John Claudius Loudon (8 April 1782 – 14 December 1843) was a Scottish botanist, garden designer and author,[1] born in Cambuslang in 1782.

[2] He was the first to use the term arboretum in writing to refer to a garden of plants, especially trees, collected for the purpose of scientific study.

[3] He was married to Jane Webb, a fellow horticulturalist, and author of science-fiction, fantasy, horror, and gothic stories.

This was a time when open field land was being converted from run rig with 'ferm touns' to the landscape of enclosure, which now dominates British agriculture.

[1] In 1826, disabled by rheumatism and arthritis, he had to endure an amputation at his right shoulder after a botched operation to correct a broken arm.

His vision for the possibility of long term planning for London's green spaces was illustrated within his work, Hints for Breathing Places for Metropolis published in 1829.

Sir Howard Colvin noted that, although Loudon did not regard himself as a practising architect, there is evidence that in his early days as a landscape gardener he did occasionally act in that capacity.

[5] His architectural thinking and his inclinations towards the Gothic style may be found in his A treatise on forming, improving, and managing country residences.

The scheme was illustrated in his Observations on laying out farms in the Scotch Style, but in execution the designs were modified by the patrons, Richard and Charlotte Mytton.

Through his publications, he hoped to spread his ideals of the creation of common space and the improvement of city planning and develop an awareness and interest in agriculture and horticulture.

All were drawn from life, many being from the parkland grounds of Syon House, one of the homes of the Duke of Northumberland to whom the work was dedicated, or from Loddiges' arboretum.

"It was on the collection maintained by this firm more than any other that J. C. Loudon relied for living material in the preparation of his great work" W. J. Bean notes, in Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles.

An unusual creation by Loudon is the memorial to his parents, which stands in the grounds of St John the Baptist, Pinner's parish church.

[11] Loudon thought that public improvements should be undertaken in a democratic fashion and in a comprehensive and reasonable manner, not sporadically by the benevolence of the wealthy.

Through her marriage, Jane Loudon encountered her husband's work and decided to create her own guides to make gardening more accessible to young women.

The Loudons were considered the leading horticulturalists of their day, and their circle of friends included Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray.

[16] A plaque jointly commemorating the Loudons was erected at their former home, 3 Porchester Terrace, Bayswater in 1953, by London County Council.