William Kent

William Kent (born in Bridlington, Yorkshire, c. 1685 - April 12, 1748) was an English architect, landscape architect and furniture designer of the early 18th century.

Landscape architect

As a landscape designer, Kent was one of the originators of the English landscape garden, a style of 'natural' gardening that revolutionised English garden design. He worked on Stowe, Buckinghamshire from about 1730 onwards, at Alexander Pope's villa garden at Twickenham, for Queen Caroline at Richmond and notably at Rousham House, creating a sequence of Arcadian setpieces punctuated with temples, cascades, grottoes, Palladian bridges and exedrae, and opening the field for the broader achievements of Capability Brown in the following generation. His all-but-lost gardens at Claremont, Surrey, have recently been restored. It is often said that he was not above planting dead trees to create the mood he required.

Related Topics:
English landscape garden - Stowe, Buckinghamshire - Alexander Pope - Twickenham - Queen Caroline - Richmond - Rousham House - Exedra - Capability Brown - Claremont - Surrey

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Kent's only real downfall was said to be his lack of horticultural knowledge and technical skill (which people like Charles Bridgeman possessed - his impact on Kent is often underestimated), but his naturalistic style of design compensated. The Claremont, Stowe, and Rousham houses are places where their joint efforts can be viewed. The Stowe and Rousham houses are Kent's most famous works. At the latter, Kent elaborated on Bridgeman's 1720s design for the property, adding walls and arches to catch the viewer's eye. At Stowe, Kent used his Italian experience to give the manor a Romanist design, particularly with the Palladian Bridge. At both sites Kent incorporated his naturalistic views and lighting concepts.

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