In keeping with the grandeur of the house, the
grounds at Castle Howard in Yorkshire were designed on
an heroic scale. The result of the fruitful
collaboration between the 3rd Earl of Carlisle and the
architects John Vanbrugh and Nicholas Hawksmoor, they
were laid out in the early eighteenth century with
sculpture, waterworks and an astonishing array of
monuments. They are also rich in variety, with
subsequent additions including a Victorian parterre
designed by W.A. Nesfield, walled rose gardens,
herbaceous borders and a potager.
Given free
access to this 1,000-acre landscape, Mike Kipling has
photographed it in its many moods - in the summer light
that brings the detail of the scene into sharp focus and
on misty days in winter when a more mysterious
atmosphere pervades. Through his skilled eye we see here
vistas across lakes and ponds; Ray Wood and its
serpentine pathways; the five-mile Avenue with its mock
fortifications; the Temple of the Four Winds, the domed
Mausoleum, the Atlas Fountain and other memorable
sights.
Turning his lens, too, to the planting -
the carpet of snowdrops that are the first signs of the
garden's awakening after winter, its abundant daffodils,
its exceptional collections of rhododendrons and
azaleas, and of 2,000 roses - Kipling has captured the
beauty and magnificence of this spectacular place, which
delights visitors with perpetual drama and event
throughout the year.
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