A book highlighting the local works of one of the 18th century’s greatest landscape gardeners is being published by Kent Gardens Trust, with the support of the Rochester Bridge Trust.
Capability Brown in Kent commemorates the 300th anniversary of the influential gardener’s birth and looks at the five sites he was responsible for in the county: Ingress, Leeds Abbey, Valence, Chilham Castle and North Cray Place.
Richard Stileman of Kent Gardens Trust explained: “This book focuses on Capability Brown’s achievements across the county, but in doing so provides a valuable insight into his remarkable output throughout the country.”
One of the sites, Leeds Abbey, is part of the Rochester Bridge Trust’s property portfolio.
In the mid 18th century, Capability Brown was commissioned to transform the formal gardens at this site to the west of Leeds Castle and replace them with an informal lake and parkland. The landscape he designed is still present today, though shrouded in scrub and woodland, which in turn hides the remains of the buried priory.
The Rochester Bridge Trust supported the book with a grant of £800.
Capability Brown in Kent is now available to buy in good bookshops and online, with an official launch taking place in Riverhill House, Sevenoaks on 21st May, to coincide with the Kent Gardens Trust’s spring lecture. See www.kentgardenstrust.org.uk for more information and tickets, a link to buy the book and listings of other events throughout the year.
The book is aimed at garden historians or anyone with an interest in the Kent landscape, its history and the work of this influential landscape architect. It is priced at £9.50, or £8 for Kent Gardens Trust members.