Pioneer Information
Born in Wales, little is known about Hancock’s early years and education. By the late 1920s, he and his family moved from Wales to Sutton, Surrey, England. He became a Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society; in England his successful career included designing gardens for H.R.H Princess Victoria at her home “Coppins” in Iver, Buckinghamshire.
On May 31, 1930, Hancock sailed for the United States. Arriving in New York City, he promoted his design business by publishing an illustrated pamphlet, English Gardens in America. Exhibits at the Massachusetts Horticulture Show; an exhibition garden at Erie Station and gardens for the Lydia Duff Gray Hubbard estate, New Jersey; a rock garden exhibit for the Grand Central Palace, New York; and lecture tours and radio interviews followed.
Between 1933 and 1935 he built his most successful project in New York, the 11th floor roof gardens for Rockefeller Center. Called the “Gardens of the Nations” they emulated the cultural styles of gardens from Holland, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, and England. The gardens opened on April 16, 1935 and attracted over 87,000 visitors in seven months. In 1936, Hancock returned to England where he continued to design gardens until his death.
