From the 5 of September through to the 15 of October 2016, Capability Brown’s Account Book will go on display at RHS Lindley Library in London.

He changed the face of the English Landscape, but not a lot is known about Lancelot Brown (1716-1783), or Capability Brown as he is more commonly known, beyond the beautiful gardens and vistas he created. This year a new display at the RHS Lindley Library, the world’s finest gardening library, will show his personal Account Book to the public for the first time, and will also reveal how he became one of the most successful entrepreneurs of the 18^th century. The display is just one part of the wider Capability Brown Festival to celebrate the 300^th anniversary of his birth.

Newly conserved, the Account Book reveals the astonishing amounts of money paid to Lancelot Brown to transform the great landed estates of England. Mostly written in his own writing, the book details the payments he received from 125 clients from 1759, when he was at the peak of his powers, to his death in 1783. His impressive clientele included The King, six prime ministers, seven Dukes, 26 Earls, 19 Knights, and Baronets, two Generals and a Judge. The records show his remarkable ability to juggle many large-scale projects simultaneously as well as manage his complicated network of sub-contractors.

Fiona Davison, Head of Libraries and Exhibitions, RHS Lindley Library, said: “Capability Brown created the rolling vistas and serpentine waterways that have come to represent the ideal English countryside. His personal account book, intended only as a private record, gives us a glimpse of what a great pioneer he was, and how he was running a business on a truly national scale. We can potentially draw exciting comparisons with contemporary business practices too, from his project management to his attitude to risk.”

Ceryl Evans, Director of the Capability Brown Festival said: “We are delighted that the focus of the Festival celebrating Brown’s work is bringing to light the incredible impact his work had on the economy and society. New research demonstrates his influence not just on the way our countryside looks now, but also on the spending habits of some of the richest people in Britain at the time.”

This display is being held to coincide with the 300th anniversary of his birth, as part of the Year of the English Garden. For more information on the Capability Brown or the Capability Brown Festival, please see www.capabilitybrown.org, email info@capabilitybrown.org or @BrownCapability