Susana, Lady Walton (30 August 1926 – 21 March 2010), born Susana Valeria Rosa Maria Gil Passo, was the Argentinian wife of the British composer Sir William Walton (1902–1983). She was a writer and the creator of the gardens of La Mortella on the island of

Ischia Ischia ( , , ) is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about from the city of Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Although inhabited since the Bronze Age, as a Ancient G ...

, Italy. Born in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

in 1926, Lady Walton was the daughter of a prominent Argentinian lawyer, Dr Enrique Gil. She was educated at a college run by Spanish nuns where she took a diploma in accountancy followed by a degree as a public translator in English. She was working at the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

in Buenos Aires when she met Walton in October 1948. They married two months later in December 1948. The couple settled on the Italian island of

where she created the gardens of La Mortella. The residence hosted many celebrities, including

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

and

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; born Vivian Mary Hartley; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. After completing her drama school education, Leigh appeared in small roles in four films in 1935 and progress ...

Hans Werner Henze Hans Werner Henze (1 July 1926 – 27 October 2012) was a German composer. His large List of compositions by Hans Werner Henze, oeuvre is extremely varied in style, having been influenced by serialism, atonality, Igor Stravinsky, Stravinsky, Mu ...

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and

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. William Walton died at La Mortella on 8 March 1983. Lady Walton appeared alongside her husband in his only acting role; King

Frederick Augustus II of Saxony Frederick Augustus II (; 18 May 1797 – 9 August 1854) was King of Saxony and a member of the House of Wettin. He was the eldest son of Maximilian, Prince of Saxony – younger son of the Elector Frederick Christian of Saxony – by h ...

as the King's wife Maria Anna of Bavaria in the 1983 miniseries ''Wagner'', directed by

Tony Palmer Anthony or Tony Palmer may refer to: * Anthony Palmer (VC), English recipient of the Victoria Cross * Anthony Palmer (British Army officer) (born 1949), deputy chief of the Defence Staff * Tony Palmer (director) (born 1941), British film director ...

. She also appeared in Palmer's documentary ''William Walton: At the Haunted End of the Day'' (1981) and in

Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of ...

's ''Classic Widows'' (1995). Shortly after her marriage she had an abortion at Walton's insistence, as he did not want any children. She wrote two books and founded the William Walton Foundation in 1983. In 2002,

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

visited La Mortella Garden and Lady Walton. Lady Walton was awarded an honorary degree from the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

, an MBE in 2000 and the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

(''Grande Ufficiale''). In 1990 she made a well-received recording of Walton's ''

Façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

''. She died on 21 March 2010, aged 83, from natural causes.

Books

* Walton, Susana. ''William Walton: Behind the Façade'', Oxford University Press (1988). * Walton, Susana. ''La Mortella: An Italian Garden Paradise'', New Holland Publishers (2002).

References

External links

Official site La Mortella.

Giardini Ravino (Archived copy, formerly at ''www.ravino.it'').

Obituary in Italian.
*. *. {{DEFAULTSORT:Walton, Susana 1926 births 2010 deaths Argentine expatriates in Italy Women horticulturists and gardeners Members of the Order of the British Empire Writers from Buenos Aires 20th-century Argentine women writers 20th-century Argentine writers 20th-century Italian women writers William Walton