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HAROLD
PETO 1854 – 1933
Harold
Ainsworth Peto was the eighth child out of fourteen, born to Sir Samuel Morton
Peto and his wife,
of Somerleyton Hall in Suffolk
.
Sir Samuel
ran a building business left to him and a cousin by their uncle.
It was very successful due to
the construction of such projects as the Reform club, Lyceum, Nelson’s Column
and the new Houses of Parliament, and made Sir Samuel a millionaire.
The Peto
family home, Somerleyton Hall was built in
1846 where Harold was to spend the
first ten years
of his life.
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Harold Peto was educated at
Harrow
and began his career by training & qualifying as an
architect. In 1871 he went into
partnership with Ernest George. Theirs
was a popular and successful practice, employing assistants such as Edwin
Lutyens, Guy Dauber and Herbert Baker.
In 1892 after 21 years, the partnership was dissolved, due to Harold’s
increasing disenchantment with
London
, on the condition that he would not practice architecture in
the UK
for the next 15 years. From
here his career in garden and interior design began.
A long admirer of Italian Renaissance, this influence could be seen in
his architectural work, and he travelled frequently to Italy.
Harold Peto took on a number of commissions including the gardens at Buscot
Park, West Dean
gardens, Heale gardens, Ilnacullin
Island
and several in the South of France.
In 1899 on a visit to Iford Manor, Harold found the ideal setting for his style
and interests. With a collection of
architectural treasures bought on travels to
Italy, Spain
and France, Harold set about creating a truly beautiful, peaceful
haven.
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A man of exquisite taste, with a talent for placing objects sympathetically to
their surroundings, his work at Iford led to many more commissions. One of the
best promoters of Italian renaissance, Harold was also influenced by the Arts
and Crafts period although his work was structured rather than informal. Harold
softened his structures with plants in the manner of Gertrude Jeykll and William
Robinson, who thought well of his designs. Jekyll
illustrated Harold’s work in her book on Garden Ornament.
Harold
Peto created some of the finest gardens in
England, inspired mainly by the Italianate style but always in
sympathy with the surrounding English countryside. Harold
Peto wrote one book during his life, ‘The Boke of Iford’.
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Buscot
Park by Paul Leitch
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