In the Middle Ages the elite invested heavily in more than just their habitat – their castle or manor-house. New research has shown that their landscapes were heavily designed to afford them both pleasure, fun and a scene to celebrate their power

Designs Upon the Land. Elite Landscapes of the Middle Ages
By Oliver H. Creighton, Associate Professor in Archaeology, University of Exeter
Boydell & Brewer 2009 (2014)

The phrase “designed landscape” is generally associated with the great parks and gardens of the post-medieval period, with grand country houses surrounded by parkland, such as Chatsworth and Longleat. However, recent research has made it clear that its origins lie much further back than that, in the middle ages, and numerous examples have been identified.

This book offers the first full-length survey of designed medieval landscapes, not just the settings for castles, but for palaces, manor houses and monastic institutions.

Gardens and pleasure grounds gave their owners sensory enjoyment; lakes, ponds and walkways created routes of approach that displayed residences to best effect; deer parks were stunning backdrops and venues for aristocratic enjoyment; and peacocks, swans, rabbits and doves were some of the many species which lent these landscapes their elite appearance.

The book is richly illustrated with plans, maps, and photographs of key sites showing what can still be seen today and offers a richly rewarding introduction to the elite landscapes of Medieval Britain, demonstrating that these landscapes were just as open and impressive as later on. Having read the book, the reader is no longer able to entertain the idea, that medieval people thought of their habitations as something which had to be fenced of, walled and moated inside seas of uncontrollable wilderness.

Literally, the book opens vast vistas!

 

 

http://www.boydellandbrewer.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=14183

 

Series: Garden and Landscape History