The Complete Landscape Designs and Gardens of Geoffrey Jellicoe

About this book

Geoffrey Jellicoe has long been regarded internationally as the pre-eminent landscape architect of our time. The recipient of many honors including a knighthood he now ranks among the centurys leading artists in any medium. His working career spans more than six decades and embraces a truly staggering variety of landscapes and gardens. Project by project this authoritative monograph examines the definitive canon of Jellicoes work. Divided into three major sections the book chronicles Jellicoes progress towards his remarkable late flowering after 1964 when he finally freed himself from the demands of running a formal practice to concentrate on developing his own unique vision and philosophy of mans relationship to his environment. The authors introduction provides an invaluable guide to the underlying vocabulary and idioms of Jellicoes work: water viewpoints axes paths routes groves landmarks secret gardens elevation and gradation. Over fifty projects both planned and fully realized are described in detail often with a preamble by the author followed by Jellicoes own comments either drawn from his own unpublished papers or from his classic texts on landscape design. The projects include his masterworks: Shute House Sutton Place the Moody Gardens and the Atlanta Historical Gardens. Several complete designs have been specially photographed by Hugh Palmer to show the development of Geoffrey Jellicoes work over years of growth and change notably at Ditchley St. Pauls Walden Bury and Shute. Where available Geoffrey Jellicoes own plans have been reprinted in full color some on 6-page foldouts; many of these have never been reproduced in book form before. Michael Spens has enjoyed the benefit of considerable assistance from Geoffrey Jellicoe whose own contribution to the book has been substantial. As a survey of the work of the centurys foremost landscape architect this volume is as important a contribution to the literature of landscape and garden design as his own The Landscape of Man also published by Thames and Hudson.