Orpheus at Boughton
Northamptonshire
for The Duke of Buccleuch

2007-2009

Boughton Park is an early eighteenth century garden of land and water; avenues and vistas; rhythm and reflection.

The current Duke of Buccleuch has begun the massive task of restoring the gardens and commissioned us to create a new feature on the empty space opposite the great Mount.

We have designed a space that emphasizes the scale and mass of the huge earthwork, to create an Orphean Hades to complement the Olympian Mount.

An inverted grass pyramid descends 7 metres below the level of the restored terraces. Walking around the landscape, the new design is invisible, but drawing near to the mount, a gentle grass path spirals down to a square pool of still water deep underground. The water reflects the sky, a little like an inverted James Turrell occulus.

The earthwork is named after Orpheus to celebrate the descending form and as a place for music and contemplation. When Orpheus’ wife, Eurydice, was killed by the bite of a serpent, he went down to the Underworld to bring her back. His songs were so beautiful that Hades finally agreed to allow Eurydice to return to the world of the living.

Boughton website: www.boughtonhouse.org.uk/