Shirley Angela Sherwood (née Cross, born 1 July 1933) is a British writer, botanist and philanthropist.

Early life

She was born Shirley Cross. Sherwood was educated at St Anne's College, Oxford. She took a bachelor's degree in botany and a D.Phil. working on a project that led to tagamet.

Career

She is primarily a collector of, and author of books about, botanical illustrations. The Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, opened on 19 April 2008, at Kew Gardens is named after her. It was the first gallery in the world dedicated solely to botanical art. Sherwood has been described as a "driving force behind a revival of interest in botanical art". She is a vice-president of the Nature in Art Trust.

Honours

Sherwood was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to botanical art.

Personal life

In 1977, Sherwood married the businessman James Sherwood, who appeared in the 2004 Sunday Times Rich List. Her sons, Simon and Charles, from her previous marriage adopted his surname.