QUEEN ELIZABETH I - SCULPTURE IN THE ELIZABETHAN GARDENS

She was a complete surprise when I walked down the path.  I remember being totally enthralled. 

I knew nothing of the Elizabethan Gardens until I saw the sign a few days earlier, when we went to the visitor center at The Lost Colony. The garden has its own very interesting history of how it came about.  I will go into that at another time.  For now I want to share these photos.

From what I know of Elizabeth I, she would have been very happy with its beauty.  The sculptor was Jon D. Hair and she stands nine feet tall.

I have always had an interest in costumes down through the ages, and traditional clothing from other countries, which I have mentioned before. The details here were astounding. 

I also wanted to find out more about the design, and I did quite a lot of searching online. Eventually I found an article written in 2006, at a newspaper called the Virginia-Pilot.  The title reads, "Love of theater led to life's work in costume", and I was immediately hooked.  It told the story of a lady, Joan Brumbach, who sewed her first costume for a doll at the age of 4. As the article continues, her mother made home decor, clothes, Halloween costumes for her three daughters, and the seed was sewn, no pun intended.  She has had an interesting life and the article is a great read, but unfortunately when I check again the article had been removed. 

To get back to the focus of my post, Jon Hair chose the gown Joan had designed, from dozens of others he had studied, for his stunning Elizabeth.

I noticed a thick layer of cobwebs near the ruff of her gown, a sign of many tiny tenants .  

I also read a marker nearby that mentioned another tenant.  The Carolina Wren often makes its nest in the hand that holds the bouquet of roses.  

I tore myself away eventually, as it was time to explore the rest of the garden.  This is the day we visited The Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo, North Carolina.