Langley
was an architect and garden designer and not a
gardener. He "sounded the trumpet" for rural gardening
in his New Principles of Gardening (1728). His rural
gardening advocated the "ruins" at every conceivable
spot. His name is associated with the revival of
Gothic and Medieval taste in gardening. Among his
other books are Pomona or The Fruit Garden,
Illustrated, etc. (1729).
His book New Principles of Gardening was
popular for at least 30 years. He formulated a series
of rules for garden design and condemned topiary work
and parterres. Hadfield (1960) states that he
"encourages the use of meandering paths," and
discourages "many absurdities" of the past, the chief
constituents of a "beautiful rural garden" remains
much as before. He names avenues, groves,
wildernesses, plain parterres, coppiced quarters
"green openings like meadows, mounts, terraces,
basins, canals, fountains, cascades, aviaries,
menageries, cabinest, statues, obelisks, kitchen
gardens, bowling greens, dials and amphitheaters - all
the stock in trade of Le Notre."
