The Afterlife of Gardens

Most books on garden history describe the ways in which gardens have been created. By contrast, The Afterlife of Gardens examines the ways that gardens have been experienced. Using examples from many sites around the world, John Dixon Hunt examines responses to gardens, from Renaissance sites to Baroque creations to modern highway landscaping. Examining how a garden has been experienced extends its history beyond the physical into cultural terms, and the author describes how this "afterlife" of gardens, as understood and experienced by many generations, is often "redesigned" in visitors' imaginative and cultural responses. Hunt shows how the complete history of a garden must extend beyond the moment of its design and the aims of the designer to include its subsequent reception. He raises questions about the preservation of historical sites and provides lessons for today's designers. This book will appeal to all who have a professional interest in gardens, as well as to the wider general audience for gardens and landscapes of past and present.