The English formal garden

by Günter Mader

This beautifully illustrated book offers an authoritative account of the development, features, and leading people and places of the architectural garden in England. The book begins with a short garden history from pre-Roman times through the Middle Ages, then leads into a discussion of the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement and the significance in the twentieth century not only of Edwin Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll, but also Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, the Bauhaus style, and Geoffrey Jellicoe. Garden elements are discussed in detail, including plans, sketches, and photographs of trees and hedges, steps, seats, and borders. Each item is put into historical context and explanations are given of the ways in which space is structured and themes are chosen. Variations in formal garden style are discussed in detail, from Edwin Lutyens's formal use of the garden axis at Gledstone Hall in Yorkshire in 1922, to the more naturalistic garden styles at Hidcote Manor and Sissinghurst Castl