Class Trip: 18th Century Landscapes

As part of our course, Professor Peter took the class to Rousham and Stowe, estates that have gardens designed by 18th century landscape artists and have survived intact through the years. Professor Peter gave us the guided tour of both places while letting each of us locate and read the scenes that appeared throughout the landscape.

Rousham House was built in 1635 by Sir Robert Dormer and is still owned by the original family. The owners charge visitors £4 for spending an entire day on their property. People are allowed to bring food, books, etc. and enjoy the landscape at their leisure.

In harmony to the 18th century landscaping, the garden is not meant to be seen in any particular order; the foot paths, forest openings and small rivers take you from one beautiful scene to another. It is a landscape that was meant to be read and understood by the visitors. It was designed by William Kent and has become a place of pilgrimage for students studying the work of this artist. Kent added the wings and the stable block to the house in addition to making some alterations to the interior.

On the left is a picture of the inside of a pigeon house. Pigeons were a popular dish because they were less expensive than chickens or ducks. The house is a circular structure lined on the inside with small holes where pigeons nest during the year and are thus available when needed... yummy!

The owners of big estates (such as Rousham) grew fruits and vegetables for personal use and to sell in the nearest towns. As a result, Rousham was equipped with a working vegetable and rose garden, in addition to an orchard with apple, pear and peach trees, all of which are open to curious visitors.

This path, on one side of the orchard, is in harmony with the English style, which consisted of using a limited variety of plants and flowers planted strategically to amplify each other’s beauty in addition to letting the plants grow unto the path in irregularity. In the 18th century, the English landscape artist began to move away from the artificial and symmetrical Dutch and French styles and to imitate the Italian gardens, which were increasingly wild and followed the inclination of nature.

After Rousham we drove to Stowe where, after a quick bite, we continued on our tour of 18th century landscapes and gardens. In contrast to Rousham, the buildings of Stowe function as a private boarding school for boys and the gardens belong to the National Trust and are open to the general public. Unlike Rousham, Stowe was the meeting place for active members of the Whigs party, specifically those belonging to the Kit-Cat Club, and as a result many of the monuments in the landscape are blatant political statements.