Research
The Capability Brown Festival 2016 stimulated new research and publications about Brown’s work. As part of the legacy of the tercentenary year, this research has been brought together to provide up to date and consistent information for over 140 sites where Brown is known to have worked or advised upon.
Most sites commissioned as part of the Festival have a downloadable leaflet, and over 140 others have a new site page, all linked to our interactive map. Each site page includes the results of key research on Brown sites, which complements the aerial maps of many sites, generously supplied by Historic England. Leaflet maps are available for Ashridge; Belvoir Castle; Berrington Hall; Blenheim Palace; Bowood; Burton Constable; Castle Ashby; Chatsworth; Compton Verney; Coombe; Croome; Euston Hall; Grimsthorpe; Hatfield Forest; Petworth; Sherborne Castle; Scampston; Stowe; Trentham Gardens; Ugbrooke; Wallington; Weston Park; Wimpole Estate and Wrest Park.
We are very grateful for the significant work that many County Gardens Trust and NADFAS volunteers have undertaken in support of the Capability Brown Festival in helping to source research on sites throughout the country.
Key resources links:
- a link to the RHS Lindley Library's Capability Brown Account Book now online with search functions.
- RHS Occasional Papers vol 14, October 2016 Capability Brown and his account book by D. Brown, R. Floud, B. Elliott.
- RBS Archives Capability Brown Bank Account with Drummonds Bank
- Capability Brown aerial photos by Historic England.
- Download "What Capability Brown did for Ecology: the legacy for biodiversity, landscapes & nature conservation" Research paper presented by Natural England at Sheffield Hallam Conference 15-17 June 2016
- Read Natural England's 'The contribution of Capability Brown to ecology, ecological connectivity, landscape character and ecosystem services' webinar presentation.
- Oxford National Dictionary of Biography which has added Brown connections such as John Spyres this year. It can be accessed with most Local Authority library cards.
- The Royal Collection Trust's Georgian Papers Programme. By 2020, this will house the digitisation of all the RCT's historic manuscripts from the Georgian period c.350,000 pages, dating from 1714-1837
- Please note that the modern equivalents of prices given on the Capability Brown website use the equivalent labour cost shown on www.measuringworth.com, rather than the real price (calculated on the increase in inflation). This is based on the research by Prof. Sir Roderick Floud published in RHS Occasional Papers 14.
- As part of the Festival legacy, The Gardens Trust with support from Historic England, published Vulnerability Brown: Capability Brown landscapes at risk in October 2017 to review the issues facing the survival of these landscapes as well as suggested solutions.
- Historic England published the first-ever catalogue of Capability Brown’s survey and design plans on the 302nd anniversary of Brown’s baptism day (30 August 2018). The 110-page catalogue is free to download from the Historic England research reports database. The catalogue showcases the 82 known survey and design plans by Capability Brown and his office and is a legacy project from the Capability Brown Festival in 2016. Dr Sarah Rutherford and Ceryl Evans undertook the cataloguing work for Historic England, commissioned by Jenifer White, National Landscape Adviser at Historic England.
- a booklist of key Capability Brown tomes can be found below.