The origins, development and influence of William Shenstone’s landscape garden design at The Leasowes, Halesowen (original) (raw)

William Shenstone was a polymath. He wrote letters, essays, composed poetry, painted watercolours , played musical instruments and indulged in architectural design, but above all he created a landscape garden at The Leasowes Farm in the West Midlands that became a celebrated place to visit during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Shenstone worked during the early days of the English landscape garden movement, and while others created grounds with political and/or historical themes he fashioned a garden in a 'naturesque' style: allowing the trees, shrubs and flowering plants to grow as they would in a natural environment. Although he altered watercourses, and constructed waterfalls, cascades and pools they were made to look as if they were natural features. In landscape-gardening (a term he coined) he created a version, called a ferme ornée that was untypical of the many forms of landscape-garden (another term he coined) that were being created. This thesis is the first detailed study of The Leasowes and as well as re-evaluating previous writings it adds new material to our knowledge of Shenstone's landscape garden and its influence in Britain and overseas. Though people have written about Shenstone's garden in the past, few have explored it from a multidisciplinary perspective which combines archival and literary sources with evidence from an exploration of archival and literary material with landscape studies and archaeology. The study is Contents Synopsis ……………………………………………………………………………. 3

Sign up for access to the world's latest research.

checkGet notified about relevant papers

checkSave papers to use in your research

checkJoin the discussion with peers

checkTrack your impact