 The gardens at West Wycombe Park are among the finest and most idiosyncratic 18th century gardens surviving in England . The park is unique in its consistent use of Classical architecture from both Greece and Italy . The two principal architects of the gardens were John Donowell and Nicholas Revett , who designed all of the ornamental buildings in the park . The landscape architect Thomas Cook began to execute the plans for the park , with a nine @-@ acre man @-@ made lake created from the nearby River Wye in the form of a swan . The lake originally had a snow ( a sailing vessel ) for the amusement of Dashwood 's guests , complete with a resident captain on board . Water leaves the lake down a cascade and into a canal pond . 
