17C English Gardens by L Knyff (1652-1722) & J Kip (1653-1722)

 The Prospect of Nottingham, from the East

Raittenbasslach by Michael Wening (1645-1718)

Michael Wening (1645-1718) was a Bavarian engraver known for his cityscapes & views of stately homes, castles & monasteries in the Bavaria of his day.  His concept was to publish a visual account of Bavaria’s 4 districts called Historico-Topographica Descriptio. He began in 1696, & had finished more than 100 drawings within the first 2 months.  The 1st volume appeared in 1701, but work on the other 3 volumes was delayed by Austria’s occupation of Bavaria.  At least 1 volume was published after his death in 1718. 

 Raittenbasslach by Michael Wening (Bavarian artist, 1645-1718)

17C English Gardens by L Knyff (1652-1722) & J Kip (1653-1722)

 The House att Chelsey in the County of Middlesex 

Castle Taufkirchen by Michael Wening (1645-1718)

Michael Wening (1645-1718) was a Bavarian engraver known for his cityscapes & views of stately homes, castles & monasteries in the Bavaria of his day.  His concept was to publish a visual account of Bavaria’s 4 districts called Historico-Topographica Descriptio. He began in 1696, & had finished more than 100 drawings within the first 2 months.  The 1st volume appeared in 1701, but work on the other 3 volumes was delayed by Austria’s occupation of Bavaria.  At least 1 volume was published after his death in 1718. 

Castle Taufkirchen by Michael Wening (Bavarian artist, 1645-1718)

17C English Gardens by L Knyff (1652-1722) & J Kip (1653-1722)

 The Abbey in Cirencester, The Seat of Thomas Master Esq

Arnbach Castle by Michael Wening (1645-1718)

Michael Wening (1645-1718) was a Bavarian engraver known for his cityscapes & views of stately homes, castles & monasteries in the Bavaria of his day.  His concept was to publish a visual account of Bavaria’s 4 districts called Historico-Topographica Descriptio. He began in 1696, & had finished more than 100 drawings within the first 2 months.  The 1st volume appeared in 1701, but work on the other 3 volumes was delayed by Austria’s occupation of Bavaria.  At least 1 volume was published after his death in 1718. 

 Arnbach Castle Michael Wening (Bavarian artist, 1645-1718)

17C English Gardens by L Knyff (1652-1722) & J Kip (1653-1722)

Wyck the seat of Richard Haines Esq. 

Wellenbrunn by Michael Wening (Bavarian artist, 1645-1718)

Michael Wening (1645-1718) was a Bavarian engraver known for his cityscapes & views of stately homes, castles & monasteries in the Bavaria of his day.  His concept was to publish a visual account of Bavaria’s 4 districts called Historico-Topographica Descriptio. He began in 1696, & had finished more than 100 drawings within the first 2 months.  The 1st volume appeared in 1701, but work on the other 3 volumes was delayed by Austria’s occupation of Bavaria.  At least 1 volume was published after his death in 1718. 

 Wellenbrunn by Michael Wening (Bavarian artist, 1645-1718)

17C English Gardens by L Knyff (1652-1722) & J Kip (1653-1722)

 Wrest House in Bedfordshire the Seat of the Rt. Hon. Henry Earl of Kent

Residence of Willheim Herzog by M Wening (1645-1718)

Michael Wening (1645-1718) was a Bavarian engraver known for his cityscapes & views of stately homes, castles & monasteries in the Bavaria of his day.  His concept was to publish a visual account of Bavaria’s 4 districts called Historico-Topographica Descriptio. He began in 1696, & had finished more than 100 drawings within the first 2 months.  The 1st volume appeared in 1701, but work on the other 3 volumes was delayed by Austria’s occupation of Bavaria.  At least 1 volume was published after his death in 1718. 

Residence of Willheim Herzog by Michael Wening (Bavarian artist, 1645-1718)

17C English Gardens by L Knyff (1652-1722) & J Kip (1653-1722)

 Wrest House and Park in the County of Bedford, the Seat of the Rt. Hon. Henry Earl of Kent

17C English Gardens by L Knyff (1652-1722) & J Kip (1653-1722)

 Wimple in the County of Cambridge the Seat of the Rt. Hon. Charles Bodville

Haimbhausen Castle by Michael Wening (1645-1718)

Michael Wening (1645-1718) was a Bavarian engraver known for his cityscapes & views of stately homes, castles & monasteries in the Bavaria of his day.  His concept was to publish a visual account of Bavaria’s 4 districts called Historico-Topographica Descriptio. He began in 1696, & had finished more than 100 drawings within the first 2 months.  The 1st volume appeared in 1701, but work on the other 3 volumes was delayed by Austria’s occupation of Bavaria.  At least 1 volume was published after his death in 1718. 

Haimbhausen Castle by Michael Wening (Bavarian artist, 1645-1718) Detail  
A great alternative view of the gardens & grounds from Michael Wening thanks to the Bavarian State Library & Daniel Seuffert of Munich, Germany.   

17C English Gardens by L Knyff (1652-1722) & J Kip (1653-1722)

 Westwood, Worcester

Castle by Michael Wening (1645-1718)

Michael Wening (1645-1718) was a Bavarian engraver known for his cityscapes & views of stately homes, castles & monasteries in the Bavaria of his day.  His concept was to publish a visual account of Bavaria’s 4 districts called Historico-Topographica Descriptio. He began in 1696, & had finished more than 100 drawings within the first 2 months.  The 1st volume appeared in 1701, but work on the other 3 volumes was delayed by Austria’s occupation of Bavaria.  At least 1 volume was published after his death in 1718. 

Castle by Michael Wening (1645-1718) 

17C English Gardens by L Knyff (1652-1722) & J Kip (1653-1722)

 Westwood in Worcestershire, the Seat of the Honble. Sr. John Pakington Barronet.

Liechtenberg Castle by Michael Wening (1645-1718)

Michael Wening (1645-1718) was a Bavarian engraver known for his cityscapes & views of stately homes, castles & monasteries in the Bavaria of his day.  His concept was to publish a visual account of Bavaria’s 4 districts called Historico-Topographica Descriptio. He began in 1696, & had finished more than 100 drawings within the first 2 months.  The 1st volume appeared in 1701, but work on the other 3 volumes was delayed by Austria’s occupation of Bavaria.  At least 1 volume was published after his death in 1718. 

Liechtenberg Castle by Michael Wening (Bavarian artist, 1645-1718)

17C English Gardens by L Knyff (1652-1722) & J Kip (1653-1722)

 Wansted House in Essex the Seat of the R Honbl Viscount l Cassleman

Berchtenstain Castle by Michael Wening (1645-1718)

Michael Wening (1645-1718) was a Bavarian engraver known for his cityscapes & views of stately homes, castles & monasteries in the Bavaria of his day.  His concept was to publish a visual account of Bavaria’s 4 districts called Historico-Topographica Descriptio. He began in 1696, & had finished more than 100 drawings within the first 2 months.  The 1st volume appeared in 1701, but work on the other 3 volumes was delayed by Austria’s occupation of Bavaria.  At least 1 volume was published after his death in 1718. 

Berchtenstain Castle by Michael Wening (Bavarian artist, 1645-1718)

17C English Gardens by L Knyff (1652-1722) & J Kip (1653-1722)

 View across the Thames of the Palace at Whitehall 

Numchen by Michael Wening (1645-1718)

Numchen by Michael Wening (Bavarian artist, 1645-1718)

Michael Wening (1645-1718) was a Bavarian engraver known for his cityscapes & views of stately homes, castles & monasteries in the Bavaria of his day.  His concept was to publish a visual account of Bavaria’s 4 districts called Historico-Topographica Descriptio. He began in 1696, & had finished more than 100 drawings within the first 2 months.  The 1st volume appeared in 1701, but work on the other 3 volumes was delayed by Austria’s occupation of Bavaria.  At least 1 volume was published after his death in 1718.

17C English Gardens by L Knyff (1652-1722) & J Kip (1653-1722)

 Upper Dowdeswell the Seat of Lionel Rich Esq.

Early 18C London Town Squares

Devonshire Square; London Described; print; John Bowles (Published by); Sutton Nicholls (Print made by); 1720-1728; London

Squares are one of the defining features of London. Like other European cities, London has its grand civic spaces, but no other city has developed the garden square in quite the same way. The London square gardens evolved when fields around the old walled City of London were converted, first for public recreation & then for housing. Common land outside the city walls had been used for fairs, markets & sport since medieval times. Local people had rights of way, their animals could graze, & they could spread their washing out to dry. One of these areas, Moor Fields was laid out in 1607 as London's 1st public pleasure park, with paths & squares of grass enclosed by elm trees. Enclosed gardens had long existed in medieval London, but the cloister gardens of convents & monasteries, the Inns of Court & the city livery companies, were mainly private & inward-looking.

Golden Square; London Described; print; John Bowles (Published by); 1727; London

At about the same time as Moor Fields was laid out, the land at Gray's Inn, also originally used for sport, was made into a garden by Francis Bacon. The garden attracted attention at the time, because it was relatively public, setting it apart from the secluded cloisters & courts of the City. Following the example of Moor Fields, in 1618 the Society of Lincoln's Inn began planning to preserve the common land beside the Inn. The Fields had long been used for recreation, sport & even public executions. Houses were built around 3 sides of the Fields over the next 20 years, & the central space was laid out with gravel walks & areas of grass surrounded by a low wooden fence.

Hanover Square; London Described; print; book-illustration; Sutton Nicholls (Print made by); 1720-1728; London

During the Reformation, Henry VIII had confiscated monastery land & given it to his supporters. The ancestors of these courtiers, such as the Lords Bedford, Southampton & Portman, were the main developers of the square in Stuart & Georgian London. The very first square built for people to live in was Covent Garden, completed in 1631. Commissioned by the 4th Earl of Bedford on land next to his mansion, the piazza was designed by the architect Inigo Jones, inspired by examples in France & Italy. The garden square had shops, a church & exclusive houses on 3 sides. It was paved, but featured a small tree surrounded by wooden benches at its center.

Leicester Square; London Described; print; John Bowles (Published by); Sutton Nicholls (Print made by); 1720-1730; London

In a similar way, the Earl of Leicester was able to build his own private house on the common fields of St Martin in the 1630s & lease the remainder for building, on the condition that he laid out some of the land with garden walks & trees for continuing public use. By 1670, houses surrounded the open space, which later became known as Leicester Square. The squares were Londons 1st suburbs. Each estate was planned as a self-contained community with a garden square of grand houses at its heart, a church & a market-place, surrounded by a series of increasingly inexpensive streets. The first garden square to be called by the name, was Bloomsbury Square, laid out in the 1660s by the 4th Earl of Southampton, who leased 3 sides of the forecourt to his London residence for building, before escaping from the plague. By the end of the century St James's, Charterhouse, Golden, Grosvenor, Red Lion & Kensington Squares were all established.

Red Lyon Square; London Described; print; John Bowles (Published by); Sutton Nicholls (Print made by); 1720-1728; London

The earliest squares were little more than open grass, surrounded by timber fences & gravelled areas for walking. Lincolns Inn Fields & Leicester Fields were not converted from turf to gardens until the early 18C. The 1st square to have a properly laid out garden at its centre was probably Soho Square, built in 1681 by the Earl of Macclesfield. It was laid out as a pleasure ground, with ornamental flowers, shrubs & trees. At the centre was a statue of Charles II, carved by Caius Gabriel Cibber.

St James's Square; London Described; print; book-illustration; Sutton Nicholls (Print made by); 1754; London

Text from the research in A Short History of London's Garden Squares by the London Garden Trust.

See also:

Garden Squares in The London Town Garden 1700-1840. Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, (2001)

A Campaign for London Squares. English Heritage (2000)

London Suburbs. English Heritage (1999)

London's Pride: The Glorious History of the Capital's Gardens. Museum of London (1990)

London Squares in The Open Spaces of London. Alec Forshaw & Theo Bergstrom (1986)

17C Unknown British Artist, Christ Church, Oxford

Unknown British Artist, Christ Church, Oxford

1629 Le Jardin de la Noblesse Française by Abraham Bosse 1602–1676

1629 etching from Le Jardin de la Noblesse Française... by Abraham Bosse (French, 1602–1676) Detail

17C Robert Robinson (British artist, d 1706) Imaginary English Garden

1600s Robert Robinson (British artist, d 1706) Capriccio (a painted architectural fantasy) of an Imaginary Formal Garden and House

1635 Enclosed Garden

Adriaen van de Venne (Dutch artist, 1589-1662) Formal geometric garden, print study for book-illustration to 'Tafereel van de Belacchende Werelt' (The Hague 1635) with sculpture at center, with both visitors & family in the enclosed, private garden.

17C Gardeners Working - Illuminated Manuscripts

1601 Gardener - Die Hausbücher der Nürnberger Zwölfbrüderstiftungen

Plessage, trellising and decorations of medieval and renaissance garden. Garden Touraine 1600 

1607 Gardener with a spade Die Hausbücher der Nürnberger Zwölfbrüderstiftungen

Love in the Garden - Crispin de Passe 1565-1637

 Crispin de Passe (1565-1637) The Five Senses