Ha-Ha

In Great Britain, the Ha-Ha (sometimes spelt Har Har) is a type of boundary to a garden, pleasure-ground or park so designed as not to interrupt the view and to not be seen until closely approached. The Ha-Ha consists of a trench, the inner side of which is perpendicular and faced with stone, with the outer slope face sloped and turfed – making it in effect a sunken fence. The Ha-ha is a feature in the landscape gardens laid out by Charles Bridgeman, the originator of the Ha-Ha, according to Horace Walpole (Walpole 1780) and by William Kent and was an essential component of the "swept" views of Capability Brown.

The cruder origin of the ha-ha was the 'sunk fence:

" The contiguous ground of the park without the sunk fence was to be harmonized with the lawn within; and the garden in its turn was to be set free from its prim regularity, that it might assort with the wilder country without. " — Walpole, "Essay upon modern gardening"

Most typically they are found in the grounds of grand country houses and estates and acted as a means of keeping the cattle and sheep in the pastures and out of the formal gardens, without the need for obtrusive fencing. They vary in depth from about 2 feet (Horton House) to 9 feet (Petworth).

Walpole surmised that the name is derived from the response of ordinary folk on encountering them and that they were, "...then deemed so astonishing, that the common people called them Ha! Ha's! to express their surprise at finding a sudden and unperceived check to their walk," An alternative theory is that it relates to the laughter of your companions as you fall down the unseen hole!

The Ha-Ha at Castle Ashby

The Castle Ashby grounds illustrated here on the right, were laid out by Capability Brown.

External links

• Horace Walpole, "Essay on modern gardening" 1780, but written earlier (e-text)