The Natural Style in Landscape Gardening 



dening: Or, The Laying out and Planting Par- 

 terres, Groves, Wildernesses, Labyrinths, Ave- 

 nues, Parks, &c., after a more Grand and Rural 

 Manner, than has been done before." 



Another curious episode was the career of Laun- 

 celot Brown — "Old Capability Brown," as his jeal- 

 ous critics dubbed him. His contribution to the 

 natural style was the discovery that "Nature ab- 

 hors a straight line." Therefore away with straight 

 lines. With a strong start in this direction it is 

 easy to conclude that the further we get away from 

 the straight line the nearer we get to Nature. So 

 Brown made walks and drives and artificial water- 

 courses so crooked that they lost their way. It was 

 said that his walks tied themselves in true lovers' 

 knots and that his made rivers often doubled and 

 crossed their own courses. Brown made himself 

 thoroughly ridiculous, but he illustrated one idea 

 of the natural style, and an idea which has more 

 recently and in a milder form had a distinguished 

 hearing in America. 



After Brown arose a small group of doctrinaires 

 who theorized that the only way to make a truly 



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