London Town at 50: The Gardens Then & Now
- London Town
- Apr 29, 2021
- 1 min read
The Winter Walk overlook in the 1970s and today.
In the 1960s, Anne Arundel County began working with the University of Maryland Extension program to turn several acres of land into gardens. The county partnered with professors R.L. Baker and C.N. Johnson, along with Dr. Tony Dove, London Town’s first horticulturalist, and created a plan to use the gardens to showcase what can grow in the Chesapeake region.
Creating the Dell at London Town
For this month's post, we wanted to share comparisons to what the gardens looked like in the 1970s to how they appear today. Many of these photos were taken by famed photographer Marion E. Warren, whose wife Mary served on the London Town Publick House Commission. The photos from today were taken by London Town staff.
A family wanders in the Dell in the 1970s
And how the Dell appears today in 2021.
Dr. Tony Dove, London Town's first horticulturist, giving a tour of the Azalea Glade in the 1970s.
Deputy Director Lauren Silberman in the Azalea Glade in 2021
Looking Down the Dry Creek from atop the Spring Walk in 1977
Looking down the same path in 2021
Winter Walk in the springtime in the 1970s
Winter Walk in the Springtime 2021
We hope that you've enjoyed this "Then and Now" look at the gardens. Please come and visit! London Town is open Wednesday - Sunday, 10am - 4pm. Learn more about visiting here.
This is a nice reflection on garden spaces and how they evolve over time, blending history, design, and community use. It’s interesting how gardens can preserve heritage while still adapting to modern needs.
In my free time, I also explore online communities and gaming content like ep92 game, and it’s interesting how both historical garden spaces and gaming platforms rely on structure, engagement, and user experience to keep people interested and connected.
I just read through the comments on that Historic London Town gardens post and it’s cool how many people are talking about how landscape design has evolved — from formal layouts in the past to more relaxed, pollinator‑friendly spaces today. A lot of replies share their own visits or favorite garden details, which makes the conversation feel like a group of friends swapping travel tips instead of just generic reactions. And while scrolling, I even ended up explaining the P67 Game to a buddy — totally random, but it made the read more entertaining!
It’s beautiful to see how time has deepened the character of these gardens, growing not just plants, but history and memory side by side.
Looking at the 1977 shot of Dry Creek makes me wonder how landscaping costs change over time, much like calculating ad rates with a CPM calculator during my morning commute; seeing Dr. Tony Dove in those 1970s pictures, I realize how much history this place holds, and it just makes me think a tool like Seedance 2.0 could easily visualize such time-lapse gardens without ever having to leave my desk, isn't that something?
Looking at the 1977 shot of Dry Creek makes me wonder how landscaping costs change over time, much like calculating ad rates with a CPM calculator during my morning commute. It is so cool that Dr. Tony Dove is still part of the story through these photos, since the growth in Azalea Glade is just stunning!