Teme Valley Arts Society Lectrures: Capability Brown and the Making (and Death) of the English Landscape

A talk by James Bolton

Wednesday 18 March 2026

Organised by

When Capability Brown refused a fee of £1,000 to work in Ireland because “he had not yet finished England”, it marked the high tide of the English Landscape Movement. His birth in 1716 signalled the end of the Baroque age and his death in 1783 heralded all the excesses of Romanticism. The intervening years witnessed the greatest contribution Britain has made to Art. This is the Augustan age of the Grand Tour and the Whig party, of Lord Burlington, William Kent and Neo-Palladianism, when Britain trembled on the edge of Empire. Brown’s years as head gardener at Stowe, learning from both Cobham and Kent formed the basis of his independent practice in which he surveyed and transformed England from Milton Abbey to Alnwick Castle.

James Bolton set up his garden design business in 1992, following two years as Head Gardener at the Old Rectory, Farnborough. He has designed gardens across southern England as well as Portugal and the United States.

Attend as a Visitor:

You can attend our lectures for just £8 – pay on the door.  Should you subsequently become a member your first lecture fee will be refunded.

Timings

• 1:45 pm onwards – Members Free Registration / Visitors £8 Ticket
• 2:00 pm Auditorium Doors Open
• 2:15 pm Lecture Begins
• 3:30 pm Refreshments Available.  Meet other members and visitors.

Become A Member:

Our annual membership of £50 or £95 per couple gives you:

• Free Access to 9 Lectures per year
• Exploration Days, Visits and Social Events (extra cost)
• Volunteering opportunites in preservation and conservation projects.
• A quarterly glossy magazine from The Arts Society
• Information on current and local upcoming cultural and artistic events

For membership please see the Teme valley Arts Society website here.