A REMARKABLE discovery by a North Cornwall bookseller has led to the return of a long-lost collection of botanical illustrations by Lilian Snelling, one of Britain’s most important botanical artists.

The rediscovered artworks, originally created at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) in the early 20th century, were identified by Tim Loe, a rare book specialist based in Coads Green, who stumbled upon the exquisite artworks at an auction house.

Many pieces of Snelling’s illustrations, known for their meticulous scientific accuracy and artistic beauty, had been dispersed over time, with some believed to be lost. However, thanks to Tim’s knowledge and expertise, these invaluable works have now returned to their rightful home at the research institute.

Lorna Mitchell, head of library services at RBGE, said: "We were incredibly grateful that Tim reached out to us, allowing us to return these long-lost pieces to our collection. If they had gone on the open market, the chances of us being able to purchase them would have been slim. Once they were clearly identified as Snelling’s, a whole new level of interest would have driven up their value."

Snelling, who worked at the research institute over a four year period between 1917 and 1921, produced an extraordinary body of work, much of it featuring newly described and named species of plants including some that were used to illustrate articles in Curtis’s Botanical Magazine. However, over the years, many of her pieces became scattered, misplaced, or forgotten. With the additional drawings found by Mr Loe, RBGE now holds over 500 of Snelling’s botanical illustrations, but experts believe many more remain unaccounted for.

Tim, co-owner of Loe Books, said: "Some of the pieces were labelled only with “LS”, which initially made their attribution uncertain. However, as soon as I saw the quality of the work, everything fell into place, and I knew I had to do everything in my power to acquire it."

Rather than keeping the collection or selling it for profit, Tim and his partner Kate made the decision to reach out to the research institute, ensuring that they would be preserved in the organisation’s Herbarium for future generations.

Tim added: "It’s very easy to collect things that are beautiful and put them in a drawer. But the real joy of a collection is sharing it with others.”

As part of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s mission to make botanical art more accessible, Snelling’s rediscovered works have been digitised and will be made available in their online database, allowing people across Cornwall and beyond to explore her work and remarkable legacy.

Lorna added: "Not everybody can come to Edinburgh to see our collections in person. To date, we’ve listed about 8,500 individual artworks in our digital collection. As we list them, they are photographed, which means we can share them more widely. Being able to offer digital access to these incredible pieces ensures that Snelling’s work can be appreciated by a much wider audience.”