He was one of England’s most famous landscape gardeners, considered a maverick in moving away from the dense foliage previously enjoyed by the upper classes. He changed the garden to a new typically English style of open grass, serpentine lakes and ponds and clumps of trees and shrubs. To his contemporaries, he was a minimalist. To us, his gardens look natural, open and inviting. Either way, Capability Brown revolutionised garden design and was responsible for some of polite gardens and parks across the country. Now, in honour of his work, a Capability Brown scheme in Northumberland will help children learn about this great man.
Badminton House in the 19th century – one of Capability Brown’s designs
Lottery Money for Capability Brown Scheme
2016 will be Capability Brown’s 300th birthday, so what better way to celebrate his birth than with a national lottery grant for various schemes across Northumberland (the county of his birth)? In 1770, he sketched a plan of Kirkharle Estate Park in his home town. The park would never be redeveloped and until 1980, his plan was lost to us. Fortunately, it was found that year in a house near the park. This year, the HLF as part of the National Lottery fund for good causes has been able to help.
Local schoolchildren from the home town of Capability Brown and the surrounding area will plant around 300 trees at Kirkharle Estate in order to bring at least part of England’s Greatest Gardener’s vision to life. This is not all we will see this year to celebrate his life. Many parks and gardens not normally open to the public will throw open their doors for visitors. Lottery funding has also been made available to enable private owners to put on events to help everyone enjoy the quintessential English gardens that Capability Brown created.