An
article by L. Robyn O'Hara
Estate
park gardens were some of the largest and most majestic of
all the different kinds of gardens in the 18th century. Far
from the small kitchen and medicinal gardens of the commoner
or the orchards and infirmary gardens of the monasteries,
these focused on a new style of design for landscapes, and
the best operating example to compare for modern Americans
is Central Park in New York City.
If
you've ever seen Central Park then you have a good idea of
what these huge pleasure parks looked like. These were the
grounds of castles and estates. Acres and acres of neatly
tended lawn and walkways, statues and reflecting ponds, whimsical
topiaries and everything from low growing shrubs to tall fruit
trees made up this type of garden. With an eye for the natural
beauty of nature, these parks were well tended, but kept the
original shapes of the woods and moors that they were a reflection
of. The 18th century ushered in the age of landscape architecture
for England.
One
of the first great 18th century landscape designers was Charles
Bridgeman. Bridgeman became a popular name with other landscape
architects of his time with his very dramatic redesigns of
the estate gardens belonging to wealthy English nobles. He
laid out the plans for the extravagant estate garden of Lord
Cobham, which incorporated temples, finely carved stone statues,
pillars, summer houses, and a miniature replica of an Egyptian
pyramid. Bridgeman participated in the design of a garden
at Rousham House in Oxfordshire that included cascades, fountains,
square pools, an outdoor theatre, and a wilderness area that
could be viewed from a vantage point within the main garden.
He was an inspiration for the landscape architects of today.
These
estate pleasure gardens often ended with high walls, on the
other side was the forest, and often times the lord of the
estate would stock the forests with wild boar and other animals
to hunt at his leisure. These hunting expeditions were a big
part of 18th century wealthy entertainment, and while the
men were out hunting, the women would walk the smaller sections
of the estate gardens or sitting quietly talking by one of
the many reflecting pools. Walls were to ensure privacy and
their stark lines also set off the landscaped grounds.
These
gardens had full service areas for a luncheon. Stone pathways
opened up to covered areas were the lady of the house could
entertain outside, and her guests would be served lunch on
the huge patios by the servants. This brings us to another
excellent garden designer of the time, Capability (Lancelot)
Brown.
The
leading landscape gardener of his time, he was known for favoring
the distinctively English style of grand and picturesque,
"tended nature", and asymmetrically structured landscapes
with lots of expensive orchards and evergreen trees, expansive
lawns on which to have garden parties, meandering streams,
and sylvan lakes. (With streams and actual lakes, you can
begin to get an idea of how large these parks actually were.)
During the 18th century he was in high demand, as every wealthy
land owner wanted his grounds turned into an estate park.
Where at one time they only owned property or a large wooded
area, these medieval landscapers had to have teams of workers
to grade the earth and set up pathways, and often it was simply
easier to follow the natural rise and fall of the landscape.
The result was an amazing design, coupled with the natural
landscape as the earth had intended it.
Brown
began as a young gardener to the gentry and, working at the
famous gardens at Stowe during the 1740s, became a disciple
of William Kent. In 1749 he became a consulting gardener and
earned his nickname by often telling clients that their properties
had “capabilities.” Brown could reportedly take
any large area of land and recreate it as an estate pleasure
park. Brown created many of the most important gardens of
the 18th century, including those at Petworth House, Kew,
Blenheim Palace, Ashburnham Place, and Warwick Castle.
The
18th Century English, Victorian and Edwardian garden styles
each have their own distinctions. The background and tradition
of the English gardens started with the interest of the well
to do in the seventeenth century. Landscape paintings, increased
travel and a longing to have the French designs brought over
and made their own led the wealthy of this era to consult
and hire landscape architects. The English had begun to think
of nature as something beautiful and ideally wild instead
of the strict designs seen in the French designs of the day.
It's not that the 18th English gardens were not formal, they
were, and they simply followed a design of nature, for instance,
curving pathways instead of grids. The natural environment
of the estate was enhanced and accentuated to encourage picturesque
views, especially those views as seen from the high windows
of the second floor of the estate. From this vantage point
the owners could watch the seasons change in such a way as
to be inspired to write and paint, a popular pastime during
the winter months, especially for the lady of the house. The
English climate and current landscape made it easy for the
great designers of the day, as it was well suited to this
expression. William Kent and Lancelot "Capability"
Brown advanced this landscape estate garden expression.
Altering
topography, planting tree groves and creating natural looking
lakes were part of the process. While reflecting pools, square
and made from stone, were still popular additions to the parts
of the garden closest to the estate, you'd need only take
a short ride on your horse to see the lakes and trees further
out on the estate, carefully landscaped to look as though
they'd been there all along. Planting schemes were dominated
by indigenous species of evergreens and hardwoods, which was
just as well, as these were easier for the planners to acquire,
and most wealthy land owners were much like the homeowners
of today - they wanted their landscape in and ready to show
off yesterday! Plants were not as manicured as in the past
and typically left in their natural forms. The possibilities
were endless.
With
respect to the spatial planting of the era, the opening up
of the small gardens of the past enabled the landowners to
include more and more of the landscape, leaving behind the
formality in favor of nature, with her softer contours and
features.
These
huge pieces of estate garden lands were not only used for
pleasure. The wooded areas behind the park like surroundings
were often a source of income for the families who owned them.
The timber industry proved to be a lucrative investment for
the estate owners. The pastures were often turned into lush
lawns by allowing sheep to graze, providing another source
of income. The no fences or hedges idea for the English park
gardens and the grazing sheep in the landscape added to the
overall feeling of a natural English garden.
Interestingly enough, the reason that we have lawns today
in the United States is a direct result of 18th century landscape
planners. Not liking the moss that seemed to be everywhere,
these wealthy gardeners brought in grass seed. That's right;
the lawn that you work so hard on during the weekends is not,
in fact, indigenous! Can you imagine how time consuming these
parks would have been to take care of? The families who owned
these gardens must have been well to do, indeed.
Imagine
what it would have been like to roam these estate pleasure
parks in the 18th century, or be part of a wild fox or boar
hunt on your own property. The trees and open park like atmosphere
must have been truly glorious for the landowners to look out
at from the balconies of the estates. How elegant it must
have been for the owners and their guests to enjoy a picnic
lunch among the grassy slopes of the huge yard, or chase children
around these makeshift playgrounds of the eighteenth century.
Today
a small part of this era has been recaptured in the estate
parks; some are open to the public and have been turned into
public parks by the cities. You can stroll among the rose
gardens or sit by restored fountains, even eat your lunch
in some of the same spots as the people from long ago. What
a beautiful and wonderful way to preserve history. You can
find out which parks are open to the public and research more
about how these parks were constructed by typing medieval
or 18th century garden parks, or estate parks into your search
engine. May the grandeur of the past inspire you!
