The gardens at Raynham and their destruction, c. 1700-1735

This article examines the development of the landscape of Raynham Hall, Norfolk, England in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, and presents two hitherto unrecognised sketches by William Kent. It argues that Raynham was one of the first places in England where geometric gardens were removed in order to provide a largely open, parkland setting for the mansion. It attributes this innovation to William Kent and suggests that it was associated with Raynham’s status as an early essay in Palladian architecture. Finally, it argues that more scholarly attention should be given to the connections between architectural styles, and modes of lndscape and garden design, in eighteenth-century England.