Design 101 - Trellises, Arbors, Pergolas - Courtesy of Barbara Israel Focal Points

Barbara Israel Garden Antiques - Focal Points Newsletter

Man has forever sought to tame nature. Training vines over structures to create verdant "outdoor rooms" and sheltered walkways is just one of the more picturesque methods.

Vicarage Garden NorfolkThe first trellises date to about 2000 BC. By then their agrarian use was well established. But soon thereafter, garden designers began using them as ornamental devices as well. The Romans, for example, adored roses, and frequently included structures for treillage and walkways (pergolas) in their gardens. Forms are distinct -- an arbor, or bower, is meant as a resting place for contemplation and tranquility; trellises can be free-standing structures or attached to walls, making it the most flexible of the forms, while the pergola indicates a covered walk. Two fine examples of pergolas can be seen at Vicarage Garden, East Ruston, Norfolk.

Phil McIver

As early examples of pergolas, arbors and trellises were made of wood, few remain. However in the 18th and 19th centuries, cast- and wrought-iron examples became popular. Sometimes these structures were so elaborate they were kept bare of vegetation. A spectacular example of this practice is a wrought-iron arbor known as the Birdcage, at Melbourne Hall in Derbyshire. Sir Thomas Coke, owner of Melbourne Hall, commissioned the Birdcage from master ironmonger Robert Bakewell (1682-1752), whose work can be seen at Derby Cathedral and other notable sites in the area.

A more modern fascination with trellises, and the creation of intimate outdoor spaces can be seen in the work of British architect and garden designer Harold Peto (1854-1933). Peto and his best friend and fellow designer, H. Avray Tipping were enthusiastic proponents of both the formal designs of Italian gardens and the more naturalistic designs favored by the Arts and Crafts Movement. Trellises were popular features in both idioms. Peto and Tipping each created some of the most popular gardens in Britain in the early 20th century, making extensive use of pergola and treillage adorned with different climbing plants such as roses, wisteria, hops and others. The Rose Pergola at Mounton House in Chepstow, Wales designed by Tipping is a particularly striking example of this use.

Vicarage GardensIn the United States, the Bay Area architect and designer, Bernard Ralph Maybeck (1862-1957), echoed the work of Peto and Tipping. Maybeck, best known for his Palace of the Fine Arts in San Francisco, shared their love of the Italianate garden and strove to create a "Mediterranean" design in his work in California. Maybeck's passion for Mediterranean style expressed itself by the extensive use of trellises, pergolas and arbors. His designs regularly made use of trellises as a distinguishing element of the design. In many of his Bay Area projects, trellises had a four-fold purpose -- providing a transition between the architectural design and the landscape in which it is situated; contributing to a Mediterranean pictorial fantasy, echoing Italian vineyards; creating a mood of romanticized decay with vegetation appearing to completely overrun the structure; and, lastly, using the play of light upon shifting leaves and vines to affect the light within the structure as well as the look of the exterior.

The use of trellises and the "Mediterranean" style was widely copied and admired. In fact, I grew up in a residence in far away Rhode Island that was clearly influenced by this aesthetic. Built in 1917, our house, described on the plans as a "villa", has a grape arbor. And in the original drawings, a pergola was to have been mounted on our circular brick terrace. One day we plan to add the pergola to complete the vision of the architect and our dream of owning a Mediterranean villa.

Specials thanks to Barbara Israel Garden Antique's and writer Katy Keiffer for allowing us to re-post this article from the Focal Points newsletter.