The invention and evolution of the Georgian landscape garden liberated garden buildings from the corset of formality, allowing them to structure much more extensive areas of garden and park. One of the leading authorities on Georgian landscape architecture, Roger White explores a genre in which some of the era’s greatest architects – Vanbrugh, Hawksmoor, Gibbs, Kent, Adam, Chambers, Wyatt and Soane – experimented with different forms, styles and new technology, in the process producing some of their most interesting and original ideas. Covering not just the obvious adornments of parks and gardens such as temples, summerhouses, grottoes, towers and ‘follies’, he also describes structures with predominantly practical functions including mausolea, boathouses, dovecotes, stables, kennels, deer pens, barns, and cowsheds, all of which could be dressed up to make an architectural impact in the designed landscape. This talk is taken from Roger’s book of the same name (published last year) which originated in the exhibition that he organised to mark the Golden Jubilee of the Georgian Group in 1987. Roger draws on examples from Dorset and adjoining counties to illustrate his talk.
Roger White is an architectural historian and former Secretary of the Georgian Group and Garden History Society. He has written extensively on 17th and 18th century topics.
