It was delightful. Anthony at work on a native garden in Aspen, Colorado. One of his first garden designs included a curious kite shaped pond which I built for him. It opened my eyes to the opportunity of formal ponds that reflected the formality of the gardens. John said if you look around you the shape reflects the walls of the surrounding garden…the pond was a miniaturised version of the garden.

I lapped up information from John and designers like Rosemary Verey and Rosemary Alexander and having had no formal training I loved what they had to say and listened intently. Your landscape must relate to those. John would take me on trips and he somehow acknowledged that I specialised in water and in a way, he liked my support and opinion.

He invited me to visit him at La Napoule in the south of France just to the West of Cannes where he lectured. He had a project in Ardennes in South Belgium which he invited me to and we arrived in deep snow. Looking at the distant hills, forest, mountains: Anthony creating stunning waterworks in Aspen, Colorado. I had started lecturing myself by then and John invited me to do the water lectures at his Clock House school of design at Denmans.

It was so far removed from anything I had experienced in my education at boarding school. I remember on one occasion he came out with a rather surprising statement. But he did love those naturalistic lines, wonderful curves that nature would typically use. Anthony at work with John on a design for lakes, rivers, and waterfalls on a New York estate.

Mrs Robinson was still around at Denmans at this point and very much still at the helm. Many thanks are extended to: The English garden designer Anthea Gibsonfor her magical formal gardens. John Brookesfor his unique blend of formal and naturalistic gardens. Lynden Millerfor her delightful insight into plant associations. For all the accolades one might lay at his feet, however, Anthony himself is much more than the sum of these parts.

Tremendously good humored, Anthony is at the same time far from frivolous. Indeed, his work is an almost perfect reflection of the fullness of his personality: grand and sophisticated, yet welcoming and comforting. If watergardening has become a modern art form, the seeds were planted by Anthony Archer Wills.