Lancelot, Humphry and Me

Over the last couple of days the garden team have enjoyed a bit of sunshine. So, instead of scurrying across the garden with our heads down and hoods up, we’ve been able to appreciate the spectacular views framed by the garden.

As I wrote in my last blog, a key feature of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown’s work at Uppark the late 18^th century was the creation of carefully orchestrated views for the garden’s users to explore and enjoy. However, the story of Uppark Garden does not end with Capability Brown.  In this blog post I’m going to explore the period from the 1790s onward, and particularly the work of Humphry Repton, which is the basis for much of our current restoration work.

1790s – 1820s
After Sir Matthew Featherstonhaugh’s death in 1774 and Brown’s subsequent death in 1783, the new pairing of Sir Harry Featherstonhaugh and landscape gardener Humphry Repton, heralded a second major change in the layout of the garden. It seems likely that a series of circuit paths date from this period. We have found traces of these paths in the garden and during the summer of 2013, archaeology students Sam (below left) and Jack (below right) carried out some excavations.

Repton is often referred to as Brown’s successor.  However, Repton’s designs were often less natural than Brown’s and included the sort of garden features which might have been seen in Rococo gardens.  An example of this type of feature at Uppark is the Coade Urn on the mound.

Repton’s work at Uppark also included the Portico and new north drive.  Plans for the new north entrance to the house are shown in the ‘Red Book’ of Repton’s designs for Uppark.  Intriguingly plans for other features which may not have been built included an informal Cottage Garden and a formal Rose Garden.  What does seem tantalisingly evident from Repton’s correspondence with Sir Harry Featherstonhaugh is that there would have been flower gardens at Uppark.

Repton’s work at Uppark, while not fully understood, is regarded as the most significant phase in the history of the garden.  This is why the section of border former Assistant Gardener Jo designed has been restored to the period 1810-1830.

Jo supervising the planting in September 2013

Later 1800s

After Repton’s alterations at Uppark, it seems that the garden did still undergo change.  Inevitably older plantings grew substantially over the years and new planting was also added.  A Country Life photograph from 1910 shows bedding in front of the East Pavilion which Dr Sarah Rutherford has identified as ‘typical of mid-late C19 schemes’.

1900s

By the time the National Trust received the garden in 1954 most of the 19^th Century path system shown in the 1873 OS map had vanished. The ‘Island Beds’ in the area north of the East Pavilion were added between 1991 and 2005 to add interest to a garden that had originally been ‘simplified’, an unfortunate reflection of the limited resources available at the time.

There are a lot of things that we can’t know for certain about the history of Uppark Garden. There has been a gradual change in the structure and use of the garden over three centuries, glimpses of which we see in the garden today.

In some areas, the garden team have been working to restore the 1810-1830s character of the garden. In the last few weeks we have begun to work on the next 20m section of the border which sweeps round inside the garden wall, following on from Jo’s work last year. We plan to complete the preparation of the area and the design work in time to plant in the early autumn.

However, just because we are restoring some areas to one short period in the garden’s history, does not mean that the earlier or later phases in the garden should be seen as insignificant. The garden is now enjoyed by many more people than at any other point in its life, and consciously or not, what we enjoy now is the result of centuries of change, and we’re not finished yet!

Winding Back the Clock

The clock tower in winter

My first three months as Assistant Gardener at Uppark have flown by.  Although I had some idea of what I was getting myself into I’m amazed at the variety of tasks and projects that I’ve become involved in.

One of the more unexpected jobs that the garden team take care of is winding the clock at the top of the East Pavilion.  Jo, Alan and Rae have all helped initiate me in the routine maintenance of the clock mechanism.  This is a weekly ritual that must have taken place since the 1750s (albeit with occasional gaps)  While winding away (it’s easier if you’re a bit distracted) it occurred to me that the clock had chimed its way through centuries of change in the garden.

I’ve become fascinated by what the garden at Uppark was like in the past and how it has evolved over the centuries.  Although I sadly can’t hop in a time machine, I’ve really enjoyed learning about the history of the garden by going on tours given by David, Julian and Bob, and by reading up as much as I can (particularly the Garden Conservation Statement by Dr Sarah Rutherford). While I’m definitely not an expert on garden history, this is what I’ve found out so far:

1703
The earliest known image of the garden shows a very structured and formal layout. While we don’t know how accurately the image represents the garden at the time, it is typical of gardens of the era, which were influenced by the formal royal gardens in France.
While there is little trace of this layout, it is a tantalising thought that some evidence of this layout (particularly the East Drive) may still exist beneath the present garden.

1720s– 1730s
While we don’t have much information about what was going on in the garden at Uppark at this time, there was a gradual transition towards a Classical Arcadian style of gardening.  This meant informal pleasure grounds which highlighted and manipulated ‘nature’ and featured increasing numbers of classical references.

An image that we do have from this period suggests a mixture of formality and informality.  There are straight avenues, but little to suggest the rigid square layout of Kip’s 1703 print. You can see this print in the ‘flower room’ in the house.

1740s

In the 1740s and into the 1750s, Rococo gardens featured Classical, Gothic, and Chinese influences to form complex gardens which could be ‘read’ like paintings or literature.  They often featured a circular route so that different features of the garden were gradually revealed.

Again, there seems little to suggest this kind of garden at Uppark.  A sale document from 1746 has been interpreted by Dr Sarah Rutherford to show: “Rectangular garden north of house, mount in pleasure ground to north-east of this, apsidal boundary to north flanked by woodland.”

It is certainly different to the garden we see now, although features like the mound are visible.

1750s – 1780s

After Sir Matthew Featherstonhaugh bought Uppark in 1746, significant changes were made to the garden by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.

Generally Brown is known for his ‘natural’ style of landscaping (in contrast to the more flamboyant Rococo style) and for creating large aesthetically pleasing parklands.

However, Uppark does not seem to have had a  parkland.  Dr Rutherford has described Uppark as:

“an unusual example of a discrete Brown pleasure ground designed in isolation from a large park design.”

It is striking from the plan that the boundary line of the garden seems similar to the current flint boundary wall.  The big mound (near the current golden gates) and the smaller mound (currently the site of the Gothick Seat) are visible.  There’s also a suggestion of ‘paths meandering’ through the pleasure grounds.

While Uppark was not Brown’s biggest commission, it seems that he would have employed the same techniques he used on larger projects. This would have included creating carefully orchestrated views for the garden’s users to explore and enjoy.

I’ve scratched the surface of the fascinating garden history of Uppark. In my next post I’ll explore the more recent developments in the garden.