History essay 2: level 1, 2007.

 

Plan of Hestercombe garden.

 

Perspective drawing of Hestercombe house and garden.

 

View of the East Rill

 

The Plat

View of house and garden.

 

View of thee Pergola

Q2. Discuss the influence of Gertrude Jekyll on the Arts and Crafts garden.  Using her collaborations with Lutyens as examples, describe the principal effects sought in the garden and the relationship of house to garden.  You may use other examples.

 

The Arts and Crafts movement established during 1880-1890 in England as an attempt to re-establish the skills of craftsmanship threatened by industrialisation and mass-produced factory goods, typified in the Great Exhibition of 1851 displaying an age of new technological advancements.

The origins of the movement can be found in John Ruskin (1819-1900) an academic and critic who had great influence, not only on architectural style but also on the ways in which aesthetics were judged.  He believed real quality of design was only achievable if the craftsman’s imagination and creative powers were integrated within the product.

A greater proponent of the movement however was William Morris (1843-1896) painter, designer, printer, weaver, dyer, wood engraver and poet, who thought a designer should not just be a artist, but combine his visual skills with a knowledge of craft.  Morris set up the company Morris, Faulkner & Co in 1861 in which other designers, Ford Maddox Brown, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Philip Webb.  They embraced medieval craftsmanship as an ideal, encouraging design, logical methods of construction, while drawing on traditional and vernacular precedents.

The movement gave rise to the Arts Workers Guild (1884) with Morris at its Helm to promote the unity of all the aesthetic arts, which included weavers, silversmiths, wood engravers, painters, illustrators and architects to maintain the high standards of design and the understanding of craft materials.

The Arts and Crafts Movement looked to nature for guidance and were partly influenced by William Robinson (1838-1935) a landscape gardener and writer who originated a natural tradition.

His book “ The Wild Garden” in 1870 illustrated a revolutionary form of planting; selecting species of plants indigenous to Britain and from overseas which could be naturalised to suit a particular site, its soil, aspect; working with nature, rather than imposing a style based  on visual aesthetic value as expressed in Victorian gardens, which displayed the flamboyant and wasteful practice of twice annual bedding out  formal flower beds.

Robinson’s viewpoint stemmed partly from Ruskin who in 1838 rebuked Victorian planting as

“An assembly of unfortunate beings pampered and bloated above their natural size, stewed and heated into a diseased growth”

                            J. Ruskin.  Poetry of Architecture.

William Morris emphasised the need for genuine craftsmanship, joining Robinson in his contempt for Victorian bedding system.  Along with Philip Webb in 1859 they were able to realise their ideal in the construction of Morris’s own home, the Red House in Kent; being described by Herman Muthesis, a German architect

   “The first private house of the new artistic culture… conceived and built as a unified whole inside”

                          H. Muthesius.  Da Englische Haus.

Along with nature, the Arts and Crafts Movement was influenced by medieval formality, its old fashioned use of plants and planting schemes invoking a nostalgia for a past era of rural idyll.  Plants were encouraged to break free from their formal control, blurring straight lines made by structures.  The Arts and Craft members believed that house and garden should be designed as one integrated whole, the garden being the logical extension of the house.  One half responsible for the perfection of this unity was Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932), a craftsman designer who brought gardening to the Arts and Crafts Movement at a time when the Guild did not identify the vocation as an eligible talent for membership.

Jekyll had however attended art school where she was lectured by John Ruskin and had met William Morris, who thoughts inspired her and like him the Arts and Crafts Movement became a lifestyle, sharing his love of country life idealised by the movement.  As a young child Jekyll developed the ability to match flowers collected from her garden with those illustrated in flower journals.  Travelling as a young woman to Greece, Italy and Algeria she was able to widen and improve her learning of the plant kingdom.  With her growing interest she started collecting and cultivating plants creating a comprehensive knowledge of them, their characteristics and needs.  It was to become her skill in the composition of plants that was to prove more significant, developed through much trail and error.

“Little by little comes the power of intelligent combination, the nearest thing we can know to the mighty force of creation”

                            G.Jekyll.  Gardens for small country homes.

Throughout her work and study of plants Jekyll refined the habit of close observation, which was carefully and creatively documented.

“It is the Wood Sorrel, tenderest and loveliest of wood plants.  The white flower in a mass has a slight lilac tinge; when I look close I see that this comes from the fine veining of reddish-purple colour on the white ground… the white is not very white, but as white as the lightest part of a pearl”

                           G.Jekyll.   Home and Garden.

Her poetic and self effacing literary skills soften the profound knowledge of the plants she described, increasing her popularity amongst her readership through the articles she wrote for Country Life and books she published.  Jekyll was not solitary in understanding and communicating a love of the natural world; she was amongst a group of craftsman from the Arts and Crafts movement, working in the garden, an outdoor environment exposed to the seasons of life.  They were able to illustrate that the Arts and Crafts Movement were not just glorifying the medieval age, but expressing a concern for man becoming redundant in a post-industrial age.  Jekyll’s collaborator in merging house with garden, in a relationship which lasted some twenty years, was the architect Edwin Lutyens (1861-1944). Lutyens use of finely crafted traditional building materials and subtle alliance between house and garden demonstrated a new sensitivity prompted by Jekyll’s arts and crafts inspired beliefs.  Lutyens was skilled, but untrained when he first met Jekyll, aged just twenty.  The pair established an instant rapport, finding their shared a deep interest in landscape and country ways of old Surrey.  From the beginning of a project they worked together, with Lutyens designing the house, the garden layout a joint effort and the planting all Jekyll’s.

One of their assignments, which embody their partnership, was the garden at Hestercombe in Somerset.  Commissioned in 1906, Lutyens put together a design of great intricacy that upstaged the existing Victorian house.  On the meadow below the terrace, he constructed a great plat.  Via complex changes in level and a succession of open and closed vistas; the visitor could descend to the plat, passing along rills, which travelled from domed tanks under the walls of the house to pools beside the pergola, a distance of 43m.  Lutyens stonework is perhaps Hestercombe’s greatest triumph, providing perfect background for Jekyll’s harmonious planting.  Jekyll designed some three hundred gardens, about a hundred of them with Lutyens.  These combined architectural and planting expertise producing an Edwardian style connecting house and garden whose influence is still alive in many of the modern gardens of today.

Bibliography

1.  Jellicoe,G    The Landscape of Man.

2.  Jekyll,G & Weaver,L   Gardens for small country homes.

3.  Tooley,M     Gertrude Jekyll;Artist, gardener craftswomen.

4.  Batey,M  Gertrude Jekyll and the Arts and Crafts Movement.

5.  Wood,M   Miss Jekyll’s Munster Wood.

6.  Oxford   Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape architecture.

6.  Hobhouse,P  The story of gardening.

 

Sketchup: Catherine & Simon, Putney, London.

Sketchup: Mark & Steff, New Malden, London.

Sketchup, Sarah, Weybridge, Surrey.

Sketchup: Mel, St Ann’s Hill, Wandsworth.

Wey & Arun: Proposal for Tanyard Bridge Lane site.

Focus II Module, Brief 2: Priorities.

The landscape architects and practices that initially interested me were those whose projects featured in books and publications I read illustrating a distinctive approach in form, character and use of material, which unconsciously appealed to me.  An example of these being the works of Shunmyo Masuno, Walking on water by Terragram Pty. Ltd, the marine walk at St Valery en Caux by Jacques Coulon, Oak Savanna Vineyard at Los Oliivos by Ron Lutsko and the minimal garden of architect Javier Sordo Madaleno, Mexico to name but a few.

Before beginning my studies of Landscape architecture I had no real idea of the mechanisms involved with or the professions associated with a contemporary practice and was attracted to an image and style of a garden, landscape or public space not considering the many other facets of this multi-disciplinary industry; which provides a range of services involving feasibility and environmental impact studies, schematic and development design, construction documents, site analysis and evaluation, environmental planning, historical preservation, digital design and 3D visual modelling, renderings and scale model construction, master plans and much more.

It was from developing a better understanding of how a modern landscape practice works that I started to gain an idea of the type of firm where I would prefer to work in order to generate the greatest amount of experience during my gap year.  This would hopefully be a firm that offered the broadest range of experience and knowledge concerning the varied disciplines relating to a contemporary landscape architecture practice.

One of the assignments for the same module in the first year was to visit and document the experience and workings of a landscape practice.  My choice was Gustafson Porter in Kentish town.  On starting at Kingston University in September 2006 this practice figured prominently in our study with the recent construction of Swiss Cottage Open Space, the works at Old Market Square, Nottingham and the unfortunate criticisms it was receiving in the national papers over periodic closures of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park, London.  Fortunately I was given an invitation to visit their open planned offices and the friendly, informal atmosphere I encountered eased my initial nerves.  It was a great experience to receive an insight into the daily operation of a leading landscape architect practice and ask questions about the progression of their various projects to those involved.  I admire the numerous and diverse schemes undertaken by Gustafson Porter, their approach through projects; the atmosphere within the working environment and would be the ideal placement for me in London.

Another reason for mentioning this visit is the contrast I discovered when visiting the offices of EDAW in Hatton Garden a year later to get information on Royal Victoria Square, Docklands, on which I was conducting an assignment and EDAW were lead consultants.  Naively and wrongly I visited their offices without making a prior appointment, taking for granted that I might find a similar informality as that Gustafson Porter.  The secretary put me straight and said I had to make more formal enquires.  Although my visit was brief, I could see their floor of offices beyond, a hive of activity concerning dozens of people.  The occasion made me think about the atmosphere and size of a practice I would prefer to work at and although probably unfounded I thought I might get lost and not receive the level of mentoring as in a smaller set up as Gustafson Porter.

This is of course all irrelevant because with the current economic downturn and the reduction in the availability of gap year positions, I would take any opportunity offering descent work experience and grounding for my continuing studies.

Another practice based in the UK that appealed to me through their works was BCA Landscape based in Liverpool with their Modernist approach to their designs displayed in such schemes as Campbell Square, Liverpool and Drift Park, Rhyl, North Wales.

It was my aim after hopefully passing my degree was to find employment for two years with a company located in the Cape Province of South Africa, to enable my girlfriend to spend overdue time with her family, after living nine years in England.  South Africa has a voluntary organisation registered with the South African Council for the landscape architecture profession called the Institute of Landscape Architects of South Africa (ILASA), similar to the UK’s Landscape Institute.  ILASA is separated into two regional bodies, one in the Western Cape (ILASA Cape) and the second in the Gauteng Province (GSLA), which represents members countrywide.

Being based in Somerset West, 20 minutes out of Cape Town it was the practices within the ILASA Cape that interested me; of which there were twelve registered practices. 

Of the twelve practices I could only get information for eight.  Of all the various companies, the one which appealed the most was the practice Planning Partners based in Cape Town, a multi-disciplinary firm with over 25 years experience and depth of knowledge in landscape architecture, urban design, urban and regional planning.  Planning Partners was the one that most impressed me because of the range and quality of works they had conducted, along with the contemporary manner in which they presented and executed their works.  The scope of projects the company had undertaken extended all over Africa, the Middle East and Europe providing tremendous potential for developing a varied experience and breadth of learning during my time out from studying.

In regards to how my own work aligns and reflects to that of my chosen practices, those selected in the UK were more bound by the specific style in which those companies approached their work and which I was attracted to through my own preferences.  I think being based in London and close to Europe we are spoilt for the range and type of practice we may desire to work for.  Being in a temperate climate with a range of definite seasons (although rapidly changing) there are also greater possibilities for adaptations to particular briefs.  My selection in South Africa was based on finding a company, which would provide a level of experience and of knowledge, which would enhance my learning of landscape architecture and understanding of the industries infrastructure and mechanisms.  I can only hope that through presenting my CV, examples of my work and displaying a passion for the landscape architecture profession that I will get the placement I’m after.

Where I certainly need to improve and develop my skills is my ability to understand and manipulate the various software applications, which are mandatory to landscape architecture in producing competitive and seductive presentations.  I have struggled, but that is part of the challenge of learning and satisfaction gained from possessing skills, which strengthen your levels of communicating concepts, ideas and generating the expertise required by all practices.  Being aware of this failure I have concentrated more time on improving my ability with using such applications as Vecterworks and enrolled on an Imedia course with SCOLA during the evenings, which focuses on teaching the Adobe CS3 creative suite package.  I know how essential these skills are to my studies and future employment and will keep plugging away.

In attempting to seek employment in South Africa I will continue to work at my studies to achieve the best grades I can and start assembling the elements needed to promote myself in the highest possible way to potential employers as highlighted in brief 4: Trajectory of the focus module.

 

www.gustafson-porter.com

www.bcalandscape.co.uk

www.planpart.co.za

    

Section from Landscape 10.08 illustrating Gustafson Porter installation at the Venice Biennale.

Section from Avant Gardener displaying Campbell Sq by BCA Landscape.

Example of works by Planning Partners at Croydon Wine & Olive Estate.

 

Study Skills: 1500 self-evaluation report, level 1, 2007.

Study Skills : 1500 Self-Evaluation Report.

During my initial period at Kingston University studying Landscape Architecture, it soon became clear where my strengths and weaknesses were. Having spent the last 13 years working within the landscape industry, firstly as a junior landscaper, graduating to a landscape foreman and finally becoming self-employed running my own design and build firm, I had developed a source of knowledge which would assist me greatly in my chosen course. Prior to entering the landscape industry I had also taken a Btec National Diploma in Landscape Construction which covered a variety of subjects closely related to Landscape Architecture, which would help my future studies. Art was one of my favourite pastimes as a child and when at school, making the ability to transmit ideas to paper and relate ideas to others visually a little easier. As a mature student my knowledge of self and my strong desire to succeed in order to achieve my goals has supported my study more than when I was eighteen, when my only aim was to have a good time.

My older age however meant that I had not studied within an institution for 10 years, in which time the processes and instruments used to facilitate learning learning had changed quite a bit. My ability to negotiate computers was nil and being surrounded by all this technology seemed daunting, especially when it was so integral to my work. I was amazed and excited by the creative possibilities that could be generated by computers, but unfortunately still lost in the most basic of tasks. This is only one of the challenges that face all students and provides a stimulating opportunity to learn and develop our skills and improve on our creativity.

It being quite a time since I last studied I had to reacquaint myself with the different procedures of finding information and sources from which it can be gained. Going to the library again involved computers, attempting to print items of the internet and other sources was a headache to say the least. As mentioned before these were all challenges which were gladly met and with time will become second nature, I hope. Lastly on strengths and weaknesses, I was not sure whether my age was going to prove a hindrance, maybe being set in my ways and having a particular mindset which might make it harder to absorb new ideas, thoughts and methods of study. I think this may have initially been the case, but believe that this is slowly eroding away.

My ability to work alone is good, the discipline developed from being self-employed, motivating yourself to do things when they need be and to deadlines without the assistance of others is a skill I hope I already possess. I actually prefer to work alone and within my own space, without distraction or interference. This is a trait that has its bonuses, but I am aware that the environment in which I am choosing to work is one that combines many fields and specialists who need to work together for an end result. I am fortunate to have my own home from which I can study uninterrupted, surrounded by the majority of means needed to generate productive study. Having my own space also increases the hours I can dedicate to work, around the clock if need be. I think my older age also helps it that I am aware of what I want to do and its importance to the bigger picture. Trying to catch up with lost time adds to your desire to want to do well and your dedication to commit yourself to study. My own interest and enjoyment of the subject creates a greater thirst to want to know, explore, learn, and does not appear as a task, but an extension of the day which I can happily complete alone. Where I fail working alone is my lack of knowledge or skills required to complete work efficiently, especially with the use of computers, whether its typing up an essay and printing it for assessment or providing graphic presentations using various forms of media to help visualize a point or prove that you can manipulate these techniques required within the industry. When alone there is no one to consult for assistance, but this I am sure effects all students in varying degrees and is the whole point of learning.

During the early period of starting the course, working within groups was a bit clumsy, but I think this was due to the self-consciousness of individuals not knowing each other, being in a new environment, taking on and being expected to deliver on fresh tasks. Our group is essentially made up of students willing to work and provide the enthusiasm and support required to help one another. There are students who make fleeting appearances and a few have showed little desire to engage themselves in the course, their lack of desire definitely deflates the rest of the willing group and I think most importantly that of the teachers.

The fact that the group are all heading in the same direction aids the process of working together, as individuals are willing and wanting to see what someone else has to offer to the task at hand, which may teach them something new or give some inspiration. Working in a group also clubs together different skills and abilities which everyone can gain from to improve their own pursuits. My poor ability with computers was being constantly being improved by my fellow students. On a personal level, being slightly older may make you a little more patient and are able to sit back and listen to all the ideas and views of the group, before giving your own.

The results I have received from my first two projects have been positive and encouraging. Highlighting the areas where I have done well and others where I require more work and greater depth of study. I am at a definite advantage to my fellow students in that I have previous experience to draw from that has assisted me during this first semester. My results have shown however that these skills are limited and have learned that there are countless other skills to be adopted to bring my study and presentations up to the expected standard.

The ways in which I may have improved my study include efficient time management. During my first semester I was not able to organise my time properly, trying to earn money to pay the bills I was spreading myself to thinly. Focusing to much on earning money meant that I sacrificed time which should have been spent concentrating on projects and assignments given by other modules. Unfortunately this lead to missing several lectures, which not only lessens your grasp on what is being taught, but puts you behind in what has to be done, relying and putting extra pressure on fellow students who have to devote themselves to their own work. It has only been with time that I have discovered the great range of sources that are available at Knights Park, especially within the library. I now try to treat my days at university as a day at work, arriving at 8 30am and leaving at 5 30pm and giving more time to study and less to outside work.

I have realised what a unique opportunity it is to be at Kingston University studying Landscape Architecture and now wish to take every advantage of it and the facilities it offers. This also includes time spent out of university and will attempt a routine where I spend at least an hour and half committed to study or reading each night. Another aspect which I aim to undertake to improve my study is to follow through the advice of tutors, by that I mean making time to visit exhibitions, displays etc that we have been informed about which would enlightens us and help our work. I have also learnt about the great amount of inspiration and knowledge that can be taken out of the many events, exhibitions, museums, parks and gardens in and around London and will try every Sunday to spend the afternoon visiting some of these places. My greatest improvement I believe will be undertaking lessons on how to use my computer and learning the different applications required to develop greater resolutions to our presentations and portfolio. These include photoshop, illustrator, vectorworks, sketchup and autocad. Finally I am only now taking advantage of the Landscape Architecture department own website, Landscapeis. Here there is a whole mine of information that guides and aids us through our study, and I shall definitely be taking greater advantage of it.

History Essay 1: level 1, 2007.

 

View of grass plats from south terrace.

 

 

French renaissance inspired east Cherry garden.

View of south front from Wilderness depicted by Henry Danckerts.

Fig 2.Bird’s eyey view of garden from the south; engraving from ‘Vitruvius Britannicus’.

Fig 3.Plan of Wilton as designed by Isaac de Caus between 1631-35.

Fig 4. The south front from the Wilderness, c.1675-9; attributed to Henry Danckerts.

Fig 1.Plan of design by John Sleazer and Jan Wyck (c.1671-1672)

Q2. Discuss how ideas from the Italian and French Renaissance informed the design of the gardens at Ham House. As well as the planting and layout of the garden discuss how the building establishes specific sets of relationships to the garden.

 

Ham House and its extensive gardens were constructed in 1610 for Sir Thomas Vavasour, Knight Marshall to James I. On his death it passed briefly to the Earl of Holderness, before becoming the home of William Murrey in 1626. It was during Murrey’s ownership that the works on house and garden began, defining what exists at Ham today. Having no male heir on his death in1670 his estate and titles passed to his eldest daughter Elizabeth, Countess of Dysart. It was during her second marriage to the 1st Duke of Lauderdale, the Secretary State of Scotland during the Restoration of Charles II in 1672 that works were completed and evidence of the house and garden can be gathered. Figure .1 illustrates the plan design of John Sleaver and Jan Wyck (1671 – 1672), while Figure .2 provides a birds eye view from the south in an engraving produced in the “Vitruvius Britannicus”, the title revealing its Italian heritage.

The principles of the Italian Renaissance garden were defined by Leon Battista Alberti who compiled his ten part “De Re Aedificaticria” in 1452, his works followed the studies of Vitruvius and classical Roman architecture. His new found rules of mathematics and linear perspective enabled gardens to be created where nature and art could co-exist with proportion and symmetry. The garden is about the manipulation of space; its distinctive geometric composition originating from a central axis leading from the middle of the house, which was intersected by a number of cross axis, developing a grid system arranged in compartmental squares divided by sand or gravel paths to be viewed from the house windows or terrace. This arrangement is set out at Ham, with a broad south terrace from the house looking down on eight grass plats separated by intersecting gravel paths at right angles to the house.

The garden outside was becoming an architectural extension of the inside. Symmetry, harmony, balance and proportion between house and garden were the basic tenets. This architectural relationship was achieved at Ham by the Scottish architect Sir William Bruce who redesigned the house in 1671 by building new rooms along the south front between existing projecting wings creating a perpendicular for the gardens corresponding layout. The central axial line of sight was the most defining characteristic of the Italian Renaissance garden, which by the time of the 17th and early 18th century this had extended from their ordered layout surrounding the house into “wilder” groves and orchards in the countryside. This part of the garden was to contrast with the architecturally contrived area near the house, where a more naturalistic setting of paths winding through a woodland or wilderness would attempt to merge and become an extension of neighbouring countryside. Again this was another feature included within the gardens at Ham, with the Wilderness beyond the southern plats set out in the form of grass walks and sixteen compartments of hornbeam hedges and field maple.

Although Italian ideas forged new and sophisticated designs, they were rooted in the tradition agricultural landscape. Broad terraces reflected the ancient layout of vineyards and olive groves cultivated for centuries. The Melancholy Walk east of the Cherry garden with its trees planted in quincunx order harks back to the traditional placements of crops, whereby plants could receive as much air and light as possible.

The planting scheme within Ham garden can be reflected in Alberti’s recommendations for formal patterns.

“The trees ought to be planted in runs exactly even and answering to one another
In straight lines . . . let the walks be evergreens.”
History of Gardening, Penelope Hobhouse, Page 131

And thorough attention should be paid to

“accuracy of spacing, the regularity of angles”
History of Gardening, Penelope Hobhouse, Page 131

It is within the planting scheme at Ham that we can discover the impact of the French Renaissance. The Cherry garden to the east of the house displays the techniques and ideas developed on from the Italian form, with its two Bercaux of pleached hornbeams and a central parterre of dwarf box and clipped box cones, with alternating santolina and lavender in the centre of each box hedge compartment.

Although the physical presence is minor compared to the scale of the garden at Ham, those who provided the inspiration and confidence to create the gardens in 17th century England were French and set the styles of gardens which influenced at Ham. The De Caus brothers continued from their grandfather Androuet Du Cereau, the dynasty of the Mollets and Andre Le Notre were pivotal members in the development and creation of noted gardens throughout Europe during the mid-16th and 17th century. One of the De Caus brothers, Isaac worked for the Countess of Bedford, Lucy Harrington, where at Wilton in Wiltshire in the 1630’s his design (shown in Figure 3) consisted of a broad central gravel path divided into plats by cross axial paths to be viewed from a terrace extending the width of the garden. Included were groves of trees with walks cut through them to form a wilderness with two symmetrically placed statues of classic mythology on either side of the main walk, all these features mirroring those at Ham (Fig 4).

One of the reasons in the absence of the drama typified by the baroque French Renaissance gardens was the trend in some English gardens to dispose of the display and pomp to produce modest gardens absorbing the classical features of Italy, not feeling the need to impress with copies of grand grottoes, water features full of allegorical meaning.

Ham house and its recreated gardens by the National Trust provide present visitors with an excellent example of the influences and styles of the aristocracy and designers of the 17th century. Though predominantly inspired by the classical Italian garden, Ham illustrates the progression and adjustment of ideas concerning design through 150 years, embodying the finest elements the different movements could tender.

1027 words.
Bibliography.

J. Dixon Hunt Garden and Grove
J. Dixon Hunt & P. Willis The Genius of the Place
R. Strong The Renaissance Garden in England
National Trust Ham House
P. Hobhouse The History of Gardening
J. Curl Oxford Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape
Architecture

Greyshott square project.