Wistaria

The Modern Foreign Languages Centre has such huge windows that one might almost say it has glass walls. I hope that in the sunny weather it has not been too hot. From the West side one can see into the Hailey garden, a hidden corner of the grounds now made much more visible.

In Haileybury Since Roman Times Molly Matthews says that the first Wistaria to grow in England was brought in the days of the East India College and grew against Hailey House. She says that at the time of writing it had 'recently' been rooted up. This print may show the Wistaria, growing against the south wall of the House.

But there is a bit of a mystery here since Wistaria (or Wisteria - both spellings are licit) is native to the United States, Korea, Japan and China - ie not India - and  Wikipedia at least suggests that it was brought to England by American traders who seem to have had no link with Haileybury. The Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick claims the oldest Wistaria in the UK today. Was Hailey's older, or is this a Haileybury Legend?

Here is a picture of the Chiswick plant, but it does not have any bloom so for the sake of a bit of colour on this post here is a picture of a Wistaria growing along the wall of Sidney Sussex College Cambridge.