What would most people, after having traveled miles away from home to a foreign land, worked hard for years and then struck rich have done - some 200 years ago? Probably stashed away the fortune carefully or spent it on a good life once they returned home. Sir Thomas Hanbury was of a man of different mettle, known to be a philanthropist and great lover of nature. He found a beautiful piece of land at Cape Mortola near Ventimiglia in 1867, bought it little by little till he had a full 18 acres at his disposal, to lovingly nurture exotic varieties of plants from different parts of the world, then literally turn the place into a paradise for nature lovers. To ably assist him in this project was his brother Daniel, a pharmacist by profession, who shared the same keen passion for preserving nature’s splendor and beauty. This man-made wonder at La Mortola is known as Giardini Botanici Hanbury or to those not so familiar with Italian, the Hanbury Botanical Garden.

Thomas Hanbury was a twenty-one year old lad from London, brimming with youthful enthusiasm and a sense of adventure, who made his way to China in 1853 with dreams of amassing great fortune and wealth for himself. In reality, a battle torn city greeted Hanbury in Shangai, for the Manchu dynasty had begun to disintegrate, resulting in much rebellion and chaos among the people - a war-like situation existed and anarchy was rife. Undeterred by these obstacles, Hanbury began to trade in tea and silks and to his good fortune prospered greatly, as the days and weeks sped by. There was no looking back after that. He achieved his heart’s desire of becoming rich and having made his fortune headed back home in 1867 to enjoy the fruits of his work. He was just 35 years old then but mature far beyond his years.

Daniel Hanbury was his brother, a chemist who had an enduring interest in tracing the botanical origins of ingredients that went into drug making. In 1864 when Daniel was holidaying in the Riveria, he chanced upon a breathtakingly beautiful promontory, Punta Della Mortola that consisted of a square and a villa surrounded by several olive trees. It was an astonishing piece of land surrounded on three sides by majestic mountains and open to the azure sea on the fourth. The climate was ideal, the mountains protected the land from harsh winds and the sea was just idyllic enough to complete this ethereal scene. Daniel wrote to his brother Thomas describing the pristine beauty of his find and urged him to buy the land. Three years later when Thomas Hanbury returned from China, it was love at first sight with the scenic beauty of the region and the rest was history.

He set out to create a garden of special magnificence that could be rated amongst the best in the world and left no stone unturned towards this goal. The first task cut out for Hanbury was to renovate the villa on the premises and rejuvenate the citrus and olives groves, as well as the dying vines. Next, he called for horticulture experts and botanists from abroad and exchanged views with other specialists in the field, particularly from Kew Gardens on planning the strategy. Ludwig Winter was put in charge of the development of the garden and overseeing scientific experiments from 1868 to’75. Plants were grouped together in different zones according to their varieties and needs, keeping in mind the expert advice of horticulturists that each kind of plant thrived in an individual environment, required particular supplements and specific weather conditions. The Hanbury brothers contributed their efforts to this segregation project as well, highly experienced as Daniel Hanbury especially was in the propagation of rare medicinal herbs. This botanical paradise was therefore demarcated into various regions to suit the needs of the plants. The Japanese Garden, the Australian Forest, the Italian and other foreign gardens were created within the Giardeni Botanici Hanbury and became immensely popular with tourists and visitors. They are still one of the biggest attractions among people who make a visit there today. What is remarkable about this garden is that some 5000 species of rare, exotic plants from all parts of the world thrive and stand in the open air together, having successfully acclimatized themselves to their new surroundings. The enduring charm of the garden is the riot of colors provided by the blooms and foliage that undergo a subtle change as the seasons come and go in the course of a year!

On entering the garden from the mountain side some 3 kilometers from the border with France, one descends on about103 meters of spectacular cascading gardens leading to the Mediterranean sea, down delightful paths that wind around excruciatingly beautiful greenery covering some 9 hectares of forests, sweet smelling flowers, shy bamboos, medicinal plants like the eucalyptus, Mediterranean flora alongside different kinds of citrus and rare fruits of Asian and African origin that grow together in the same place.

When Cecil, son of Thomas Hanbury, in later years took charge of the management, he entrusted much of the upkeep of the garden to his wife Dorothy. Her contribution is remembered more for the skillful landscaping of the garden than for stimulating the greenery to more lush growth or color.

Daniel Hanbury passed away in 1875, signing away his rare collection of herbs and Matria Medica to the Pharmaceutical Society, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the British museum and some other organizations. Thomas Hanbury, despite his strong belief it was in the interest of the collection to keep it all together in one place, unhesitatingly complied with his dead brother’s wishes. He only asked that the rare plant collection particularly that donated to the Pharmaceutical Society be reared and cared for separately from their other herbs - in deference to his wishes this was readily agreed upon.

In 1890 the Pharmaceutical Society published a catalogue on the Materia Medica, it received from Daniel Hanbury and two years later one for the herbarium was also released. Many of the rare herbs had notes that had originally been compiled by Daniel Hanbury himself. Later when World War II broke, as a precautionary measure the rare plants of the society were sent into storage. It is alleged, for the sake of convenience they were later integrated into the collection of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and no longer kept as a separate entity like before. The botanical garden was not so lucky and suffered widespread damage, heavy losses and destruction due to the war.

The decline of the fabled garden began even before that, with the passing away of Sir Thomas Hanbury in 1907. Until his death, he remained a source of strength and succor not only to his unique collection of plants at the botanic garden but also to the locals of La Mortola, Ventimiglia and even those as far away as Alassio, with whom he shared his life for 40 years. Sir Thomas Hanbury’s lasting interest in botanical gardens encouraged him to donate a piece of land near London, where the Wisley Garden was established by the Royal Horticulture Society. Not much is known about this shy philanthropist and outstanding figure of horticulture of the 19th century, except that the Italian and British States decorated him for the great contributions he made to the regions. He built many schools for local children and several streets in Italy were named after him in honor and gratitude to his memory.

In 1960, scant years before Giardeni Botanici Hanbury celebrated its centenary, it was sold to the Italian State, since it had gone to ruin due to neglect and lack of funds. Today it is in the care of the University of Genoa - the Faculty of Science caters to the garden’s scientific requirements while the Architectural and Environmental Liguria Estates looks after the upkeep of the architectural edifices and buildings.

A group of people from different corners of the globe, who aim to bring back the original glory of the botanic garden, has formed an association called Amici dei Giardini Botanici Hanbury (Friends of Hanbury Botanic Gardens). Most of them are academics and nature lovers who collect funds to help repair the extensive damage caused by the two world wars, to the garden. They collect rare species of plants to replace ones that have been destroyed. People sympathetic to the cause are invited to register as members.

To learn more about Sir Thomas Hanbury, a compelling book written by Alasdair Moore, In the Footsteps of Thomas Hanbury makes interesting reading. It traces the remarkable life of the 19th century horticulturalist cum philanthropist and provides an insight into family documents and diaries maintained by the man. Moore himself was Assistant Head Gardner at Tresco Abbey Gardens at the Isle of Sicily and does justice to the task of writing this fascinating book on a gifted man in the gardening world, who commanded immense respect during his altruistic lifetime.

Tips for visitors who wish to visit the botanic garden,
Open from March to September, 10am to 5 pm – everyday.
In winter, open from 10am to 4 pm. Closed on Wednesdays
Admission by entrance fee.
Only 4 kilometers away from Ventimiglia.
Easily accessible by motorway, bus and train systems.
The State Railway has also a facility to book train tickets by phone and they are delivered at one’s doorstep.