HYLAND
A garden, like a great house, is heir to many layers of
change, some imposed by subsequent gardeners and
architects, others by the work of Nature herself. In the
words of the present Duke of Northumberland, Brown
"created integrated landscapes that enhanced rather
than controlled," in reaction against the formality of French
gardens and with a sort of prescience for the philosophy
of landscape design that would come into being over
two centuries later. This is not to say, as the Duke notes,
that Brown did not orchestrate
severe interventions in his
landscapes, but that the result
always looked natural, "as if they
had been there for many years."
Syon Park has undergone many
interventions since Brown's
time, which we will explore in this
article, but it is Brown's inspired
conception of a vast park that
laid the groundwork for the
glorious place, part very English
garden, part greenhouse and
part "Wilderness" which exists
today.
Brown extended the park into surrounding farmland,
diverting roads, demolishing farm buildings and most
importantly, excavating two new serpentine lakes from
the damp fields along the line of the prehistoric channel
of the Thames.
