Constance Villiers-Stuart

Who was Constance Villiers-Stuart?

C.M. Villiers-Stuart was an English author and water-colour painter. She married Patrick Villiers-Stuart in 1908 and moved to India, allowing her to collect material for her pioneering book, Gardens of the Great Mughals which launched the historical study of Mughal Gardens. Chapter XII, on 'Some garden contrasts and a dream' urges respect for Indian design traditions. The 'dream' in the chapter title concerns the design of New Delhi. Her pleas for an Indian town plan had little effect but she had a conversation with Edwin Lutyens and he read her book. Working with Gertrude Jekyll had given him a sympathy for garden design and the result was the famous Mughal Garden of what is now Rashtrapati Bhavan.