The Crusades had a marked effect in developing the gardens of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. In the peaceful intervals of their stay in the Holy Land, Crusaders were often kindly received by their adversaries and given many opportunities to study Oriental luxuries and add them to their bare homes in England. A great change was thus brought about in the details as well as in the general style of European architecture and fountain building, and its result was shown, not only in the way the gardens of the knights homes were laid out, but in adding to the ornamental appearance of ever larger fountains and garden statuary.
There are a few architectural features and fountains now to be seen in English gardens, which can be directly attributed to Oriental influence. Bath Houses, for instance, were an Oriental luxury. Edward I is said to have imported the idea of their use from Palestine, and to have built the one existing near Leeds Castle in the thirteenth century. It is now used as a boat-house. Tents and canopies were another accessory to a garden adopted by the Crusaders. They were made of rich tapestries, for which the English were among the first of European...
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