Review: Sham Castles

Reviewed Work(s): The English Vision: The Picturesque in Architecture, Landscape &
Garden Design by David Watkin
Review by: Stephen Croad
Source: Oxford Art Journal, Vol. 5, No. 2, Architecture (1983), pp. 68-69
Published by: Oxford University Press
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1360249
Accessed: 15-04-2019 10:57 UTC

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decline
decline of
of the
thecountry
countryhouse
housepainting
paintingafter
after1830
1830waswas
a a Blaise,
Blaise,near
nearBristol,
Bristol,
where
where
a richa and
rich
philanthropic
and philanthropic
mer- mer-
growing
growing preference
preferencefor
forromanticised
romanticised views
viewsof of
selected
selected cantile
cantilefamily
familyemployed
employed GeorgeGeorge
ReptonRepton
and JohnandNash
John
to Nash to
mediaeval
mediaeval oror Tudor
Tudorhouses,
houses,peopled
peopled
with
withcharacters
characters in in heighten
heightenthe thedramatic
dramatic qualities
qualities
of theoflandscape
the landscape
and then and then
doublets
doublets and
and farthingales.
farthingales.DrDrA.A.
A.A.Tait,
Tait,
in in
hishis
book
book
TheThe to
to create
createthe
the
first
first
village
village
ornee.ornee.
A detailed
A detailed
study ofstudy
the Blaise
of the Blaise
Landscape
Landscape Garden
GardenininScotland
Scotland1735-1835,
1735-1835,
comments
commentsthat by by estate
that estateisis(notwithstanding
(notwithstanding four four
chapters
chapters
of preliminary-
of preliminary-
this
this date
date "the
"thedestruction
destructionofofthe
thelandscape
landscape
park
park
forfor
thethe padding)
padding)the the
principal
principal
matter
matter
of Nigel
of Temple's
Nigel Temple's
somewhatsomewhat
new-fangled
new-fangled parterres,
parterres,terraces
terracesand
and
flower
flower
gardens
gardens
waswas misleadingly
misleadingly titled
titled
bookbook
JohnJohn
Nash and
Nashtheand
Village
thePicturesque.
Village Picturesque.
already
already aa cause
causefor
forconcern".
concern". Nash
Nashhere
here
produced
produced ninenine
separate
separate
classic classic
statements
statements
of the of the
John
John Harris,
Harris,asashe hereadily
readilyadmits
admits inin
hishis
Preface,
Preface, is "an cottage
is "an cottageornee,
ornee,eacheach
finding
finding
a hosta of
host
imitators
of imitators
down to the
down to the
architectural
architecturalhistorian
historianpoaching
poachingonon thethemanors
manors of of
artart present
presentday,
day,butbuthis his
real real
innovation
innovation
was to was
cluster
to them
cluster them
historians".
historians". The
TheArtist
Artistand
andthe
theCountry
Country House
House
is at
is least
at least
in in introspectively
introspectively andand
withwith
studied
studied
informality
informality
around a around
green, a green,
part
part aa venture
ventureintointothe
therealms
realmsofof
connoisseurship,
connoisseurship, andandin in rather
ratherthan
thanlined
linedup ostentatiously
up ostentatiouslyat the rich
at theman's
rich
gates.
man's gates.
attempting
attempting to toinstil
instilorder
orderininhis
his
vast
vastsubject
subjecthe he
hashas
pro-pro- Here
Herehehewas
was
no nodoubt
doubt
responding
responding
to the to
strictures
the strictures
of his of his
duced
duced hishis own
ownendearing
endearingversions
versions ofofthethe connoisseur's own
connoisseur's ownearly
earlypatron
patron Uvedale
Uvedale
Price,Price,
whose whose
Essays on
Essays
the Pic-
on the Pic-
labels,
labels, such
such asas'The
'TheMaster
Masterofofthe
theFlying
Flying Herons'
Herons' or or
'The'The turesque
turesquecame
came outout
in 1810
in 1810
(the year
(the design
year design
work began
work on began on
Master of the Tumbled Chairs'. The extent to which he Blaise),
Blaise),and
andLoudon
Loudon(Treatise...
(Treatise...
on Country
on Country
Residences,
Residences,
1806). 1806).
has succeeded will perhaps best be judged by art historians.Though
ThoughMr MrTemple
Temple speculates
speculates
on theonpossible
the possible
influenceinfluence
of of
French
Frenchpredecessors
His overriding interest, however, is in the architecture, and predecessorslike like
the Hameau
the Hameau
at Versailles
at Versailles
(c. 1781), (c. 1781),
he has triumphantly succeeded in his aim of bringing to- he he very
verysurprisingly
surprisinglysays says
nothing
nothing
at all of
atthe
all cottages
of the ornees
cottages ornees
erected
erectedtoto
gether a corpus of illustrations that would serve as a visual Thomas
Thomas Wright's
Wright's
designs
designs
on the onBadminton
the Badminton
estate,
estate,much
quarry for historians or architecture and gardening. In muchnearer
nearer
at hand
at hand
and possibly
and possibly
as early as
as early
the as the
some cases we are given details from paintings which are 1750s.
1750s.AtAtBadminton
Badminton the cottages
the cottages
were slotted
were slotted
into an into an
not basically country house views but portraits, whether of existing
existingvillage
village
andand
estate,
estate,
unobtrusively
unobtrusively
augmenting
augmenting
their their
people or animals. Other items are not really views but inherent
inherentpicturesqueness
picturesquenessand reducing
and reducing
the artificiality
the artificiality
of of
designs, as with John Thorpe's perspective of Campden the
theconvention.
convention. At At
Blaise,
Blaise,
on the
oncontrary,
the contrary,
the verythe
apart-
very apart-
House, Kensington, or Cheron's proposal for the westness nessofofthe
theHamlet
Hamlet
helped
helped
to make
to make
it an immediate
it an immediate
tourist tourist
front of Chatsworth. It is possible, as it always is, to nit-attraction,
attraction, and
and
thethe
fortunate
fortunate
inhabitants
inhabitants
had to submit
had totosubmit to
living
livingsemi-permanently
pick over details of fact; St George's Hospital, Hyde Park semi-permanently on display,
on display,
models models
of neatness
of neatness
Corner, was not designed by Isaac Ware as Londes-and andsobriety
sobrietywhether
whethertheythey
liked liked
it or not.
it or
Blaise
not.encapsu-
Blaise encapsu-
borough House but was an expansion by him of the exist- lates
latesthetheparadox
paradoxof the
of the
Picturesque.
Picturesque.
From here,
From one
here,
feels,one feels,
ing Lanesborough House, the landscape gardener at it
it isisnot
notfar
far
to to
Castle
Castle
Combe
Combe
and the
andconcept
the concept
of the village
of the village
Brocket Hall, Herefordshire, was not Joseph Wood butas as film
filmset.
set.
Richard Woods; and Ashcombe, home of the late Cecil ROGER WHITE
Beaton, is in Wiltshire rather than Devon. Nor, clearly,
can such a compilation ever be totally comprehensive
Sham Castles
(although it infinitely surpasses John Steegman and
Dorothy Stroud's modest book of the same title, published
in 1949). But in toto it is a book which could have been
The English Vision: The Picturesque in Architecture,
written only by John Harris, whose encyclopaedic archi-
Landscape & Garden Design, David Watkin. 227 pp.,
tectural knowledge of his period is combined with terrific
163 pls. John Murray, 1982. ?25
visual flair. It is faultlessly illustrated (as indeed it should
be at the price) and an idiosyncratic pleasure both to read "The title of the present book derives from the assumption
and consult. that the theory and practice of the Picturesque constitute
Dr Tait's book, by contrast, though scholarly to a de- the major English contribution to European aesthetics.
gree, is marred by an indigestible layout and a preponder- Deeply rooted in the country house, the Picturesque
ance of gloomy photographs. It proves an already notorious became the leading building-type in post-Reformation
fact, namely, that of all gardens the landscape garden is England and has long been recognised as the nation's
least susceptible to photography and that its points are principal contribution to the arts." Thus begins the preface
indeed far better made by the discriminating eye of the to the book which the author hopes will complement
artist. This much was apparent in Dorothy Stoud's mono- Christopher Hussey's pioneering work of 1927. It is not
graph on Capability Brown. Unfortunately, as John Clau- long before David Watkin involves not only the Anglican
dius Loudon protested at the time and Dr Tait now con- church but also the monarchy in support of his argument.
cedes, the principal practitioners of this phase of Scottish He recognises the difficulty in defining what he wishes to
garden history, notably James Robertson and the two describe, but one hopes that he has not constructed for
Thomas Whites, father and son, were little more than himself one of those sham castles which were the focal
unimaginative camp followers of Brown, Sassenachs with points of so many picturesque gardens.
negligible feeling for the genius of the place. Scotland, it The use of supporting quotations from numerous writers
could be argued, therefore lost out twice over, for the re- - Payne Knight, Ruskin, Pevsner, etc. - without
formers gladly swept away what survived of an interesting always locating them in time gives a most curious feeling
formal native tradition while managing to ignore in their of perspective; like viewing a distant scene through a long-
replacements an abundance of topographical raw material focus lens. It is this distortion which is perhaps the only
- rocky glens, natural cascades, abrupt crags - for which worrying feature of what is otherwise an excellent work.
the Picturesque improver in England usually longed in vain. There can be little argument with the thesis that the
If topographical drama was one essential ingredient of Picturesque was indeed England's major contribution to
the ideal Picturesque scenario, a cottage ornee with roses the culture of the eighteenth century. The English Vision
round the door and grateful peasant inside was another. proceeds to set this in context, both practical and theoreti-
Few English estates combined the two so famously as cal. One of the most interesting points brought out is

68 THE OXFORD ARTJOURNAL - 5:2 1983

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the element of change, beginning in the seventeenth is easier to see the "irregular concatenation of forms... as
century, which encouraged enclosure, re-afforestion, and aggressive and confused rather than picturesque". With
the "new" agriculture. All of which contributed to the some skill the picturesque thread is followed through the
climate of opinion wherein the picturesque garden nineteenth-century maze. Throughout that century and
flourished. into the twentieth, David Watkin concentrates on person-
It is with "landskip" gardening that the story begins alities, investigating works by Salvin, Blore, Norman Shaw
and Dr Watkin traces in detail the development of, for and Devey, to name but a few. He ends this part of the
example, Chiswick, Stowe and Rousham. He is par- survey with Lutyens, and particularly his castles:
ticularly good at giving the political and aesthetic back- Lindisfarne, Lambay and Castle Drogo. Lutyens is
ground to these layouts and it is interesting to note the proposed as the last and perhaps greatest exponent of the
changes which took place in a comparatively short period picturesque, because of "his sensitivity to local materials,
of time in the early eighteenth century. However, as the his love of irregular massing, and his concern to relate
author quotes, it was as early as 1709 that Vanbrugh the plan and the form of a house to its setting both natural
argued for a picturesque approach to nature and archi- and man-made".
tecture which was to hold good for more than a century: Dr Watkin disgresses to include an interesting chapter
"Buildings, And Plantations... rightly dispos'd will indeed on the picturesque in Europe. Apart from Germany, Italy
Supply all the wants of Nature in that Place. And the Most and France - where le jardin anglais was surprisingly
agreable Disposition is to Mix them:... it wou'd make One popular - it appears that Sweden was particularly
of the Most Agreable Objects that the best of Landskip susceptible to English picturesque influence. The author's
Painters can invent." David Watkin continues with a nomination for the most picturesque building in Europe
warning to beware of hindsight in looking only at surviving
goes to the astonishing four-storey dwelling in the form of a
works. Some of the most interesting, if not the shattered
most Doric column, some eighty feet high, in the
influential, examples having disappeared entirely. Many
Desert de Retz near Chambourcy, France.
are not even known from contemporary illustrations;The
thefinal chapter in The English Vision returns to England
delightful watercolours of Thomas Robins being the
and, somewhat in the form of a resume, focuses on town
exception rather than the rule. and village layout from Blaise Hamlet via Hampstead
Throughout the period under discussion, the example of Suburb to Portmeirion. Again he concentrates on
Garden
the Chinese garden is quoted. It was obviously at least
personalities, for it is as much the theory as the practice
as important as the Classical. From the early which preoccupies David Watkin in his discussion of the
"sharawaggi" (supposedly derived from the Chinese, latest phases of what he sees as picturesque. Not that this
meaning "the quality of being impressive or surprising
fails to have its lighter moments; for example, the
through careless or unorderly grace") to the later unfortunate victim of the picturesque, R. H. Watt, whose
Chinoiserie. This even extended to the inclusion of an habit of standing up in his carriage to admire his creations
amazing yacht, remotely inspired by a junk, whichatsailed Knutsford cost him his life when his horse shied and
on Virginia Water where an elegant chinoiserie pavilion threw him to the ground in front of one of his exotic
was erected on an island. Alongside the cult ofvillas. the In conclusion Dr Watkin brings the story up to
exotic - Chinese or later Indian - there continued an date. However, there are those who would disagree with
interest in the mediaeval past, again anticipated by
his statement made without qualification in the final
Vanbrugh, who had argued for the preservation of the
paragraph of his book, that "with the death of the Modern
ruins of Woodstock Manor in the park at Blenheim). One
Movement, stylistic pluralism has been established as the
architectural fashion of the 1980s".
of the earliest examples of this preoccupation is Alfred's
Hall, Cirencester Park, which actually incorporated frag- In a book which relies upon illustration to support its
ments from a mediaeval building. The deliberate thesis, use or it is a pity that some of the photographs, while
adaptation of existing buildings reached a climaxofwith a decent size, are rather muddy in reproduction: for
vast ruins, such as the abbeys of Fountains, Rievaulx and the views of Prior Park and the Soane Museum.
example,
Roche, as the culmination of contrived vistas and so The calledphotographs are very well chosen and it is pleasing
"natural" landscapes. The sham castles in many English to find new views of such well known subjects as
landscapes were largely the work of Sanderson Miller, Harlaxton, Milton Abbas and Seaton Delaval. One would
whose strong awareness of the past was more sentimental have liked some colour, but presumably even at ?25 that
than historical. David Watkin goes on to describe is how
asking too much. The layout is clear with generous
the Picturesque "dethroned" Palladian symmetry,margins. which There is an extensive bibliography and a good
it had originally accepted happily enough. Again he puts
straightforward index which avoids the pitfalls of trying to
forward Vanbrugh as the far-sighted genius. The Gothic -
categorize themes and ideas. Apart from some small
Dr Watkin does not use the discredited 'k' - revival is typographical errors, perhaps not to be expected from this
discussed in detail and he suggests that in the longpublisher,
term there are very few mistakes of the sort that
Downton Castle, Herefordshire, was even more influentialreviewers delight is spotting. However, one should not go
than Walpole's Strawberry Hill. Downton was built for
unmentioned; the Scottish-born architect, Charles
himself by Richard Payne Knight and was the Cameron, first whose career was spent in Russia, is referred
building designed from the beginning to give the impres-to throughout as James Cameron.
sion of growth. Interestingly Knight and his friend and STEPHEN CROAD
neighbour, Uvedale Price, both influential writers on the
picturesque, were opposed to the landscapes devised by
Brown and Repton.
Due regard is given to the highly important Fonthill
Abbey, but already the problems of dealing with the
picturesque in the nineteenth century are apparent. As the
author says, when describing Keele Hall, Staffordshire, it

THE OXFORD ARTJOURNAL - 5:2 1983 69

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