United States
£ GBP
Gardens of Court and Country provides the first comprehensive overview of the development of the English formal garden from 1630 to 1730. Often overshadowed by the English landscape garden that became fashionable later in the 18th century, English formal gardens of the 17th century displayed important design innovations that reflected a broad rethinking of how gardens functioned within society. With insights into how the Protestant nobility planned and used their formal gardens, the domestication of the lawn, and the transformation of gardens into large rustic parks, David Jacques explores the ways forecourts, flower gardens, bowling greens, cascades, and more were created and reimagined over time. This handsome volume includes 300 illustrations – including plans, engravings, and paintings – that bring lost and forgotten gardens back to life.
David Jacques is an independent scholar and a consultant in historic landscapes, parks, and gardens.
"This is the book for which serious historians of garden history in this country have been waiting [...] the fruit of some four decades of both archival and on-the-ground research brought together in one magisterial work. The result is a triumph, and a publication that will remain a cornerstone of all future studies."
– Roy Strong, Country Life
"The kind of companion a coffee table dreams about supporting: a comprehensive survey of 17th-century English formal gardens [...] This 'visual record' will make readers long to explore those bygone forecourts, flower gardens, bowling greens, cascades, and more."
– Steve Gutierrez, British Heritage Travel
"While few of these high-maintenance gardens exist today, they are brought alive through contemporary engravings and Jacques' text."
– Jane Owen, Financial Times
"It is an important study; one that no garden historian will want to miss."
– Peter Borsay, Cercles, 15 December 2017
