Recorded Talk: A History of Gardens 3 - Lancelot Brown

For those who missed the third series of A History of Gardens, which originally ran in November 2024, this is a chance to access the recordings of the talks.

You can buy a ticket for the whole recorded series, or for any of the individual sessions. The recordings will all be available from 19th Aug to 30th Sep 2025. You will also receive the short reading list produced for the original run of the series.

A History of Gardens from the Gardens Trust is suitable for anyone curious about gardens and their stories – whether absolute beginners or those with some garden history knowledge. It aims to help participants recognise important eras, themes and styles in mainly British garden history from the earliest times to today, grasp something of the social, economic, political and international contexts in which gardens have been created and find greater pleasure in visiting historic gardens.

This introductory series can be followed by the ‘Building the C18th Garden’ talks that we’re running from late October, for those who would like to know more.

We will be offering access to recordings of talks from the subsequent series of A History of Gardens over the next few months.

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A HISTORY OF GARDENS 3: 18th-CENTURY GARDENS

The Georgian era is often seen as the pinnacle of garden design in England, as the formal, baroque style of the late 17th century gave way to the looser, more naturalistic designs of what became known as the English Landscape Movement. It was a style that spread around the world.

This series will trace the development of the landscape style, beginning with early examples full of decorative garden buildings and classical allusions, and then the impact of England’s most famous landscape designer, Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, who laid out vast parklands with rolling lawns, serpentine lakes and clumps of trees. As we’ll see, the century ended with a clash between the wild, rugged aesthetic of the Picturesque and the start of a return to formality and ornamentation in garden-making.

As well as examining individual gardens and designers, we will explore some of the myriad social and economic influences at work on Georgian design. These included political upheaval, changing land use, foreign trade and the lure of exoticism, alongside the impact of the European ‘Grand Tour’ undertaken by wealthy men, which instilled an admiration for classical art and poetry, and for French and Italian landscape painting.

This ticket is for this individual talk and costs £8, and you may purchase tickets for other individual sessions via the links below, or you may purchase a ticket for the series of 5 available talks in our History of Gardens 3 Course at £35 via the link here. (Gardens Trust members £6 each or all 5 for £26.25)

Tickets will be released on 19th Aug, and the recordings will be available to view until 30th September 2025. The Zoom links will be in the confirmation email sent directly after booking, if you do not receive that email, please contact us.

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Recording 1: Early Landscape Gardens with Oliver Cox. First in a series of 5 online lectures, £8 each or all 5 for £35 (Gardens Trust members £6 each or all 5 for £26.25)

Recording 2: Poetry and Prose with Judith Hawley. Second in a series of 5 online lectures, £8 each or all 5 for £35 (Gardens Trust members £6 each or all 5 for £26.25)

Recording 3: Lancelot Brown: Assessing the ‘Capabilities’ with Laura Mayer. Third in a series of 5 online lectures, £8 each or all 5 for £35 (Gardens Trust members £6 each or all 5 for £26.25)

Recording 4: Chinoiserie: Tea, Trade Routes & a Taste for the ‘Exotic’ with Laura Mayer. Fourth in a series of 5 online lectures, £8 each or all 5 for £35 (Gardens Trust members £6 each or all 5 for £26.25)

Recording 5: Humphry Repton: from Picturesque provocateur to Regency ornamentalist with Laura Mayer. Last in a series of 5 online lectures, £8 each or all 5 for £35 (Gardens Trust members £6 each or all 5 for £26.25)

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Recording 3: Lancelot Brown: Assessing the ‘Capabilities’ with Laura Mayer

The architect and designer Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, born in 1716, is credited with formulating the iconic English landscape garden. Even today, his rolling lawns, scattered with tree clumps and ornamented with glittering lakes, continue to define our perception of rural Britain. As a result, his hundreds of landscapes have eclipsed the study of eighteenth-century garden history almost entirely.

Both a visionary and a practical plantsman, the scale of Brown’s work is truly extraordinary. However, no designer works within a cultural vacuum, leading us to question just how many of his landscape schemes can be attributed solely to him. And when we look at the man behind the name, what, in fact, was Brown’s greatest ‘capability’? This lecture considers that it was not just his aesthetic insight – nor even his practical gardening talents – that set Brown apart from his peers, but arguably something entirely more mercenary.

Dr Laura Mayer is an independent lecturer, writer and researcher, with an MA in Garden History and a PhD in eighteenth-century patronage. Originally an art historian with a side of Spanish, she accidentally fell into garden history whilst working at the Alhambra in Granada. Laura has published extensively – particularly on Lancelot Brown and Humphry Repton – as well as on the historic gardens of Cambridgeshire. She lectures regularly for Cambridge University Botanic Gardens and works as a conservation consultant for the National Trust and Land & Heritage. Laura lives in Bristol, in a lilac-and-blue Georgian house with a tiny garden overlooking Repton’s Ashton Court estate.

Image: The Brownian landscape at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, photo ©Jill Sinclair

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We’re grateful to Wooden Books, sponsor of the first five series of A History of Gardens.

Wooden Books, the world’s leading Liberal Arts and Sciences pocket series.

From Mazes & Labyrinths to Mathematical Functions, from Mythological Animals to the Miracle of Trees. From Portals, to Proportion, to Poisonous Plants and Poetic Metre & Form. Wooden Books are beautifully illustrated on every page. Learn about Li. Slip into Shadows. Get a grip on the Golden Section. Small books, big ideas.

"Fascinating" FINANCIAL TIMES. "Beautiful" LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS. "Rich and Artful" THE LANCET. "Genuinely mind-expanding" FORTEAN TIMES. "Excellent" NEW SCIENTIST. "Stunning" NEW YORK TIMES.

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