W. A. Nesfield
Encyclopedia
William Andrews Nesfield (1793 - 1881) was a landscape architect. Nesfield was born in Lumley Park, County Durham. In 1808, after the death of William's mother, the family moved the few miles to Brancepeth
where his father became rector of St Brandon's Church. His stepmother was Marianne Mills of Willington Hall
, whose nephew was the noted architect Anthony Salvin
. William's younger sister in fact married Salvin.
Nesfield was educated at Durham School
, then located on Palace Green, before entering the army. He fought under Wellington in Spain and at Waterloo and also served for two years in Canada. He retired in 1816 and took up a career as a painter of watercolours, particularly of waterfalls, earning the praise of John Ruskin
in Modern Painters.
While still exhibiting at the Old Water Colour Society, Nesfield began work as a professional landscape architect, with the encouragement of Salvin. From 1840 until his death he was responsible, either singly or with his sons Arthur Markham and William Eden for no fewer than 259 commissions in the British Isles. His military training enabled him to design the water features which were so effective in many of his gardens.
fountain, which cost the equivalent of more than £1 million when it was created in 1853, is the triumphant centrepiece of elegant gardens designed by Nesfield, who described them as his “monster work”. It has 120 separate jets hidden amongst giant shells, sea nymphs, dolphins and a monstrous serpent. The main jet reaches up to 90 feet (27.4 m). Bing Crosby
was keen to acquire the fountain for his Hollywood home but the monumental 20 ton block sculpture with 54 metre wide pool, which compares to the smaller Trevi Fountain
in Rome and fountains at Versailles
, remained in England.
The gardens and fountain were designed to reflect the immense wealth of the 1st Earl of Dudley
and the grandeur of his vast Italianate mansion, which was often visited by royalty and aristocracy. Nesfield's dramatic south parterre was set against the wide spaces of the surrounding parkland and the distant wooded wild landscape.
's South Lake was refashioned by Nesfield at the same time as he installed the Prince of Wales Fountain in the 1850s. Ten years later between the South Lake and New River Bridge, the area was formalised with the construction of the Cascade, Temple Hole Basin and the Waterfall. These features remained but fell into disrepair after the 9th Countess changed Nesfield's planting which surrounded the South Lake.
was originally built more than 600 years ago by Sir John Culpeper
, a Knight of King Henry V, as a royal park for the Kingdom's oxen and deer. Over the centuries the Oxon Hoath Estate has been the ancestral family home to eleven Knights of the Realm, many of whom enhanced both the house and the grounds in a fascinating variety of classical architectural styles.
The most recent enhancement was in 1846 when Sir William Geary commissioned the renowned French gothic revivalist architect Anthony Salvin to build the mansard dome, and the chateau tower. Sir William, son of Admiral Sir Francis Geary who was Nelson's mentor, also engaged W. A. Nesfield to create the formal gardens in the style of Capability Brown
. The Oxon Hoath gardens are the only surviving unaltered parterre gardens in England today.
. In a 'goose foot' pattern radiating from the Palm House, Pagoda Vista was a handsome grassed walk some 850 m (2,800 ft) long; Syon Vista was a wide gravel-laid walk stretching 1,200 m (3,937 ft) towards the Thames; while the third, short, vista fanned from the northwest corner of the Palm House and focused on a single 18th Century cedar of Lebanon towards Kew Palace.
Pagoda Vista is lined with paired broadleaved trees with, flanking them and to their exterior, paired plantings of evergreens. Nesfield's idea of being able to both see and walk to the Pagoda along the centre line of Kew Gardens was, in fact, an inspired return to the turn of the century landscape.
for the Raikes family in 1852. The Treberfydd
grounds contain the only remaining example of a Nesfield garden still tended by descendents of the patron for whom he created it. While the detailed planting of the Nesfield parterre has now been grassed over, Treberfydd contains one of the gardener's signature vistas, called The Long Walk. It can be found by standing at the gate to the kitchen gardens and looking back through a landscaped woodland to the manicured lawns of the estate.
. Designed by Nesfield's son, William Eden Nesfield
, it was completed in the 1870s, and W. A. Nesfield is responsible for the adjoined 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) of walled gardens.
Brancepeth
Brancepeth is a village and civil parish in County Durham, in England. It is situated about from Durham on the A690 road between Durham and Weardale. Brancepeth Castle was until 1570 the fortress of the Neville Earls of Westmorland. The castle was extensively modified and rebuilt in the 19th century...
where his father became rector of St Brandon's Church. His stepmother was Marianne Mills of Willington Hall
Willington Hall
Willington Hall is a former country house in the parish of Willington, Cheshire, England. It was extended in 1878, but reduced in size in the 1950s, and has since been in use as a hotel.-History:...
, whose nephew was the noted architect Anthony Salvin
Anthony Salvin
Anthony Salvin was an English architect. He gained a reputation as an expert on medieval buildings and applied this expertise to his new buildings and his restorations...
. William's younger sister in fact married Salvin.
Nesfield was educated at Durham School
Durham School
Durham School, headmaster Martin George , is an independent British day and boarding school for boys and girls in Durham....
, then located on Palace Green, before entering the army. He fought under Wellington in Spain and at Waterloo and also served for two years in Canada. He retired in 1816 and took up a career as a painter of watercolours, particularly of waterfalls, earning the praise of John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
in Modern Painters.
While still exhibiting at the Old Water Colour Society, Nesfield began work as a professional landscape architect, with the encouragement of Salvin. From 1840 until his death he was responsible, either singly or with his sons Arthur Markham and William Eden for no fewer than 259 commissions in the British Isles. His military training enabled him to design the water features which were so effective in many of his gardens.
Witley Court
The Witley CourtWitley Court
Witley Court in Worcestershire, England is a Grade 1 listed building and was once one of the great houses of the Midlands, but today it is a spectacular ruin after being devastated by fire in 1937. It was built by Thomas Foley in 1655 on the site of a former manor house near Great Witley...
fountain, which cost the equivalent of more than £1 million when it was created in 1853, is the triumphant centrepiece of elegant gardens designed by Nesfield, who described them as his “monster work”. It has 120 separate jets hidden amongst giant shells, sea nymphs, dolphins and a monstrous serpent. The main jet reaches up to 90 feet (27.4 m). Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
was keen to acquire the fountain for his Hollywood home but the monumental 20 ton block sculpture with 54 metre wide pool, which compares to the smaller Trevi Fountain
Trevi Fountain
The Trevi Fountain is a fountain in the Trevi rione in Rome, Italy. Standing 26 metres high and 20 metres wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world....
in Rome and fountains at Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
, remained in England.
The gardens and fountain were designed to reflect the immense wealth of the 1st Earl of Dudley
Earl of Dudley
Earl of Dudley, of Dudley Castle in the County of Stafford, is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, both times for members of the Ward family. This family descends from Sir Humble Ward, the son of a wealthy goldsmith and jeweller to King Charles I...
and the grandeur of his vast Italianate mansion, which was often visited by royalty and aristocracy. Nesfield's dramatic south parterre was set against the wide spaces of the surrounding parkland and the distant wooded wild landscape.
Castle Howard
Castle HowardCastle Howard
Castle Howard is a stately home in North Yorkshire, England, north of York. One of the grandest private residences in Britain, most of it was built between 1699 and 1712 for the 3rd Earl of Carlisle, to a design by Sir John Vanbrugh...
's South Lake was refashioned by Nesfield at the same time as he installed the Prince of Wales Fountain in the 1850s. Ten years later between the South Lake and New River Bridge, the area was formalised with the construction of the Cascade, Temple Hole Basin and the Waterfall. These features remained but fell into disrepair after the 9th Countess changed Nesfield's planting which surrounded the South Lake.
Oxon Hoath
Oxon HoathOxon Hoath
Oxon Hoath is a Grade II* listed Châteauesque-style former manor house with 73 acres of grounds at West Peckham, Kent. The spellings Oxenhoath, Oxen Hoath and Oxonhoath are common alternatives. The spelling Oxenholt was also used it the past. The manor is a former royal deer park...
was originally built more than 600 years ago by Sir John Culpeper
John Culpeper
John Culpeper lived from 1366 to 1414. He was styled "Sir John Culpeper of Oxon Hoath, Knight", a knight in the court of King Henry V of England. The family's name is believed to derive from the herb.-External links:*...
, a Knight of King Henry V, as a royal park for the Kingdom's oxen and deer. Over the centuries the Oxon Hoath Estate has been the ancestral family home to eleven Knights of the Realm, many of whom enhanced both the house and the grounds in a fascinating variety of classical architectural styles.
The most recent enhancement was in 1846 when Sir William Geary commissioned the renowned French gothic revivalist architect Anthony Salvin to build the mansard dome, and the chateau tower. Sir William, son of Admiral Sir Francis Geary who was Nelson's mentor, also engaged W. A. Nesfield to create the formal gardens in the style 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...
. The Oxon Hoath gardens are the only surviving unaltered parterre gardens in England today.
Kew Gardens
Three great vistas are Nesfield's indelible signature on today's Kew GardensRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England. "The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew" and the brand name "Kew" are also used as umbrella terms for the institution that runs...
. In a 'goose foot' pattern radiating from the Palm House, Pagoda Vista was a handsome grassed walk some 850 m (2,800 ft) long; Syon Vista was a wide gravel-laid walk stretching 1,200 m (3,937 ft) towards the Thames; while the third, short, vista fanned from the northwest corner of the Palm House and focused on a single 18th Century cedar of Lebanon towards Kew Palace.
Pagoda Vista is lined with paired broadleaved trees with, flanking them and to their exterior, paired plantings of evergreens. Nesfield's idea of being able to both see and walk to the Pagoda along the centre line of Kew Gardens was, in fact, an inspired return to the turn of the century landscape.
Treberfydd
This Victorian mansion was built by John Loughborough PearsonJohn Loughborough Pearson
John Loughborough Pearson was a Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficiency unrivalled in his generation.-Early life and education:Pearson was born in Brussels, Belgium on 5...
for the Raikes family in 1852. The Treberfydd
Treberfydd
Treberfydd is a Victorian country house built in Gothic Revival style in 1847-50, just south of Llangorse Lake in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales.It is surrounded by of landscaped gardens and is open to the public during August....
grounds contain the only remaining example of a Nesfield garden still tended by descendents of the patron for whom he created it. While the detailed planting of the Nesfield parterre has now been grassed over, Treberfydd contains one of the gardener's signature vistas, called The Long Walk. It can be found by standing at the gate to the kitchen gardens and looking back through a landscaped woodland to the manicured lawns of the estate.
Kinmel Hall
This Victorian mansion is the third house to be built on the site in North WalesNorth Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
. Designed by Nesfield's son, William Eden Nesfield
William Eden Nesfield
William Eden Nesfield was an English architect, designer and painter.W. E. Nesfield was the eldest son of the landscape architect and painter William Andrews Nesfield. He was educated at Eton and then articled to the architect William Burn in 1850, transferring after two years to his uncle by...
, it was completed in the 1870s, and W. A. Nesfield is responsible for the adjoined 18 acres (72,843.5 m²) of walled gardens.