Wimpole Hall Garden

Like Stowe, Wimpole Park evolved from a geometrical baroque design into a serpentine landscape park. The old design is thought to have been the work of London and Wise. It was illustrated by Kip and Knyff and then developed by Charles Bridgeman. Capability Brown transformed it into a serpentine park with an tree belt and three lakes. Repton made proposals which were not implemented. The National Trust has re-instated the parterres and John Harvey, the eminent garden historian, described the historical investigation as 'masterly' (Wimpole Park, Cambridgeshire, The National Trust, 1980). It consists of fully detailed field survey including the recording of all tree-stumps with a count of their annual rings; archaeological excavation where applicable; historical research into'all surviving documents and particularly plans and views' {Journal of the Garden History Society Spring 1984 p.4).