Csepely-Knorr Luca: Barren Places to Public Spaces. A History of Publick Park Design in Budapest 1867-1914 (Budapest, 2016)
Public Parks and Public Park design in the Second Half of the 19th Century
John Claudius Loudon, Plan of Derby Arboretum, 1840 / Loudon, J. C., The Derby Arboretum. London, 1840. p. 75. / UL Sydney Jones Library John Nash, at that time Chief Commissioner of Woods and Forests, took over responsibility for planning in 1811, as soon as the Parliamentary Act permitted the creation of a public park. Nash had experience and knowledge of designing landscapes, as he had previously had a partnership with Humphrey Repton. The formal elements, such as circuses and crescents, are especially representative examples of Nash’s principles - as with Repton. As an example, the square and crescent at the south entrance can be mentioned, which enclosed green spaces, functioned as linking elements to the newly designed Regent Street. According to Nash, the park was the "final, splendid termination" of the new route, linking the rebuilt St James’s Park with the newly-built Regent’s Park.107 The squares and crescents of London, and their link to the layout of large parks in the densely-built urban environment, had particular importance, as these open spaces were the area of urban design, where the English designers were “far in advance”, in relation to the rest of the continent.108 Besides this, the example of Regent Street was the first attempt to create a connection between the newly-built green spaces and St James’s Park by constructing a thoroughfare through the built-up city space. The critique of Regent’s Park particularly helped the development of public park theory in Europe. Already at the time of construction, the main critique was that the park was effectively only open to the residents of the surrounding buildings and did not contain any opportunities for pedestrians. It was also highlighted that it did not have any links to the poorer districts of London.109 Peter Joseph Lenné, the Prussian Garden Director-General and theorist, had already criticised the public parks of London in 1822, when he visited England with Prussian Royal support. He highlighted the importance of the liberal attitude of continental parks which were open to the public in comparison to the exclusivity of the English ones. He condemned the fences surrounding the squares and around Regent’s Park, and their restricted use. Lenné also noted the lack of a variety of functions in the parks. As he wrote these “were kept for the nourishment of game instead of human beings’’, and were “intended more for cattle than for the enjoyment of people’’."0 To enjoy Regent’s Park one must arrive on horseback or in a carriage, as it did not provide any shelter or shade for pedestrians.111 He used his English experiences when designing his public park in Magdeburg, creating various opportunities for pedestrians. In terms of urban design, Lenné’s influence was decisive, not just because of the public parks he designed, but also due to his regulation plan for the city of Berlin in 1823.112 His strong criticism of English parks, and his plans for Magdeburg, were not only important in continental Europe, but were carried back to the United Kingdom through the writings of John Claudius Loudon initiating international discussion about the questions of public park design theory. To briefly summarise the evolution of public park theory in Great Britain, three major designers have to be mentioned. The works of the already-mentioned John Claudius Loudon, and Sir Joseph Paxton, whose designs influenced Germany theory as well, though American mediation has to be discussed first. The influence of their disciples’ work shaped the theory of public park design in the UK up until the beginning of the 20th century. 30
