The Other Jekyll: Walter, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Friend and Gertrude’s Brother

When you wander through Astleham Garden at Chiltern Open Air Museum, you’ll notice that it celebrates the famous planting style of Gertrude Jekyll – soft drifts of colour, natural curves, and the feeling that everything has grown there effortlessly (even though it’s beautifully planned).

Portrait of Gertrude Jekyll by William Nicholson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

But did you know that Gertrude’s brother, Walter Jekyll, had a fascinating story of his own? He was friends with Robert Louis Stevenson, inspired a legendary literary name, and ended up living in Jamaica collecting folk tales and songs. Quite the life!

A Family of Talent

Walter Jekyll was born in 1849 in Surrey, the youngest of seven children. The Jekylls were a creative, curious bunch. Gertrude became one of Britain’s best-loved garden designers, blending art and horticulture into something entirely new. Walter started out as a clergyman, but that wasn’t to be his path for long.

After studying at Cambridge and spending a few years in the Church of England, he began to question his faith and left the clergy behind. From there, he threw himself into music, philosophy and culture — and eventually, a much more adventurous life overseas.

Stevenson and the Famous Name

Unknown author, published by the National Printing & Engraving Company, Chicago. Modifications by Papa Lima Whiskey, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Before his move abroad, Walter became friends with Robert Louis Stevenson, when both were living in Bournemouth at the time. Their friendship clearly left a mark — Stevenson borrowed the Jekyll name (pronounced Jeek-el in those days) for his 1886 story The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde that was written during his time in Bournemouth.

Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1442630

So, when visitors hear that familiar name in our garden, it’s lovely to remember that it doesn’t just belong to Gertrude the gardener, but also to Walter, the man who helped inspire one of literature’s most famous characters!

From Surrey to Jamaica

In the 1890s, Walter made a bold move: he left England and settled in Jamaica. There, he became deeply interested in local culture, especially traditional music and storytelling. He collected folk songs, ring games and Anansi stories — tales that mix humour, wit and wisdom. His book Jamaican Song and Story (1907) made a major contribution to recording and analysing Jamaican folk music.

Walter also mentored and encouraged a young Jamaican poet, Claude McKay, who went on to become one of the leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance - an intellectual and cultural movement of African-American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theatre, politics, and scholarship centred in New York City, in the 1920s and 1930s. Jekyll helped McKay publish his first book of poems, Songs of Jamaica, in 1912. They were the first poems published in Jamaican Patois, a dialect of mainly English words and Twi (Ghanaian language) structure.

The Jekyll Touch

Back home, Gertrude was creating gardens that looked like paintings come to life. She believed in planting with colour harmony, texture and rhythm — ideas that still influence garden design today.

At Astleham Garden, we celebrate that spirit. The borders echo her love of natural flow, with plants chosen for how they blend and contrast across the seasons. And knowing the family’s story adds another layer of richness. Walter’s life reminds us that creativity runs in many directions — from English flower borders to Jamaican folk songs!