Humphry Repton
Encyclopedia
Humphry Repton was the last great English landscape designer
of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown
; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of the 19th century. His first name is often incorrectly rendered "Humphrey".
, John Repton, and Martha (née Fitch). In 1762 his father set up a transport business in Norwich
, where Humphry attended Norwich Grammar School
. At age twelve he was sent to the Netherlands
to learn Dutch and prepare for a career as a merchant. However, Repton was befriended by a wealthy Dutch family and the trip may have done more to stimulate his interest in 'polite' pursuits such as sketching and gardening.
Returning to Norwich, Repton was apprenticed to a textile merchant, then, after marriage to Mary Clarke in 1773, set up in the business himself. He was not successful, and when his parents died in 1778 used his modest legacy to move to a small country estate at Sustead
, near Aylsham
in Norfolk
. Repton tried his hand as a journalist, dramatist, artist, political agent, and as confidential secretary to his neighbour William Windham
of Felbrigg Hall
during Windham's very brief stint as Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
. Repton also joined John Palmer
in a venture to reform the mail-coach system, but while the scheme ultimately made Palmer's fortune, Repton again lost money.
Repton's childhood friend was James Edward Smith
, who encouraged him to study botany and gardening; Smith reproduces a long letter from Repton in his Letter and Correspondence. He was given to access the library of Windham to read its works on botany.
in Essex
. In 1788, aged 36 and with four children and no secure income, he hit on the idea of combining his sketching skills with his limited experience of laying out grounds at Sustead to become a 'landscape gardener' (a term he himself coined). Since the death of Capability Brown
in 1783, no one figure had dominated English garden design; Repton was ambitious to fill this gap and sent circulars round his contacts in the upper classes advertising his services. He was at first an avid defender of Brown's views, contrasted with those of Payne Knight and Uvedale Price
, but later adopted a moderate position. His first paid commission was Catton Park
in 1788.
That Repton, with no real experience of practical horticulture, became an overnight success, is a tribute to his undeniable talent, but also to the unique way he presented his work. To help clients visualise his designs, Repton produced 'Red Books' (so called for their binding) with explanatory text and watercolours with a system of overlays to show 'before' and 'after' views. In this he differed from Capability Brown, who had worked almost exclusively with plans and rarely illustrated or wrote about his work. Repton's overlays were soon copied by the Philadelphian Bernard M'Mahon
in his 1806 American Gardener’s Calendar.
To understand what was unique about Repton it is useful to examine how he differed from Brown in more detail. Brown had worked for many of the wealthiest aristocrats in Britain, carving huge landscape parks out of old formal gardens and agricultural land. While Repton worked for equally important clients, such as the Dukes of Bedford and Portland, he was usually fine-tuning earlier work, often that of Brown himself. Where Repton got the chance to lay out grounds from scratch it was generally on a much more modest scale. On these smaller estates, where Brown would have surrounded the park with a continuous perimeter belt, Repton cut vistas through to 'borrowed' items such as church towers, making them seem part of the designed landscape. He contrived approach drives and lodges to enhance impressions of size and importance, and even introduced monogramed milestones on the roads around some estates, for which he was satirised by Thomas Love Peacock
as 'Marmaduke Milestone, esquire, a Picturesque Landscape Gardener' in Headlong Hall.
Capability Brown had been a large-scale contractor, who not only designed, but also arranged the realisation of his work. By contrast, Repton acted as a consultant, charging for his Red Books and sometimes staking out the ground, but leaving his client to arrange the actual execution. Thus many of Repton's 400 or so designs remained wholly or partially unexecuted and, while Brown became very wealthy, Repton's income was never more than comfortable.
Early in his career, Repton defended Brown's reputation during the 'picturesque controversy'. In 1794 Richard Payne Knight
and Uvedale Price
simultaneously published vicious attacks on the 'meagre genius of the bare and bald', criticising his smooth, serpentine curves as bland and unnatural and championing rugged and intricate designs, composed according to 'picturesque' principals of landscape painting. Repton's defence of Brown rested partly on the impracticality of many picturesque ideas; as a professional, Repton had to produce practical and useful designs for his clients.
Paradoxically, however, as his career progressed Repton drew more and more on picturesque ideas. One major criticism of Brown's landscapes was the lack of a formal setting for the house, with rolling lawns sweeping right up to the front door. Repton re-introduced formal terraces, balustrades, trellis work and flower gardens around the house in a way that became common practice in the nineteenth century. He also designed one of the most famous 'picturesque' landscapes in Britain at Blaise Castle
. At Woburn Abbey
, Repton foreshadowed another nineteenth century development, creating themed garden areas including a Chinese garden, American garden, arboretum and forcing garden. At Stoneleigh Abbey
in 1808, Repton foreshadowed another nineteenth century development, creating a perfect cricket pitch called 'home lawn' in front of the west wing and a bowling green lawn between the gatehouse and the house.
Success at Woburn earned him a further commission from the Duke of Bedford
. He designed the central gardens in Russell Square
, the centre piece of the Bloomsbury development. The gardens have been restored with the additional help of archaeological investigation and archive photographs, to the original plans and are now listed as Grade II by English Heritage
. The square was to be a flagship commission for Repton and was only one of three within the central London.
Buildings played an important part in many of Repton's landscapes. In the 1790s he often worked with the relatively unknown architect
John Nash
, whose loose compositions suited Repton's style. Nash benefited greatly from the exposure, while Repton received a commission on building work. Around 1800, however, the two fell out, probably over Nash's refusal to credit the work of Repton's architect son John Adey Repton
. Thereafter John Adey and Repton's younger son George Stanley Repton
often worked with their father, although George continued to work in Nash's office as well. It must have been particularly painful for Repton when Nash secured the prestigious work to remodel the Royal Pavilion
at Brighton for the Prince Regent
, for which Repton had himself submitted innovative proposals in an Indian style.
In 1811 Repton suffered a serious carriage accident which often left him needing to use a wheelchair for mobility. He died in 1818 and is buried in the Churchyard at Aylsham
.
Three roads close to the vicinity of his cottage at Hare Street (now renamed Main Road) in the Gidea Park
area of Romford
have been named after him; Repton Avenue, Repton Gardens and Repton Drive respectively.
A small plaque was unveiled in his memory on 19 April 1969 on the site of his cottage, now rebuilt as a branch of Lloyds TSB
, situated on the junction of Hare Street and Balgores Lane.
Several lesser works were also published, including a posthumous collection edited by John Claudius Loudon
, despite having severely criticised his approach to gardens.
His published titles were:
Repton contributed to the Transactions of the Linnean Society, xi. 27, a paper "On the supposed Effect of Ivy upon Trees."
Repton produced designs for the grounds of many of England
's foremost country houses:
Landscape architecture
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...
of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of the 19th century. His first name is often incorrectly rendered "Humphrey".
Early life
Repton was born in Bury St Edmunds, the son of a collector of exciseExcise
Excise tax in the United States is a indirect tax on listed items. Excise taxes can be and are made by federal, state and local governments and are far from uniform throughout the United States...
, John Repton, and Martha (née Fitch). In 1762 his father set up a transport business in Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, where Humphry attended Norwich Grammar School
Norwich School (educational institution)
Norwich School is an independent school located in Norwich, United Kingdom. It is one of the oldest schools in the world, with a traceable history to 1096, and is a member of The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference.It is a fee-paying, co-educational day school and has one of the best...
. At age twelve he was sent to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
to learn Dutch and prepare for a career as a merchant. However, Repton was befriended by a wealthy Dutch family and the trip may have done more to stimulate his interest in 'polite' pursuits such as sketching and gardening.
Returning to Norwich, Repton was apprenticed to a textile merchant, then, after marriage to Mary Clarke in 1773, set up in the business himself. He was not successful, and when his parents died in 1778 used his modest legacy to move to a small country estate at Sustead
Sustead
Sustead is a small village and parish in the county of Norfolk, England, about four miles south-west of Cromer.The parish also includes the villages of Bessingham and Metton. The parish is bounded by Aldborough and Hanworth to the south, Roughton to the east, Felbrigg and Aylmerton to the north...
, near Aylsham
Aylsham
Aylsham is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Bure in north Norfolk, England, about north of Norwich. The river rises near Melton Constable, upstream from Aylsham and continues to Great Yarmouth and the North Sea, although it was only made navigable after 1779, allowing grain,...
in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. Repton tried his hand as a journalist, dramatist, artist, political agent, and as confidential secretary to his neighbour William Windham
William Windham
William Windham PC, PC was a British Whig statesman.-Early life:Windham was a member of an ancient Norfolk family and a great-great-grandson of Sir John Wyndham. He was the son of William Windham, Sr. of Felbrigg Hall and his second wife, Sarah Lukin...
of Felbrigg Hall
Felbrigg Hall
Felbrigg Hall is a 17th-century country house located in Felbrigg, Norfolk, England. Part of a National Trust property, the unaltered 17th-century house is noted for its Jacobean architecture and fine Georgian interior...
during Windham's very brief stint as Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
. Repton also joined John Palmer
John Palmer (postal innovator)
John Palmer of Bath was a theatre owner and instigator of the British system of mail coaches that was the beginning of the great British post office reforms with the introduction of an efficient mail coach delivery service in Great Britain during the late 18th century...
in a venture to reform the mail-coach system, but while the scheme ultimately made Palmer's fortune, Repton again lost money.
Repton's childhood friend was James Edward Smith
James Edward Smith
Sir James Edward Smith was an English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society.Smith was born in Norwich in 1759, the son of a wealthy wool merchant. He displayed a precocious interest in the natural world...
, who encouraged him to study botany and gardening; Smith reproduces a long letter from Repton in his Letter and Correspondence. He was given to access the library of Windham to read its works on botany.
Landscape gardener
His capital dwindling, Repton moved to a modest cottage at Hare Street near RomfordRomford
Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. In 1788, aged 36 and with four children and no secure income, he hit on the idea of combining his sketching skills with his limited experience of laying out grounds at Sustead to become a 'landscape gardener' (a term he himself coined). Since the death of Capability Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
in 1783, no one figure had dominated English garden design; Repton was ambitious to fill this gap and sent circulars round his contacts in the upper classes advertising his services. He was at first an avid defender of Brown's views, contrasted with those of Payne Knight and Uvedale Price
Uvedale Price
Sir Uvedale Price, 1st Baronet , author of the Essay on the Picturesque, As Compared With The Sublime and The Beautiful , was a Herefordshire landowner who was at the heart of the 'Picturesque debate' of the 1790s...
, but later adopted a moderate position. His first paid commission was Catton Park
Old Catton
Old Catton is a suburban village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk which lies to the north-east of central Norwich. The parish is bounded by the Norwich International Airport at Hellesdon to the west and Sprowston to the east...
in 1788.
Bernard McMahon
Bernard McMahon or M'Mahon was an Irish-American horticulturist settled in Philadelphia, who served as one of the stewards of the plant collections from the Lewis and Clark expedition and was the author of The American Gardener's Calendar: Adapted to the Climates and Seasons of the United States...
in his 1806 American Gardener’s Calendar.
To understand what was unique about Repton it is useful to examine how he differed from Brown in more detail. Brown had worked for many of the wealthiest aristocrats in Britain, carving huge landscape parks out of old formal gardens and agricultural land. While Repton worked for equally important clients, such as the Dukes of Bedford and Portland, he was usually fine-tuning earlier work, often that of Brown himself. Where Repton got the chance to lay out grounds from scratch it was generally on a much more modest scale. On these smaller estates, where Brown would have surrounded the park with a continuous perimeter belt, Repton cut vistas through to 'borrowed' items such as church towers, making them seem part of the designed landscape. He contrived approach drives and lodges to enhance impressions of size and importance, and even introduced monogramed milestones on the roads around some estates, for which he was satirised by Thomas Love Peacock
Thomas Love Peacock
Thomas Love Peacock was an English satirist and author.Peacock was a close friend of Percy Bysshe Shelley and they influenced each other's work...
as 'Marmaduke Milestone, esquire, a Picturesque Landscape Gardener' in Headlong Hall.
Capability Brown had been a large-scale contractor, who not only designed, but also arranged the realisation of his work. By contrast, Repton acted as a consultant, charging for his Red Books and sometimes staking out the ground, but leaving his client to arrange the actual execution. Thus many of Repton's 400 or so designs remained wholly or partially unexecuted and, while Brown became very wealthy, Repton's income was never more than comfortable.
Early in his career, Repton defended Brown's reputation during the 'picturesque controversy'. In 1794 Richard Payne Knight
Richard Payne Knight
Richard Payne Knight was a classical scholar and connoisseur best known for his theories of picturesque beauty and for his interest in ancient phallic imagery.-Biography:...
and Uvedale Price
Uvedale Price
Sir Uvedale Price, 1st Baronet , author of the Essay on the Picturesque, As Compared With The Sublime and The Beautiful , was a Herefordshire landowner who was at the heart of the 'Picturesque debate' of the 1790s...
simultaneously published vicious attacks on the 'meagre genius of the bare and bald', criticising his smooth, serpentine curves as bland and unnatural and championing rugged and intricate designs, composed according to 'picturesque' principals of landscape painting. Repton's defence of Brown rested partly on the impracticality of many picturesque ideas; as a professional, Repton had to produce practical and useful designs for his clients.
Paradoxically, however, as his career progressed Repton drew more and more on picturesque ideas. One major criticism of Brown's landscapes was the lack of a formal setting for the house, with rolling lawns sweeping right up to the front door. Repton re-introduced formal terraces, balustrades, trellis work and flower gardens around the house in a way that became common practice in the nineteenth century. He also designed one of the most famous 'picturesque' landscapes in Britain at Blaise Castle
Blaise Castle
Blaise Castle is an 18th century mansion house and estate near Henbury in Bristol , England. Blaise Castle was immortalised by being described as "the finest place in England" in Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey....
. At Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey , near Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.- Pre-20th century :...
, Repton foreshadowed another nineteenth century development, creating themed garden areas including a Chinese garden, American garden, arboretum and forcing garden. At Stoneleigh Abbey
Stoneleigh Abbey
Stoneleigh Abbey is a large country mansion situated to the southwest of the village of Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building.The Abbey was founded by the Cistercians in 1154...
in 1808, Repton foreshadowed another nineteenth century development, creating a perfect cricket pitch called 'home lawn' in front of the west wing and a bowling green lawn between the gatehouse and the house.
Success at Woburn earned him a further commission from the Duke of Bedford
Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford
Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford was an English aristocrat and Whig politician, responsible for much of the development of central Bloomsbury.-Life:...
. He designed the central gardens in Russell Square
Russell Square
Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. To the north is Woburn Place and to the south-east is Southampton Row...
, the centre piece of the Bloomsbury development. The gardens have been restored with the additional help of archaeological investigation and archive photographs, to the original plans and are now listed as Grade II by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
. The square was to be a flagship commission for Repton and was only one of three within the central London.
Buildings played an important part in many of Repton's landscapes. In the 1790s he often worked with the relatively unknown architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
John Nash
John Nash (architect)
John Nash was a British architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency London.-Biography:Born in Lambeth, London, the son of a Welsh millwright, Nash trained with the architect Sir Robert Taylor. He established his own practice in 1777, but his career was initially unsuccessful and...
, whose loose compositions suited Repton's style. Nash benefited greatly from the exposure, while Repton received a commission on building work. Around 1800, however, the two fell out, probably over Nash's refusal to credit the work of Repton's architect son John Adey Repton
John Adey Repton
John Adey Repton was an English architect.-Biography:John Repton was the son of Humphry Repton, born at Norwich on 29 March 1775, and educated at Aylsham grammar school and in a Norwich architect's office...
. Thereafter John Adey and Repton's younger son George Stanley Repton
George Stanley Repton
George Stanley Repton was an English architect.George Stanley, the fourth son of Humphry Repton, was a pupil of Augustus Charles Pugin, and entered the office of John Nash, becoming one of his chief assistants. In conjunction with Nash, he altered and enlarged the opera house in Haymarket, London,...
often worked with their father, although George continued to work in Nash's office as well. It must have been particularly painful for Repton when Nash secured the prestigious work to remodel the Royal Pavilion
Royal Pavilion
The Royal Pavilion is a former royal residence located in Brighton, England. It was built in three campaigns, beginning in 1787, as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales, from 1811 Prince Regent. It is often referred to as the Brighton Pavilion...
at Brighton for the Prince Regent
Prince Regent
A prince regent is a prince who rules a monarchy as regent instead of a monarch, e.g., due to the Sovereign's incapacity or absence ....
, for which Repton had himself submitted innovative proposals in an Indian style.
In 1811 Repton suffered a serious carriage accident which often left him needing to use a wheelchair for mobility. He died in 1818 and is buried in the Churchyard at Aylsham
Aylsham
Aylsham is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Bure in north Norfolk, England, about north of Norwich. The river rises near Melton Constable, upstream from Aylsham and continues to Great Yarmouth and the North Sea, although it was only made navigable after 1779, allowing grain,...
.
Gidea Park
Gidea Park is a place in the London Borough of Havering, east London, England. Gidea Park is a part of Romford post town.-History:Gidea Park is the location of the "Romford Garden Suburb" constructed in 1910 to 1911 on the Gidea Hall and Balgores Estates as an exhibition of town planning...
area of Romford
Romford
Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
have been named after him; Repton Avenue, Repton Gardens and Repton Drive respectively.
A small plaque was unveiled in his memory on 19 April 1969 on the site of his cottage, now rebuilt as a branch of Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB Bank Plc is a retail bank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank, established in Birmingham, England in 1765 and traditionally considered one of the Big Four clearing banks, with the TSB Group which traces its origins to 1810...
, situated on the junction of Hare Street and Balgores Lane.
Publications
Repton published three major books on garden design: Sketches and Hints on Landscape Gardening (1795), Observations on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening (1803), and Fragments on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening (1816). These drew on material and techniques used in the Red Books.Several lesser works were also published, including a posthumous collection edited by John Claudius Loudon
John Claudius Loudon
John Claudius Loudon was a Scottish botanist, garden and cemetery designer, author and garden magazine editor.-Background:...
, despite having severely criticised his approach to gardens.
His published titles were:
- Hundreds of North and South Erpingham, a part of the History of Norfolk, 1781, vol. iii. I
- Variety, a Collection of Essays [anon. By Repton and a few friends], 1788.
- The Bee: a Critique on Paintings at Somerset House, 1788.
- The Bee; or a Companion to the Shakespeare Gallery, 1789.
- Letter to Uvedale Price, 1794.
- Sketches and Hints on Landscape Gardening, 1794. This volume contained details, with numerous illustrations, of the different gardens and plantations which he had formed. He defends himself in chap. vii. and in an appendix from the criticisms of Knight and Price, and reprints his Letter to Uvedale Price. Only 250 copies were printed, and the work has fetched more than four times the original price.
- Observations on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening,’ 1803.
- Odd Whims and Miscellanies, 1804, 2 vols. They were dedicated to Windham. Some of the essays in Variety were reprinted in this collection, and in the second volume is a comedy of Odd Whims, which was played at Ipswich.
- An Inquiry into the Changes of Taste in Landscape Gardening, with some Observations on its Theory and Practice, 1806; it also included his letter to Price.
- Designs for the Pavilion at Brighton, 1808. He was assisted in this by his sons, John Adey and George Stanley Repton. The plans were approved by the Prince of Wales, but, through want of funds, were not carried out.
- On the Introduction of Indian Architecture and Gardening, 1808.
- Fragments on Landscape Gardening, with some Remarks on Grecian and Gothic Architecture, 1816. In this work his son, J. A. Repton, gave him assistance.
Repton contributed to the Transactions of the Linnean Society, xi. 27, a paper "On the supposed Effect of Ivy upon Trees."
List of gardens
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's foremost country houses:
- Antony HouseAntony HouseAntony House is the name given to an early 18th-century house, which today is in the ownership of the National Trust. It is located between the towns of Torpoint and the village of Antony in the county of Cornwall, United Kingdom...
- Ashridge Gardens
- Ashton CourtAshton CourtAshton Court is a mansion house and estate to the west of Bristol in England. Although the estate lies mainly in North Somerset, it is owned by the City of Bristol. The estate has been a venue for a variety of leisure activities, including the now-defunct Ashton Court festival, Bristol...
- Attingham ParkAttingham ParkAttingham Park is a country house in Shropshire, England, which is owned by the National Trust. It is a Grade I listed building.- Location :It is located near to the village of Atcham, on the B4380 Shrewsbury to Wellington road.- History :...
- Bayham Abbey
- Blaise CastleBlaise CastleBlaise Castle is an 18th century mansion house and estate near Henbury in Bristol , England. Blaise Castle was immortalised by being described as "the finest place in England" in Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey....
- Bolwick HallBolwick HallBolwick Hall is located at Marsham, Norfolk, 1 mile south of Aylsham.- History :The hall is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 and given to King John I by Hugh de Boves and then passed to Henry de Bolevic. By 1872 the hall had only changed ownership on 11 occasions. The present exterior was...
- Broke HallBroke HallBroke Hall is a stately home in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. overlooking the River Orwell opposite Pin Mill. The gardens were landscaped by Humphry Repton in 1794.It was the birth place of Admiral Philip Bowes Vere Broke and is currently a primary school....
- Burley-on-the-Hill
- Cassiobury ParkCassiobury ParkCassiobury Park is the principal public open space in Watford, Hertfordshire, in England. It comprises over and extends from the A412 Rickmansworth Road in the east to the Grand Union Canal in the west....
- Catton Park, Old Catton, NorwichCatton Park, Old Catton, NorwichCatton Park is a Grade 2 listed public park located in the village of Old Catton some 2 miles north of central Norwich. The park covers and was landscape gardener Humphry Repton's first commission...
- Clumber ParkClumber ParkClumber Park is a country park in the Dukeries near Worksop in Nottinghamshire, England. It was the seat of the Pelham-Clintons, Dukes of Newcastle.It is owned by the National Trust and open to the public.-History:...
- Cobham HallCobham HallCobham Hall is a country house in Cobham, Kent, England. There has been a manor house on the site since the 12th century. The current building consists of a pair of Tudor wings built for William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham in the 16th century and a later classical central block, and a kitchen court...
- Corsham CourtCorsham CourtCorsham Court is an English country house in a park designed by Capability Brown. It is in the town of Corsham, 3 miles west of Chippenham, Wiltshire and is notable for its fine art collection, based on the nucleus of paintings inherited in 1757 by Paul Methuen from his uncle, Sir Paul...
- CourteenhallCourteenhallCourteenhall is a village south of the county town of Northampton, in the shire county of Northamptonshire, England, and about north of London. The village is located in a cul-de-sac.-Governance:...
- Crewe HallCrewe HallCrewe Hall is a Jacobean mansion located near Crewe Green, east of Crewe, in Cheshire, England. Described by Nikolaus Pevsner as one of the two finest Jacobean houses in Cheshire, it is listed at grade I...
- Culford Hall, now Culford SchoolCulford SchoolCulford School is a coeducational HMC and IAPS public school for pupils age 3–18. Founded in 1881, it is situated in Culford, four miles north of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England.-History:...
- Dagnam Park,Essex
- Dyrham ParkDyrham ParkDyrham Park is a baroque mansion in an ancient deer park near the village of Dyrham in Gloucestershire, England. For the history of the manor of Dyrham, see main article Dyrham.-Description:...
- Endsleigh House
- Gosfield Place
- Grovelands ParkGrovelands ParkGrovelands Park is a public park in Winchmore Hill and Southgate, London, that originated as a private estate.- History :The mansion, which was initially called 'Southgate Grove', was built in 1797-98 to the designs of John Nash for Walker Gray, a Quaker brewer. The grounds were landscaped by...
- Gunton Park
- Hanslope Park
- Harewood HouseHarewood HouseHarewood House is a country house located in Harewood , near Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is a member of Treasure Houses of England, a marketing consortium for nine of the foremost stately homes in England...
- Hatchlands ParkHatchlands ParkHatchlands Park is a red-brick country house with surrounding gardens in East Clandon, Surrey, England covering 170 hectares . It is located near Guildford along the A246 between West Clandon and West Horsley.-History:...
- Highams ParkHighams ParkHighams Park is a district in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, England, adjacent to Epping Forest. The forest at Highams Park contains a boating lake formed by Humphry Repton after damming the River Ching. There are parks and basic shopping facilities such as Budgens, but no major supermarket...
, Woodford - Hylands House, ChelmsfordChelmsfordChelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
- Kenwood HouseKenwood HouseKenwood House is a former stately home, in Hampstead, London, on the northern boundary of Hampstead Heath. It is managed by English Heritage.-History:...
- Kensington GardensKensington GardensKensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, is one of the Royal Parks of London, lying immediately to the west of Hyde Park. It is shared between the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The park covers an area of 111 hectares .The open spaces...
, alterations - Leigh CourtLeigh CourtLeigh Court is a country house which is a Grade II* listed building in Abbots Leigh, Somerset, England.The manor of Leigh at the time of the Norman Conquest belonged to the lordship of Bedminster but William the Conqueror awarded it to the Bishop of Coutances...
- Longleat House
- Plas NewyddPlas NewyddPlas Newydd, located in Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, Anglesey, Wales, is the country seat of the Marquess of Anglesey. The family's former principal seat at Beaudesert, Staffordshire, was sold and demolished in the 1930s....
- PentilliePentilliePentillie is a grade II* listed country house and estate, located on the banks of the River Tamar in Pillaton, near to St Mellion, in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom...
- Rode HallRode HallRode Hall is a country house in the parish of Odd Rode, Cheshire, England. It consists of two houses, formerly separate, and now joined together. The older house was built for Randle Wilbraham in the early 18th century; it was recorded as being "recently completed" in 1708. It is a long low...
- Royal Pavilion at BrightonBrightonBrighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
- Royal Fort, BristolBristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
- Rudding Park, HarrogateHarrogateHarrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
- Russell SquareRussell SquareRussell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. To the north is Woburn Place and to the south-east is Southampton Row...
, BloomsburyBloomsbury-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland... - SarsdenSarsdenSarsden is a village and civil parish south of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.Sarsden House is a country house, rebuilt in 1689 after it was damaged by fire. In 1795 Humphry Repton landscaped the park, adding a serpentine lake and a Doric temple. In about 1825 Repton's son, the architect G.S...
- ShardeloesShardeloesShardeloes is a large 18th century country house located one mile northwest of Amersham in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. . A previous manor house on the site was demolished and the present building constructed between 1758 and 1766 for William Drake, the Member of Parliament for Amersham.-Design...
- Sheringham ParkSheringham ParkSheringham Park is a landscape park and gardens near the town of Sheringham, Norfolk, England. The park surrounds Sheringham Hall and has a grid reference of . The Hall is privately occupied, but Sheringham Park is in the care of the National Trust and open to visitors.The park was designed by...
- Stanage ParkStanage ParkStanage Park is a park located some 3 miles east of Knighton, Powys and near the settlement of Heartsease.It is an outstanding picturesque parkland laid out by Humphry Repton. The last and most complete of his three recognized Welsh landscape commissions...
- Stanmer ParkStanmer ParkStanmer Park is a large open park immediately to the west of the University of Sussex, and to the north-east of the town of Brighton in the county of East Sussex, England, UK....
- Stoke Park, Buckinghamshire
- Stoneleigh AbbeyStoneleigh AbbeyStoneleigh Abbey is a large country mansion situated to the southwest of the village of Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building.The Abbey was founded by the Cistercians in 1154...
- Stubbers, North OckendonStubbers-History:The earliest reference to the estate subsequently known as Stubbers was in 1334. The name comes from William Stubber who owned the house in the 15th century. In the early 17th century it was the home of William Coys, a well known botanist, who established a walled garden that subsequently...
- Sufton Court, Herefordshire
- Sundridge Park
- Tatton ParkTatton ParkTatton Park is a historic estate in Cheshire, England, to the north of the town of Knutsford. It contains a mansion, Tatton Hall, a manor house dating from medieval times, Tatton Old Hall, gardens, a farm and a deer park of . It is a popular visitor attraction and hosts over 100 events annually...
- Trent ParkTrent ParkTrent Park is a country park, formerly the grounds of a mansion house which currently forms the Trent Park campus of Middlesex University in the north of London, United Kingdom...
- UpparkUpparkUppark is a 17th-century house in South Harting, Petersfield, West Sussex, England and a National Trust property.The house, set high on the South Downs, was built for Ford Grey , the first Earl of Tankerville, c. 1690 and was sold in 1747 to Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh and his wife Sarah...
- Wanstead ParkWanstead ParkWanstead Park is the name of a grade II listed municipal park covering an area of about 140 acres , located in Wanstead, in the London Borough of Redbridge, historically within the county of Essex...
- Waresely ParkWaresleyWaresley is on the B1040 road between Gamlingay and Eltisley, five miles south-east of the town of St Neots and seven miles north-east of Sandy, Bedfordshire, England...
- Warren House, Loughton
- West Wycombe ParkWest Wycombe ParkWest Wycombe Park is a country house near the village of West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, built between 1740 and 1800. It was conceived as a pleasure palace for the 18th century libertine and dilettante Sir Francis Dashwood, 2nd Baronet. The house is a long rectangle with four façades that...
- Wingerworth HallWingerworth HallWingerworth Hall, demolished 1927, was the ancestral home of the Hunloke family in the village of Wingerworth, Derbyshire, England. It was built on an elevated site and completed in 1724 by an unknown architect. The house was in the rare style of understated Baroque peculiar to England...
- Woburn AbbeyWoburn AbbeyWoburn Abbey , near Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.- Pre-20th century :...
Exhibit
- Permanent Repton exhibit including facsimile of his Red Book at Sheringham ParkSheringham ParkSheringham Park is a landscape park and gardens near the town of Sheringham, Norfolk, England. The park surrounds Sheringham Hall and has a grid reference of . The Hall is privately occupied, but Sheringham Park is in the care of the National Trust and open to visitors.The park was designed by...
Further reading
- George Carter, Patrick Goode & Kedrun Laurie, "Humphry Repton Landscape Gardener 1752-1818" (Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, 1982)
- Stephen Daniels, Humphry Repton: landscape gardening and the geography of Georgian England (Yale, 1999)
- Dorothy Stroud, Humphry Repton (London, 1962)
- Tom Williamson, Polite landscapes: gardens and society in eighteenth century England (Sutton, 1995)
- André Rogger, Landscapes of Taste: The Art of Humphry Repton's Red Books (Routledge, 2007)