LONDON

BEYOND LONDON
LUTON HOO
Brown’s work has won many admirers including
filmmakers – so you may well recognise Luton
Hoo, its grounds and mile-long Lime Tree
Avenue from productions such as War Horse and
Gosford Park. This Bedfordshire country house
was transformed into a 228-room five-star hotel
in 2007 during a £60 million restoration. The
neoclassical mansion dates back to 1767, but
as work was done on the house, ‘Capability’
Brown was enlarging the grounds
and damming the River Lea to
create two picturesque lakes.
Now spanning 1,000 acres, the
massive project of returning
the estate to its former glory
included restoring the gardens,
gravel pathways, ornamental
ponds, formal lawns and
boxed hedges. A key feature is
Brown’s octagonal walled garden,
which provided flowers, fruit,
vegetables, herbs and honey to hotel
guests. Another is a brick ha-ha.
‘Brown often used ha-has in his designs,’ says
Evans. ‘These are dry ditches, or sunken fences,
which divide formal gardens from landscaped
parks without interrupting the view. They are
often used to keep livestock off certain parts of
an estate. The phrase “ha-ha” is also how laughter
is written in English,’ she adds, ‘so it’s also an
amusing play upon words.’
lutonhoo.co.uk
HIGHCLERE CASTLE
Synonymous with TV’s Downton Abbey, this
Victorian mansion is the Berkshire home of the
Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. Built in 1842,
it is set in 1,000 acres of beautiful parkland and
gardens designed by Brown, punctuated with
18th-century ‘follies’ – whimsical buildings
constructed primarily for decoration.
Lady Fiona, the Countess of Carnarvon, says:
‘The views from the lawns south to
Siddown Hill are breathtaking. It is
something about the serpentine
expanse leading your eye and the
trees framing the views. The
flat tops of cedar trees float
across the woods, which are
mainly beech and oak. Then,
leaving the park, visitors pass
by the Temple of Diana and
Dunsmere Lake, a key part
of the vision for the park.’
So, what is she most excited
about this year? ‘In May we have
a week devoted to Brown, his work
and aspects of the park here,’ Lady Fiona says,
‘revealing his story and the way he planned to
lead you through the landscape. It will be fun
to explore it all and share the history.’ The event
Capability Brown at Highclere (15-22 May)
includes a castle and garden tour.
Top: Highclere Castle and its grounds
Inset: The saloon at Highclere Castle
HIGHCLERE CASTLE IMAGES COURTESY OF HIGHCLERE CASTLE
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