This month’s talk was an insight into the work of Humphry Repton, his books and planning the landscape at Waresley Park by Eleanor Jack. Repton was born in Bury St Edmunds in 1752 and regarded as the last great designer of the English landscape. The son of a successful tax collector he attended Grammar school, then at twelve years of age he was sent to Holland to learn Dutch.
This was to prepare him for a commercial career, but he had no aptitude for business. After a few jobs he set himself up as a Landscape Gardener with a legacy from his parents. By now he was married with four children and had settled in Romford, Essex.
Repton invented the term Landscape Gardener.
Each Red Book contained drawings for his customers, of the present landscape and others which showed how it would look after his plans were completed. He would spend days walking the grounds and draw in his book the proposed changes. At Waresley he changed the approach to the house, many trees were planted, and he installed a lake.
During his working life he produced 400 of these Red Books, but only a few are available to the public today. Some have been sold to private collectors for thousands of pounds. Sadly during his life he didn’t amass a fortune as his business partners were unreliable.
Today, Waresley Park is open to the public with a spa at the house, freshwater swimming in the lake and a café.
