Ella Christie
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Isabella "Ella" Robertson Christie (21 April 1861 – 29 January 1949) was a pioneering Scottish traveller and explorer, landowner, gardener and author.


Early life

Christie was born on 21 April 1861 at Millbank in Cockpen, near Bonnyrigg, to Alison (née Philp, c.1817–1894) and John Christie (1824–1902), a Scottish industrialist and landowner. Christie had an elder brother, John Coldwells who died in childhood in his 12th year in 1872, and a younger sister, Alice Margaret. In 1865 Christie's father purchased the Castleton estate in the Ochils, renaming it Cowden Castle, and the family moved there. Christie and her sister were educated at home by her parents and governesses. From an early age she made annual trips with her parents to Europe including
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and the
Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...
. After her mother's death and her sister's marriage Christie continued to travel with her father and also alone or with a friend. She visited
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
,
Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
and
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
and started to write about her trips. On her father's death in 1902 it was found that he had disinherited both Christie and her sister, leaving the entirety of his estate to an orphanage that he had founded without their knowledge. They contested the will and in 1903 it was settled with the estate being divided between the two sisters and the orphanage. Christie lived on at Cowden Castle and managed the estate.


Travels

After her father's death Christie's travels became more ambitious and she began to travel more widely. From 1904 to 1905 she travelled with her maid, Humphries, initially to India and then on to
Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...
,
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
,
Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
,
Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
and
Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...
. Being well connected and carrying letters of introduction she attended a banquet with the
Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...
of Kashmir and dined with Lord Kitchener. Her adventures saw her camping in the snow at Chorbat Pass, sailing in a cargo ship full of pigs, travelling by pack horse and cart in the Kashmir wilderness and trekking by foot for in the Desoi mountains. In 1907, she visited China, Korea and Japan. While in Japan Christie was fascinated by the Japanese formal style of gardening, an interest that would inspire her to create a Japanese garden at Cowden Castle. In 1910, she packed a camp bed, stove, lamp, oatmeal and biscuits and travelled to
Russian Turkestan Russian Turkestan () was a colony of the Russian Empire, located in the western portion of the Central Asian region of Turkestan. Administered as a Krai or Governor-Generalship, it comprised the oasis region to the south of the Kazakh Steppe, b ...
. Her journey took her to
Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
across the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
, through
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
to the
Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...
and onward to
Ashkabad Ashgabat (Turkmen language, Turkmen: ''Aşgabat'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies between the Karakum Desert and the Kopet Dag, Kopetdag mountain range in Central Asia, approximately 50 km (30  ...
and
Merv Merv (, ', ; ), also known as the Merve Oasis, was a major Iranian peoples, Iranian city in Central Asia, on the historical Silk Road, near today's Mary, Turkmenistan. Human settlements on the site of Merv existed from the 3rd millennium& ...
. She travelled by train and boat along the
Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...
, visiting
Bukhara Bukhara ( ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan by population, with 280,187 residents . It is the capital of Bukhara Region. People have inhabited the region around Bukhara for at least five millennia, and t ...
,
Samarkand Samarkand ( ; Uzbek language, Uzbek and Tajik language, Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central As ...
,
Kokand Kokand ( ) is a city in Fergana Region in eastern Uzbekistan, at the southwestern edge of the Fergana Valley. Administratively, Kokand is a district-level city, that includes the urban-type settlement Muqimiy. The population of Kokand was ap ...
, and finally Andhizan. Christie undertook a further trip to the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
in 1912. Starting in
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
she travelled by train, steamer and
droshky A droshky or drosky (; ) is a term used for a four-wheeled open carriage used especially in Russia. The vehicle has a long bench on which the driver or passengers sit as if on a saddle, either astride or sideways ''Sideways'' is a 2004 Am ...
to
Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...
, Samarkand and
Khiva Khiva ( uz-Latn-Cyrl, Xiva, Хива, ; other names) is a district-level city of approximately 93,000 people in Khorazm Region, Uzbekistan. According to archaeological data, the city was established around 2,500 years ago. In 1997, Khiva celebr ...
. She was the first British woman to visit Khiva. In 1914, she visited the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
. While she was in the United States, she visited her American cousin, Miss Katherine M. Hill of
Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...
, who was also a maiden lady. Christie kept an account of her travels in her diaries and she was in regular correspondence with her sister. She later wrote about her trips to the Russian Empire in the book ''Through Khiva to golden Samarkand''.


World War I

In 1916, Christie travelled to France to become the manager of the ''L'Oeuvre de la Goutte de Café'' at
Bar-sur-Aube Bar-sur-Aube (, literally ''Bar on Aube (river), Aube'') is a Communes of France, commune and a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture in the Aube Departments of France, department in the Grand Est region of France. Surrounded by hills and ...
. This network of cafés was established by the French and
British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society () is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with 1 ...
as places for tired soldiers to relax and rest. The café that Christie managed was staffed by five Scottish women and served the soldiers fighting at the
Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun ( ; ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in French Third Republic, France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...
. From 1918 to 1919 Christie oversaw another '''LOuevre de la Goutte de Café'' at
Mulhouse Mulhouse (; ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Mìlhüsa'' ; , meaning "Mill (grinding), mill house") is a France, French city of the European Collectivity of Alsace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France). It is near the Fran ...
.


Japanese garden at Cowden Castle

After her visit to Japan in 1907 Christie was inspired to create a
Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...
at her home at Cowden Castle. She employed Taki Handa, from the Royal School of Garden Design in
Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...
, to help plan and design the garden. The
burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ionizing radiation (such as sunburn, caused by ultraviolet radiation). Most burns are due to heat from hot fluids (called scalding), soli ...
on the estate was dammed and a hollow made to create an artificial
loch ''Loch'' ( ) is a word meaning "lake" or "inlet, sea inlet" in Scottish Gaelic, Scottish and Irish Gaelic, subsequently borrowed into English. In Irish contexts, it often appears in the anglicized form "lough". A small loch is sometimes calle ...
. A pond and island garden was developed along with a stroll garden and a tea-house garden. Plants, shrubs, trees and a traditional stone lantern were imported from Japan. The garden was named ''Shāh-raku-en'' meaning a place of pleasure or delight. Christie was advised on the form, maintenance and development of the garden by Professor Jijo Soya Suzuki, Master of the Soami School of Imperial Design. Suzuki considered the garden to the best Japanese garden in the Western world. Shinzaburo Matsuo lived and worked at Cowden as gardener from 1925 until his death in 1937. Queen Mary visited the garden in the late 1930s. After Christie's death in 1949 the garden was maintained by workers on the Cowden estate. In 1963 it was vandalised and the tea-houses and bridges were burned, and the lanterns and shrines knocked into the loch. In 2014 Christie's great great niece Sara Stewart started a fundraising campaign to raise £1,000,000 to restore the garden. Japanese garden at Cowden opened in 2019.


Fellowships

Christie was a fellow Royal Geographical Society of Scotland, she was a Member of Council and in November 1934 she became a vice-president of the Society. She was also a Fellow of the
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland. The usu ...
. On 15 January 1913 the
Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
voted to allow women to be elected members of the Society. On 10 February 1913 Christie was in the first cohort of women to be elected Fellows.


Death

Christie died of
leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...
on the 29 January 1949 at Strathearn Road, Edinburgh. She is buried in the Christie family plot at
Muckhart Muckhart () commonly refers to two small villages in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, Pool of Muckhart () and Yetts o' Muckhart. Muckhart is one of the Hillfoots Villages, situated on the A91 road, A91 around northeast of Dollar, Clackmannanshire, ...
churchyard, east of Cowden. Her gardener Matsuo lies just to the south.


Books

Christie authored and co-authored several books about her travels, two of which she wrote with her sister, Alice. * ''Fairy tales from Finland'' / Zacharias Topelius, Ella R. Christie, Ada Holland. London : Unwin, 1896. * ''Fare and physic of a past century'' / Ella R. Christie and Alice M. Stewart. Edinburgh : David Douglas, 1900. * ''A summer ride through western Tibet'' / Jane Ellen Duncan, August Hermann Francke, Hayward Porter, Herman B Marx, Ella R. Christie. London : Smith, Elder & Co., 1906. * ''Ratione receipts f ye great warre: in aid of the Scottish Red Cross'' / Ella R. Christie. Edinburgh : Thomas Allan, 1918. * ''Through Khiva to golden Samarkand; the remarkable story of a woman's adventurous journey alone through the deserts of Central Asia to the heart of Turkestan'' / Ella R. Christie. London : Seeley, Service & Co., 1925. * ''Ration recipes'' / Ella R. Christie. Edinburgh : Thomas Allan, 1939. * ''A long look at life : by two Victorians'' / Ella R. Christie and Alice M. Stewart. London : Seeley, Service & Co., 1940.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christie, Ella 1861 births 1949 deaths Scottish travel writers Women of the Victorian era British women travel writers Female explorers Scottish explorers Scottish gardeners Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland