Dr Brent Elliott is Historian at the RHS and has worked there for almost 40 years. He is the author of Victorian Gardens (1986), Treasures of the Royal Horticultural Society (1994), Flora: an Illustrated History of the Garden Flower (2001), The Royal Horticultural Society: a History 1804-2004 (2004), and most recently, RHS Chelsea Flower Show: a Centenary Celebration (2013). A former editor of Garden History, he is currently editor of Occasional Papers from the RHS Lindley Library.

He is a member of the Victorian Society's Buildings Committee, and for 25 years was a member of the Historic Parks and Gardens Committee/Panel of English Heritage. The RHS was founded in 1804, and is the world's largest gardening charity, inspiring passion and excellence in the science, art and practice of horticulture.