Category: Reviews

Saturday, April 26th saw the opening of the latest addition to Tolla Crisp’s Frogmore / Witherwood Thicket estate (Tolia also holds Goblin’s Knob under the Frogmore banner, but that sits apart from Frogmore / Witherwood Thicket on the grid).  All three locations tend to be collaborative works by Tolla and landscaper Dandy Warhlol (terry Fotherington), and I’ve covered them on numerous occasions in this blog.

However, the new area is entirely Tolla’s own work, and has been causing no small amount of excitement in the Frogmore group in the run-up to it opening.

It is called simply Nemo, and it’s name should give away the fact that it is an underwater environment. In this it both stands apart from the Gothic mystery of Witherwood Thicket itself whilst perhaps also adding another chapter to that location’s enigmatic presence.

Whilst comparatively small in size when compared to the above water element of the region in which it sits, Nemo is by no means a quick, easy visit. There is rather more to be discovered than might at first be apparent from an initial cam-around on arrival (part of the setting are nigh-on a half-region walk from the Landing Point. It is also a setting rich in detail – and I really do mean rich; a casual hop-in / hop-out a waste of time – Nemo is a place to be experienced.

That said, it is also a place leaning heavily into the use of PBR materials. I’m not sure of Blinn-Phong fallbacks are provided (I no longer run any non-PBR viewers), so if you’re not running a PBR-capable viewer, consider this a warning that Nemo might not appear at its best for you.

In terms of design, the setting really does bring together a lot. Tolla has made superb and considered use of lighting, colour density, reflection probe ambience and animated mesh elements to give a real sense of being undersea. The sea floor is beautifully carpeted in a mix of swamp grasses and ferns, corals, seaweeds, sea anemone, trees and vines as to create the sense of a living, breathing ecosystem warmed by groups of fumaroles.

Within this environment, all manner of (largely tropical) fish swim, including clown fish. Turtles might also be found together with the odd shark – although his grin suggests he’s not into causing mischief – while jellyfish rise and fall. The Landing Point sit within a ruined structure, its arches suggesting it might have once been a place of worship – although given the Witch King styled statue standing to one side, one has to ask who or what might have once been worshipped…

It is actually one of several submerged structures to be found within the setting. some of these appear to be as equally old; others perhaps more recent, their wooden forms having yet to give in to the predations of water and salt. There is an intriguing mix of detritus and jetsam to be found. An old canon which might be indicative of a ship having come to grief here (and indeed, there is a partial wreck a short distance away) vies with the car from a Ferris wheel for the attention of local growths, the car also sitting close to part of a carousel, suggesting both might have been tossed into the sea intentionally.

Paths wind through all of this, leading to ruins and structures, caverns and corners as if in a natural maze. Paths are lit  by sunlight filtering through from above, the glow of phosphoresce from plants and from what might have once been aboveground lamps which sometimes share space with marble and stone statues. Rock walls also mark routs and divide these underwater gardens into more discrete settings.

With a name like Nemo, the “Finding” part (as I’ve used here) easily comes to mind – but is the setting really about fishy adventures? Sure, there are clown fish – there’s even one on his own waiting to be found. However, to consider the name a direct reference to the Disney / Pixar film (and its sequel) might be a mistake. There is another Nemo worthy of consideration here; one again the subject of the Disney treatment – albeit in live action format in his case, as embodied by James Mason (although he is far from the only actor to have taken on the role in question).

I’m of course referring to Jules Verne’s anti-hero, Captain Nemo, commander and designer of the marvellous Nautilus. The reason I feel the “Nemo” reference is more to him than a clown fish is simple: within the set it is possible to find Nemo’s Study, a very human retreat, albeit it now flooded. There is also a submerged library – and Captain Nemo was most certainly a learned man; while clown fish may have many gifts, I’m not convinced reading is one of them!

Of course, we’re all free to let our imaginations construct theories and stories to go with the setting – and leave us not forget, it does lie under waves that wash against Witherwood Thicket, as if the setting might once have been a part of that landscape. So perhaps there is a story there as well. But whatever paths our imaginations take, one thing is abundantly clear, Nemo offers a richly engaging visit.

SLurl Details

• Nemo (Witherwood Thicket, rated General)

There seems to be something of an unintentional French theme  within my more recent region visits, what with my reports on Les Secrets d’Albane, Sous les Oliviers and Jardin des Lys. It’s not that I’m actively seeking locations with French-inspired names and / or themes; it just seems to be the way that serendipity is pointing me.

Well, to a degree. Because while I’m here again I’m covering a location with a decidedly French name – La Vie en Rose (“life in pink”) and itself a most famous name, being the title of the signature song Édith Piaf (who wrote the lyrics) – it’s not entirely a matter of happenstance. It is the fact is it designed by Beautiful Requiem (BeautifulDisaster Requiem) on behalf (and with the assistance) of Rose Ulrik (Rose Siabonne), the names behind the beautiful (if now closed) Clef des Champs, which I’ve covered on numerous occasions in this blog.

Covering slightly less that a quarter of the area of the Full region upon (and over) which it sits, La Vie en Rose offers a choice of environments to visit – with some caution required in part.

The main Landing Point is within a sky platform. Open-sided to the sky, this carries with it memories of the pastoral, countryside feel of Chef des Champs whilst painting a picture all its own. It’s a place filled with details and little points of interest – some of which might be easily missed if one is not careful. It is located to the west of the setting and alongside a natural arch passing through a curtain wall of rock. Within this arch is a teleport disc providing access to the ground-level part of the setting with three destinations – Beach, Location 1 and Location 3.

The latter takes the form of a tropical setting with view out over open waters to the south and east.  Four rental properties line the eastern beach (Location 3 on the teleport disc’s menu) – hence the note of caution when exploring. However, the southern sands appear open to the public (Location 1 on the teleport disc’s menu), as does the inland lagoon, served by falls dropped from the parcel-edge cliffs and complete with its own beach. It’s an attractive setting, lending itself to a range of EEP settings, but I’m going to be focused on the sky platform in this article.

To the west of the latter, and under the rocky arch mentioned above, the path passes by way of a pool of water fed by waterfalls to run alongside a stream bubbling and splashing its way southwards, in a hurry to join with a larger body of water watched over by cypress trees and carpeted in lilies. The woods along this path offer various places to sit – with some reached via a log bridge slung across the stream. Wooden boards have been laid over rocks placed in the water of the pool so that it doesn’t end explorations, allowing people to reach the grasslands beyond, where the trail resumes.

However, before being too quick to follow the path past and over the water, when stepping under the rock arch from the Landing Point, take the time to look to your right. You’ll notice another archway, this one in carved stone hung with vines a short distance away. A Buddha sits in its shadows here, waiting to greet travellers and offer them the chance to discover the cavern lying within the arch and the secrets it holds.

For those who prefer the open grasslands in front of the Landing Point, these are also cut through with a track that loops around a rocky uprising to become one with the path leading outward from the large pool and its cypresses as it passes by a greenhouse like pavilion on its left, and a Tuscan-style pavilion to its right.

When travelling outward from the path from the Landing Point, it is possible to take a shortcut to the greenhouse pavilion by means of stone steps and passing through a broken gateway guarded by a wisteria tree. This leads to a path skirting another little body of water tucked neatly behind the greenhouse. Shaded by blossoming Sakura and fed by a waterfall of its own, this pool has an otherworldly feel to it, thanks to the carved stone of the broken gateway and the elven statue at the water’s edge.

Most of the westward end of the setting forms an open meadow bordered to one end by shallow waters. Here horses graze, birds fly and sing, and the grass and wild flowers grow pleasingly tall. The waters can be reached via a grassy path, or those who prefer can wander through the long grass, imagining their hands playing over the tops of the grass and flowers, perhaps pretending they are a field of wheat as Hans Zimmer’s Progeny from Gladiator plays through their head (at least it did with me!).

Part of the land here rising to form the hump of a little hill. Straddling it is a cosy little cottage open to the public. It is one of two houses in the setting, the second (also open to the public) sitting atop a plateau of rock. Neatly screened by trees, it is reached via a climbing up the side of the plateau, the path upwards commencing at the point of anther entrance into / out of the cavern I referenced earlier might be found. This second house sits within an extensive gardens also packed with detail.

Throughout all of the entire setting is a wealth of detail – can you spot the poker-play frogs, the houseboat riding the waters of a pond or the osprey with its latest meal? Outside of the little hilltop house, a loose deck offers comfortable armchairs, one of which has a book placed down beside it as if temporarily deserted while the reader pops inside the house – only for the breeze to come along and riffle through the book’s pages, flicking them with its invisible touch. Multiple places to sit and pass the time are waiting to be found, and wildlife large and small awaits snapshots from those so inclined.

Smaller than Clef des Champs, La Vie en Rose is no less as visually impressive, photogenic, and relaxing within its sky platform setting. It is more than worth a visit – and should you do so, don’t forget the ground-level beaches!

SLurl Details

• La Vie en Rose (Pine Woods, rated Adult)

I received an invitation from Frank Atisso to visit the second of his public regions designs, which opened at the end of Easter 2025, following on the heels of Tide Haven, of which I wrote back in February 2025. The April 2025 design offers a similarly highly photogenic setting, but of a very different nature to Tide Haven.

Carrying the name Jardin des Lys – Lily Garden – the new setting is just that: a garden setting mixing formal and informal spaces built around a large main body of water festooned with blooming lilies lying serenely on its surface. Tall willow trees stand with heads bowed over the lake, boughs almost dipping leaves into the water as ducks swim by and an egret watches for careless fish.

The lake is supplied with water by falls on its northern side. It allows them to drift along its length, passing sweeping bays, a pavilion-topped headland and a lone flat rock of an island, before they finally exit the setting to the west.

Embrace the quiet elegance of Jardin des Lys — a lush, romantic escape where nature blooms in a harmonious melody of soft colours. 

– Jardin des Lys description

The Landing Point for the setting sits close to where the waters of the lake exit the region. It sits at the crossroads of paths visitors might use to explore the gardens. Immediately west of the Landing Point, a path leads to a tidy orchard, loosely-laid flagstones sitting between the trees. It appears some of the apples grown here are destined to be pressed and pulped for their juice – be it on its own for for cider: close to where the path strikes out towards the orchard is a table and cask where either juice or cider might be enjoyed.

A second short path leads south and through a picket fence surrounding a greenhouse and cloches. The former is now a cosy working space and the latter forcing tulips into growth and flower. A boat is tied-up at a little dock to one side of the greenhouse. Alas, it is not available for rowing out around the orchard headland and into the lake, bit does provide a place to sit and pass the time.

To the north, the path climbs a small plateau overlooking the lake. After meandering over the plateau and past the gazebo built there, it climbs back down via a stone stairway to head east and then turn north, offering a route to explore all the wildling garden the setting offers. This route includes passage to the the pavilion mentioned earlier, before passing over a little bridge alongside the northern waterfalls to reach the setting’ more formal gardens.

The latter – proudly displaying the date of their founding, 1873, in wrought iron over their main entrance, can be most quickly reach by heading due north along the final arm of the path at the Landing Point. The French theme of the region is continued here courtesy of  central statue of Napoleon I in horseback, possibly following his return to France following his first exile.

Around the central terrace on which Napoleon stands, the gardens are formally laid out into a series of spaces divided by a grid of paved paths. Reproductions of famous statues border the gardens, including Canova’s Venus Italica, commissioned by Napoleon, and version of the Borghese Gladiator and The Antinous Farnese, all of what present a mix of Greco-Roman inspiration. These gardens offer more places to sit – there are number of such spots spread across the region as a whole – , and provide access to two further buildings.

On the north side of the gardens, on the far side of the gateway leading into from the Landing Point, sits a conservatory which might have been built in Napoleon’s time, and is now the home of a tea house.

On the east side of the gardens, meanwhile, a narrow causeway rich in blooming roses and along which parallel lines of old power poles march, reaches out over the water to touch the octagon of large pavilion with glazed windows. It is of a style in which one could easily imagine a young Napoleon having an assignation with his mistress (later wife), Marie-Rose de Beauharnais (aka his beloved Joséphine) – the telephone and powerlines notwithstanding!

Throughout all of this Frank has, with the assistance of Vitoria Galli, filled the region with captivating detail, all the time taking care to ensure everything comes together in a perfect union. Nothing looks out of place here, and the various parts of the setting flow one to the next in an eye-pleasing and heart-warming grace and naturalness; Jardin des Lys is a place in which one can instantly feel at peace.

When visiting, I would strongly recommend using the Shared Environment, as this casts  the setting in the pink promise of a new day dawning, a hazy mist floating across the gardens and waters adding a glazing of mystery to the setting. Enjoy!

SLurl Details

• Jardin des Lys (Sweet Parfait, rated Moderate)