An influential group of organisations, landowners and individuals are one step closer to marking the 300th anniversary of the birth of Lancelot Capability Brown with a nationwide festival celebrating his life and influence in 2016.
The Capability Brown 300 Celebration and Festival has received a first round pass and will receive £139,200 development funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
Known as the ‘father of landscape architecture’, Brown’s surviving landscapes include the World Heritage Site at Blenheim Palace, Highclere Castle (the location of the ITV series Downton Abbey), Alnwick, Chatwsorth, Syon Park and Compton Verney.
Capability Brown changed the face of the nation and created a landscape style which forms the backdrop for most people’s picture of the quintessential English countryside.
The aim of the festival is to bring the beauty and importance of Brown’s landscapes to a wider audience and celebrate the legacy of one of history’s most influential landscape architects.
Gilly Drummond, chair of the Capability Brown 300 steering group, said: "Thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund and a marvellous partnership we can now give Capability Brown, England's greatest landscape artist his due recognition and spread the understanding and enjoyment of his genius for sustainable landscape design to a much wider audience, both nationally and internationally.
"We will move at speed to ensure that Capability Brown's Birthday Celebrations and Festival 2016 will delight and inform as many people as possible all over the country. With the help of owners and managers and the support of volunteers, we hope to be able to have a huge number of Brown's parks and gardens open to the public in 2016."
The Heritage Lottery Fund describes a first-round pass as a project that meets its criteria for funding and HLF believes the project has potential to deliver high-quality benefits and value for lottery money.
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