LANDSCAPE GARDENING
1669-1788
When John Worlidge wrote, in
his Systema Horticulturae of 1669,"the new mode of Gravel walks and Grass-plots
is fit only for such Houses, or Palaces, that are situated in Cities and great
towns....where they have banished out of their Garden flowers, the Miracles of
Nature... But it is hoped that this new useless and unpleasant mode
will,...,grow out of Fashion", he was dismayed to what extent Formality
developed after the advent of William and Mary. With the help of William
Bentinck, George London and Henry Wise, the French and Dutch style developed
throughout England. Leonard Knyff prepared a series of topographical drawings
of the larger gardens of the time; these with the writings of Celia Fiennes,
give us a clear picture of the stylisation of the times. It was the vogue for
evergreens that led to the development of the greenhouse, to the point where in
1694 the hot stove was invented for the purpose of maintaining citrus fruits,
etc.,. Many books were published, promoting the techniques of
"husbandry"; New plants were being introduced to England from abroad.
Experimentation with pollination techniques ensued.
Fortunately, there were those,
who were perceptive enough to realise that garden design had started on the
wrong foot, with the Renaissance attempt to re-create the Roman scene.
The 3rd Earl of Shaftsbury,
thinking that plants were being used as secondary to the design and
architecture of the gardens, said in 1711, "I shall no longer resist the
passion for things of a natural kind... Even the rude Rocks, the mossy Caverns,
the irregular unwrought grottos and broken falls of Waters, with all the horrid
graces of the Wilderness itself, as representing Nature more, will be the more
engaging, and appear with a magnificence beyond the mockery of princely
gardens". Addison and Pope reinforced the cry of ridicule. The two names
to be associated with the irregularity are Charles Bridgeman and Stephen
Switzer, with the absence of parterres and the introduction of the use of the
'ha-ha’.
It was Lord Burlington (
himself the vanguard of Palladianism ) who brought back to England, William
Kent, who greatly influenced garden design from 1730. Horace Walpole says
"he leaped the fence, and saw all nature was a garden", but Schiller
saw that their minds were filled with "Nature excelled by Art".
Alexander Pope, friend of Lord Burlington and Kent, was much taken with this
new concept, and applied the ideas to his garden in Twickenham ( all of 100 x
200 yards ), with grottos, "Let Nature never be forgot but treat the
Goddess like modest fair, nor over-dress, nor leave her wholly bare; Let not
each beauty ev'rywhere be spy'd, where half the skill is decently to
hide."
Here it should be mentioned
that Pope was a good friend and mentor of Ralph Allen, who in turn was friend
of Edmond Prideaux.
Stow was much admired by the
gentlemen of the day, stated by Sir Richard Temple, continued by Lord Cobham (
his son ). The appointed designers were Bridgeman, then Kent and Vanburgh; in
1724 it had gained the reputation of being "the finest seat in
England".
Southcote developed the idea
of the ferme ornee, his garden becoming popular, many who visited went home to
copy the ideas. Lancelot Brown took over Stow form Kent. He had absorbed the
'natural1 style, Hogarth's 'Line of Beauty', Edmund Burke's 'Sublime and
Beautiful', Southcote's encircling belt of woodland; there had to be a stretch
of water in the middle distance, the river banks were left unplanted, ha-has
were used, groves or isolated trees were planted and kitchen gardens were
discreetly kept away from the general view. He went on to become Master
gardener to George III. The dispute was raised by Sir William Chambers between
Kent's landscapes with ruins, waterfalls, savage rocks and caverns ; and the
smooth serenity of Brown's landscapes. Yet Walpole says "so closely did he
follow nature, his works will be mistaken for it". Here European interest
was taken by Kent's work, favoured against that of Brown. Little else of note
was to happen in garden and landscape work until Humphrey Repton in 1788.
HISTORICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
1713 Alexander Pope : Essay on Verdant Sculpture
1714 John Lawrence : The Clergyman's Recreation
1714 John Lawrence : The Gentleman's Recreation
1714 John Lawrence : Gardening Improved
1715 Stephen Switzer : The Nobleman, Gentleman and
Gardener's Recreation
1715 Wolfe and Gandon : Vitruvius Britannicus
1726 Battey Langley : Practical geometry applied to
the Arts of Building Gardening
1726 Battey Langley : A Sure Method of improving
Estates by Plantation of Oak, Elm, Ash, Beech
1726 Battey Langley : New Principles of Gardening, or
theLaying-out of Planting Parterres.
1727 Robert Purber
: Catalogue of English and Foreign Trees.
1740 Christopher Gray : Catalogue of Trees and
Shrubs
1745 A Plan
of Mr. Pope's Garden and Grotto
1768 George Mason
: An Essay on Design Gardening
1770 Horace Walpole : Essay on Modern Gardening ( Strawberry Hill ) [ 1785 ]
1783 William Falconer : Historical View of taste for Gardening.