FOLAR
Friends of the Landscape Archive at Reading

Celebrating Hal Moggridge's Career In Landscape Architecture

A celebration of Hal Moggridge’s Career in Landscape Architecture

FOLAR wanted to understand what impact working with two founding members of the Institute has had on his own approach to landscape architecture, but also in the positions he took on with the LI and IFLA. He has developed a broad and deep knowledge on many aspects of landscape architecture. FOLAR wanted to learn more about some of his key interests and their practical applications that cover both his commissioned and voluntary work. Through a varied programme of speakers and topics we hoped to discover more about his work, ideas, principles, and also about him.

How can such a quiet and modest man achieve so much?

Colvin and Moggridge is now the UK’s oldest landscape practice. The archives of both Hal Moggridge and Brenda Colvin are safely housed at MERL, fully catalogued and open to all: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/collections/brenda-colvin.

One of the most valuable objectives with FOLAR’s celebrations on special lives is being able to discuss, ask questions, see projects and learn and also share so much more about different aspects of peoples’ life and work, rather than guessing or making assumptions.  We hope you will enjoy what you find here.

Hal Moggridge, OBE, is an architect, landscape architect, author, past president of the Landscape Institute (LI), twice winner of the LI gold medal, recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Victoria Medal of Honour. And, in September 2025, he was honoured with the IFLA (International Federation of Landscape Architects) President’s Award, given in recognition of his contribution for the advancement of the profession of landscape architecture through participation with IFLA.  

Continuing FOLAR’s special series celebrating the life and works of UK’s renowned landscape architects, Hal was an obvious choice. He has spent almost all of his working life in landscape architecture. Hal has spent his working life in landscape architecture. Throughout this time, he has shared his knowledge and wisdom guiding multiple landscape focused organisations and professional bodies at international, national, and local levels. Hal has long provided a compass of wisdom, generosity, and diplomacy. He sees landscapes not only as cultural treasures, but also tools for reconciliation and he embraces diversity as a strength. His courage, clarity, and humanistic vision continue to inspire. He continues working now as a consultant to his practice and advising on multiple committees, including FOLAR.  

We wanted to understand what impact working with two founding members of the Institute has had on his own approach to landscape architecture, but also in the positions he took on with the LI and IFLA.

4. The Blenheim Master Plan

About this video

It is interesting to see how different speakers approach their topics. Ralph Cobham worked with Hal on Blenheim Park for 30 years. A number of landscape practices were invited to bid for a master plan to restore the heritage landscape, and Hal and Ralph, each with their own practice covering sometimes the same work, were both commissioned to collaborate on the Master Plan. Had these two separate practices worked together before? What were they doing in Benghazi and how did Ralph end up getting arrested? Who funded the Master Plan and what difference did this make? What was the condition of the park in 1981? What were Hal’s special skills? (Of course, this wasn’t the right occasion for Ralph to itemise what special skills he brought to the collaboration, but this must be followed up soon.) There were only ten minutes to explain all the ideas and all the work that went into this project and how the work was obviously and carefully divided between them. What did they do and how did they do it? Why does it sound like a conveyor belt success story? Was it so easy? And what lessons can they offer from this long collaboration? And the results? In 2006 it was designated a UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE and this needs to be sustained in the very long term.

There is a slightly longer written version available on the Hal Special page, including some key references. Was it the beginning of conservation and heritage-based master plans fused with functional plans that accommodate working landscapes? What impact has this study - walking this landscape intensively at the beginning and then repeatedly over the years, looking, seeing, perceiving, feeling, sensing, smelling - what impact has all of this had on Hal? How has his approach and interest and knowledge in historic landscapes, and Capability Brown, and views also changed and developed over those 30 years and more? Ralph Cobham’s questions just prompt more!

About this series

Hal Moggridge was an obvious choice to continue FOLAR’s special series celebrating the life and works of UK’s renowned landscape architects. He has spent almost all of his working life in landscape architecture. Throughout this time, he has shared his knowledge and wisdom guiding multiple landscape focused organisations and professional bodies at international, national, and local levels. Hal has long provided a compass of wisdom, generosity, and diplomacy. He sees landscapes not only as cultural treasures, but also tools for reconciliation and embraces diversity as a strength. His courage, clarity, and humanistic vision continue to inspire. He continues working now as a consultant to his practice and as a volunteer advising on multiple committees, including FOLAR.

Through a varied programme of speakers and topics we hoped to discover more about his work, ideas, principles, and also about him. How can such a quiet and modest man achieve so much?

One of the most valuable objectives with FOLAR’s celebrations on special lives is being able to discuss, ask questions, see projects and learn and also share so much more about different aspects of peoples’ life and work, rather than guessing or making assumptions.     

The archives of both Hal Moggridge and Brenda Colvin are at MERL, fully catalogued and open to all by appointment: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/collections/brenda-colvin.

The Landscape Institute collection at MERL: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/collections/landscape-institute/

More information about FOLAR https://www.folar.uk/

Annabel DownsComment