Humphry Repton

(Paperback)

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Humphry Repton (17521818) ambitiously styled himself Capability Browns successor: the centurys next great improver of landed property. With his rare combination of skills he was a talented topographical sketcher with a unique ability to judge the shifting needs of his patrons over thirty years Repton amassed an incredible four hundred commissions; his famous Red Books, illustrated to help clients visualise the potential of their properties, did much to encourage the appreciation of landscape aesthetics, especially among the rising middle classes. With colourful illustrations and detailed site investigations, this book traces Reptons landscape designs from Picturesque wildernesses like Blaise Castle to the progressive Gardenesque style of Endsleigh in Devon. It is both a perfect visitors guide to the gardens and an introduction to the theory of Reptons work.

Author Bio

Laura Mayer holds a PhD on eighteenth-century architectural and landscape patronage from the University of Bristol. Her article on Capability Browns transformation of Alnwick Castle won the Garden History Society essay prize in 2010 and she is working with Timothy Mowl on The Historic Gardens of England: Northumberland. She also wrote Capability Brown for Shire.