Capability Brown

Capability Brown, actually Lancelot Brown ( * 1716 in Kirkharle, Northumberland, † February 6, 1783 in London ) was an English landscape architect.

Life

Brown is one of the most important landscape architects of the 18th century. His diligent efforts in finding ways ( eng. "capabilities" ) to transform existing old gardens in the new style as represented by him helped him to his nickname of Capability Brown.

In his creative life he was involved in over 170 horticulture projects and he had a major influence on the development of the park in the English style. Brown was a pioneer of landscape construction. His garden plants are among the first that involved not only the immediate environment, but over a wide area of the surrounding landscape integrated and co-designed, he made ​​the transition from pure castle park architecture for large-scale landscape design. He used developed by William Kent technique of " clumps and dots " in the extensive grounds by individual trees (dots ) and groups of trees ( clumps ) is a naturally picturesque impression is created. Huge lawns that had to be kept low of cattle herds were equally Pricing for his work. To the animals away from the immediate estate, he used a technique known as Ha -Ha grave construction.

During his lifetime, his works were not without controversy, the English satirist Richard Owen Cambridge once remarked that he hoped to die before Brown so that he can see the sky before his transformation.

At Browns known works are the gardens of Blenheim Palace, Bowood House, Broadlands, Kew Gardens, Syon House and Stowe, as well as on German soil, the park of Castle Richmond in Braunschweig.