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The English landscape garden, for all its aesthetic ideals and painterly compositions, was ultimately intended for leisure and relaxation. Small-scale garden buildings lent themselves to lofty architectural experimentation, but practically they provided for picnics, teas and candlelit soirees.
This course explores how gardens were used for eating and drinking al-fresco, in all weathers and throughout the seasons. It looks at exactly which ‘eatables and drinkables’ were most popular, the changing mealtimes of the Georgian gentry, and the role of temples, garden tents and picnic sites in garden design.
Laura Mayer is an independent lecturer and researcher. She holds an MA in Garden History and a PhD on eighteenth-century architecture and landscape design. Laura has worked on conservation projects for the National Trust, taught on academic courses and led groups around some of England’s most famous estates, including Highclere Castle, the setting for Downton Abbey. She has also published extensively, most notably on Capability Brown, and Humphry Repton.
