William Emes
Encyclopedia
Biography
Details of his early life are not known but in 1756 he was appointed head gardener to Sir Nathaniel Curzon at Kedleston HallKedleston Hall
Kedleston Hall is an English country house in Kedleston, Derbyshire, approximately four miles north-west of Derby, and is the seat of the Curzon family whose name originates in Notre-Dame-de-Courson in Normandy...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. He left this post in 1760 when Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
was given responsibility for the entire management of the grounds. During his time at Kedleston he had started to alter the earlier formal nature of the park and had constructed the upper lake. Also during this time he married Mary Innocent, his servant and the daughter of a tailor. Together they had five sons and three daughters.
After leaving Kedleston he moved to live in Bowbridge House, (Not Bowbridge Fields farm as previously thought) Mackworth
Mackworth
Mackworth Conservation Village, mentioned in the Domesday Book, and civil parish in the borough of Amber Valley, in Derbyshire, England. Historically, the parish also contained the neighbouring village of Markeaton, now within the Derby city boundary. Mackworth Estate shares its name with the...
. This was later the home of Edward Darwin (son of Erasamus Darwin who was William Emes friend through the Lunar Society
Lunar Society
The Lunar Society of Birmingham was a dinner club and informal learned society of prominent figures in the Midlands Enlightenment, including industrialists, natural philosophers and intellectuals, who met regularly between 1765 and 1813 in Birmingham, England. At first called the Lunar Circle,...
) where he developed his practice as a landscape designer, which was concentrated mainly in the Midlands and in north Wales. His style was similar to that of Lancelot '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...
. At Eaton Hall
Eaton Hall (Cheshire)
Eaton Hall is the country house of the Duke of Westminster. It is set within a large estate south of the village of Eccleston, in Cheshire, England . The house is surrounded by formal gardens, parkland, farmland and woodland. The estate covers an area of about .The first substantial house was...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, Emes was called in to replace Brown by Lord Grosvenor
Richard Grosvenor, 1st Earl Grosvenor
Richard Grosvenor, 1st Earl Grosvenor , known as Sir Richard Grosvenor, 7th Baronet between 1755 and 1761 and as The Lord Grosvenor between 1761 and 1784, was a British peer, racehorse owner and art collector...
. He sometimes furnished a plan and then left the client to undertake the work. On other occasions he would supervise the work for many years, such as the gardens at Chirk Castle
Chirk Castle
Chirk Castle is a castle located at Chirk, Wrexham, Wales.The castle was built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, uncle of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March as part of King Edward I's chain of fortresses across the north of Wales. It guards the entrance to the Ceiriog Valley...
and at Erddig
Erddig
Erddig Hall is a National Trust property on the outskirts of Wrexham, Wales. Located south of Wrexham town centre, it was built in 1684–1687 for Joshua Edisbury, the high sheriff of Denbighshire and was designed by Thomas Webb....
where his involvement continued for 25 years. Emes also designed a few minor buildings.
The main features of his designs were trees and water. Characteristic designs included serpentine
Serpentine shape
Serpentine refers to the curved shape of an object or design which resembles the letter s, a sine wave or a snake; the latter is the derivation of the term.- Examples :* The Serpentine River...
lakes with their ends concealed in woodland, single trees and clumps of trees in parkland with tree belts round the boundary. He created flower gardens adjacent to the house at Sandon Hall, anticipating the later work of Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton
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 wife died in 1789 and Emes then moved to Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
taking a lease of Elvetham Park from Sir Henry Gough-Calthorpe
Baron Calthorpe
Baron Calthorpe, of Calthorpe in the County of Norfolk, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1796 for Sir Henry Gough-Calthorpe, 2nd Baronet, who had previously represented Bramber in Parliament. Born Henry Gough, he had assumed the additional surname of Calthorpe upon...
. Here he took commissions in the south of England, sometimes in partnership with John Webb
John Webb (landscape designer)
John Webb was an English landscape designer, who also trained as an architect. He studied under William Emes between 1782 and 1793, and then established his own practice. He worked mainly in the Midlands and the north of England. In Staffordshire he was commissioned by Josiah Wedgewood to work...
, formerly his foreman. He later moved to London where he died at Vicarage House, St Giles Cripplegate, the home of his daughter, Sarah. He was buried at St Giles Cripplegate
St Giles-without-Cripplegate
St Giles-without-Cripplegate is a Church of England church in the City of London, located within the modern Barbican complex. When built it stood without the city wall, near the Cripplegate. The church is dedicated to St Giles, patron saint of beggars and cripples...
.
Derbyshire
- KedlestonKedleston HallKedleston Hall is an English country house in Kedleston, Derbyshire, approximately four miles north-west of Derby, and is the seat of the Curzon family whose name originates in Notre-Dame-de-Courson in Normandy...
(1756–1760) - Calke AbbeyCalke AbbeyCalke Abbey is a Grade I listed country house near Ticknall, Derbyshire, England, in the care of the charitable National Trust.The site was an Augustinian priory from the 12th century until its dissolution by Henry VIII...
(1776) - Markeaton HallMarkeatonMarkeaton is a village within Derby in the East Midlands of England.The name possibly means Boundary - Island Village, which had stood at this site since Medieval times....
- Shipley HallShipley HallShipley Hall was a Hall and country estate near Heanor and Ilkeston in Derbyshire, England which now forms a Country Park.-Early history:The Shipley Estate is an ancient manor which was referenced in the Domesday Book. From the 14th century the land was extensive forest used for hunting, with a...
- Darley Park
- Radbourne Hall (1790)
- Locko HallLocko ParkLocko Park is a privately owned 18th century country house, near Spondon, Derbyshire. It is a Grade II* listed building.The estate was acquired by William Gilbert from William Byrde in 1563. The oldest part of the house is the chapel of 1669. The main south facing block of the present house, built...
(1792)
Cheshire
- Tatton HallTatton 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...
(1768) - 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...
(1769) - Oulton HallOulton EstateIn the early 18th century the Oulton Estate consisted of a manor house and a formal garden surrounded by farmland in Cheshire, England. Later in the century the farmland was converted into a park...
(1770) - Peover HallPeover HallPeover Hall is a country house in the civil parish of Peover Superior, commonly known as Over Peover, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building.-History:...
- Eaton HallEaton Hall (Cheshire)Eaton Hall is the country house of the Duke of Westminster. It is set within a large estate south of the village of Eccleston, in Cheshire, England . The house is surrounded by formal gardens, parkland, farmland and woodland. The estate covers an area of about .The first substantial house was...
- Cholmondeley HallCholmondeley CastleCholmondeley Castle is a country house in the civil parish of Cholmondeley, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. It is surrounded by a estate.-House:...
(1777)
StaffordshireStaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
- IngestreIngestre HallIngestre Hall is a 17th century Jacobean mansion situated at Ingestre, near Stafford, Staffordshire, England, which is now in use as a Residential Arts and Conference Centre. It is a Grade II* listed building.Ingestre is mentioned in the Domesday Book...
- Sandon (1767)
- Keele HallKeele HallKeele Hall is a 19th century mansion house at Keele, Staffordshire, England, now standing on the campus of Keele University and serving as the university conference centre. It is a Grade II* listed building.-History:...
(1768–1770) - Oakedge (1771)
- Beaudesert HouseBeaudesert (house)Beaudesert was an estate and stately home on the southern edge of Cannock Chase in Staffordshire. It was one of the family seats of the Paget family, the Marquesses of Anglesey...
- Cuffnell
- StatfoldStatfoldStatfold is a former village in Staffordshire, England, about north-east of Tamworth. These days little remains of the village itself, but the Norman parish church, and the Tudor manor house of Statfold Hall still exist, as do a few scattered farms and houses.The Statfold Barn Railway is on the...
(1777) - Sandon Hall (1781–1782)
- Etruria HallEtruria HallEtruria Hall in Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England was the home of the potter Josiah Wedgwood. It was built between 1768–1771 by Joseph Pickford.Etruria Hall was the site of the innovative research into photography by Thomas Wedgwood in the 1790s...
- Betley CourtBetley CourtBetley Court is an 18th century manor house in the ancient village of Betley, near Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. It is a Grade II* listed building....
ShropshireShropshireShropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
- Walcot Park (c. 1774)
- Halston Hall (1770s)
- Aston Hall (near OswestryOswestryOswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
) (1780) - BadgerBadger, ShropshireBadger is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England, about six miles north-east of Bridgnorth. The parish had a population of 134 according to the 2001 census....
Hall and Dingle (c. 1780) - Dudmaston HallDudmaston HallDudmaston Hall is a 17th century country house in the care of the National Trust in the Severn Valley, Shropshire, England, United Kingdom....
- Millichope Park
- Oakley Park
- Hawkstone ParkHawkstone ParkHawkstone Park is an historic landscape park with pleasure grounds and gardens formerly belonging to Hawkstone Hall, near to Market Drayton, in Shropshire, England, UK, one mile east of the A49 road....
(lake) - The Hill, Chipnall, CheswardineCheswardineCheswardine is a rural village and civil parish in north east Shropshire, England. The village lies close to the border with Staffordshire and is about 8 miles north of Newport and 5 miles south east of Market Drayton...
The current house on the site is Cheswardine Hall.
GloucestershireGloucestershireGloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
- Daylesford House
- Dodington HouseDodington ParkDodington Park is a country house and estate in Dodington, Gloucestershire, England.The Codrington family acquired the estate in the late 16th century, when there was a large gables Elizabethan house and adjoining church...
(1793) - Fairford Park (1783–87)
WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
- Chirk CastleChirk CastleChirk Castle is a castle located at Chirk, Wrexham, Wales.The castle was built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, uncle of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March as part of King Edward I's chain of fortresses across the north of Wales. It guards the entrance to the Ceiriog Valley...
, DenbighshireDenbighshireDenbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
(1764–75) - ErddigErddigErddig Hall is a National Trust property on the outskirts of Wrexham, Wales. Located south of Wrexham town centre, it was built in 1684–1687 for Joshua Edisbury, the high sheriff of Denbighshire and was designed by Thomas Webb....
, Denbighshire (1768–89) - LlanrhaeadrLlanrhaeadr-yng-NghinmeirchLlanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch is a village and local government community in Denbighshire, Wales. It lies in the Vale of Clwyd near the A525 road between Denbigh and Ruthin...
Hall, Denbighshire (1771) - HawardenHawardenHawarden is a village in Flintshire, North Wales. Hawarden forms part of the Deeside conurbation on the Welsh/English border. At the 2001 Census, the population of Hawarden Ward was 1,858...
Old Rectory, FlintshireFlintshireFlintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
(1774) - GregynogGregynogGregynog is a large country hall in the village of Tregynon, 4 miles northwest of Newtown in Powys, mid-Wales. Various halls have occupied the site since the twelfth century and it was the ancestral home of the Blayneys and the Traceys from the fifteenth century...
, MontgomeryshireMontgomeryshireMontgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording...
(1774) - Powis CastlePowis CastlePowis Castle is a medieval castle, fortress and grand country mansion located near the town of Welshpool, in Powys, Mid Wales.The residence of the Earl of Powis, the castle is known for its extensive, attractive formal gardens, terraces, parkland, deerpark and landscaped estate...
, MontgomeryshireMontgomeryshireMontgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording... - Penrice CastlePenrice CastlePenrice Castle is a castle near Penrice on the Gower Peninsula in south Wales.- History :Penrice Castle is the 13th-century successor to a strong ringwork to the southeast, known as the Mountybank. It was built by the de Penrice family who were originally given land at Penrice for their part in the...
, Glamorganshire - Margam ParkMargam Country ParkMargam Country Park is a country park estate in Britain, of around 850 acres . It is situated in Margam, about 2 miles from Port Talbot in south Wales it was once owned by the Mansel Talbot family and is now owned and administered by the local council, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council...
, Glamorganshire - Rhiwlas, Montgomeryshire
Buildings
- Lodge at Attingham HallAttingham 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 :...
, Shropshire - Greenhouse at Penrice Castle, Glamorgan