Lancelot "Capability" Brown
Landscape Designer
Lancelot Brown was an English landscape gardener form the 18th century who was known more commonly as Capability Brown. He would receive this nickname from the many clients who Brown worked for after he told them that their property had immense capability for improvement. He has secured a place in English history as being one of the last great artists of England in the 18th century.
Others still refer to him as the greatest gardener that England has ever produced. Throughout his long and illustrious career Capability Brown would design more than 170 parks, many of which still stand today as a lasting legacy to the brilliance of this consummate artist.
Capability Brown was born in the year 1716 (exact date unknown) in the town of Kirkharle in Northumberland. Receiving his earliest education from Cambo School, he would have a modest start to his career by working for Sir William Lorraine as a gardener's boy. He then moved to Wotton to work under Lord Cobham, before again relocating, this time to Stowe in Buckinghamshire where he would become part of Lord Cobham's gardening staff.
At Buckinghamshire, Brown would have the opportunity to serve under William Kent, who was one of the key proponents of the newly emerging English style of Landscape gardening. It was around this time, while Brown was in Stowe that he met and subsequently married Bridget Wayet. The marriage would produce four offspring for the couple.
Because of his training in the new English style of gardening, Brown quickly found himself being highly in demand by the wealthy landed families in England who were keen to incorporate some of the innovations into their own garden designs. His work at Warwick Castle in particular attracted the attention of Horace Walpole, who in 1751 wrote in glowing terms of Brown's work.
Many of Capability Brown's works adorn the finest country homes and estates in Great Britain with fine examples still on view today particularly at Croome Court, Kew Gardens, Blenheim Palace, Bowood House, Warwick Castle and Milton Abbey. He would also design gardens for the Milton Abbas village and was involved in the design of the mansion house at Croome Court.
Interestingly, while he received many offers to design gardens in Ireland, he would never accept them saying that he wasn't done with improving upon England yet.
Initially, Brown would receive many criticisms for his groundbreaking ideas in landscape design such as his trademark of smooth patches of grass that led directly to the main house accented by groves of trees and unified by weaving lakes.
Brown's style of design differed radically from the previously accepted norms and leaned towards more natural arrangements in the style commonly attributed to William Kent. This was perhaps in reaction to the criticism that Alexander Pope and many other designers levelled on the former design practices.
Not everyone was impressed however; Richard Owen Cambridge was one of the dissenters and he expressed his hope that he would be able to see heaven before Brown had a chance to revise it.
Capability Brown died on February 6, 1783.
Original Authors: Doods Pangburn
Edit Update Authors: RPN
Updated On: 24/04/2007
