Landscape Plans

Volume bound in red morocco with gold tooling, 8½ x 11½, being one of the celebrated 'Red Books' of Humphry Repton (1752-1818), landscape gardener, who was employed by the chief noblemen of his day (see D.N.B.)

The volume is typical of those produced by Repton for his clients; his practice was to provide a series of sketches in colour showing the state of the property as it then existed. Some sketches were on one or more flaps which, when lifted, revealed the scene as he envisaged it after his improvements were carried out. Repton described his plans in detail in a pleasant style, and his method was no doubt one which commended itself to his patrons

Pasted on the fly-leaves of the volume are (1) a short pedigree of the Peckham and Phipps families made in 1942; (2) a letter (May, 1942) from the Hon. Lionel Lindsay to Sir Philip Bealby Reckitt, bart., who formerly lived at Little Green; (3) a copy of Repton's finely engraved tradecard. Inserted loose in the volume is a paper 'cut-out' of Napoleon, and a modern photograph [presented to the Office in October, 1953] of Littlegreen

The volumes consist of 31 leaves as follows:-

1r. Title. Little Green or otherwise Green Vale A Seat of Thomas Peckham Phipps Esqr. At the top of the page, 'presented by Miss Peckham Phipps To the House at Little Green Octbr, 1837'

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2r. Introduction, signed by H. Repton, dated at Hare Street, Romford [Essex] 26 October, 1793

This introduction is as follows:-

Sir

The following pages contain an illustration of those remarks, which I had the honour to make in conversation on the spot. There are three advantages to be derived from thus laying down a general plan for the alteration and general improvement of Little Green: the first is the opportunity it gives of ascertaining effects before they are actually produced, the second furnishes hints for carrying the plan into execution by degrees, without having to regret any partial improvement on a small scale, incompatible with more extended views in future. The third advantage is derived from the consideration, that the outline of the plan being thus described on paper; if it should fortunately meet your wishes, you will be able with more ease to explain the whole design to those friends whom every Gentleman wishes to consult on important occasions, and without whose approbation and concurrence in opinion a plan is seldom executed with full satisfaction

I have the honour to be

Sir

Your most obedient humble Servant

H REPTON

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3r. Sketch I. A coloured map of the estate. Scale 20 in. to 1 m. Shows house and out-buildings in block plan; site of former house; proposed kitchen garden, home paddock, the eastern lawn; the great sheep-walk to the west or western lawn; existing roads and hedges; a corner of Uppark

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4r. The character and situation of the estate. '... notwithstanding the extent of property which surrounds the house at Little Green, it would be impossible to give it any degree of importance which might fairly rival that of the adjoining park'

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5r. Sketch II. A coloured view of the proposed new house and stables taken from the west sheep-walk with the mansion of Uppark in the distance with a flap showing the effect of 'a miserable row of alternate scotch and spruce firs' which at present screens the house

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6r. An explanation of Sketch II

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7r. Prefatory remarks regarding the house

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8r. A description of the old house and reasons 'for asserting that the present house ought not to fetter the plan of general improvement'. To his arguments Repton says, 'I must add one more, which may be called Argumentum ad mulierem, because Ladies are the best judges of these matters, viz: that very old houses are subject to inhabitants which no degree of care, attention, or cleanliness can ever extirpate, such as rats, mice, 'bettles', spiders, flies, termes, millipedes, and a variety of other living creatures whose troublesome society can never be evaded, but by removing clearly away from them, and destroying their ancient haunts entirely'

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9r. 'The New Site'. Arguments in favour of the proposed situation of the new house

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10r. 'Instructions to my ingenious friend Mr. Wilkins' [William Wilkins, 1778-1839, architect, see D.N.B.] concerning the architecture of the new house

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11r. Notes on the views from the new house

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12r. Sketch III. In colour, showing, with the aid of flaps, the scene at present, and as it will appear if his plans are carried out. 'I will pledge my reputation', he says, 'that the scene in reality will far exceed the sketch in beauty'

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13r. An explanation of Sketch III

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14r. Observations on roads, fences, gates, etc

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15r. Observations on the approaches to the house

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16r. Sketch IV. In colour, showing on a flap the existing house and farm buildings, and beneath it the new house and parkland

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17r. 'The Green Vale'. Observations on the valley to the east of the house. Repton thought so highly of this valley that he suggests 'there will be no impropriety in changing the name [of the property] Little Green to Little Green Vale or rather Green-Vale'

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18r. Sketch V. Showing in colour, proposals for the future improvement of the country surrounding the house, with special reference 'to the apex of that hill, whence the Eye commands one of the finest prospects in the country'

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19r. 'Future objects', being an explanation of Sketch V and remarks on people 'who consult only their own convenience, and hastily run up staring objects which must become either an ornament or a disgrace to all the surrounding neighbourhood'

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20r. Notes on ornamental buildings. These include 'two hints of Temples which on paper may appear sumptuous, but in reality the materials of which they should be composed will bring them into harmony with the simplicity of their situation'

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21r. Sketch VI. A grey-wash drawing showing the proposed Temples referred to in 20r

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Robert Peckham purchased part of the Littlegreen estate in 1653 and his son, also Robert, bought the remainder in 1699. The grand-daughter of this second Robert was Sarah, who married Thomas Phipps of Westbury, co. Wilts., in 1742, and it was their son Thomas Peckham Phipps who engaged Repton to carry out this survey in 1793.