Large houses in England, such as Petworth House, Hampton Court, Blenheim Palace or Richmond Palace, are surrounded by gardens that are among the most beautiful in the world and are considered ideals of landscape architecture. Each of these gardens is like a fairy-tale pastoral scene with picturesque lakes, gently flowing streams on gentle slopes, meadows full of flowers, and trees casting shade on green lawns. It is not easy to notice that these harmonious and visually pleasing views are not the result of nature’s work, but of the detailed and long-term planning of one man – Lancelot Brown.
Lancelot “Capability” Brown was born in Kirkharle in Northumberland in 1715. He served as a gardening apprentice in the service of Sir William Loraine, from where he moved to Wotton, and then joined the gardening staff of Lord Cobham in Stowe, Buckinghamshire. There he served under William Kent, one of the founders of the new English style of landscape design. Kent became Brown’s greatest teacher. lj and close friend. In Stowe, Brown was responsible for the implementation of Kent’s plans, and gradually Lord Cobham allowed him to take over the projects for his friends from the aristocratic circle.
Lord Cobham died in 1749, and two years later Brown left Stowe to establish his own practice based in London. His first achievement was the lake at Wakefield Lodge for the Duke of Grafton; he was so successful that he was invited to redesign the park of the famous Blenheim Palace in Woodstock. There, he masterfully created lakes next to the bridge designed by architect John Vanbrugh and almost completely erased the earlier geometric plantings.
Stourhead Garden
The aristocracy greatly valued him and sought his services, and it is estimated that he was behind over one hundred and seventy gardens surrounding the most beautiful country houses and estates in Britain. He was so renowned that it was almost impossible to find a prominent house of that time whose garden he had not designed. During that time, he acquired the distinctive nickname Capab flexibility (ability, possibility) because of his habit of telling clients that their gardens have “great potential”.
The reason for Brown’s immense success was that he completely changed the prevailing trend in landscape design in the 18th century. André Le Nôtre was considered the greatest architect of that time, creator of brilliant and magnificent gardens in Versailles, France. Le Nôtre imposed an architectural pattern on nature with his landscaping designs, and his gardens did not have a spontaneous, natural expression, but a geometric, symmetrical, and very formal appearance.
Unlike Le Nôtre, Brown was a true impressionist, in love with the nature around him, in which he always saw inspiration. Brown believed that a garden should not only be a functional environment for grand houses, but must possess a certain beauty and evoke aesthetic feelings and pleasure in people.
Brown’s style exudes simplicity and elegance. He mastered the art of blending gardens with the surrounding natural landscape. a garden that is situated in a rural environment. Its gardens consist of wide, undulating lawns with winding rows of trees planted with the utmost care to create an impression of a romantic natural scene. The tree plantations provide visual openings that offer views of interesting landmarks, often classical temples, bridges, or monuments. Everything was meticulously conceived to create a sense of natural beauty.
Burghley House Garden
The resources Brown used were natural: he did not use carved stone or architectural shapes, but instead limited himself to lawns; water features (most commonly cascading lakes spanning several levels, creating the impression of a much larger body of water flowing through the park); various types of trees planted individually or in groups; and the undulations of the terrain. He often used low fences sunk into the ground, allowing different parts of the garden to blend together as a harmonious whole rather than appearing separate.
Using these elements, he created a He created seemingly simple and harmonious patterns without obvious symmetry. He worked all over England, often in unfavorable weather conditions, with limited technical capabilities, in rain, snow, and ice. Changing the course of rivers, moving mounds, trees, creating new valleys, working on unpredictable terrain, cultivating plants that were not always native to England – these were all challenges he had to face.
Despite the various obstacles, Brown persisted and always found a way to improve the existing landscape – his approach to work was creative and constructive. Everything he did was in complete harmony with the surrounding nature, and his gardens were a reflection of the client, adapted to the house they were next to and, above all, an expression of the deep sense of harmony and beauty of their architect-creator.
In 1761, Brown became head gardener at Hampton Court Palace, although he continued his private practice. He was extremely generous and often did not charge for his work. He charged for his work.
The natural landscapes he created and shaped are still maintained in gardens throughout England today. He died on February 6, 1783, in London, leaving behind an exceptionally rich legacy in the history of English gardening.