Eyecatcher (landscape)

Palladian bridge and Pantheon eyecathers at Stourhead estate

Gloriette in the Schönbrunn Palace garden

The Gothic temple, a folly at Stowe House gardens

An eyecatcher is something artificial that has been placed in the landscape as a focal point to "catch the eye" or gain a viewer's attention. ^[1] It is used to decorate or ornament landscapes for aesthetic reasons, and are typically found in gardens, parks and the grounds of stately homes. ^[2] Many of these can be found in various forms.

Devices or objects

These can be anything but typically they tend to be

• boulders
• rockery
• trees

Or on a grander scale they can be structures such as a

• bridge over a river, a stream or lake as an ornamental feature
• conservatory - glasshouses, orangeries, vineries
• exedra
• folly ^[3]
• gloriettes
• grottoes
  • shell grottos
• mausoleums
• monopteros
• monuments (whether they commemorate anything or just for decoration)
• nymphaea
• pavilions
• reflecting pools
• shooting/hunting lodge
• summer houses
• temples (ornamental or not, as they may sometimes have more than aesthetic use)

See also

• List of garden features

References

1. "Eyecatcher - Oxford Reference". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
2. "Eyecatcher - Designing Buildings". Institute of Historic Building Conservation | Conservation Wiki. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
3. "Folly | Garden Structures, Landscape Design & Decoration | Britannica". Britannica. 20 July 1998. Retrieved 1 July 2024.