J. C. Loudon
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John Claudius Loudon (8 April 1783 – 14 December 1843) was a Scottish botanist,
garden designer A garden designer is someone who designs the plan and features of gardens, either as an amateur or professional. The compositional elements of garden design and landscape design are: terrain, water, planting, constructed elements and buildings, ...
and
author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
. He was the first to use the term arboretum in writing to refer to a garden of plants, especially trees, collected for the purpose of scientific study. He was married to Jane, née Webb, a fellow
horticulturalist Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
, and author of
science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
,
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
, horror, and
gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
stories.


Early life

Loudon was born in Cambuslang,
Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotl ...
, Scotland to a respectable farmer. Therefore, as he was growing up, he developed a practical knowledge of plants and farming. As a young man, Loudon studied
biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
, botany and agriculture at the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
. When working on the layout of farms in South Scotland, he described himself as a landscape planner. This was a time when open field land was being converted from
run rig Run rig, or runrig, also known as rig-a-rendal, was a system of land tenure practised in Scotland, particularly in the Highlands and Islands. It was used on open fields for arable farming. Its origins are not clear, but it is possible that the p ...
with 'ferm touns' to the landscape of
enclosure Enclosure or Inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or " common land" enclosing it and by doing so depriving commoners of their rights of access and privilege. Agreements to enclose land ...
, which now dominates British agriculture. Loudon developed a limp as a young man, and later became crippled with arthritis. He undertook a second Grand Tour of Europe and also visited the Near East. In 1826, crippled by rheumatism and arthritis, he had to endure an amputation at his right shoulder after a botched operation to correct a broken arm. He learnt to write and draw with his left arm and hired a draughtsman to prepare his plans. At the same time he cured himself of an opium habit that had been keeping the pain at bay.


Work


Horticultural work

Around 1803, Loudon published an article entitled ''Observations on Laying out the Public Spaces in London''. It recommended the introduction of lighter trees rather than those with dense canopies. Loudon was attacked by rheumatic fever in 1806 which left him crippled, but this illness did not affect his writing. As his condition deteriorated over time, Loudon was forced to use the services of a draughtsman and other aids. Beginning in 1808, Loudon was employed by George Frederick Stratton to landscape and farm his property, Tew Park, where he was able to set up a school for young men to be instructed in theory of farming and modes of
cultivating Tillage is the agricultural preparation of soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shoveling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, ...
the soil. Loudon's design was a model of efficiency and convenience reflected in elegance and refinement. In conjunction with the goals of diffusing agricultural knowledge, Loudon published a pamphlet entitled ''The Utility of Agricultural Knowledge to the Sons of the Landed Proprietors of Great Britain, &c., by a Scotch Farmer and Land-Agent.'' After travelling through Europe from 1813 to 1814, Loudon began to focus on the improvement of the construction of greenhouses and other agricultural systems. He ultimately developed a design for hinged surfaces that could be adjusted depending on the angle of the sun. Loudon also developed plans for industrial worker housing and solar heating systems. In 1815, he was elected a corresponding member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Loudon established himself as a
city planner An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, town ...
, decades before
Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the USA. Olmsted was famous for co ...
and others began to work. His vision for the possibility of long term planning for London's green spaces was illustrated within his work, ''Hints for Breathing Places for Metropolis'' published in 1829. He envisioned city growth being carefully shaped and circulation influenced by the inclusion of
green belt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which ...
s. In 1832, Loudon established the design theory entitled ''
Gardenesque The term ''gardenesque'' was introduced by John Claudius Loudon (1783–1843) in 1832 to describe a style of planting design in accordance with his 'Principle of Recognition'. Definitions Loudon was worried that picturesque planting could be ...
''. In this style, attention was given to the individual plant and placement in the best conditions for them to grow to their potential. 19th century thought was punctuated by the belief that gardens should not mimic nature, so ''Gardenesque'' offered a solution by introducing exotics into gardens and basing layouts on abstract shapes. Loudon was instrumental in the adoption of the term '' landscape architecture'' by the modern profession. He took up the term from
Gilbert Laing Meason Gilbert Laing Meason of Lindertis FRSE FSA (3 July 1769 – 14 August 1832) was a Scottish merchant and agricultural improver, best remembered as the originator of the term landscape architecture. Life He was born Gilbert Laing in Kirkwall, the s ...
and gave it publicity in his Encyclopedias and in his 1840 book on the ''Landscape Gardening and Landscape Architecture of the Late Humphry Repton''.


Architecture

Sir Howard Colvin noted that, although Loudon did not regard himself as a practising architect, there is evidence that in his early days as a landscape gardener he did occasionally act in that capacity. His architectural thinking and his inclinations towards the Gothic style may be found in his ''A treatise on forming, improving, and managing country residences.'' A handful of architectural works - now largely lost - is associated with him. In 1806 he altered the exterior of Barnbarrow (Barnbarroch), Wigtown (burned 1942). However, his principal architectural work appears to have been Garth (Guilsfield), near Welshpool, Montgomeryshire, begun in 1809. His scheme for Garth was in what Colvin termed a "crudely Gothic" design. The scheme was illustrated in his ''Observations on laying out farms in the Scotch Style'', but in execution the designs were modified by the patrons, Richard and Charlotte Mytton. The house was demolished during the winter of 1946-7. At
Hope End Hope End is an area and former estate of Herefordshire, England, near the Malvern Hills, noted for its literary associations. As described by a 19th-century railway guide, Hope End Park and a country house lay near the West Midland Railway, betwe ...
, near Ledbury, Herefordshire, which was built at the same time as Garth, Loudon embellished a square classical design with huge circular buttresses, pinnacles, ogee-arches windows and a central ogee dome in what Colvin described as "coarsely designed in a pseudo-Moorish style". Later in life, in 1823-4 Loudon designed Nos.3 and 5 Porchester Terrace, London as a "double detached villa", living in No.3 himself.


Publications

Loudon was a prolific horticultural and
landscape design Landscape design is an independent profession and a design and art tradition, practiced by landscape designers, combining nature and culture. In contemporary practice, landscape design bridges the space between landscape architecture and gard ...
writer. Through his publications, he hoped to spread his ideals of the creation of common space and the improvement of city planning and develop an awareness and interest in agriculture and horticulture. Through his magazines and works, he was able to communicate with lay folk as well as other professionals. He wrote ''An Encyclopædia of Gardening'' in 1822. After its success Loudon published ''The Encyclopedia of Agriculture'' in 1825. He founded the ''
Gardener's Magazine ''The Gardener's Magazine'' was the first British periodical devoted to horticulture. Full title was ''The gardener's magazine and register of rural & domestic improvement''. It was written, edited and published by John Claudius Loudon starti ...
'', the first periodical devoted solely to horticulture, in 1826. A short time later, he commenced the '' Magazine of Natural History'' in 1828. Perhaps the most significant of these, certainly the most time-consuming and costly, was ''Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum''. This work was published in three formats: with the plates entirely uncoloured, with botanical details hand-coloured, and fully hand-coloured. Work began in 1830 and it was first issued in sixty-three monthly parts from January 1835 to July 1838. It presented: an exhaustive account of all the trees and shrubs growing in Great Britain and their history; notes on remarkable examples growing in individual gardens; drawings of leaves, twigs, fruits, and the shapes of leafless trees; and entire portraits of trees in their young and mature state. All were drawn from life, many being from the parkland grounds of Syon House, one of the homes of the Duke of Northumberland to whom the work was dedicated, or from
Loddiges The Loddiges family (not uncommonly mis-spelt ''Loddige'') managed one of the most notable of the eighteenth and nineteenth century plant nurseries that traded in and introduced exotic plants, trees, shrubs, ferns, palms and orchids into Europea ...
' arboretum. "It was on the collection maintained by this firm more than any other that J. C. Loudon relied for living material in the preparation of his great work" W. J. Bean notes, in ''Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles''. The publication also ruined him financially, as he ended up with many unsold copies of the eight-volume work and went deep into debt. His work on cemeteries also was significant. Churchyards were becoming full, especially in urban areas, and new cemeteries were being opened by private enterprises. Loudon designed only three cemeteries ( Bath Abbey Cemetery,
Histon Road Cemetery, Cambridge Histon Road Cemetery, formerly Cambridge General Cemetery, is a cemetery in north Cambridge, England, lying off Histon Road, opened in 1842.Nikolaus Pevsner, ''The Buildings of England: Cambridgeshire'' (1970), p. 232. It is notable as one of on ...
, and Southampton Old Cemetery where the design was rejected) but his writing was a major influence on other designers and architects of the period. An unusual creation by Loudon is the memorial to his parents, which stands in the grounds of
St John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
,
Pinner Pinner is a London suburb in the London borough of Harrow, Greater London, England, northwest of Charing Cross, close to the border with Hillingdon, historically in the county of Middlesex. The population was 31,130 in 2011. Originally a med ...
's parish church. It is in the form of a stone wedge, with a fake stone sarcophagus within. It has been Grade II listed since 1983. Loudon thought that public improvements should be undertaken in a democratic fashion and in a comprehensive and reasonable manner, not sporadically by the benevolence of the wealthy. In 1839, he was commissioned to design the Arboretum at
Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
. In his commissions, Loudon displayed the principles that he advocated in his writings; he took into account the general public, aiming to create a space where the classes could mingle easily as well as creating community pride. Plantings were labelled extensively. Loudon's design for the
Derby Arboretum Derby Arboretum is a public park and arboretum in the city of Derby, England, located about south of the city centre in the Rose Hill area. It was opened in 1840, following the donation of the land by local philanthropist Joseph Strutt, and t ...
paralleled the
Loddiges The Loddiges family (not uncommonly mis-spelt ''Loddige'') managed one of the most notable of the eighteenth and nineteenth century plant nurseries that traded in and introduced exotic plants, trees, shrubs, ferns, palms and orchids into Europea ...
arboretum at
Abney Park Abney Park is in Stoke Newington, London, England. It is a park dating from just before 1700, named after Lady Abney, the wife of Sir Thomas Abney, Lord Mayor of London in 1700 and one of the first directors of the Bank of England and associat ...
and served as inspiration for the
Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...
.


List

Loudon's publications include the books: *1805.
A short treatise on several improvements, recently made in hot-houses
' * 1806. ''A treatise on forming, improving, and managing country residences,'
Vol. IVol. II
* 1817.
Remarks on the Construction of Hothouses
' * 1818. ''Sketches of Curvilinear Hothouses'' * 1822. ''An Encyclopædia of Gardening'' * 1824.
The green-house companion
' * 1825. '' The Encyclopedia of Agriculture'
Vol I.Vol II.7th edition, 1872
* 1828. ''The Encyclopedia of Plants'', with John Lindley * 1826.
Hortus Britannicus
' (1830) (not to be confused with Sweet's ''Hortus Britannicus'' ,1826–27) * 1833.
The Encyclopedia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture
' * 1838
''Arboretum et Fruticetum Britannicum''
* 1838.
Suburban Gardener
' * 1842. ''An Encyclopaedia of Trees and Shrubs: Being the Arboretum Et Fruticetum Britannicum Abridged'' * 1843. ''On the Laying Out, Planting and Managing of Cemeteries; And on the Improvement of Churchyards.''


= Magazines

= * 1826– ''Gardener's Magazine'' * 1828– ''Magazine of Natural History''


Prominent designs by Loudon

* Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Birmingham (1829–32) *
Brompton Cemetery Brompton Cemetery (originally the West of London and Westminster Cemetery) is a London cemetery, managed by The Royal Parks, in West Brompton in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries. Establ ...
, London *
Derby Arboretum Derby Arboretum is a public park and arboretum in the city of Derby, England, located about south of the city centre in the Rose Hill area. It was opened in 1840, following the donation of the land by local philanthropist Joseph Strutt, and t ...
, Derby (1839–40) *
Harewood House Harewood House ( , ) is a country house in Harewood, West Yorkshire, England. Designed by architects John Carr and Robert Adam, it was built, between 1759 and 1771, for Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood, a wealthy West Indian plantation ...
, West Yorkshire * Bath Abbey Cemetery, Bath (1843) *
Histon Road Cemetery, Cambridge Histon Road Cemetery, formerly Cambridge General Cemetery, is a cemetery in north Cambridge, England, lying off Histon Road, opened in 1842.Nikolaus Pevsner, ''The Buildings of England: Cambridgeshire'' (1970), p. 232. It is notable as one of on ...
(1842) *
Ditchley Ditchley Park is a country house near Charlbury in Oxfordshire, England. The estate was once the site of a Roman villa. Later it became a royal hunting ground, and then the property of Sir Henry Lee of Ditchley. The 2nd Earl of Lichfield built ...
, Oxfordshire * Stradsett Hall,
Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
* Southampton Old Cemetery, Southampton (1842) * Loudon Memorial, St John the Baptist, Pinner, London Designed by others in Loudon's 'Gardenesque' style: * Abney Park Cemetery, London – designed by
George Loddiges George Loddiges (1784/1786 – 5 May 1846) was a British gardener, artist, and naturalist. He worked in the nursery business established by his father and illustrated nearly 2000 plates of plants in the nursery's own periodical, the Botanical Cabin ...
and William Hosking in 1840. *
City of London Cemetery and Crematorium The City of London Cemetery and Crematorium is a cemetery and crematorium in the east of London. It is owned and operated by the City of London Corporation. It is designated Grade I on the Historic England National Register of Historic Parks and ...
, laid out in 1848 according to ''On the Laying Out, Planting and managing of Cemeteries''.


Marriage to Jane C. Loudon

In 1830, when Loudon was 47 years old, he asked a friend to invite the author of '' The Mummy!: Or a Tale of the Twenty-Second Century'' to lunch. He had recently reviewed and admired the inventions in this novel in an article published in his ''
Gardener's Magazine ''The Gardener's Magazine'' was the first British periodical devoted to horticulture. Full title was ''The gardener's magazine and register of rural & domestic improvement''. It was written, edited and published by John Claudius Loudon starti ...
''. Set in 2126 AD, it is an early example of
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
. England has become an absolute monarchy and it features an early Internet, espresso machines, and air-conditioning. The author was
Jane Webb Jane Webb Karyl, (August 13, 1925 – March 30, 2010) best known as Jane Webb, was an American film, radio, and voice actress, best known for her work on Filmation's cartoons. Early years Webb's mother was Estelle Sigrid Webb, a Swedish immigran ...
who, having been left penniless at 17 by the death of her father, had turned to writing as a profession. She had published the book anonymously. They married seven months later and had a daughter, Agnes, who was married to the solicitor and political agent
Markham Spofforth Markham Spofforth (14 March 1825 – 26 January 1907) was a British solicitor and political agent. He was Principal Agent of the Conservative Party from 1859 to 1870. A close adviser to Benjamin Disraeli, he rebuilt the Conservative Party's syst ...
from 1858 until her death in 1863. Loudon loved the fantastical and his wife's expression of it. Their marriage not only symbolized a mutual admiration of one another's minds, but a number of innovations in the world of gardening. Throughout their marriage, Jane Loudon encountered her husband's work and decided to create her own guides to make gardening more accessible to young women. The Loudons were considered the leading horticulturalists of their day, and their circle of friends included
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
and
William Makepeace Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray (; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was a British novelist, author and illustrator. He is known for his satirical works, particularly his 1848 novel ''Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portrait of British society, and t ...
.


Death and Legacy

Design of the municipal cemetery at Southampton was Loudon's final project. Despite advanced lung cancer, he corrected the final proofs for his latest encyclopaedia. He travelled to Bath to inspect the site for another cemetery; and then to Oxford to see a client. On his return to London, his doctor told him that he was dying; he died, penniless, in the arms of his wife in December 1843. He is buried in
Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederick ...
.A.W. Skempton (2002) ''A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain''. p. 413 A plaque jointly commemorating Jane and John was erected at their former home, 3 Porchester Terrace, Bayswater in 1953, by
London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...
.


References


Further reading

* Encyclopædia Britannica (2012
John Claudius Loudon
* Dumbarton Oaks (1980) ''John Claudius Loudon and the early nineteenth century in Great Britain''. Dumbarton Oaks Trustees for Harvard University * Elizabeth B. Rogers (2001). ''Landscape Design: A Cultural and Architecture History''. New York:
Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher La Martinière Groupe. Run by President and CEO Michael ...


External links

*
John Claudius Loudon
on gardenvisit.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Loudon, John Claudius Botanists with author abbreviations Scottish botanists British pteridologists Scottish gardeners 1783 births 1843 deaths Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery Scottish landscape architects Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Scottish non-fiction writers Scottish inventors Scottish businesspeople Scottish urban planners Persons involved with death and dying Scottish publishers (people) Scottish naturalists Scottish journalists People from Cambuslang Scottish encyclopedists 19th-century Scottish writers 19th-century Scottish people Deaths from lung cancer in England Scottish amputees 19th-century British businesspeople