Monument record 6413/0/1 - C18th Ornamental Lake

{1} Large lake shown to north of house.

{2} Lake is shown.

{3} Irregular elongated triangular lake with an island at the far eastern end near the dam. Two sluices and a boathouse are also marked in this vicinity.

{4} Improved by Brown c.1748 and was the first example of his use of water. A long and narrow lake in a valley overlooked by the house. He consciously adopted a serpentine approach.

{5} A lake was created in front of the house. A dam was built 700ft long x 25-30ft wide at the top and 80ft wide at the bottom. It raised the water by 25ft.

{6} Wakefield Lodge seems to have been the first major commission of Brown to lay out water. He was loaned out from Stowe to the Duke of Grafton. (Actually in 1746 Brown was creating a lake from a canal and old formal ponds at Newnham Paddox.)

{7} Brown created the lake at Wakefield in 1748 whilst he was head gardener at Stowe. His client was the Second Duke of Grafton.

{8} The house stands on a gentle eminence sloping to an expansive lake of 40 acres beyond which rises a beautiful lawn.

{9} Mr Brown on account of making water at Wakefield Lodge.

{10} An irregular elongated triangular lake with an island at the far eastern end near the dam. Two sluices and possibly two boathouses are also marked in this vicinity.

{12} The earliest lake in the county which was not originally a fishpond is that at Wakefield Lodge Park in Whittlewood Forest. This was excavated c.1748 by Lancelot (Capability) Brown. It was an ornamental lake constructed as a major landscape feature, associated with clumps of trees, plantations, sweeping lawns, and sunken walls in order to create a picturesque and romantic naturalistic vista.

<1> Eyre T. (Revised by Jefferys T.), 1779, Map of the County of Northamptonshire, (checked) (Map). SNN1852.

<2> Bryant A., 1827, Map of The County of Northampton, (checked) (Map). SNN2733.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1926, Ordnance Survey Third Edition Map Series (60.8), (unchecked) (Map). SNN41915.

<4> Hyams E., 1971, Capability Brown and Humphry Repton, p.19 (unchecked) (Book). SNN42136.

<5> Hinde T., 1987, Capability Brown: The Story of a Master Gardener, p.32 (unchecked) (Book). SNN42134.

<6> BURT J., 1994, CORRESPONDENCE, (unchecked) (Correspondence). SNN42135.

<7> Jacques D., Georgian Gardens, p.68 (unchecked) (Book). SNN42524.

<8> Baker G., 1830, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.231 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77328.

<9> 1750, Estate Accounts, (unchecked) (Document). SNN42110.

<10> Ordnance Survey, 1880, First Edition OS 6 Inch Mapping Series (MULTIPLES!), 60NE (checked) (Map). SNN41967.

<11> Stroud D., 1975, Capability Brown, p.54+107+219+225+243 (unchecked) (Book). SNN42133.

<12> Laundon J.R., 2006, The Importance of Northamptonshire's Reservoirs, p.73 (part checked) (Article). SNN109288.

Record last edited

Jun 13 2017 10:17AM