The Virginia Water Royal renewal 1788-1790
Virginia Water 1st January 1788
For over sixty years Windsor was neglected by the Hanoverian kings. Their neglect throws into relief the achievement of William, Duke of Cumberland, in his transformation of the Park. It was not until the years following 1775 that George III began the interest in Windsor which led to the second chapter in the eighteenth century history of the Park. His predecessor, George II, had lived at St James Palace, and sometimes at Kensington and Hampton Court. George III acquired a new house in London (the Queen's House, now incorporated in Buckingham Palace) and used St James only for court ceremonies. He abandoned Kensington and Hampton Court and made Kew, and later Windsor, his country residences. Queen Charlotte had a hand in bringing the King to Windsor. The Royal family had increased steadily; by 1775 there were ten young princes and princesses. The old rambling Castle itself had, however, a miscellaneous assortment of occupants and so new accommodation was sought. First, the house in the Castle grounds in which Queen Anne had resided was acquired; then, a new barrack-like building which became known as the Queen's or the Upper Lodge as it was called, was purchased by the Queen from the Duke of St Albans.
At first the King intended only to stay at Windsor occasionally but he became more and more attached to it. He disliked London. "I certainly see as little of London as I possibly can, and am never a volunteer there", he was to say in 1785. He learned to enjoy the country life which Windsor and its Park offered him. The Court was maintained but divested of much of the pomp and ceremonial that was normally associated with it. George was the King but he was also "the Squire of Windsor" and participated in the life of the town. He involved himself in the parliamentary elections for the borough and even personally canvassed the tradesmen in the interests of his favoured candidates. He was a frequent attendee at the local theatre. The younger Charles Knight remembered as a boy seeing the King in his father's bookshop on Castle Hill, "a quiet good humoured gentleman in a long blue coat", turning over the publications like any other customer. He took pleasure in watching the boys playing cricket or flying their kites in the park. "Many a time", wrote Knight, "had he bidden us good-morning when we were hunting for mushrooms in the early dew and he was returning from his dairy to his 8 o'clock breakfast. Everyone knew that most respectable and amiable of country squires and His Majesty knew everyone.
Just as the King came to be devoted to Windsor so he came to love the Park. He was fond of hunting; he was fond of riding. The Park was ideal for both.
Two other activities came to occupy much of his time and interest. One was the creation of the Royal farms. The other was the restoration and extension of Virginia Water.
Duke William's residence in the Great Park had coincided with the high tide of eighteenth century landscape gardening. George III's residence at Windsor coincided with the high tide of the eighteenth century "agrarian revolution". Compact farms, new patterns of crop rotation, the improvement of stock breeding were some of the outstanding features of the new farming. George III led the fashion in his "model farms" in the Park.
The man responsible for the development of the farms, appointed in 1791 , was Nathaniel Kent. As a young man Kent had held a minor diplomatic post in Flanders and had taken a great interest in the husbandry methods of the Flemish people, which he considered to be "in the highest perfection" in any part of Europe. In this country he was acquainted with the Norfolk system, associated with names like that of Thomas Coke of Holkham, which in his view came as near to the practice of the Netherlands as any made use of in England. He set aside large areas of Windsor Great Park, at the time covered with moss, ferns and rushes and interspersed with bogs and swamps. These were cleared, drained, fenced and then gradually transformed into the two farms, Flemish Farm and Norfolk Farm. The King, this time in his capacity as "Farmer George", took a personal interest in Kent's work and Kent responded by keeping a Journal of the Progressive Improvements in Windsor Great Park for the information of the King. The Journal, written in an exquisite hand and beautifully bound in three volumes, is in the Royal Library at Windsor.
The King often visited the farms. In the spring of 1793 Kent ordered the Windsor steward to pay due attention at all leisure time to the Roads, that they may be so formed and mended in the course of the Summer that His Majesty may be able to Visit the Farms next Winter with Safety and Comfort. On these visits he talked to all and sundry. Once he met a boy in the Park. "Who are you", asked the King. "I be pig boy", replied the lad, "but I don't work. They don't want lads here. All this belongs hereabouts to Georgy. "Pray, who is Georgy". "He be King and lives at the Castle, but he does no good for me". The King found him a job on one of his farms.
Chronologically, the development of the Royal farms belonged mainly to the 1790s. The creation of the second Virginia Water came earlier. The King's active interest in fact began soon after his coming to Windsor. There were probably repairs to the dam which had been carried away at the time of the storm of 1768, but no major reconstruction took place and there are indications that later storms undid whatever repairs had been attempted. Duke William had been succeeded both as Duke of Cumberland and as Ranger by Henry, the youngest brother of George III. Duke Henry resided from time to time at Cumberland Lodge and continued as Ranger until his death in 1790. It would not be true to say that he took no interest in the Park, but certainly there was none of the active involvement of his uncle, the previous Duke. This is hardly to be wondered at. In 1771 he contracted a clandestine marriage without the King's consent. The King was never reconciled to the marriage and Henry lived for the rest of his life in the shadow of his brother's disapproval. His dependence on the King for financial support did not prevent him from falling deeply into debt and, during the later years of his life, he spent much of his time abroad.
On his death William Frederick, the son of the Duke of Gloucester, nominally became Ranger, but in practice the King himself assumed control. Thomas Sandby continued as Deputy Ranger and lived in the Lower Lodge where he died in 1798. Although it was his practice to spend a part of each year in London, he gave a great deal of his time to the Park. The King gave him his confidence and his personal friendship, not only showing an interest in his activities but frequently visiting him at the Deputy Ranger's Lodge without ceremony or previous announcement. One of Thomas Sandby's daughters used to tell how she and her sisters, on hearing the King calling for her father, stepped out of the window of the room in which they were sitting and ran through the back of the house to change their dresses, before making their appearance at luncheon with His Majesty.
As with the earlier period the extent of Thomas Sandby's personal share in the reconstruction of Virginia Water is open to question. His pencil and brush were constantly at hand to delineate designs and to sketch the various works, and letters illustrating his involvement have been preserved. Responsibility for the administration of the Park was, however, shared between the Crown and Parliament.
In 1810 authority was devolved on three Commissioners of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues, the predecessors of the present-day Crown Estate Commissioners. For many years before this there had been two Surveyors-General, one of whom, the Surveyor General of Woods, Forests, Parks and Chases, was in overall charge of the restoration and extension of Virginia Water. It was John Pitt who as Surveyor-General initiated the legislation to purchase additional land from Egham Parish to the east of the Park. An Act was passed in 1782 for this purpose. Its preamble referred to the King's desire to restore an ancient piece of water which flows through or over parts of Windsor Great Park the head of which by means of a late flood was broken down.
In the previous November, at a meeting held in the vestry of Egham Parish Church, the parishioners had agreed that around 43 acres on waste Common land on Bagshot Heath could be handed over to the King, in return for three guineas and five guineas being paid annually by the King and his successors for the poor of Egham.
So it was not until 1788 that the way was clear for the reconstruction of Virginia Water to go ahead. There were delays in the negotiations with Egham Parish. Properties had to be acquired and demolished. What remained of the ancient village of Harpesford with its Chapel disappeared beneath the lake. The Great West Road (the present A30) had to be diverted. The extended lake began at what became known as Botany Bay Point. Botany Bay on the coast of New South Wales had been discovered in 1770 in the course of Captain Cook's voyage of discovery and so named by the naturalists of the expedition. What prompted the adoption of the name at Virginia Water is a mystery, but it seems reasonable to associate it with the extension of the lake in which it was a focal point. When the extension was complete there was a broad new expanse of water to the east of the old lake. Where the stream continued its course a grand Cascade had been constructed. From the bank above the Cascade a vista extended far up the lake. To the left, on Shrub's Hill, was the Belvedere. To the right, sweeping round from Botany Bay Point, was a new arm of the lake reaching to the bridge and small cascade which divided the main lake from Wick Pond. The latter was formed by the damming of two streams. The whole of the extension was landscaped and in the course of time surrounded by woodlands.
In the Public Record Office a bundle of yellowed documents is preserved which include much of the correspondence relating to the reconstruction of Virginia Water. Some are damaged by damp; some are frayed and some almost illegible. But they still reach across the two centuries which have elapsed and afford insight into the meticulous care that was taken over the planting of trees and shrubs, as well as every detail of the works themselves. The King's interest is often apparent. Plans were submitted to him and he made frequent visits to view the progress of the works. Thomas Courtenay, the Foreman of the Works, wrote on 19 August 1788 to John Robinson, the new Surveyor-General of Woods and Forests: "I am happy to inform you that the King, Prince of Wales and Duke of York was here this day and went round all the Works; he Expressed great Satisfaction at what was done since he was here, and gives you the greatest Credit for your Exertions and what has been done since you came into office and all done much to his liking".
John Robinson, who plays a prominent part in the story, was a Tory minister who became a great favourite of George III not only as a politician, but also as an agriculturist. A north countryman by background, he had been Secretary of the Treasury under Lord North from 1770 to 1782 and in 1787 had been appointed as Surveyor-General of Woods and Forests. He lived at Wyke Manor at Isleworth, between Brentford and Osterley Park, so that he was in a position to pay frequent visits to Virginia Water, and from the beginning had the oversight of all that went on.
Robinson clearly, subject to the wishes of the King, had the last word on major decisions, but Thomas Sandby was Deputy Ranger and had the advantage of forty years experience of the Park. He held site meetings with Robinson and wrote many letters to him in which he went into details about his views. He was particularly keen on vistas. "These Cuts or Vistas", he wrote, "in my Opinion will contribute to the pleasure in passing thro" that close side, by enlivening it with a greater degree of agreeable Objects, such as Views of that branch of the Virginia River by the Wick and into the Park where there are fine Trees to make a termination.
The original Cascade also appears to have been his design. One account records that Mr Thomas Sandby was busily engaged in placing the numerous stones to form the representation of rocks and caverns at the head of Virginia Water and frequently dug for stones at Bagshot Heath. Fortunately, he discovered one of an enormous size, which he thought would afford him a massive breadth in his composition, but it was so large he was under the necessity of breaking it with gunpowder. However, fortune favoured his design by blowing it into two nearly equal parts, so that he was enabled to join them in their destined spot with great advantage as to general effect.
Courtenay expressed doubts about Sandby's designs, but Robinson had reservations about interfering. I would not meddle with the Rock Work at present, he replied to Courtenay in January 1789, ?because I have a Delicacy in taking down anything that Mr Sandby has done. Clearly the partnership between Sandby and Robinson was not always an easy one.
The labour force was a large one. The excavation of the lake, the planting of the woodlands, the transport of the huge stones for the construction of the cascades were sufficient for the employment of several hundred men. Even in the winter of 1788.89, when many men had been turned off, 40 labourers were employed in planting alone. There are hints from time to time that all was not well. In April 1788 Courtenay reported trouble with the workmen and Robinson replied, ?I have considered the Behaviour of the Man you shewed me at Virginia Water on Wednesday respecting his endeavours to raise a revolt among the Labourers employed in His Majesty's Works. He asked Courtenay to refer the question of prosecution to Sandby, but the outcome is not recorded. Threats of industrial action of this kind are not likely to have been frequent. Another problem arose because many of the local labourers had to be released in the summer for harvest work. Some work had to be postponed ?until Harvest Men can be again got. This was one of the reasons perhaps why soldiers were still sometimes used. There are bills for ?Work done by 23rd Regiment of Foot from 29th June to 23rd Sept 1789. Charles Cole, who was deputising for Courtenay who was ill, wrote to Robinson on 15 June to report that the troops were encamped and described his plans for putting them to work on the roads and the Cascade. ?I really think?, he said, ?it may be well and easily done by the Soldiers by Wheel Barrows.
The expense too was enormous and ? another modern touch ? Robinson reported that the Treasury was raising difficulties: ?it cannot be helped; in the present State of Things no new Work must be gone on. One result was the discharge of men, especially when work was slack in the winter. ?I shall feel much pain?, he wrote, ?at discharging the poor men at this time.
The work falls into two main parts. The first was the excavation of the new extension and the construction of the various dams needed to contain the water or to regulate its flow. The dams are discussed in detail, not only the great Cascade but the smaller ones, especially that at the Wick where the two streams came together to form the Wick Pond before feeding the main Water.
It is clear too that much work was done on the older parts of the lake. The famous High Bridge had been damaged beyond repair in the earlier storms and now a ?New Stone Bridge? was built to take its place. Obviously the necessary work in keeping the lake clear of weeds had been neglected and Robinson complained to Sandby: ?The men employed in cleaning Virginia Water, particularly that part above the Bridge to the Chinese Island, cannot accomplish this without the use of Boats. They have cut the grass at the Sides as far as they can work on account of the depth of the water, but ftirther in and in the middle, where the weeds are very thick, it cannot be cut without Boats. I directed an application to be made to H.R.H.'s Boat Keeper [ was the Ranger, Henry, Duke ofCumberland] for their purpose, but he refused and had doubts whether he ought to do it. The Boat was William Lanham and the Keeper of the Chinese Island, Susan Waterhouse, so that although details are not easy to find it looks as if both the Royal fleet and China Island, with its temple, were maintained.
The climax of the reconstruction, however, was the making of the great Cascade. Here the lake was contained and the water ran over the Cascade into the stream ? the Bourne ? and thus under the ?Great West Road? and out of the Park. A Minute of October 1788 said: ?It is proposed to employ a Number of Horses, Carts and Labourers at this work, during the Winter, in Covering the Head all over with Mould as His Majesty directed, and in Securing the Back of it, which it is thought will require about 19,000 Cubical Yards of Earth in Turfing the Back Slopes of the Head and in finishing the Cascade etc with Heath Stone, which may require a Thousand Ton of Heath Stone. Some of the stones not only weighed several tons but had to be brought as much as eight miles. There was great difficulty in finding carriages with axle trees sufficiently strong to convey them, but ?it was found that none bore the strain so well as green alder neatly cut.
There is much discussion about the landscaping of the Cascade. ?It must be done slopingly and not quite home to the Perpendicular Rock Work. . . mixt with Earth and good Soil, for Shrubs to grow in?, Robinson told Courtenay. A few weeks later Courtenay expressed satisfaction to Robinson with the progress of the work: ?It looks Inimitably well and hope will please you when you see it and he spoke of ?the Approbation given by the Gentlemen as they pass, who commonly Stop in their Carriages and Express their Approbation.? The Cascade probably first came into operation in the spring of 1789, for in March Courtenay told Robinson, ?I think it will take 2 Inches more to get well over the Cascade. The water level had, however, to be lowered from time to time to effect repairs and as far on as April 1797 we find a later foreman, William Tough, reporting to Robinson: ?Virginia Water began to Run over the Cascade yesterday morning and by the middle of the Day made a very fine Cascade. One thing is clear, namely, that the local residents were still fearful. Even in 1807 the then foreman reported that ?he would be cautious in letting too much water down in wet weather? and spoke of the need?to quiet the apprehensions of the people of this part of the Country who were very much alarmed at seeing so large a body of water pent up after being nearly drowned by the breaking of the old head.?
The work was not accomplished without accidents. There are surgeons? bills and correspondence about treatment for accidents to workmen. Peter Smith, for example, had been crippled by a fall of earth. He was an old soldier, with 22 years in HM service, in the 41st and 11th Regiment of Foot and now ?an Out-Pensioner of Chelsea.
The planting of trees and shrubs was on a colossal scale. One account credits Robinson with planting millions of acorns and 20,000 oak trees. A Nursery was established at the very outset of the work. ?I have begun a Royal Nursery on Wednesday last?, wrote Courtenay to Robinson in September 1788; ?we are Clearing, Stubbing, Scouring, Fencing and draining it, which must be done preparatory to the Trenching and Stocking it etc. I can with much confidence assure you, I think no Situation or Soil in the province more fltt, and when well handled and prepared in its first Procedure, will show the Propriety of this Situation in its future success for the Growth of Timber Trees. I have four men Gathering Weymouth Pine Cones and we must now continue to gather Cones, Berrys and many other Seeds, as they will the sooner Mature this dry season, than otherwise they would be and if not attended, the birds will take the first and best. . . I have collected some of the pods of the Water Lilly, when I was staking, they are now just ripe for sowing in the side of your ponds. I have just hit the right time for them, as they would soon drop off to the bottom of the pond and sow themselves. Duke William in the 1750s had exploited the resources of the American colonies. In the forty years since then ?the American colonies? had become the United States of America and there is no suggestion of any new attempt to go direct to American sources. However, increasing world trade and travel brought to late eighteenth century Europe a flood of exotic plants, whose period of flowering greatly extended the potential season for gardens of every kind. One new source which Robinson used was a nursery at Perth in Scotland. Here, so he had been informed, ?all kinds of young Forest Trees, Seedlings etc can be had at very small Prices and conveniently and reasonably brought by Shipping to London and by Barges to Old Windsor.
Lists of trees and shrub seeds wanted for the Nursery were drawn up. Almost every species of British deciduous tree was listed. In addition there was an extensive list of conifers, including four kinds of spruce ? Norway, Black and White American and Hemlock ? and three each of Cedar and Pine. Many of these still flourish in the Valley Garden and in the woodlands that surround Virginia Water. Among shrubs and smaller trees Rhododendron, Azaleas, Lilacs, Catalpa and Clematis appear in the lists.
Care was needed to protect the young trees against predators. Paling had to be erected to prevent the deer from doing harm. Rabbits were a pest: ?Mr Robinson therefore submith whether His Majesty would not be pleased to give orders totally to extirpate the Rabbits. Pigs grubbed up many seedlings almost as soon as they had been planted and Robinson wrote angrily to Sandby: ?Hoggs are not fit things for a Park, they are perpetually rooting everything up and you are sensible they must do infinite damage in the grounds planted with Acorns.?
Right in the midst of the work at Virginia Water the King was taken ill. This was the onset of the malady that in later years came increasingly to overshadow his life. The first attack came in the summer of 1788 and in November he was, against his wishes, removed from Windsor to Kew, where his physicians considered he could enjoy greater privacy and be able to take exercise in the garden. Those in charge of the work at Virginia Water heard the news of his illness with anxiety. At the beginning of March in the following year Courtenay referred to ?the relapse of His Majesty's Malady, which God avert for the good of his People. Several days later Robinson reported, ?Thanks to the Almighty, His Majesty goes on as well as can be wished. By the 19th he was well enough to return to Windsor, Fanny Burney recording in her Diary everything and everybody were smiling. All Windsor came out to meet the King. The King was in fact to enjoy several years of good health before his illness recurred. But the threat remained a shadow over his life and one result seems to have been that the interest he had shown in the making of the new lake never resulted in the enjoyment and pleasure in its use that should have followed. The Royal farms came to occupy a greater place in the King's interests and activities.
Nonetheless, despite setbacks and problems, the present Virginia Water was created in the years 1788-90. There had been preparations in the years before, notably in the acquisition of the land required. The work continued in the years following. The creation of the extended and reconstructed lake in its framework of woodlands belongs, however, to this short period of two or three years.