ABSTRACT
Lord Randolph Churchill's comment is probably the most quoted remark on the subject of William Gladstone's hobby of wood-cutting. The context was political and compared Gladstone's policies with an alleged destruction of his woods. Gladstone's interest in fruit farming may have been sparked by the heritage of fruit trees and bushes that had been introduced to Hawarden back in 1815. Gladstone was an advocate of cottage gardening and fruit growing and would have approved of modern grow your own' movements. From time to time, bad weather, the occasional illness or family crisis, and later the priority to establish Gladstone's library in St Deiniol's Lane Hawarden, restricted Gladstone's wood-cutting activities and the diaries reflect certain periods of inactivity. Gladstone does not appear to have wished to plant any of the more exotic varieties which were becoming available and had resulted from the endeavours of early plant-hunters or landscape architects like Capability Brown.
