Alan Titchmarsh MBE & the Duchess of Bedford opened a new Woburn Abbey exhibition marking the bicentenary of the UK’s first landscape gardener earlier this week.
Renowned gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh MBE visited Bedfordshire’s Woburn Abbey & Gardens on Wednesday where he met with the Duchess of Bedford, Matthew Hirst (curator of the Woburn Abbey collection), Martin Towsey (estate gardens manager) and Keir Davidson (author of 'Woburn Abbey, The Park & Gardens') for the launch of a new exhibition marking the bicentenary of the first landscape gardener, Humphry Repton.
Kier Davidson, Matthew Hirst, the Duchess of Bedford, Alan Titchmarsh and Martin Towsey (left to right) are pictured with Repton's Red Book at Woburn Abbey & Gardens (Credit: Woburn Abbey & Gardens)
Alan Titchmarsh MBE said: "I am delighted to be opening an exhibition which celebrates the work of a man whose prime object was to beautify the land surrounding a fine country house and to help house and garden work in harmony. Repton and his 'Red Books’ well deserve their place in the history of British landscape gardening."
The Duchess of Bedford added: "The Abbey will be a major player in the national celebrations, supporting the work of The Gardens Trust and giving Humphry Repton the prominence he deserves."
The exhibition was officially opened to the public yesterday, and will remain open until 28th October.
'Humphry Repton: Art & Nature for the Duke of Bedford' explores Repton’s influential work for his most fascinating clients, the Dukes of Bedford.
Recognised as the first person to invent and use the title ‘landscape gardener’, Repton regarded himself as the rightful successor to Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. Repton produced over 400 designs and schemes for gardens great and small, but of these, he stated, “none were more fully realised than at Woburn Abbey”.
Never miss leisure news in Milton Keynes - Follow us on www.twitter.com/thisistotalmk
And on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thisistotalmk
Never miss leisure news in Milton Keynes - Follow us on www.twitter.com/thisistotalmk
And on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thisistotalmk
