John Brookes

Beginning in the 1960s, John Brookes MBE (1933–2018) revolutionized garden design, with a new design philosophy that was rooted in the notion that gardens are about the people who live in them. Recognizing the demands of the contemporary lifestyle, he broke with previous labour-intensive garden design traditions and the emphasis on showcasing plants. Instead, he promoted using gardens as extensions of the home. He introduced this notion in his 1969 book, A Room Outside published by Thames and Hudson, which also contained practical advice on materials, methodology, and planting. The book became the seminal garden design book for garden designers and architects. Brookes’ approach was unprecedented and included the then-novel idea that people of all income levels could have designed, fashionable gardens tailored to their needs, low-maintenance, and beautiful.

Brookes designed thousands of private and public gardens and landscapes throughout Britain, Europe, the United States, Canada, South America, South Africa, Australia, Iran, Japan and Russia. Some of his best-known public gardens include the Penguin Books headquarters (now destroyed), the College Green Garden at Westminster Abbey (London), Fitzroy Square (London), Bryanston Square (London), Barakura English Garden in Japan, and the English Walled Garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Author of over 25 books about garden and landscape design that have been translated into several languages, Brookes taught and lectured around the world and, thanks to his energetic writing, teaching and media appearances, he became regarded as the ‘king’ and ‘godfather’ of garden and landscape design.

He founded schools of design in Japan, Chile and Argentina and, most famously, the Clock House School of Design at his home, Denmans, West Sussex. At the core of his teaching was his unique Grid methodology of design which involved developing a simple “grid system” to each site, based it on proportions he found in its house or the main rooms inside. The grid was then used to develop a pattern of shapes that were in proportion to the house and eventually were developed into the design of the garden.

He was awarded an MBE for garden design and services to horticulture, the Award of Distinction of the American Association of Professional Landscape Designers, the Garden Writers’ Association of America Award of Excellence, and countless other international awards including four Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medals.

Ahead of his time, Brookes wrote and lectured about the importance of conservation, preserving local identity, and the importance of working with a site. His books remain relevant.

He lived at Denmans until his death in 2018 at the age of eighty-four. Denmans is now a Grade II listed garden that is open to the public. For more information, please visit www.denmans.org