Horticultural work , 1818. 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 disabled, 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 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, decades before
Frederick Law Olmsted, 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 belts. In 1832, Loudon established the design theory entitled
Gardenesque. In this style, attention was given to the individual plant, and placement in the best conditions for them to grow to their potential. Nineteenth 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 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 – are 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, 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.
Horticulture and design Loudon was a prolific horticultural and
landscape design 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 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' 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. 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,
Pinner'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. 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 paralleled the
Loddiges arboretum at
Abney Park, and served as inspiration for the
Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew.
Publications 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. I, Vol. II • 1812.
Observations On Laying Out Farms • 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 • 1826–1844 ''Gardener's Magazine'' • 1828–
Magazine of Natural History Prominent designs by Loudon •
Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Birmingham (1829–32) •
Brompton Cemetery, London •
Derby Arboretum, Derby (1839–40) •
Harewood House, West Yorkshire •
Bath Abbey Cemetery, Bath (1843) •
Histon Road Cemetery, Cambridge (1842) •
Ditchley, Oxfordshire • Stradsett Hall,
Norfolk •
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, and
William Hosking in 1840. •
City of London Cemetery and Crematorium, laid out in 1848 according to
On the Laying Out, Planting, and managing of Cemeteries. == Marriage to Jane Webb ==