Design for Rock-work and Cascades at Virginia Water, Windsor Great Park 1780 - 1790

Thomas Sandby rendered this design for rock-work and cascades at Virginia Water in Windsor Great Park with watercolor and pen. Sandby’s career was advanced through royal and aristocratic patronage which makes the design a product of the British elite. The cascades at Virginia Water were built during a period of significant social inequality, as the wealth and power of the British Empire depended on exploited labor and resources extracted from colonized lands. Landscapes, like this one, were meant to express power over nature, mirroring the period's colonial dominance. Sandby, who was the Deputy Ranger of Windsor Great Park, was deeply involved in shaping the environment. His drawings often idealized nature, reflecting the cultural values of the time, yet it is important to recognize these constructed scenes also served as a distraction from the socio-political realities of the era. It makes you wonder, who got to enjoy this space? What did it mean to be in it?