Who was Henry Wise?
Henry Wise was born in 1653. He studied horticulture under George London and became his partner in the Brompton Park nurseries in around 1688.
Life and work
Wise became deputy ranger of Hyde Park and superintendent of the royal gardens at Hampton Court. He continued to manage the royal gardens through the reigns of William III, Queen Anne and George I.
London and Wise laid out the walled kitchen garden at Blenheim in 1705 and re-modelled the gardens at Melbourne between 1704 and 1711. They published The compleat gard'ner, or, Directions for cultivating and right ordering of fruit gardens and kitchen gardens in 1699. Wise died at his home, The Priory, in Warwick in 1738.
Kensington Gardens were laid out by Henry Wise and Charles Bridgeman with fashionable features including the Round Pond, formal avenues and a sunken Dutch garden.
Wise became wealthy through his gardening endeavours and purchased the manor of The Priory, Warwick. He purchased the estate and the mansion and retired there as a country squire in 1727.
Bibliography
- Baker, Anne Pimlott 'Wise, Henry (1653-1738)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Oct 2006) <http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/...; [ accessed 29 June 2009]