'Capability' Brown and Madingley Hall Garden and Grounds

The Church contains memorials to John Cotton Madingley Hall, engraving by Kip and Knyff, 1707 ‘Capability’ Brown (Bart.) and his wife Jane; and to Jane, their daughter. Brown is credited with helping to and Madingley Hall include the church into the view and making it appear as though part of the Madingley estate. garden and grounds The life of Lancelot Brown 1716 – Born Kirkharle, Northumberland 8. Madingley Church Baptised 30th August Ê The main drive was in this location at the time 1732 – Apprenticed to ’trade crafte or misterie 1. Madingley Hall and ornamental lake in 1824 that Brown was working here, but the tree of gardening’ Madingley Hall is an elegant country house avenue is a later addition. 1739 – Moved south to Stowe, then to built in the 16th Century and owned by the Hammersmith to set up on his own Walk up the drive and Hynde - and later Hynde Cotton - family until through the stone archway account, creating over 250 garden works 1871. In 1861 Queen Victoria rented the Hall (2). The walled garden (9) 1744 – Married Bridget Wayet at Stowe as a residence for Edward, Prince of Wales is to your left, with an 1756 – Arrived at Madingley Hall at the invitation of whilst he studied at Cambridge. The Hall, with entrance through a door at th Sir John Hynde Cotton (4 Bart.); Brown’s grounds and farmland, was sold to the the end of the hedge. first commission in Cambridgeshire. Whilst the layout of the University of Cambridge in 1948 and is now a 1764 – Appointed Master Gardener at Hampton continuing education and conference centre. walled garden is not 9. Walled Garden Court Palace attributed to Brown, it is a Sir John Hynde Cotton started to de-formalize 1770 – Purchased Manor of Fenstanton & Hilton delightful space with alpine beds, a rose pergola this landscape and gained permission to close th and a medicinal border. The walls were built at 1783 – Died 6 February. Buried in Fenstanton the village road. He sought out Lancelot Brown the same time as Brown was working at Other leaflets in the series describe Wimpole and engaged him in 1756. The handwritten Madingley. Gates on the south side of the Estate, The Backs Cambridge, and a walk around contract for the sum of £500 contains four walled garden lead out to the car park. Fenstanton village. Published in 2015 by Cambridgeshire Gardens Trust to celebrate the articles and an annotation by Hynde Cotton: Walk 2 (yellow) is ½ mile (0.7 km), ½ hour, a tercentenary of Lancelot Brown and sponsored by ‘Never executed nor any other but all was short version of Walk 1, centred on the views Specialist in natural landscaping materials done upon honor on both sides and never (3,4) from the Hall and the walled garden (8). Capability Barns, Huntingdon Road, Fen Drayton, repented by either’. Cambs, CB24 4SD 01954 231666 www.bannold.co.uk Capability Brown ‘improvements’ Walk 1 (in red) is 1 mile (1.5 km) ¾ hour, and Described in the Contract: starts from the stone archway (2). For Visitor Information: www.madingleyhall.co.uk/hall-and-gardens 1. Start at the east of the house and ‘lay in’ an Walk past the front door of the hall and take in the easy lawn slope down to the common road. long view across the sloping lawns, over the Lake. Filling in formal water scattered round. The ‘common’ road is hidden from view by the 2. Sloping lawns on the other (north) side of elegant landscape contouring typical of Brown. the house. The open fields beyond are framed on both sides 3. Gravel path all around. by planting which narrows to enhance the view (3). 4. Making good the coach road. NORTH 3. East view to the Lake Attributed to Brown: About 2/3 of the way along the terrace, turn right 5. The (lake) lower pond with the bridge that at the spiral topiary. Although not attributed to Ï is a sham Brown, the Yew Topiary Garden on the left of 6. The view to the east over the common road the path is worth a detour. continues to land added to the park (not Î Follow the gravel part of the park prior to Brown). Í Ð path to a T-junction 7. Views to the north through the wilderness and then turn right. grove were given an informal look. The path takes a The work included circuit ‘all around’ the lawns (5) and is in the making the previous Ì design less formal and same location as Ò Brown created it. At creating the Lake and the point where the view to the east from Ñ path passes the end the front of the Hall. of the Yew Avenue The other long views Basemap data © 2015 Google, Image © 2015 Infoterra Ltd & Bluesky (4) there is a gate and out to the surrounding Cross the forecourt and access the small raised stile to access into the 4. North Yew Avenue countryside are typical 2. Stone Archway terrace through the wooden gate. Continue Wilderness Grove (6). of Brown in style, but around the Hall to the north side and walking Continue along the gravel path to the Cedar of there is no documentary evidence to confirm along the gravelled terrace above the Croquet Lebanon (7) and a gate in the fence with a stile this attribution. A plan was created (undated) Lawn note the view to the north (4). The vista was leading past the pet cemetery. Over the stile, between 1757 and 1793 showing the here when Brown arrived, but he changed the follow the markers to reach the end of the Lake. landscape after the Brown improvements. The planting, making the Wilderness Grove more Cross the little bridge over the ditch and turn Old Schools Archway was purchased from the informal in appearance. He also added ‘clumps’ of right to walk along the Lake towards the University by Sir John Hynde Cotton and trees in the distant fields to draw in the wider entrance gates of the Hall near the bridge and countryside. erected in 1758. The walled garden was Church (8). created at this time as well. .

Load more