The Garden History Blog

Repton at work at Welbeck Abbey, from Sketches and Hints on the Theory and Practice of Landscape gardening, 1795

What’s the one thing that everyone knows about Humphry Repton apart from the fact that he spelt Humphry without an E? I’d guess it’s the fact that he produced Red Books, so called because of their red morocco leather bindings. [That’s despite the fact that half of them aren’t red but brown, and there were apparently even one or two with green card covers.]

These Red Books contained a lengthy handwritten analysis and description of the site, together with his proposed  improvements, beautifully  illustrated with his own watercolour sketches  and were, apart from a  few given as gifts in the early days, sold to his potential clients.

Of course the key element of the Red Book’s design was the flap, or, as Repton called it, the slide.  It was an uncomplicated visual trick employed to show “before” and “after” in a quick and non-technical way, but despite its simplicity it has more than a degree of showmanship.  I’d originally hoped to get this post finished before the end of the pantomime season because this week’s post is going to consider Repton, his Red Book technique and  his theatricality.   I suspect that might cause a few raised eyebrows.  After all what’s Repton got to do with the stage or showbiz? I think the answer is quite a lot, although perhaps it’s not always obvious.

Self-portrait of Humphry Repton surveying the estate of Welbeck Abbey, from Sketches and Hints on Landscape Gardening 1795

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