Gardens of the Restoration: a new approach to establishing the Englishness of gardens in England 1660-1680

This thesis investigates whether an English character can be identified in garden designin the twenty years after the Restoration in England, 1660-1680. I argue that the influence of France and the Netherlands on English garden design before 1680 is not as dominant as previously thought1and that landowners returning from exile in 1660 did not necessarily all build gardens inspired by their experience of continental gardens. Four case studies are used to test this idea. The thesis puts forwarda new approach to identifying English garden style. By analyzing contemporary garden treatises, writings and visual evidence of engravings, paintings and estate maps, the principles, characteristics and features of English, French and Dutch garden design at this time are identified. This establishesa meansby which the extent of French, Dutch or English influence on gardens can be assessed. The hypothesis is that in the gardens of the period 1660-1680 there is a discernable Englishcharacter,which can be identified in individual gardens by analysing documentary and visual evidence and by applying the analysisdeveloped in chapter four, to identify the characteristics of English, French and Dutch gardens. This suggests that in the cases studied, traditional English features continued to be incorporated into garden design andthe influence of continental design principles was limited.