William Gilpin

In Observations on the River Wye (1770), William Gilpin drew, painted and discussed one of the most beautiful rivers in Great Britain. He did so in order to formulate his theories on landscape, the picturesque and the nature of God. In seeking out nature and views, Gilpin was actually the first to popularise a pastime we assume is timeless. A country clergyman, he became the genius of British sightseeing, and his journey an important milestone in British tourism. In a sense, William Gilpin’s trip down the River Wye – largely conducted on a boat in pouring rain – was about helping us to see this country in a new light. In retracing it, Nick Crane sets out to discover why Gilpin made such trips so popular. How was the River Wye affected by the changes that were around in Gilpin’s day? And has Gilpin’s quest for the picturesque corrupted our view of landscape? Who was William Gilpin? The Reverend William Gilpin (1724-1804) was a man of many parts: headmaster, vicar, artist and writer. He was a free-thinker who suited his time; an era of calm before the French and American revolutions. Having been born in the Lake District, a love of landscape was in Gilpin’s blood. To it, he brought a complex mix of tolerant, enlightened thinking and a firm love of rules. He wanted people to enjoy the River Wye according to his rules of picturesque beauty. But Gilpin’s rules weren’t just about improving painting skills. He wanted us to admire the works of God, for he saw nature as proof of God’s existence. His views were popular, though later became regarded as somewhat quaint. But they linger on. For in training a nation to revere its landscape, he provided a means for us to value the most beautiful parts of the countryside. And his rules are still in evidence: in postcards, paintings, planning departments and our imagination. The picturesque could never tell the whole story of the landscape, but in identifying its most pleasing features, Gilpin touched a craving deep in all of us.