English garden

The term English garden or English park (Jardin anglais, Giardino all'inglese, Englischer Landschaftspark) is used in Continental Europe to refer to a type of garden with its origins on the English landscape gardens of the 18th century. The main ingredients of every garden are statues, water, and the surrounding land. The name differentiates it from the formal baroque design of the French formal garden. One of the best-known English gardens in Europe is the Englischer Garten in Munich, Germany.

In the United Kingdom the style is particularly associated with Capability Brown. The style was only dominant in English gardening for a relatively short period from the mid 18th century to the early 19th century, and the majority of most famous gardens in England are not in this style. The term English garden is not used in England, where (18th century) "landscape garden" takes its place.

The canonical European English park contains a number of Romantic elements. Always present is a pond or small lake with a pier or bridge. Overlooking the pond is a round or hexagonal pavilion, often in the shape of a monopteros, a Roman temple. Sometimes the park also has a "Chinese" pavilion. Other elements include a grotto and imitation ruins.

Notable designers of English gardens include Stephen Switzer (1682-1745), William Kent (1685-1748), Charles Bridgeman, Capability Brown (1716-1783), John Vanbrugh (1664-1726), and Lucas Pieters Roodbaard.

See also

• List of landscape gardens

External links

• The English Garden Magazine website
• The English Landscape Garden (1600-1818)
• From Peasants to Monet - Triumph of English Cottage Gardens
• Magazine subscription page

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia © 2001-2006 Wikipedia contributors (Disclaimer)
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Wednesday February 27, 2008 at 02:27:15 PST (GMT -0800)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation