Posted on 10/03/2011 9:37:10 AM PDT by sussex
"…if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden…"
These days on the cusp between September and October have been gloriously sunny and warm so it seemed appropriate for us to take a wander around nearby Sheffield Park. With grassy slopes, peaceful lakes and sweeping trees it’s a fitting memorial to the genius of Lancelot “Capability” Brown who originally laid it out 250 years ago.
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Very pretty.
I want to know who trespassed in my back yard to take those pictures!!!
nice.
Oh to be in England now that Autumn’s here.
Brings back such fond memories.
Michaelmas Term at Merton College. Gads, it was absolutely wonderful this time of the year.
Interesting. I only wonder if there are surviving notes and drawings by Mr. Brown still extant.
He laid out the shape of the lakes and the layout of the paths and structures. Did he choose each individual tree and bush we see reflected in the water? How many of the plants date back to that time or did they die and have to be replaced to plan piecemeal? Of course, successive owners have made changes over the centuries but I wonder if they have been documented?
Doubtless the gardens have been depicted in art and photography quite a few times. I wonder if anyone has collected and referenced them?
It reminded me of reading all the details of gardens and country estates and planning of the “situations” and angles as described by Jane Austen in all of her novels and how they would walk them for miles. Nice.
Strangley enough, although he is a very important 18th century figure there is no fully documented biography. I suppose you could say his gardens are his documents.
He came from a very humble background, a farm labourers son who became a gardeners boy.
He became very well respected by high society and made a lot of money from his work and was able to buy his own estate.
I guess that very few of his original plantings are left but his overall designs/ideas have been sustained.
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