It’s 300 years since the birth of Capability Brown the most famous English landscape gardener. His style has influenced the creation and improvement of parks and gardens all over the world, and his vision is often what people think of as that classic English aristocratic garden.

Here are thirteen facts you may or may not know about the man himself:

  • Born Lancelot Brown in 1716, Kirkhale, Northumberland
  • He had a relatively humble background, the son of a land agent and a chambermaid.
  • ‘Capability’ is a nickname that came from the fact that he often repeated that landscapes have ‘great capabilities’
  • Became responsible for the architectural and landscaping works at Stowe in Buckinghamshire aged 28.
  • Lord Cobham (Brown’s employer at Stowe) was so impressed with Brown that he loaned him out to all his aristocratic friends.
  • Aged 30 he was appointed to oversee the gardens of Hampton Court, Richmond and St James.
  • When he eventually became an independent landscaper in 1750, his client list went on to include dukes and duchesses, six prime ministers and half of the House of Lords.
  • He had 9 children with wife Bridget Wayet.
  • Suffered his whole life with asthma.
  • Was known as an honest man and to sometimes work for free, submitting plans without a bill or charge.
  • His style became renowned for combination of comfort and elegance, with a grand illusion of effortless cohesion between land and water. Large scale projects in Chatsworth and Blenheim Palace are great examples of his work.
  • He died suddenly 1783 from an unexpected seizure.
  • At the time of his death over 4000 landscapes had been made to his principles, with his style influencing parks and gardens across Europe and Russia.

Information collected from Capability Brown.org, and Countryfile.