Functionally, the fence was built to physically partition the mansion’s front lawn from the surrounding agricultural fields and defined a ceremonial and recreational space.  While the fence was new in ca. 1812, it aligned with an existing road laid out by Madison’s grandfather, Ambrose Madison, when he first settled the land in 1732.  While Madison would keep some of the functions of his grandfather’s and father’s landscape intact, the fence was part of a fairly radical reorganization of the land around the Mansion to reflect the President's growing interest in the pastoral English Garden style of designed landscapes.  The English garden style, which was developed in England in ca. 1732 and continued to be influential into the 19th century, often featured gently rolling, unbroken lawns, wooded backgrounds, riparian features, and copses.