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The Victorian era was a long one and involved many diverse changed both social, economic and cultural. By examining the effect of these changes through the eyes of two members of one family, an understanding of how a certain section of Victorian society sought to deal with these changes can be appreciated. The move away from paternalistic, hierarchical society which had pertained in England for generations, to one of industrialisation had been described as: 'a slow moving conjuring trick'. One individual, who was part of the 'trick', by endeavouring to mitigate the growing unease experienced by some members of the landowning elite, was the landscape designer William Andrews Nesfield. From the middle years of Queen Victoria's reign he produced grand, sophisticated, formal gardens that echoed those designed by André le Nôtre for Louis XIV in seventeenth century France. These gardens spoke to their owners of control and power, reassuring them that although change might be taking palce beyond their estates, within them they were still very much in charge.
Whilst wealthy landowners were endeavouring to reconcile themselves to a changing world, towards the latter years of the nineteenth century a growing middle class was developing. William Andrews Nesfield's eldest son, the architect William Eden Nesfield, was associated with these changes through the Aesthetic and Arts and Crafts Movements. He was an art architect who experimented with Gothic, Old English and Queen Anne Revival architecture. Therefore, although it would appear that the philosophies of father and son were opposed, they were actually a good example of how two seemingly opposite ideologies could happily co-exist through their love of picturesque scenery and a shared romanticised view of the past. Their contribution to the society in which they lived sheds light on an important facet of life in the nineteenth century.
Whilst wealthy landowners were endeavouring to reconcile themselves to a changing world, towards the latter years of the nineteenth century a growing middle class was developing. William Andrews Nesfield's eldest son, the architect William Eden Nesfield, was associated with these changes through the Aesthetic and Arts and Crafts Movements. He was an art architect who experimented with Gothic, Old English and Queen Anne Revival architecture. Therefore, although it would appear that the philosophies of father and son were opposed, they were actually a good example of how two seemingly opposite ideologies could happily co-exist through their love of picturesque scenery and a shared romanticised view of the past. Their contribution to the society in which they lived sheds light on an important facet of life in the nineteenth century.
Table of Contents
1. Early Days
2. Into the Army
3. Medieval Influences
4. Planting the Picturesque
5. Marriage and a Start in Landscape Gardening
6. Concerning the Landscape
7. The Return to Formality
8. The Parterre-de-Broderie
9. Painted Gardens
10. Two Public Commissions
11. Enter William Eden
12. Breaking Free
13. A Few More Commissions
14. 30 Argyll Street
15. Two More Public Commissions
16. The End of an Era
2. Into the Army
3. Medieval Influences
4. Planting the Picturesque
5. Marriage and a Start in Landscape Gardening
6. Concerning the Landscape
7. The Return to Formality
8. The Parterre-de-Broderie
9. Painted Gardens
10. Two Public Commissions
11. Enter William Eden
12. Breaking Free
13. A Few More Commissions
14. 30 Argyll Street
15. Two More Public Commissions
16. The End of an Era