One of the finest examples of an 18th century landscape garden, Painshill in Cobham also boasts a wonderful walled productive garden. Leigh Clapp admires the high summer bounty
THE artistic vision of the Hon. Charles Hamilton, Painshill grew over time as the keen plantsman, painter and imaginative designer purchased more than 250 acres of land to create the Cobham estate.
Between 1738 and 1773, Hamilton transformed the barren heathland into an ornamental landscape of contours with composed views, a 14-acre serpentine lake and carefully planned trees and shrubberies.
Then there was the flourish of surprise brought by an array of architectural follies, including a ruined abbey, crystal grotto and Gothic temple. With a limited budget and ambitious designs, most of the buildings were like stage sets – quite flimsy and built of wood rendered to look like stone.
Inspiration came from Renaissance and contemporary art along with visits to Italy on two grand tours. The resulting garden is a series of romantic scenes designed to delight the senses through a journey of discovery. Considered a ‘living work of art’ the landscape was one of the first to reflect the change in the fashion for formal geometric designs to the naturalistic, picturesque style. Respected for his knowledge of plants, Hamilton obtained some rare and exotic additions for Painshill, including Lebanon cedars, trees and shrubs from Philadelphia through the naturalist John Bartram and he also supplied seeds to nurseries. In addition, he had three walled gardens built using bricks made on site for the working areas of the garden.
Lost beauty
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