Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Archive
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
  • Connect
    • Feedback
    • Help
  • Alerts
  • ASLA Research Grant
  • Other Publications
    • UWP

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
Landscape Journal
  • Other Publications
    • UWP
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
Landscape Journal

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Archive
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
  • Connect
    • Feedback
    • Help
  • Alerts
  • ASLA Research Grant
  • Follow uwp on Twitter
  • Visit uwp on Facebook
Research ArticleArticles

Designing with Nature?

The persistence of Capability Brown’s 18th century water features

Kristen Podolak, G. Mathias Kondolf, Louise A. Mozingo, Keith Bowhill and Margaretta Lovell
Landscape Journal, January 2013, 32 (1) 51-64; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/lj.32.1.51
Kristen Podolak
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
G. Mathias Kondolf
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Louise A. Mozingo
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Keith Bowhill
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Margaretta Lovell
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

McHarg (1969) and others portray 18th century English landscapes as examples of designing with nature and self-perpetuating. Through analysis of original plans, historical topographic maps, and current satellite imagery, we documented the persistence of Capability Brown’s water features. We assessed the underlying geology of each site to determine if Brown accounted for local sediment yield rates in his designs. We expected that sites in the glaciated northwest, where river systems are more active, would fill with sediment more than sites in the southeast. We interviewed estate managers to determine the maintenance requirements of each water feature. Out of a sample of 53 water features, we found 37 (70 percent) exist today as Brown planned them more than two centuries ago, a better survival rate than enjoyed by the surrounding landscapes (51 percent as documented by Stroud in 1950). However, the persistence of the water features is largely attributable to periodic maintenance: out of 28 estates responding to our inquiries, 20 (71 percent) reported dredging or vegetation removal to maintain the water features. We did not find evidence that Brown accounted for local sediment yield rates in his designs, nor did we find different patterns in sedimentation or dredging histories of the water features. Although Brown’s water features may look natural, they survive because of significant human intervention. Given contemporary interests in managing for habitat and restoration, the current management regimes require consideration of both the historic preservation of iconic elements of the English landscape and ecological conservation values.

  • Capability Brown
  • estate water features
  • management regime
  • © 2013 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Log in through your institution

You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your library if you do not have a username and password.
If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Landscape Journal: 32 (1)
Landscape Journal
Vol. 32, Issue 1
1 Jan 2013
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Landscape Journal.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Designing with Nature?
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Landscape Journal
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Landscape Journal web site.
Citation Tools
Designing with Nature?
Kristen Podolak, G. Mathias Kondolf, Louise A. Mozingo, Keith Bowhill, Margaretta Lovell
Landscape Journal Jan 2013, 32 (1) 51-64; DOI: 10.3368/lj.32.1.51

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Designing with Nature?
Kristen Podolak, G. Mathias Kondolf, Louise A. Mozingo, Keith Bowhill, Margaretta Lovell
Landscape Journal Jan 2013, 32 (1) 51-64; DOI: 10.3368/lj.32.1.51
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • A Tribute to Robert B. Riley 1931–2019
  • Fluid or Fixed? Processes that Facilitate or Constrain a Sense of Inclusion in Participatory Schoolyard and Park Design
  • Diversity and Inclusion by Design: A Challenge for Us All
Show more Articles

Similar Articles

Keywords

  • Capability Brown
  • estate water features
  • management regime
UWP

© 2023 Landscape Journal

Powered by HighWire