William Emes

William Emes (1729 or 1730–13 March 1803) was an English landscape gardener.

Biography

Details of his early life are not known but in 1756 he was appointed head gardener to Sir Nathaniel Curzon at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire. He left this post in 1760 when Robert Adam was given responsibility for the entire management of the grounds. During his time at Kedleston he had started to alter the earlier formal nature of the park and had constructed the upper lake. Also during this time he married Mary Innocent, his servant and the daughter of a tailor. Together they had five sons and three daughters.Goodway, K "Emes, William (1729/30–1803)", rev., "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", Oxford University Press, 2004, [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/37398, accessed 30 January 2007] ]

After leaving Kedleston he moved to live in a nearby farmhouse at Mackworth where he developed his practice as a landscape designer, which was concentrated mainly in the Midlands and in north Wales. His style was similar to that of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. At Eaton Hall, Cheshire, Emes was called in to replace Brown by Lord Grosvenor. He sometimes furnished a plan and then left the client to undertake the work. On other occasions he would supervise the work for many years, such as the gardens at Chirk Castle and at Erddig where his involvement continued for 25 years.cite journal | quotes = | last =Bostock | first =T. | authorlink = | coauthors = | date = | year =2005–6 | month = | title =Oulton's Historic park and garden | journal =Cheshire History | volume =44 | issue = | pages = 48–61| issn =0141-8696 | ] Emes also designed a few minor buildings.

The main features of his designs were trees and water. Characteristic designs included serpentine lakes with their ends concealed in woodland, single trees and clumps of trees in parkland with tree belts round the boundary. He created flower gardens adjacent to the house at Sandon Hall, anticipating the later work of Humphry Repton.

His wife died in 1789 and Emes then moved to Hampshire taking a lease of Elvetham Park from Sir Henry Gough-Calthorpe. Here he took commissions in the south of England, sometimes in partnership with John Webb, formerly his foreman. He later moved to London where he died at Vicarage House, St Giles Cripplegate, the home of his daughter, Sarah. He was buried at St Giles Cripplegate.

Designs

Gardens

In whole or in part:

Derbyshire

*Kedleston (1756–1760)
*Calke Abbey (1776) [http://www.york.ac.uk/depts/arch/landscapes/ukpg/designer/emeswill.htm Places associated with Emes] , accessed 30 January 2007]
*Markeaton Hall
*Shipley Hall [ [http://www.youandyesterday.co.uk/articles/Miner's_dial_is_pointer_to_Derbyshire_social_history Bygone Derbyshire The History of Shipley Country Park - Miner's dial is a pointer...] ]
*Darley Park
*Radbourne Hall (1790)
*Locko Hall (1792)

Cheshire

*Tatton Hall (1768)
*Crewe Hall (1769)
*Oulton Hall (1770)
*Peover Hall
*Eaton Hall
*Cholmondeley Hall (1777)

Staffordshire

*Ingestre
*Sandon (1767)
*Keele Hall (1768–1770)
*Oakedge (1771)
*Beaudesert House
*Cuffnell
*Statfold (1777)
*Sandon Hall (1781–1782)
*Etruria Hall
*Betley Court

Shropshire

*Walcot Park (1774)
*Dudmaston Hall
*Millichope Park
*Oakley Park
*Hawkstone Park
*Badger Hall (c. 1780)
*The Hill, Chipnall, Cheswardine before 1825Fact|date=July 2008

Lancashire

*Platt Hall (1768)
*Heaton Hall (1770)

Wiltshire

*Chute
*Bowood House

Cambridgeshire

*Wimpole Hall (walled garden) (1790)
*Chippenham (1795)

Lincolnshire

*Belton House

Hampshire

*Brockenhurst Park
*Dogmersfield Park
*Elvetham Hall

Gloucestershire

*Daylesford House
*Dodington House (1793)
*Fairford Park (1783–87)

Yorkshire

*Cave Castle (1787–1791)

Norfolk

*Holkham Hall

Wales

*Chirk Castle, Denbighshire (1764)
*Powis Castle, Montgomeryshire
*Hawarden Old Rectory, Flintshire (1774)
*Gregynog, Montgomeryshire (1774)
*Penrice Castle, Glamorganshire
*Erddig, Denbighshire
*Llanrhaiadr Hall, Denbighshire
*Margam Park, Glamorganshire
*Rhiwlas, Montgomeryshire

Buildings

*Lodge at Attingham Hall, Shropshire
*Greenhouse at Penrice Castle, Glamorgan

Notes

Further reading

*cite journal | quotes = | last = Goodway | first = K.| authorlink = | coauthors = | date = | year = 1996 | month = | title =William Emes and the Flower Garden at Sandon, Staffordshire | journal =Garden History | volume =24:1 | issue = Summer | pages = 24-29|

External links

* [http://www.penricecastle.co.uk/history.html Penrice Castle]