6 
FORMAL GARDENS IN 
early garden plans remarkable simplicity is the most notable and pleasing feature, and though the parterres 
may be intricate, yet the main lines of the designs are invariably quite simple. 
The gardens at Wilton, in Wiltshire, which were laid out by Isaac de Caux, are an interesting study in 
garden design of this period. The designs were published in a folio volume with descriptions, from which we 
gather that the garden was 1,000 feet long, by 400 feet broad, and was divided into three parallelograms ; the 
first of these from the house being divided into four parts, each having a fountain in the centre, and being 
subdivided by grass paths into six smaller divisions. The second parallelogram comprised two groves, 
rather after the French manner, in which were two statues of white marble, and through these groves ran the 
River Nadar. At the beginning of the third parallelogram were two ponds, with columns in the middle 
“casting water all their height which causeth the moveing and turning of two crownes at the top of the 
same." This third parallelogram consisted of a “ Compartement of greene with diverse walks planted with 
cherrie trees and in the midle is the great oval with the gladiator of brass ; the most famous statue of all that 
antiquitie hath left.” Unfortunately nothing now remains of these famous gardens, but here and there a 
small piece of stonework. The River Nadar still runs through the gardens, though its course has been 
altered, and it is now spanned by the Palladian bridge designed by Morris. 
During the reign of Charles I. no great progress was made in the art of gardening, but during the 
Commonwealth much was done by both Royalist and Puritan towards the improvement of orchards and market 
gardens. One Hartlib, who received a pension of £ 100 a year from Oliver Cromwell, did much to help the 
advancement of agriculture. The Puritan considered the garden from a more practical point of view— 
what would pay best to cultivate, and how the fertility of his garden could be improved. Consequently, not 
many pleasure gardens were laid out, and during the Civil Wars many of the finest then existing were 
destroyed. Nonsuch and Wimbledon were sold, and the fate of Hampton Court itself hung in the balance, but 
it was eventually left untouched. It was during this period of unrest in England that Le Notre, the greatest 
of all the Formal or Architectural garden designers, was superintending the execution of his gigantic schemes 
in garden design at Versailles. He was educated as an architect, and is said to have had his first experience 
in gardening at Reuil. Later on he designed the gardens at Vaux le Villars, which so pleased the King that 
he was made Comptroller-General of Buildings and Gardens, and was attached to the brilliant court of 
Louis XIV. when in the height of its magnificence. It has been said that Le N6tre visited England, but 
there does not appear to be sufficient evidence in support of this statement; his influence, however, extended 
to these shores, and with the Restoration a considerable change came over the designs for the larger English 
gardens. Charles II. during his sojourn abroad imbibed much of the prevalent taste, and one of his first cares 
after his accession was the renovation and improvement of his gardens, for which purpose he sent for French 
gardeners. Of the alterations made by Charles at Hampton Court the most important were the laying out of 
the Home Park in its present form, the planting of the great avenues of limes with the large semicircular 
avenue enclosing nine and a half acres, and the digging of the great canal, three quarters of a mile in 
length. These avenues are probably the earliest instances of the introduction of that French taste, which 
had so much influence upon the laying out of grounds for those country seats of great noblemen which were 
erected towards the end of the seventeenth century. 
John Rose, reputed to be the best English gardener of his time, was sent by his master, the Earl of 
Essex, to study under Le N6tre, and on his return was appointed gardener to Charles II. His pupil and 
successor was George London. John Evelyn (1620-1706), author of the well-known Diary and Corre¬ 
spondence, attained some distinction as a gardener. Besides his great work on “ Forest Trees," he intended 
to write a book on garden design, which unfortunately never got further than a list of the headings to 
the various chapters. A perusal of these will show to what an advanced state gardening had attained. 
In Book II. he proposed writing of “ knots, parterres, compartments, bordures, and embossments; of walks, 
