The Garden Museum is pleased to announce the acquisition of the archives of the eminent landscape architect William Andrews Nesfield (1793–1881).
This important record of historic garden design includes over 700 design sketches and plans, 900 watercolours, sketches and studies, and 100 other items including notebooks and papers, all belonging to Nesfield and his sons Arthur Markham and William Eden Nesfield.
Together the Nesfield family developed over 250 landscapes, and were at the pinnacle of British landscape design following Humphry Repton’s era and alongside Joseph Paxton. Their designed landscapes include Witley Court, Regent’s Park, Holkham Hall, Alton Towers, Castle Howard, and several vistas at Kew Gardens.
Their formal style incorporated complex parterres, grand fountains, and intricate statuary. Many of these gardens have long ago vanished or changed beyond recognition – not least due to the high level of upkeep demanded by the designs. As a result, this archive is the best surviving record of hundreds of important gardens across the UK.
The Nesfield Archive will be held in the Garden Museum’s Archive of Garden Design, which preserves and provides access to the working records of leading British garden designers.
The National Heritage Memorial Fund has granted £70,956 towards the purchase of the archive, which has also been supported by the Art Fund (£54,000), The Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Fund (£20,000), and the Friends of National Libraries (£13,107).
William Andrews Nesfield was born in 1793 in County Durham. After a career in the military he took up watercolour painting, followed later by a career as a landscape architect. He quickly became one of the most sought-after landscape architects of the mid-Victorian era, and set up a professional dynasty with his sons.
The archive contains detailed designs for the iconic fountain at Witley Court, even including intricate preparatory studies sketched by William Nesfield of the fish and seashells that feature. The fountain and gardens were recently the subject of significant restoration, and still attract many visitors each year. Other surviving designs represented in the archive are the spiral fountain at Alton Towers, and the parterres along the Avenue Gardens at Regent’s Park.
Nesfield’s designs for Castle Howard in Yorkshire are featured extensively in the collection. Here, he laid out the gardens in 1853 with the Atlas Fountain as a centrepiece, originally surrounded by an intricate parterre with a geometrical design made out of low box hedging, coloured gravels, and herbaceous plants. The parterre was removed in the 1890s but the fountain remains in place.
The collection predominantly comprises the archives of the family business in garden and landscape design, and also includes a large quantity of material from William Andrews Nesfield’s earlier career as a watercolourist, telling the story of how his work as a painter of landscapes and waterfalls inspired his career.
The material covers a considerable time period, with most material dating between 1820-1870, demonstrating both the development of the Nesfields’ specific aesthetic, and the wider changing trends in landscape design. William Andrews Nesfield’s paintings demonstrate how his career and interests progressed, and how his early career as a watercolourist influenced his later business. The influence of His earlier career spent capturing perfect landscapes in watercolour directly influenced his later work rearranging landscapes for clients. This can be seen in some of his sketches, with trees and features added or removed to create a perfect scene.
Christopher Woodward, Garden Museum Director, said: “This is the most important and illustrious archive of historic garden design ever to come up for auction and we are very proud to be its custodian. And grateful to the funding bodies who sprang into action so effectively.
At a personal level I am just sorry that Dr Shirley Evans is not with us to hear this news; she wrote the book on the family, and through her inspiration we set our heart on the archive when it arrived at Sotheby’s in 2015. We will dedicate this acquisition to her.”
Simon Thurley, Chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said: “We are delighted to support the Garden Museum’s acquisition of the Nesfield Archive. The Nesfield family were some of the UK’s most eminent landscape architects and the acquisition of their family archive will give many more people the opportunity to discover the origins of some of the UK’s most famous landscapes – elements of which can still be seen today.”
A public programme of talks and events will be held to celebrate and delve deeper into this historically significant collection, starting with a talk on 4 February 2025 in collaboration with The Gardens Trust. Gardener and landscape historian Ben Dark will discuss the significance of the Nesfields and their style, with some of the archive being made available to view for attendees. Further programming will follow including family events. A selection of highlights from the archive will also be displayed amongst our permanent exhibits.
Material from the collection will be available to view in The Foyle Study Room by appointment during the week. It will soon be possible to search the collection through our online catalogue, which we are currently working on and will release shortly. In the meantime, it is possible to discuss and book an appointment by emailing archives@gardenmuseum.org.uk.
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Purchased with support from the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund and Friends of the National Libraries.
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