Humphry Repton: the life and career of the leading 18th Century landscape designer in one book

The Flora Journal

Aug 7

Widely acknowledged as the last great landscape designer of the eighteenth century, Humphry Repton created work that survives as a bridge between the picturesque theory of Capability Brown and the pastoral philosophy of Frederick Law Olmsted. By turns inspired by, and in opposition to the grandeur of Brown's estates, Repton's contribution to the British landscape encompassed a tremendous range, from subtle adjustments that emphasized the natural features of the countryside to deliberate interventions that challenged the notion of the picturesque.

'Humphry Repton: Designing the Landscape Garden', published by Rizzoli New York, and written by esteemed garden historian John Phibbs, is the definitive survey of the glorious British landscapes designed by Repton, whose influence is felt everywhere from the rolling meadows and kitchen gardens of English estates to New York City's Central Park.

This remarkable book explores fifteen of Repton's most celebrated landscapes, from the early maturity of his gardens at Courteenhall and Mulgrave Castle to more adventurous landscapes at Stanage, Brightling, and Endsleigh that would point the way toward how we envision parkland today.

The way Repton presented his landscape designs was a key part of his success. He produced 'Red Books' or folios of his plans, drawings, maps and a description of the improvements he proposed to make. They famously include watercolor paintings with overlays showing 'before' and 'after' views of the estate.

With photography by award-winning landscape photographer Joe Cornish commissioned specially for the book, reproductions of key illustrations, and plans for garden design from the famous red books that shed light on his vision and process, Humphry Repton illuminates some of Britain's most beautiful gardens and parks and the masterful mind behind their creation.