34 the countryman august 2016 35

The Best of British Gardens Andrew Baskott celebrates the remarkable life and gardens of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown on the 300th anniversary of his birth

The Shakespeare of gardening 36 the countryman august 2016 37

“ our estate has great capability for Until the age of sixteen, Brown Yimprovement” was a phrase reput - attended the nearby village school at edly used so often to prospective clients , part of the neighbouring by Lancelot Brown, it led to his nick - Wallington estate. His daily walk there name, ‘Capability’ Brown. But it wasn’t took him across Wallington’s farm - just the country estate’s that had great land; a natural landscape that perhaps capability, for so too did Brown; a man had an unexpected and lasting influ - described by a German prince as the ence on him. “Shakespeare of Gardening”. On leaving school, Brown became The fifth of six children, Brown was Sir William’s head gardener’s appren - baptised on 30th August 1716 (his tice. Working in the Hall’s kitchen gar - actual date of birth isn’t known), in den, this was his first introduction to the small stone-built church of St Wil - gardening. He stayed until 1739, when, fred, in the equally small village of aged twenty-three, he headed south to Kirkharle, in deepest Northumber - begin a career that would change not land. Born to William and Ursula only his life, but the English landscape Brown, the family lived on the too. Kirkharle estate owned by Sir William By 1741, Brown had reached Stowe Loraine. His father was a yeoman in Buckinghamshire, where he worked farmer, while his mother was cham - in the gardens of Lord Cobham who, Croome Park, described by Brown as a ‘hopeless spot’. bermaid at Kirkharle Hall. at the time, was even wealthier than the king. He worked under the direc - shire, the ancestral home of the 6th house and church at Croome, he saw tion of William Kent, a founding Earl of Coventry. himself as a ‘place-maker’ rather than father of English landscape design and It was to be a watery challenge. architect, and was at his happiest cre - whose ideas undoubtedly influenced Croome Park took its name from ating natural landscapes. Croome was him. Crombe, the Old English word for ‘a Brown’s “first and favourite child”, and Within a year, Brown was Stowe’s winding stream’. Croome’s stream was became a template for his works that head gardener and set about establish - sluggish and flowed through a shallow followed. ing his own naturalistic style. His first valley, creating a boggy landscape. With his reputation soaring, he major undertaking was extending the Brown described it “as hopeless a spot found himself criss-crossing the coun - garden’s Grecian Valley. Lord Cobham as any in the island”. His solution to try on horseback as ’s wealthy also loaned out his services to his aris - drain this watery ‘morass’ was to dig landowners clamoured for his serv - tocratic friends, further enhancing miles of culverts, and channel the ices. These ranged from his surveying St Wilfred’s, Kirkhale, where Brown was Brown’s reputation as a garden water into a new lake and river. an estate and drawing up plans for baptised in 1716. Previous pages, the cedar of designer. Brown’s serpentine ‘rivers’ were actu - buildings and landscapes but leaving Lebanon tree was one of Brown's favourites, Following Lord Cobham’s death in ally a series of lakes with the breaks his client to execute the design, to a here one frames the view across the lake he 1750, Brown moved to Hammersmith, between screened by clumps of trees, full-scale commission overseen by a created beside Vanburgh’s Grand Bridge and London’s market garden area. A year giving the illusion of a sinuous river foreman or, for a premium, Brown the lawns sweeping up to Blenheim Palace. later he obtained his first major com - meandering through the countryside. himself. Photos by Andrew Baskott. mission at Croome Park in Worcester - While he had also designed the In 1754, he began work at Burghley august 2016 39

between. He also made the odd foray into Wales, Scotland and Ireland, and many more estates copied his style. Despite his great success and wealth, Brown had never owned his own home. An omission he rectified in 1767, with the purchase of a house in Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire; with it came the title of lord of the manor. On 6th February, 1783, England’s Brown legacy can be found. An great place-maker died. The previous undated plan by Brown for remodelling evening he’d dined with his old friend Kirkharle’s parkland was discovered in the Earl of Coventry, but collapsed 1980. In 2010, his design for a serpen - while returning to his daughter’s home tine lake was brought to life. in Mayfair. He was buried in Fenstan - It is testament to Brown’s skill and ton’s churchyard. vision that so many of his landscapes One of Brown’s last commissions live on. His memorial perhaps best began in 1780 at Belvoir Castle in sums up his remarkable life by Leicestershire. However, his death declaring “More than genius slum - meant his plans were never fully bers here”. n Brown’s bridge at Burton Constable; facing page , Brown’s home – Fenstanton Manor. implemented. Recently rediscovered, they are now being used to complete To find a ‘Capability’ Brown landscape House in Lincolnshire. Over the next lake complemented Vanburgh’s Grand his envisaged landscape. near you and details of events twenty-five years he continued to Bridge and added to the existing Fittingly, the place of his birth is celebrating the 300th anniversary of his make improvements to the former Queen Pool. With an irregular shape where one final piece of the ‘Capability’ birth, visit www.capabilitybrown.org estate of William Cecil, Lord High and by damming the River Glyme, Treasurer to Elizabeth I, and wrote: “I Brown created an expanse of water as ‘CAPABILITY’ BROWN LANDSCAPE HIGHLIGHTS have had 25 years pleasure in restoring if formed by nature. Alnwick Castle , NE66 1YU; www.alnwickcastle.com the monument of a great minister to a His standing among England’s aris - Belvoir Castle , Leicestershire NG32 1PE; www.belvoircastle.com great queen”. tocracy reached new heights when, in Blenheim Palace , Oxon OX20 1PP; www.blenheimpalace.com In Oxfordshire, Blenheim Palace is 1764, he was appointed Master Gar - Burghley House , Lincs PE9 3JY; www.burley.co.uk one of Brown’s finest examples of dener to King George III at Hampton Chatsworth House , Bakewell, Derbys DE45 1PN; www.chatsworth.org.uk ‘place-making’. Started in 1763, the Court Palace. From his humble Claremont , Surrey KT10 9JG; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/claremont-landscape-garden Croome Park , High Green, Worcs WR8 9DW; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/croome estate’s 2,000 acres were transformed Northumbrian origins, he had now Hampton Court Palace , Richmond KT8 9AW; www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace on a grand scale. Thousands of trees achieved royal approval. Holkham Hall , Norfolk NR23 1RH; www.holkham.co.uk were planted (among them Brown’s There were few parts of England not Ickworth House , Suffolk IP29 5QE; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ickworth favourite, the cedar of Lebanon), while touched by Brown’s hand. In all he Kirkharle Courtyard , Wallington, Northd NE19 2PE; www.kirkharlecourtyard.co.uk parterres made way for lawns sweep - transformed over 250 estates, from Longleat House , Wilts BA12 7NW; www.longleat.co.uk/longleat-house Petworth Hous e, W Sussex GU28 9LR ; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/petworth-house ing down to a magnificent new lake. Northumberland to Sussex, Norfolk to Stowe Landscape Gardens , Bucks MK18 5EQ; www.nationaltrust.org.uk/stowe Dug out entirely by hand, the huge Devon, and practically everywhere in Trentham Gardens , Trentham, Staffs ST4 8JG; www.trentham.co.uk/trentham-gardens