Picturesque Wonderland

Tim Richardson is impressed by an intimate exhibition that explores the relationship between Humphry Repton and one of his greatest clients

- Tim Richardson

This year sees celebrations marking the bicentenary of the death of Humphry Repton, the man who coined the term ‘landscape gardener’ and successfully promoted himself as the heir to ‘Capability’ Brown’s artistic and business legacy. An early highlight of the year’s events, which are being co-ordinated by the Gardens Trust, is ‘humphry Repton: Art & Nature for the Duke of Bedford’. This small yet dense and varied display, across two rooms at the Abbey, illustrates the progress of Repton’s work over 23 years for the 6th Duke and Duchess, culminating in his complete redesign of the landscape at Woburn.

This is far from the hagiographical treatment one might expect from an ‘in-house’ exhibition, in that Repton’s shortcomings as a designer are acknowledged— the way he often glossed over or fudged ‘details’ such as measurements, costs and plant specifications, leaving the gardener and foreman to work things out for themselves. Repton’s schemes often went well over budget as a result, which has not been forgotten: the Duchess of Bedford remarked in her speech at the opening of the exhibition that his original estimate of £500 for the works at Woburn quintupled to £2,500. Repton’s prickliness is also remarked upon; for example, the 1805 Woburn Red Book (of prospective designs) begins with an extraordinary attack on the landscaping efforts of the architect of the house, Henry Holland, with Repton quoting from a presumably private letter from the duke in which he states that, ‘much has been done here, but much remains to be done, and something, I think, to undo’.