English Gardens and Landscaping: A Pre-History

By Julie Baumgardner

What exactly is an English garden? Is there something really distinctive about such a garden? Well, in fact, an English garden is quite different from its counterparts, the French or Italian garden, and it is something that is unique to England. The garden is a more romantic and wild vision of a traditional garden. If one were to look at a French garden, he/she would observe that there is a strict and formal order to it, with severe lines, ordered rows and columns and patterned flowers. An English garden is just as formally planted as a French one, but the end product is something that looks less ordered with wild clusters of flowers and random plantings of trees and bushes and no specific carved shape. The idea of this type of garden sprang from the English connection to nature; the garden is after all man’s only successful attempt to be equal to nature.

The English school of garden design emerged in early 18th century, as it was a spontaneous move to create a unique and indigenous aspect of English culture. Many scholars believe that the movement was created by Sir William Temple, who studied the Chinese school of gardening and favored the sympathetic and friendly approach to gardening. However, it was not until 1709, when Lord Shaftesbury intellectualized the idea of gardening that there was a patriotic action to implement this type of design. Shaftesbury claimed that the "laws of nature were as universal and unchanging as the Newtonian Laws of the heavens" Because of Shaftesbury, a new conception of space and man’s relationship to nature and the earth was created.

The first example of the transformation from classicism and romanticism in the form of a garden was Sir John Vanbrugh’s garden at Castle Howard. Instead of creating a garden with long, straight avenues, the paths leading up to and around Castle Howard were curved and utilized the ground provided by Mother Nature.
However, it was really William Kent who popularized and nationalized the school of the landscape garden. As Horace Walpole said Kent was "the father of modern gardening" . Kent was a painter and an architect who not only invented the ‘ha-ha’ (or the sunk ditch; a sunken fence which did not obstruct the view of the garden, but created a barrier to keep the cattle away ) but also "saw all nature as a garden" . It was he who later synthesized the idea of the English garden and created two rival schools of garden design. Because of Kent’s artistic mind and eye, he felt that the garden should be constructed the same way that a painter would depict a landscape scene. This inspired Kent to create a new image for gardening and he drew numerous plans for large estates and castles implementing his new vision. Kent’s published sketches quickly became very popular and he was soon called upon to renovate the gardens of the Stowe Estate. However, as numerous scholars have noted, it was not Kent’s work that made this estate have a legendary garden. . It was rather the work of a simple garden hand who truly improved the estate.

The simple garden boy who transformed the Stowe estate and became a leader of the new school of English gardening was Capability Brown. Originally born Lancelot Brown, "Capability" was a name given to him because of his extraordinary work on the Stowe estate. He demonstrated much "capability" and from then on was granted the honor of such a name. Brown began his career as a simple gardener; however, he employed the unique techniques of Kent and was quickly promoted to the head gardener at the Stowe Estate. Soon, he became the head gardener of Hampton Court, which clearly demonstrated that he was the golden boy of the fashionable world. Thereafter, he was picked for numerous projects throughout England. Brown shall be remembered for truly implementing the new style of gardening throughout England and establishing this new style as the standard order, not just a passing fad.

So, why was there such a sudden change in the design of gardens in 18th century England? The English mentality towards nature is quite different than anywhere else in continental Europe. To the English, nature is very important to the well being of humanity and the preservation of one’s sanity. There are a few reasons for this transcendental and romantic view. First off, England is an island, an isolated country with abundant natural resources. Because the English culture essentially derived from tribes that utilized these natural resources, the general mentality of the English is to appreciate nature. By contrast, the French, a large part of whose culture derived form the Romans, had a very orderly way of creating their gardens. Secondly, the English, during the centralization of the power, following the medieval ages, cut down many forests in order to build cities and other infrastructure. It took many years to regrow many of the trees and other depleted resources. Therefore, the English have a nostalgia and appreciation for nature. Lastly, because of the severe class system in the medieval ages in England, many people did not own and live on their land. As a result, the idea of owning one’s property and piece of nature was highly coveted. To many, nature was the only was to avoid plaguing germs, infectious disease and ill metal health. In fact, during industrialization and still today, many English find it to be more appealing to live in a house with a bit of property than in an apartment in a city. Somewhere within the English culture there is this romantic idea that nature is a very precious thing and should not be taken for granted nor destroyed. This mentality created the popular cry for a more organic and romantic planning of everything from gardens to city blocks.

Although it may seem like a bizarre concept, the English garden design is a very romantic and transcendental. However, it is not a strange concept at all. Romanticism and Transcendentalism were movements in the 19th century that emphasized the idea of returning back to nature to find one’s self and become at peace with the natural order of the world. English gardens, like both of these movements, stress this exact idea of letting the natural landscape remain. If one were to look at the typical English garden, he/she would see many patches of trees, curvy, winding paths and rolling hills. If the same person were to look at a landscape piece from the Romantic period in painting, then he/she would see basically the same thing. The English garden thus is a completely romantic idea for it advocates the preservation of natural beauty as opposed to a planned and constructed image.

In the early 18th century when the first inklings of the idea of romantic garden planning occurred in England, no one knew that this very idea would change how England would be constructed. If one looks at practically any English city, many of the streets and parks resemble those of the English garden design. Also, the estates in the English country side are constructed in the same romantic, transcendental manner. Because of the cultural implications and the English appreciation for nature, the construction of the infrastructure is completely different from other Continental European country. Who knew that gardens could have such a dramatic effect on the creation of a society?

Sources:
1. The Landscape of Man: Shaping the Environment from Prehistory to the Present Day; Jellicoe, Geoffrey and Susan
Van Nostrand Reinhold Company; New York; c. 1975
2.Design on the Land: The Development of Landscape Architecture; Newton, Norman T.
Harvard University Press; Cambridge, Mass; c. 1971
3. The Englishman’s Garden; Lees-Milne, Alvilde and Verey, Rosemary
David R. Godine Publisher; Boston; c. 1982
4. The Englishwoman’s Garden: Lees-Milne Alvilde and Verey, Rosemary
CHatto and Windus; London; c. 1980