Plaz Metaxu, Witheridge, Devon The home of Alasdair Forbes
THE farmland rolls up and down, interrupted by hedges and trees. There is a small lake and a haze of reeds showing where the valley bottom is damper. It all looks typically Devonian. Yet a closer examination reveals oddities: a cluster of narrow slate pillars, figures on the ground made by cobbles, clipped hedges that enclose irregular spaces. Welcome to Plaz Metaxu, the life's work of art historian Alasdair Forbes, who moved here in 1992.
Until now, there were two recently made gardens of note that could be called 'gardens of the mind', in that their physical structures, planting and modifications of the landscape are all subordinated to a conceptual, rather than merely horticultural or aesthetic idea: Ian Hamilton Finlay's Little Sparta in the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh and Charles Jencks's The Garden of Cosmic Speculation at Portrack House, Dumfriesshire. Plaz Metaxu deserves to join them, although it is as different from them as they are from each other.
All are, to a large part, mysterious and lack accompanying explanation, but, of the three, it is Plaz Metaxu that is the most visually pleasing, the most harmonious and therefore, perhaps, the most accessible to the uninitiated. Its scale helps, as none of the interventions in the landscape crowds in, nothing dominates. Instead, all its components are subsumed in a mellow green whole.
To begin to understand Plaz Metaxu, it helps to bear in mind that each part of the garden is named after a Classical deity. Each deity acts as a muse for the garden's creator, as well as providing us with a clue to its meaning. From this basis, Mr Forbes spins out a web of allusions and connections, drawn from a lifetime's study. 'I wanted the garden to be as inclusive as possible of all the cultural stimuli I have tried to absorb,' he says.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 06, 2022-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 06, 2022-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
