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| UK 2002 Index | Calendar |
LEVENS HALL TOPIARY GARDENS
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The trip to Levens Hall was much anticipated by the entire group in 2002. We had all seen pictures of the topiary gardens in class and were very anxious to see them firsthand! |
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Owner Colonel Grahme constructed the Levens Hall gardens in 1688. He commissioned Monsieur Beaumont to reconstruct the garden. By 1694 it was complete and appeared as seen today. The garden has since been passed down through the family with relatively little change to the present owner, Hal Bagot. |
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Direction of views is a key component found at Levens. A ha-ha is a vital part of the English landscape. A ha-ha is an unexpected ditch in a landscape by which the view from the garden is extended into the countryside without letting the farm animals into the garden. Visual continuity is maintained so that no fence is needed. In the picture (upper left) we see Adam walking close to the ditch showing its dramatic drop. A picture from afar (upper right) illustrates the reason it is called a ha-ha as the ditch disappears. The ha-ha at Levens is significant, as it was the first one ever constructed, 450 years ago. |
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| UK 2002 Index | Calendar | |
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