I I *o c I DFn 1 1. 1957 WILLIAM CHARLES HAYS:-"AKCHITECT: HUDSON & KEARNS, PRINTERS, LONDON, S.E. GARDENS OLD-&NLW THECOUNTRY HOUSE "&ITS GARDEN' ENVIRONMENT THE, E. CJL.E.E.VE '••- i I GARDENS OLD&NEW THECOUNTRY HOUSE S GARDEN' ENVIRONMENT. FOURTH EDITION r ^CO U N THt OFFICER OF LOIS GEORGE NEWNES. LIMITED. COUNTRY LIFE 2 O.TAV 1 5TCK- K ST COVENT GARDEN 7-1 ^SOUTHAMPTON ST STRAND Qi *( !j * o u_ o o > CO UJ O S z P i n\ JL I NT^ODVCTIONTK L. — •,. . • , nutn | All) the many controversies which tune .ITIM-II m : to the vh.ir.uu-r ot gardens, n» one has ever been found t-> doubt that the\ should possess a definite relation t-> tin- houses they .id«>rn. There h.i\e been different views as to what that relation should be. Some have demanded harmony, others contrast. Thert tin is*- who look upon gardening as merely a for in "I ar«.lnt«vture, maintaining th.it .1 -.irJen is really the extension ol the lic.uv into its surruundin^N, and we may say that they enter the pleasaunii- of their ihone from within i>utw.trd>. Another school of ^ardeneis. on the other hand, has vonsidered the approdvh ot wild N.iture, subjevte»l and Jied. to the dwelling-place, and these enter their pleasure ground, as it were, irom without inwards. There have tx-en exaggerations on both sides. The architect has sometimes tended to j tiMisfM-re formality ; the landscape gardener has often broken down the barriers of UK- quaint and homelike, the M.iuK .ind the dignilii-d, to make : some tame suhNtitute, or N.IIIR- t-xti.u .i-.int (utility. A quaint idea, expressed In ..LI Sir Uvedl I' C, whkh had s.iini-thing of rc.ison in it, was that tlu-re should Iv a progressive hreaking c«r style— formality near the house, landtcape duracter beyond, and UK- native wild mitsule. But amid the war ot i-milivtui^ s,.hiH.|s, the hro.i.l t.ut tem.iins that the h->u>e and the garden are one. It was not until the friends ot Mr. Justuv Shallow had entered Ins tiloucestershire garden and or.. hard, there, in an .irNiur, t" partake ot a last year's pippin ot Ins ..wn "grafting." with a dish ot t.iirawa\s, that I .iSt.itt voiild declare the i.i\.ilieio-justice and I'-MIII to p.,ss,-ss •• .1 -.">.l|y dwelling, and a rich." Here, manifestly, Shakespeare recogmsrd tin- right relation between the house and its garden, and, indeed, though one should be lair .is C.nnelot and the other -.i\ .is ArimdaS, each would be a marred creation without the other THE SI MMBk-HOLSE IV THE yl AD OAkDEN, KELLY HOUSE. TAVISTOUC. Vlll. GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Copyright. Such a close relation almost inevitably brings some degree of formality into a garden, as may be seen in examples of every period, except of one co m pa r a tively recent. This is a broad truth, not- withstanding certain famous poetical descrip- tions dating from old times, which seem to tend to the contrary, and may, indeed, have foreshadowed a breaking away from the older style, such, for example, as Milton's account of the Garden of Eden, and that which Tasso has given of Armida's enchanted pleasaunce, where in the scented ways no trace remained of the gardener's hand, for " nowhere appeared the art which all this had wrought." "So with the rude the polished mingled was, That natural seemed all and every part; Nature would Craft in counterfeiting pass, And imitate her imitator Art." Notwithstand- ing such poetical descriptions of gardens of land- scape or woodland character, it would be no difficult matter to show that formality has almost universally prevailed in some degree — if only in the shape of a well- kept hedge or a sequestered alley — as will, indeed, be revealed in the plates which accompany the ac- counts of English gardens in this book. It is, more- over, curious to observe how, amid change, a certain constancy has existed in gardening methods, revealing the essential basis of the art, which gives us the gar- dener as the creator of an appendage to the house. It has been observed that Sir Walter Scott im- pressed a certain wide-reading public with a love for the fresh beauties of wild Nature, and helped to inspire a taste which, under the influence of other writers also of the romantic school, acquired Copyright. force among us. and A BORDER AT PENSHURST. "Country Life." THE HEDGE OF YEW, BOX, AND HOLLY AT HALL BARN. was not without its influence upon the gardening art. And, yet, let us with Scott and Waverley lift the latch of the wicket door that reveals the old garden at Tully Veolan, where the hero is welcomed by Rose Bradwardine and her hospitable sire. It is a perfect picture of an old garden. Here is Alexander Saun- derson, half butler, half gardener, working at Miss Rose's garden in the parterre, sheltered from the blasts by a close yew hedge, while the venerable house looks over it, clothed with fruit trees and evergreens ; over the terrace also, with its grotesque animals and huge sundials, and below it over a garden " kept with great accuracy," exhibiting a profusion of flowers and "evergreens cut into grotesque forms," whence we descend level by level to the octangular garden-house overlooking the stream, there surprised by the dam into temporary tran- quillity. Let us then go back to the Tuscan gardens of Pliny the Younger nearly i, 800 years before. " In the front of the portico is a sort of terrace, consist- ing of several members, embel- lished with various figures and bounded with a box hedge, from whence you descend by an easy slope, adorned with the repre- sentation of divers animals in box, answering alter- nately to each other, into a lawn overspread the soft — 1 almost said liquid — acanthus ; this is surrounded by a walk en- closed with tonsile evergreens, shaped into a variety of forms. Beyon.1 it is the Gestatio, laid out in the form of a circus, ornamented in the middle with box cut in number- less different figures, together with a plantation of shrubs, pre- vented by the shears from shoot- ing up too high : the whole is fenced in by a wall with had the " Country Lije ' INIRODI 'CTION. \x. red bx- b"\. rising hy different ranges to the top. On the •-utside "i tlu- wall lies a rm-.idnw Hut owes as in.iny Iv.uities • \ • ill I have been describing within does to Art ; .it tlu- end of xx Inch are srxeral other meaJoxxs .inJ fields interspersed with thickets." Mere surelx is ;i remarkable illuMr.iti»n ot tin- liistnrk.il continuity which has existed in the methods i.f garden design, anJ which i< not without • :i to tlu- modern gardener. Tlu> partial constancy "I characier found existing in garden-making from ancient times to the present — and the :ices might luxe been many tinu-s multiplied — leads us M enquir i- wh.it an- the features and characteristics xxhich haxe been found in well-designed gardens? One notable point In •Swerved is that tin- garden must not only he appropriate to tin- house, hut to tlu- situation in which it lies. What is sintaHe t" the steep hillside will not befit the plain; what is ri^ht in the vicinity ol a classic mansion would he out "t near one built in a more picturesque style. Hew minds. i. can be contented with pleasure grounds which .iri irden design, or to^uuludc tli.it Iviausr s walks through THE TERkACH STAIRWAY At ALTON devoid of marked feature^, and even the landscape gardener has recognised this fact by erecting curious ruins, hermits' retreats, temples of classic deities, and other like buildings, which, though they must he condemned as mostly futile, are yet a plain indication of what has been suggested. The desire tor some marked character in gardens was no doubt largely responsible for that subdivision which is commonly found in them. It accounts, also, tor the many attempts whkh have been made to give variety of level. It may be s.nd. indeed, that the chief distinction of gardens is subdivision and difference of level, with the terraced formation that results Irom the latter. The enclosures and the various levels have been marked by masonry or by hedges, but some kind of marking or distinction there has usually been. Features are requisite to accentuate the design, and there is no good garden in which character is not enforced. It was the craving for accentuating features that led to all the extravagance of the o'd tree-*. utter and plea*. her. It would be, of course, a mistake to be dogmatic in regard or bowling greens for the pleasure ol manx . In short, we may see that no rigid lines need be drawn, and that good sense w ill always create or maintain a garden of character appropriate. We may discover, too. .irnid the xv an ing words of the advocates of one iemng or another, that it is, after all, n :•• trim i tree than .1 lawn— that the difference is in degree not in kind, that all gardening is in a measure formal, and that it xvas only the extravagance of the old topiary gardeners that brought them into contempt and ridicule. Bacon did not like " images cut out of juniper or other garden stuff." " They are for children," he ; but tie liked well low hedges witMsorrie "pretty px ramids." and even "lair Columns up >n frames of carpenter's xvork." The mount in the midst, which had been a feature of rnedia-x.il gardens, was also to his taste, and he would have p. •• a fine banqueting house upon the top." His stately !•• enclosed the garden, and his alleys marked the formality of it. The old Englishman dearly loved an enclosed garden, bounded by tall hedges of beech or \cw , well cut and trin, X. GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Co/>_> tight. HEVER CASTLE AND THE LILY-DECKED MOAT. by such methods as Evelyn himself describes. There were leafy bowers ;ir,J long alleys, with pyramid yews, perhaps, in his pleasaunce, and a rich orchard beyond. It was a place like Leonato's warden, where Hero and Ursula walked beneath the apple trees, while Beatrice stole " Into the pleachi-d bower, When- honeysuckles ripened by tile sun, Forbid the sun to enter; like favourites. Mail • proud liy princes, that advance their pride Agai ist that power that bred it." Fine terraces of excellent masonry, with ascents, perhaps, of many steps, adorned with auaint statuary — good garden architecture, in a word — c o m b i n e d with quaint " clipped greens," were in this pleasaunce. There was little exaggeration in such a garden, and it was not until later that Pope could laugh at the fantastic things that awoke his ridicule. He knew an eminent cook who had beautified his country seat with a coronation dinner in greens, where the champion on horseback was flourishing at one end of the table, and the queen at the other. Sarcasm kills much, and though we may laugh with Pope, it is to be feared that his satire was not without an ill effect. " Adam and Eve in yew ; Adam a little shattered by the fall of the tree of knowledge in the great storm ; Eve and the serpent very flourishing. Noah's Ark in holly, the ribs a little damaged for the want of water. The Tower of Babel not yet finished. St. George, in box ; his arm scarce long enough, but will be in a condition to stick the dragon by next April. An old maid-of-honour, in wormwood." Excellent fooling, indeed ! But, at the same time, let us remember that formal quaint- ness, sometimes tending to exaggeration, was the delight of our more cultured ancestors, and of the famous men of England and the Continent. It was found at Penshurst and Moor Park, at Hampton Court and Levens, just as at Versailles and St. Cloud, and at the Ludovisi, Medici, Doria Pamphili, and other " Country Life." C«/>yrigl.l THii MOON AND CkESOHNr LAKES AT STUULliY ROYAL. ' CtiHHtty Lij't" IN7KODUC1 — _ / -L. _ ~ — - X - : _ GARDENS OLD AND NEW. stately gardens of Rome. Thus does Taine speak of the characters embodied at the Villa Albani : "No liberty is left to Nature; all is artificial. The lawns are hemmed in by enormous hedges taller than a man, thick as walls, and forming geometrical angles, of which the apices all point to one centre. The flower-beds are enclosed by small box frames ; they comprise designs, and resemble well-bordered carpets in a regular mediey of graduated colours." And in this way did Rousseau sneer at the fashioner of verdant conceits: "With what disdain would he enter this simple and modest place, with what contempt have all these weeds uprooted ! What fine avenues he would open out, what beautiful alleys he would pierce, what fine goose-feet and what fine trees like parasols and fans ! What finely-fretted trellises, what beautifully drawn yew hedges, finely squared and rounded ! What fine Moor Park in Hertfordshire lay upon the side of a hill, which naturally led to a terraced formation, and the great parlour opened upon the terrace fronting the house, which was about 300 paces long, and broad in proportion, the border being set with standard laurels at intervals. From this walk were three flights of steps, disposed at the middle and the ends, by which a descent was made into a very large parterre. Gravel walks crossed this space, dividing it into quarters, and it was adorned with fountains and statues. Above, and at each end of the terrace, were summer-houses, and alongthe sides of the parterre were covered ways or cloisters open to the garden, and ending with two other summer-houses. Over these two cloisters two terraces extended from the main ..errace, with balustrades, and were entered through the summer-houses first described. Here was an enclosure, such as may still be found, though Copyright. THE TEKkACES, 1 ISSING TON HALL, DERBYSHIRE. Lije." bowling greens of fine English turf — rounded, squared, sloped, ovaled ! What fine yews carved into dragons, pagodas, marmosets— every kind of monster ! " Indeed, in the descriptions both of those who loved the old gardening and those who extolled the charms of the rival school, we find imple evidence of the permanence — we may even say the essential permanence — of something of formality in gardening style. A type of the seventeenth century garden, devoid of such exaggerations as Pope derided, was that at Moor Park in Hertfordshire, made famous by the description of Sir William Temple, and formal in character like the famous garden of his own NVior Park near Farnhum. There were many great .•us of the class in that century, as at Theobalds, the place of the Lord Treasurer Burlei-jh, and at Wilton and Penshurst. with infinite variation, at Montacute, Blickling, Hatfield, Ham House, and many other great places in the land. From the middle of the parterre at Moor Park was a descent by many steps, in two flights on either side of a grotto, into the lower garden, where was an orchard, and here the walks were all -urn, as well as a grotto (prototype of many) embellished with shells, rockwork, and fountains. Thus we see, as has been suggested, how the seventeenth century Englishman carried his house, as it were, into his garden, and loved the shadowed alley in the hot summer days, the delectable coolness of the evening air on his terrace, and the green lawns where he sped his well-turned bowls. There were other features of these old gardens which are not found alluded to in Sir William Temple's description of Moor Park, though some of them remain to this day from the AN /*»>/»/ < I • A GAKlJiA IN SKVII.Lb— THE CASA Db PILATOS. XIV. GARDENS OLD AND NEIY. investing it with something more of the work of creative fancy. They are own brothers to the dial, to the trellised pergola, where we seek the summer shade, and the balustrade, where the roses cluster, and fling out their fragrance in the sun. Many people will exclaim with Charles Lamb, when they encounter some garden monitor of the fleeting hours, "What a dull thing is a clock, with its ponderous embowelments of lead or brass, its pert or solemn dulness of com- munication, compared with the simple altar- like structure and silent heart-language of the old dial ! " Such things as the gate and the dial belonged to the sweet sequestered and enclosed gardens of our seventeenth- century sires, and they have a right place also in our own. But the enclosed garden did not give complete content. Something more was needed than stately seclusion to an age that had learned to look much abroad upon a newly opening world, and garden design, under the influence of Italy and France, soon began to admit an outlook through some beautiful clairvoyee, or along the twilight vista of an elm or beechen avenue, to what lay beyond. The great exemplar of garden work in the new manner was the famous Frenchman, Andre le Notre, the creator of the celebrated gardens at Versailles, Chantilly, St. Cloud, and Meudon, and of the terrace at Fontainebleau. Planting began now, as an extension of the garden, to form a scheme of which the house was generally the focus, though sometimes a column or a temple became the centre of the arrange- ment. Great avenues stretched through the' park into the neighbouring woods, while in the lower grounds there were formal waters, circular basins, or long, still canals, sheltered on every side, and reflecting mighty elms and beeches, which spread their leafy canopies gardens of that time. Those noble iron gates fashioned overhead, and often a classic temple or leaden deities or under the hammer of that man of fame, the smith, were heroes stood at the margin. Hampton Court is, of course, hanging between lofty piers, with balls or sculptured animals on the top. They are found still in the gardens of Italy, France, and Spain, and are numerous yet in some of the gardens of England. The smith, like the builder, has been a powerful auxiliary of the gardener. Force and character are added by the work they have done together. The labour of the Continent was at our service, and the native worker found ample scope for his skill. Look ax that glorious Spanish gate, at the gates of Ragley, Comp- ton Beauchnmp, Tissington, Norton Conyers, and many other houses of olden times, and you will see what the united skill of the worker in iron and stone or brick can do to add to the beauty and interest <>f our gardens. Such gates as these are fitting entrances to the realm of tvauty within. They mark its enclosure as a beautiful >• Country Lije." garden nobly guarded, THE GARDEN STEPS AT CHARLTON HOUSE CnfytiKl:t. GARDEN ARCHITECTURE AT CLIFTON HALL, NOTTINGHAM. " Country Life." /.V7A'« '/ ' A SINDIAL AT r ,1 • >l ( :i s| hkSMIXI . the great illustration of the grand manner in England, but it exists alvi at Castle HoA.ird, Melbourne, and many other places. It was a st\le that belonged to pal. ices and to great houses, and that lent itself in n<- degree t' ^^^^^^^ the needs ot the smaller gardens .if the land. • It cannot be adopted, except up m a large f scale, without failure, and some of the minor features by wh ch it was accompanied do not commend themselves to modern taste. The classic pleasaunce had come originally from Italy, and the famous Lud ' . Jens, which have been often descrilvd, were a tine type of stately gardening at its best. There were numerous alleys in them, orange groves. and cypress copses, fountains, statues, and vases. A French writer of the beginning of the eighteenth century. Charles de Brosses, the translator of Sallust, who contrasted these gardens with those of the Tuileries, regarded them with particular pleasure, because they had been Sallust's gardens in ancient times. He remarked that the Italians followed their •jwn tastes, and adapted their gardens to their climate. They wished to have green trees all the year round, grass in their walks instead of gravel, long and palisaded ways, giving shelter in the noonday heat, and many foun- tains, statues, and architectural a. dl satiation. This, indeed, was the great age of garden architecture, and, still, what can be more delightful than to tread some mossy stairway, shadowed by an ancient lime or a hollow- walnut tree, with the sculptured vase or the twisted urn at its sides, which our garden-loving ancestors trod of yore ? It was William III. who chiefly popul in England the grandiose style of the Continent, and Hampton Court is our most splendid example of the school of Le Notre. The greatest effort of William was m the fine semi-circular gardens, w .th the three radiating avenues, and the long water, in the Home Park beyond. This great canal was formed under the King's personal direction, and London .ind Wise, his arranged the- i and ! tin- linit .iM-nilt • tile splendid \ e\ls and ' N long to the tirm- ot Charles II.. and were placed there bv Ins gardener. \*'^ the river-side were ruli grilles o| m.igiHicent ironwork, of which MI ne are now in South Kensington. ( Mh. r gardens IK hiding th'.' ^tf^f '' ' ' iarden "t an earlier ^^ date, belonging to the p.. )f 5^^^ ^«^a^ ! •"' I "" "'i- other side stretihed out the park of Bushey. with the long a v e n u e — hofse-i h.-st- nut and lime— and the I liana fountain. But .1 •• oil from the grandiose manner nf I.e Noire and his sJi.il s.H>n Iniin.l expression. Huet, (hetanmus Bishop of Soissons and Avranches. verv shortly alter I V'tre's tune, spoke sar- IV of his water-elteits, and of the taste of the century which not hi tig pleased unless it w ere ios||y. In our own Country. I1 u- of whose satires have Ix-eti alluded tn. exilaimed that tlv grand style ,,f gardening was Contrary to the vrnpluitv of Horner. and pr.. • . lay out c ./.,...•»•• A H.\h OAKD, N AI ' AVI. GARDENS OLD AND a fanciful garden of his own, with the famous grotto under the Teddington Road. Perhaps the best feature that remains to these days of such old gardens is the yew hedge, that dominant mark of many English pleasaunces, which gives them a particular distinction, and favours that character of enclosure which has been alluded to as almost essential in good garden design. Evelyn claimed the credit of bringing the yew into fashion, " as well for a defence as for a succedaneum to cypress, whether in hedges or pyramids, conic spires, bowls, and what other shapes. I do again name the yew for hedges as preferable for beauty and a stiff defence to any plant I have seen." There is still at Albury a hedge loft, high and a quarter of a mile long, said to have been designed by Evelyn for the Earl of Arundel, and there are yew hedges at Bishopsbourne, near Canterbury, believed to have been planted by Richard Hooker in 1595, and now about I4ft. high Here was a change of view that was quite fundamental. With a sunk fence instead of a hedge, and wild nature taken into the gardening plan, the sequestered pleasure ground that had delighted the old Englishman was swept away. There had been foreshadowing of the change that was to come, not only in the pages of Milton and Tasso, but in the writings of many observers. Sir Henry Wotton had remarked "a certain contrariety between building and gardening, for as fabrics should be regular, so gardens should be irregular, or at least be cast into a very wild regularity." Sidney, too, brings the hero of "Arcadia" into a "neither field, garden, nor orchard; or, both field, garden, and orchard." The style had soon a great vogue in England, designer who chiefly worked the change, followed by Brown and many more. Walpole ascribed to Kent genius in striking out the " great system from the twilight of imperfect place that was rather, it was new landscape Kent was the THE CRAFTSMAN'S WORK AT COMPTON BEAUCHAMP, BERKSHIRE. "Country Life.' and loft, thick. This book illustrates many notable yew and other hedges which derive their character from those times. Walpole was as firm as Pope in his opposition to the formal style, and, in writing on " Modern Gardening," he makes a remark which is extremely important for an under- standing of the change then beginning. Hitherto enclosure by hedges, terraces, or balustrades had been considered essential, but Walpole thought it a " capital stroke " that walls for boundaries began to be destroyed, and that, instead of a hedge, a sunk fence, the ha-ha, was invented. " No sooner was this simple enchantment made than levelling, mowing, and rolling followed. The contiguous ground of the park without the sunk fence was to be harmonised 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." essays." " He leaped the fence, and saw that all Nature was •d garden." Landscape, which had hitherto been without, was now to be brought within. " The great principles on which he worked were perspective, and light and shade. Groups of trees broke too uniform or too extensive a lawn ; evergreens and woods were opposed to the glare of the champain, and where the view was less fortunate, or so much exposed as to be beheld at once, he blotted out some parts by thick shades, to divide it into variety, or to make the richest scene more enchanting by reserving it to a farther advance of the spectator's step. Thus, selecting favourite objects, and veiling deformities by screens of plantation, sometimes allowing the rudest waste to add its foil to the richest theatre, he realised the compositions of the greatest masters in painting. Where objects were wanting to animate his horizon, his taste as an architect could bestow immediate termination. His buildings, his seats, his temples, were more the works A/A'C/'/ i . il ih.in (f his \\ the restoration of C ! the diffusion <>f architecture to his skill in lan.lsv.ip,-." Il cannot he said that •teritv has altogrther v.mc tiniH-.l thi- exalted view wlvch Horace Walp<>le expressed of the ai hievements of Kent. In striving to Ju away with the • •Id formality, the landscape gardener had introduced a lormahty of his own. chiefly ernihle in the curious em. bdlishments which he found it necessary to add in order to give features to replace those he had sometimes wantonly destroyed. Kent's greatest Us were at Ksher and Claremont, at Kuusham in Oxfordshire, at Lord Burling- ton's villa at Chiswick. and in the additions which he made to the plans of Bridgm.ui and Vanbrugh at Lord Cobham's place at Stowe. The gardens •tStoue, famous at the tune, awoketheenthusiasm of many. Thus did [Jr. Cotton poeti "It |ni//lr< mm h the nine*' bruin* \Vherr \\i\rn Mood <•! M>n •Mr place it in Arabia'* plains >"tnr my it u no more. " Rut Cubham can thrnc talc* confute. As all the curioun know • Tor he ha* prov'.l IH-VOIK! dispute That l*ara GATEWAY AT FRANKS. "I -.»frjr Lift." Kent's popiil.ii itt- brought him many followers :in»l imi t «!• I'hilip Soutlu • at Wobtirn Harm in Sui had an embellished ; lime, in win h the 1 ilv-ll was part of hi* gjrd.-n CnnCc pllo i Sheli^tiMtr a great exponent »\ the i.md •'. and had a notable example ••: it .it his 1 < \ • and the Hon. Charles Hamilton, destroying nothing, like some- Ian.1 irden.-rs. created II Hill in Surrev. As :i -..li.l. who wrote in 1768. Pains Hill has th,- mark of creative gei.ius. .mJ it is one of the most lemark- able examples of the lan.l- s, ape style. But the great, st of all the followers • ! K was Lancelot Brown. I'nlike others of liis school, Brown .lid m>t attempt to form hi% upon the work* "I Cl.uiJe or I'oussm, but went direct !•• Nature herself, and there would have been little 1C t" find fault with what he did, if, in doing it, he had not swept away >o many Characteristic f.atures of the gardens of former times. . Cobham, in whose kitchen garden he had worked, recom- mended him to the huke of (iraiton at \\'akefiel.l L-nlge, in Northamptonshire, where he directed the formation ••! a large lake. Blenheim w us Ins favourite triumph, and :n sp.aking of the water-.-!!, ct there, he evultingly exclaimed THE TEkkACE WALK Al LOSbLEV HAkK. - XVIII. GARDENS OLD AND Nl-W. Copyright. THE GREAT GATES AT RAGLEY HALL, WARWICKSHIRE. " Country Ltff. tll.lt till- 'lll.Hllis W.'llld II. \e him. I. >Til < !»bham him- . in his eleg\ upon Blenheim. written .it < i\tord in l"J7, tlms iks i»l tin tarn. 'us p.irk anJ Like : • tllr \nl>- irmpe. fum'd in MU>X. nor Ida'* K'' Siirh l«-«nt\ IMUIMV Allllil Ihc liia/y gloom ni ih!* riniifiii'.i. Hildrrnr** OIUT »I.NN| Tin- l»>w 'r of K'MamoinU. haplew fair. Bui »ee where, flowinx with • noMrr •trrani. A limpid lake of pure»l wntcr rolb ll« nmth Ilir wide-itrrlfh'd arrh. Mil- |x II. lotto Hiirk Throiixh which the luiuil* mixlit «•!• leclrd |Mittr lli« spacious urn! Silent awhile anil smooth The ritrrrnl glide*, till, with an head- long force Broke and ilixinlrr'il, flown the >teep it fall. In loud caacade*; the »ilver »|iarklinx (ilitter* rrlucent in the dancing ray." But the landscape gardeners. as has been remarked, vwn found that their efforts did not meet with universal approbation. Kipt.m, who swept away the teiraco at Burley-on-the-Hill, and nas .1 great exponent of the new iiu-tl).>ds. Mr, I.,, OLD GATE AND SUNDIAL. N< >H< IN <> iNU.ks. >okKSMIkE. i-\r' lined that hi- uli-a «•'- .il«a\s t» .lispl.iy n.itural K-autie> and tu funceal di-lc. !••. t.i i.nurv the impres- >i.'ii "I MA- and In rrm»\<- \isibli- boundaries, and. in •>hort. to mve to hi> garden the freedom of Nature. nlusin- to ha\e in it objects of mere io.iveii. or Comfort if they were im'apable of bein^ embo.li. .! in Miih a design. The argument is. perlups. it- own Confutation. Those \\h«» were M ,-kin- a ^.irden could not diMover one in sudi a ireation as Kepton proposi-d, and .1 sth.>-.l atosi- \vhuh either ur^cd a middle course or a return to the older style. Sir Uvedale Pru'e, whose opinion has been I'lted. \v.i- -me of the former ; Payne Knight, who wrote " The Land- scape." apparently »f the latter. He craved for the moss-^rown terrace and the ancient avenue, sn-kin^ for v»me object to mark " the flat insipid plain." He had no sjtist.it ti«n in seeing a house •••MiiUt nhiiven lawn»that fat aruund it i rrr].. In one eternal undulating «wee|>. Ami iK-altt-iM tlum|« that iml at onr •nother. Hach Mtfllv wnvtnx t" it* formal »>rothrr." The pure lands- .n. in fact, have no dominating place in the garden. Its gentle sweep and fertile aspect form a pleasant outlook when UK- garden itself has been explor. It will not N- overlooked, indeed— and the punt tmp'ttance— that gardens such as tlv-se lu\e n.. direct «t • relation t" ttie houv. They mi-^ht well N- public n-irJeiis. and quite apart from any dwelling whatever. They embody an attempt to .id.ipt N.iturt according t" the lonception l. and have within]! in common with the pleached alle\ s and vqu« -tered bowv ivthan and Stuart j-ardi-ns. Tin- r.-mantit had come as .1 recoil from the grt-.it formality whu.li had tfept ..\t-r ^.itd.-n design, and the id. sequestered calm h.id mostly vanishcJ from such FlieN were pastoral landscape ..r wiwidl.ind !x-autiful in tlieir kind, gret-n and fruitful wildernesM-s. SIR|I as B"n..uci" might have loved or -in painted, and their walks we- ttiilly planned that they so, med interminable. AS I • Xrmine Plac--. in "Henrietta Temple." there nt in an ideal lands !L-n where the XX. GARDENS OLD AND NEW. keenest eye can detect a limit. "Sometimes you wandered in those arched and winding walks dear to pensive spirits. Sometimes you emerged on a plot of turf blazing in the sunshine, a small and bright savannah, and gazed with wonder on the group of black and mighty cedars that rose from its centre, with their sharp and spreading foliage. The beautiful and vast blended together ; and the moment after you had beheld with delight a bed of geraniums or of myrtles, you found yourself in an amphitheatre of Italian pines." In all this there is much that is attractive, and much that is satisfying to the sense, but the domestic character is not there. The link that binds the house to the garden is wanting, and, in attempting to imitate the wilfulness or the wildness of Nature, the designer has, indeed, made a garden, but not one that forms, as the domestic garden should, a part of the house to which it belongs. We must look, indeed, for something more than the sloping style of the later Renaissance. In those southern gardens where noble stairs led up through terraced steeps, amid ilex and lemon, and where the air was heavy with the fragrance of the orange trees, marble deities looked out over the spires of the cypresses, or stood reflected below in the silent pool. In Le Notre's Theatre d'Eau at Versailles, with its curtain and wings, Jupiter on an Eagle, and Mars and Pluto were at the ends of the formal alleys. Cupids of bronze held vases in the Allee d'Eau from which water fell into marble basins, and for the Bassin de Neptune, Bouchardon, Lemoigne, and Adam sculptured the sea god, with trident, and Tritons and children. English gardens had like adornments, and "The Herald Mercury New-lighted on a heaven-kissing hill," the Kneeling Slave, and the richly wrought vase, were frequently produced in lead. Terminal figures stood in rows or semi-circles against hedges of yew, and the sages THE TERRACE AT RISLEY. Li/c." mead, the woodland park, and the winding lake ; we must hope to find something in the way of enclosure, something of good architecture, something, perhaps, of good garden sculpture. The terrace that borders the house will lend itself to the gardener's hand. It may be shadowed by noble trees, it may be bordered by the greenest turf, and be festooned with a host of climbers, but it will he an architectural feature, and our first step from the house to the garden. Good garden architecture is indeed a necessity in any garden of character. If there be sculpture, it must be of the best, and not always will the gleaming marble appear so suitable against some dark bank of trees as the more subtle tones that gather upon the ancient figure of lead. In the work of the sculptor we have, indeed, an aid to garden effect that no school of gardening has ever despised. It appeared least, perhaps, in the earlier gardens of England, but its use was common in Italy and France in the stately of Greece and Rome looked out over the gardens of Englishmen. But sculpture is as much in place in the landscape as in the formal garden, and is even more necessary in order to replace the features of a more strongly marked style, as the creators of such gardens quickly recognised. Yet there is, perhaps, no more difficult thing than to use garden sculpture well. It should occupy the right place, or none at all, and only the judicious eye can direct the choice. This is especially true of the human figure, for the urn and vase are sometimes almost necessary upon the terrace or by the garden stair. A peculiarly happy effect, full of suggestion in its character, is that of the ascent to the upper lawn at Clifton, which we illustrate here. But in truth ihe garden world is inexhaustible in character and variety, as this book will show. Here the florist and the architect have had their common ground, and here the i.MMHH <./ 1HI H()Sh WAI K AT HfcC KFIfcl.b PLACE. HAMI'SHIPI:. XXI.. GARDENS OLD AND NEW. craftsman in metal has found high opportunities of displaying his skill. But, whatever be its individual character, the garden of our choice, a« William Morris said, should look both orderly and rich, anJ it should be well fenced from the outside world. It should " look like a thing never to be seen except near a house, and should, in fact, look like a part of the house." This is no meaningless saying, because it is in the garden Cofyright. THE KNEELING SLAVE IN LEAD AT MELBOURNE. that the house-dweller wins Nature to himself. In " The Garden that 1 Love" Mr. Alfred Austin has expressed some truths felicitously. " A garden that one makes oneself becomes associated with one's personal history and that of one's friends, interwoven with one's tastes, preferences, and character, and constitutes a sort of unwritten but withal manifest autobiography." And yet it is even better when we can read in it also the history of men who have gone before, and when, as the same writer says, the garden character is governed by the house, its time-consecrated architecture, us immovable boundaries, the old oak and the ineradicable old timber within sit>ht, and thus by the general fitness of things. " I am quite of opinion that a garden should look as though it belonged to the house, and the house as though it were conscious of and approved the garden. In passing from one to the other, one should experience no sense of discord, but the sensations produced by the one should be continued, with a deli- cate difference, by the other." There is thus abundant room for individuality in garden work. The house is no dumb thing to the labourer in this field. It suggests to him a character and inspires him with the ideas of design. From its features he learns how to call the craftsman in stone or metal to ills aid. If his be an old garden, where the ancient worker has com- pleted an appropriate con- ception already, there is still room, in the embodiment of the new triumphs of the florist, or in vary ng the inner disposition of the pleasaunce, for manifold successes. But the true lover of the garden will make a way for himself. He will reject nothing of floral beauty, which is after all the chiefest of the gardener's means, and there will be no time of the year in which his garden is devoid of radiance. His garden is a romantic realm of never-failing charm, even tnough small it be. Fortunate s he who looks out from his terrace with its mossy parapet, where the peacock, perchance, shakes out its purple glories, to such a world of his own. Roses are clustering on the wall, or flinging out their fragrance below in the sun, mingled with the rare perfume of the aromatic azalea. Along the edge of the lawn his flower-border is glorious with the queenly lily, the dark blue monk's-hood, the tall hollyhock, the spiked veronica, the red lychnis, radiant phloxes, proud paeonies, the tall spires of foxgloves and larkspurs, and a multitude of fair denizens of the par- terre. Richness characterises the whole, and the sentinel yews, the hedges, and box edgings, are there to give order and distinction, with the right degree or formality that belongs to the structure that is adorned. The moral sundial, the splashing fountain, the sheltered arbour, and the fragrant pergola, all have their places in such a garden. Nor need the landscape, and the woodland with the lake, be contemned. These lie outside the enclosed gardens, and all are beautiful and entrancing in their degree and place. The final fact is simple after all, and the garden designer must make it his own. It is that the house and the garden are the two parts of a single whole, and happy is he who can best interpret their sweet relationship. " Country Lijc." /.V7A • THE OAKlJhN GATfc AT HISI I V. xxiv. GARDENS OLD AND ~NEW. o u O Q uu > m _j U f- UJ U H UJ t/5 a O 1 a; I f o r « i CLEVEDON COURT, SOMERSET, . . THE SEAT OF ... SIR EDMUND H. ELTON, Bart GARDENS OLD-&NEW THIS volume could open with no better illustration nf English gardening than is found at Clevedon Court. It is one of those places where the advocates of ri\ .il schools may meet upon common ground. The terraced character of the garden springs naturally, •in the soil ; not as in Dutch Amiens, in which, e levi-l land, terraces were raised artificially ; fur we find a pleasaunce whose terraces are the natural outcome --t the gardener's art 0:1 the steep slope of the hill. Tin? formality is THE ASCENT TO THE TERRACES. MU li as appeals to ex. ..t divlain the help • •( the florist nor of the coRectur of inu- speiimen trees. < >n the contrary, it claims ..II th.it the xxnrld ot cultivated Nature > m appropriately bestow. The h.uk^iound <>t Miage is Miperh, the various lexeN are charming, their bouquets »l flower- fair and fragrant, and Ivlmv -treUh the lawns, with their trim flower -beds breaking into the lands*, ape features Ivv mid. The garden, hy the nature "I t! .- cue, is arihiteitui.il, as all «'M gardens were, and it has features that arrest the eye and ;i-e the imagination. Merc- is a place that has reieixed hr.i.id and efteilixe treatment; radiant colour, applied with hold ihar.utn an ! \ et with a palette not too garish, finds its counterpoise in the magiulueiit hill ot t. and befits the mellow stonework and admirable f i inns of that typical hnglish abode. The design at Cllex'edon embodies .it least two oi the main distinctions of ,,|J gardens. The place has sulvlixisimi and change nt le\'el ; there are walls and he ' umbrageous masses and line mdivulu.il t and the appropriateness ot the cona-pium to the house and the site will impress every beholder, and gives to the gardens a ih.ii of great and welc< me repose, and the design is frank and altogether charming. The subtle beauty of the place consists largely in the purely domestic nature of the garden. Its successive terraces belong, as we may s.iy, t , cultured leisure, and afford soipe to all that fancy may suggest in tin- distribution of flow, r- beds or the character of borders. The o|j bnglishman dearly loved such places. He would, perhaps, have added the ch.i inclosure, which is not noticeable at Clevedon Court except as imparted by the terracing, but his mind was attuned to the sequestered charm of a verdant terrace, like velvet to the t- with a festooned walk on one side and a wall rising to the trees overhanging, and a well-cut hedge on the other, beyond which was the outlook over the p'easaunce of his pride. All may sound very formal to unimagm.n but Clevedon Court is a M.mding and visible proof of the merit of an old garden n»t closed to the nurseryman, nor unr. t modern ideas, but based in principle upon the garden character irf an earlier time. Happy indeed is he who has such a sunny hilKide upon which to work out his garden fancies as we find at this sweet Somersetshire home, with its rare surroundings, and the perfntly beautiftil mansion as a centre-piece, though no place lie out-side the J- mam of UK- gardener's skill. This beautiful land of Somerset, by the •• Severn s - many a noHe home and radiant garden within ius bounds. GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Copyright. THE FORMAL GARDENS ON THE NORTH FRONT. " Country Lije.'' Hill and hollow, wood and meadow, the tangled brake and the heathery moor, the orchard richly fruited and the green corn yellowing for the sickle all the summer long, villages nestling in the hollows with thatched roofs, gay in the estival days, warm within when the winter winds blow, the lanes where the roses hang overhead from the hedges, the tall elms and beeches full in their leafage, or bare but beautiful when October has blown — this is the Somersetshire land. And that part of the county which is near the Severn has charms quite its own, as you may see from the pictures of Clevedon Court. Lying along the great estuary, Somersetshire looks — sometimes indeed from sandy flats but far more often from swelling hills — across to distant Wales ; and there is much of hill at Clevedon Court, which has developed the garden, shaped as we see. Copyrigkt. THE SOUTH TERRACE. The house is a wonderful architectural pile in this green and glorious setting. Here are parts of a mansion that stood' in Edwardian days, when the warder kept watch at the heavily buttressed and portcullised door, and, grafted upon them, the most beautiful features of Tudor and Jacobean times. There exist still the winding stairways by which the watch- man ascended to the outlook towers, the chapel in which olden worshippers knelt, the rooms where gentlemen in doublet and hose and ladies in ruff and farthingale dwelt. A place about which romance seems to linger and that fancy may people with many fair imaginings. Clevedon Court is a notable house even in a county that contains such splendid and interesting places as Montacute, Dunster, Brympton, and Venn House, to name no more of the many mansions of Somerset. Fire dealt unkindly with the west front in 1882, when the Elizabethan library, with its fireplace carved with the arms and badges of the Wakes, was burned ; but tasteful hands have made all good again, and Nature has lent her aid, so that now the fine old place is vested with luxuriant creepers, myrtles climb- ing almost to the gables, and thickly blossoming magnolias and fragrant roses adorning the walls. It is garlanded, indeed, just as such places should be — beautified, but not concealed. The Wakes, who were the ancient possessors of Clevedon, parted with it to the Digbys, Earls of Bristol, who again sold it to the family of the present possessor in 1709. Sir Charles Elton, the sixth Baronet, so well described the place in his poem, entitled "The Two Brothers," published in 1830, that some " Country Life." • •BOON COURT. A NOBLE HILLSIDE QARDEN-THE BOWLING OKfcbN. GARDENS OLD AND NEW. part of it may appropriately be quoted : "I stood upon a lawn whose greensward spread Sniooth-lev.-lled by the scythe; two mulberry trees Bc-vond it stretched their old and folia}; 'd arms ; TV acacia quiver' cl in the wind ; the thick And deep-leaved laurel darken'd the recess Of massive buttresses ; the mansion's walls, Grev in antiquity, were tapestried o'er With the fix's downy leaves, and roses climb'd Clustering around the casement's gothic panes. With terraces and verdant slopes, where pines Arch'd their plumed boughs, and fruits espalier-trained Were uiix'd with myrtles and with arbute-trees, The scene behind look'd sylvan ; higher rose The bounding hill, whose turfy paths were track'd 1'p the bare herbage, gnarled with scattt r'd crags And topt with straggling fir, or chestnut broad : A sweet, yet solemn landscape, for it spoke (If sacred home." It \vas tlie poet's successor, Sir Arthur Hailam Elton, win did much to make the place more beautiful by judiciously laying out the "rounds and planting trees on the hills. In his time Tennyson, Hailam, and Thackeray were frequent visitors to Clevedon Court. Old friendship existed between the Eltons and the Hallams, and Henry Hallam, the historian, had Copyright. THE WEST FRONT. " Country Life." married Sir Charles Elton's sister. It will be remembered how Tennyson refers to the Hallams' burial-place in the churchyard at Clevedon : "The Danube to the Severn gave The darken'd heart that beat no more; They laid him by the pleasant shore, And in the hearing of the wave." The hand of taste, inspired by the love of the beautiful. ' • •• • "Country Lift, "THE PRETTY GARDEN.' F. DON COURT. JL) O - .u x Q s. JU J JJ O u. 0 O O a. I UJ GARDENS OLD AND has ruled the adornment and maintenance of Clevedon Court. Its chief charm is in that ter- raced character of its garden, to which allusion has been made. The configuration of the land dictated the special form, and we may go far indeed before we find terraces so beautiful as these. There are terraces both above and below, for the house stands in the midst of the steep slope, and the effect is doubly charm- ing. The artistic merits of a terrace have been disputed by some gardeners, but they can- not be gainsaid when they are displayed in such a situation and manner as we discover here. It will not be inappro- priate to quote what Mr. Blomfield and Mr. Thomas say in defence of terraces in their volume, "The Formal Garden in England " : " The terrace is admitted, even by the land- scapist, to be desirable near the house. In the first place it presents to the eye a solid foundation for the house to start from, and gives the house itself greater importance by raising it above the level of the adjacent grounds, and again it is healthier. There is something uncomfortable in the idea of a house placed flat on the ground or down in a hole. It need not be necessarily damp, but one always imagines that it will, and that the timber will decay and the plaster moulder, and rats run over the floor ; but when the house starts from a terrace it at least looks dry and the house enables you to see the garden." But Clevedon Court is neither flat on the ground nor down in a hole, and an excellent idea of the garden beauty can be gathered from the accompanying illustra- tions. 1 he appropriate terraces which have grown out of this condition are dis- tinguished by the special character and are the glory of the place. Mossy and picturesque walls support these fine ter- races. They combine luxuriant richness in plant and flower life, adorning tin- grass FROM TERRACE TO TERRACE. Country Lije. A FLOWER BORDER. •' Cvuntry Lije and garlanding the walls, with hedges and the trimness of well - clipped, smooth - shaven lawns. It cannot be forgotten that a garden must be appro- priate, not only to the house, but to the situation. What is suitable on the crest or the slope of a hill might be alto- gether out of place on a flat, though even in such conditions it would be easy to point out low terraces that are a success. Generally speaking, however, it is true to say that a terrace cannot be a triumph unless there be the initial advantage of a slope. But the character of terraces also varies very much. These at Clevedon have little in common with the romantic terrace at Haddon, but are just as beautiful Where we cannot go wrong is in adorning our terraces with green turf, a multitude of flowers, and sometimes with the shadowing of trees, with walls never bare, and parapets and balustrades touched with the greens of mosses. To linger on these terraces, look- ing out over the landscape, is a true delight, and no place could be more attractive for a quiet game of bowls. When a pastime such as this famous diver- • sion of old times can be enshrined in such scenes as these we cannot wonder at its new popularity. As our pictures reveal, Clevedon Court is a leafy place with masses of foliage garlanding everything with richness, but flowers are also abundant, and contrast their splendour with the dark hues of conifers and evergreens. Arches of roses perfume the air as we walk- along, vases of fragrant flowers flank the pathway, and tall yews cast their shadows over the greenest of turf. Light and shadow are here singularly effective in their charm of variety. But to describe further what is so well depicted is unneces- sary here. Clevedon Court, in the general character of its gardens, is scarcely excelled in England, and few places are more beau- tiful than this delightful Somersetshire home. I - ] LEVENS HALL, WESTMORELAND, THE SEAT OF ... MR. J. F. BAGOT. GARDENS OLD-&NEW ATI'OPRIATELY does this volume contain an account of the glorious garden depicted, because, among all the famous gardens of England there is none to ••ipare in its kind with (.evens. Here, in .1 glorious part of Westmoreland, stepping int<» tin- v.it • >! ancient gentility, did Colonel James Graham, (ir.ihmc. or Graeme, younger brother of Sir Richard Graham of Netherhy. and an astute courtier of Charles II. and James II., Create. with the help of Beaumont, the disciple of I.e Ndtre. and tin- AN EARLY MORNING PICTURE. French gardener whom James had employed at Hampton Court, a ple.is.umce ot the date and to ins mind, which remains, well tended and maintained, just as it was lorim-d :ib iut 2OO y« . Nowhere can we tind anything so Interesting or quaint to tell of the outdo. r tast.- m the time. Lord Stanhope, in his " History of England." where he writes ot the change of character in tl>e gardens ot the da\ I ' i III., specks thus of the steadfast charactei "t i.\,-ns: . "mplele has the change proved that at present, through- out the whole of England, there remains, p( rhaps, v ar».el\ : than one private garden present- ing in all its parts an entire and true sample of the old designs ; tins is at the line <>ld seat ot Levens, near Kendal. Tl) along a wide extent ••', t< walks and walls, eagles ot holly and peacocks of yew still find each returning summer their wings clipped and their talons pared. There, a stately monument of the oldprorm-noirs-suclias the French- men taught our fathers, rather. I should say, to build than plant — along which, in days of old. stalked tin- gentlemen with peri- wigs and swords, the l.i ' - and furbelows, ma\ be seen to tins day." li was. perhaps, scarcely correct to say that the Frenchmen taught us all this. For did not the spirit come equally from Holland, to be grafted upon a similar ch.i already existing in the gardening fashions here at home ? But before we describe the garden it will be well to sav a little about Levens ..n.i its old possessors, for the principle we wish to enforce is that Ivm- garden are, or should be. inti- mately associated, and that the character i-f one correspond* with the other. In the case of Levens a good deal may properly be attributed to the house and its ssive ow The country surrounding the mansion is \ ery line in its character, richly varied and 'i, with green meadows and the prospect of lofty fells ; and the river Kent flows d GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Country Ltje. BEECH ARCHES IN THE FRUIT GARDEN Copyright. AN ARCH OF MOUNTAIN ASH AND CLEMATIS. "Cuunlry Life." a turbulent race through tne rocks, with foam and angry roar, to silent shallows shadowed by overhanging trees. Ancient oaks and mi.'hty beeches ceem to carry us back to a distant day, and the picturesque " peel " tower, about which the house has grown, reminds us of turbu- lent times, when the Scots were wont to sweep down and carry off flocks and herds — times marked, within many a mile of the border country, by these grey old peels, standing generally solitary, or converted to the humble uses of the farm. The garden at Levens, therefore, finds its contrast and background in a singularly picturesque anJ romantic region. Each is the foil to the other. The garden gains by its relationship with the varied scenery of its sur- roundings, and these offer greater enjoyment when we pass out to them from amid the well-shorn hedges and quaint garden features of the ancient pleasaunce of the Grahams. Levens came by purchase, in the reign of Henry II., to the hands of Henry de Redman, or Redmayne, and during the ownership of the place by his family the original rugged tower of Levens was built, and it is probable that Alan de B-llingh un, . of Burnside and Hilsington, Treasurer of Berwick and Deputy-Warden of the Marches, who bought the estate from the Redmans in 1487, remodelled the place. The Bellinghams held Levens about 200 years. Their memories linger about it, and there still remain their badges of the bugle and the deer, while in a window of the inner drawing-room, painted round a shield of arms, is the dog Latin inscription : " Ainicus Aniico Alanus, Belli^er, Belligero BelHnghaiuus." James Bellingham, Alan's great-grandson, afterwards knighted by James I., practically invested Levens with its present character, and he doubtless had a quaint formal garden, with trim walks and hedges, if without the wealth of topiary work which it has to-day, for his pleasure. We know that he had a bowling- green, for the very bowls with his crest remain. Before his time the great hall of the house stretched, with an open roof, westward from the tower, but he remodelled it entirely, and to him is due much of the lavish and beautiful adornment of the struc- ture, with its rich panelling, rare and elaborate mantels, armorial glass, badges of the Tudors and of his own house, the mullioned ////AS /////. i UJ 5 s i. «< O X ^ O q X - Q e UJ 10 GARDENS OLD AND KEW. Copyright. QUAINT CREATIONS IN YEW. ' Cvtntry Li/s." CoffTifM. BRIGHT FLOWERS IN HAPPY CONTRAST, ' Country Lije." ////As HALL. 11 THE HOUSE FROM THE GARDEN. windows and latticed pane* of the time, wainscot of oak, and beautiful plaster work, li>vely Spanish embused leather, and much else that is beautiful of the Stewart .1^-. Such was tlu- house which came to Sir James ( iraham, the creator of its gardens, in 1690. He bought it, or won it •t the gaming table, from Alan Bellmglum. tin.- last of his race, "an ingcnion« Nit unhappy xoung nuin, v\h<> loiixmned a \.ist est.,: This (iraham of " th. Netlu-rbv il.ni" was. .is Ivlitte.1 1. 1- M.IIIU-, a cavalier, \\lm had spent a turhulcnt youth in the ! ;i Army, and M much in tlu- Jacobite rising. He stiKid hi-h in tin- Koy.il l.iviNir, and MJS M.isit t >4 tin- Hiuk- lntundN and Lieutenant «•< Win.N«>r |-'"iest, an.l he am.itipaned J.nni s in his ili^ht t» I' but he m.in.i^ed t" esi.ipi- sunn- •>; tla- pains and pen.illies that wen- unpiised "I) men less adroit, and, when the in \v sni- xvith Ills old .ISS.K i.ites. .nut Mrs. Bagot of Lixens, in a charming sketih nt her home, -ays: " It stones could speak, what secrets these walls might disjosv, what plots of portentous importance they might reveal. Could we but hear the talk of Grahme and his guests in tin- (iildod Parlour, as the wine flowed and the t".ist was received ' I" the King over the Water ' By the marriage oi the Jacobite colonel's only daughter, IBLt UAHUkN STUDY OH CHARMING til I '.I. 12 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. the house passed to Henry Bowes Howard, Earl of Berkshire, and descended through female heirs to successive owners. It appears to have been well cared for throughout its history, but never more so than now, when it possesses the old-world quaintness that conjures up before us the very spirit of the older time. Before we pass out into the garden, we may, in fancy, be privileged to drink the ancient toast from a goblet called a "constable," filled with " a unique and bitter com- pound of the genus of ale," while, as custom dictates, we stand on one leg — "Luck to Levens while the Kent flows! " There is a portrait at Levens of M. Beaumont, " professor of the topiary art" to James II., who created the gardens under the direction of Colonel Graham. They seem to have been begun about the year 1701, and have the quaintest charm, in their trim and grotesque character, that can be imagined. There are old-world formal gardens in many places still ; Scotland has yet some dear old pleasaunces, like yew, and bushes cut into globes and cones, or even into judges' wigs and grotesque birds, shall we have no glow of floral beauty ? Levens is a standing demonstration to the contrary, for its ancient topiary work is associated with flowers in great and varied profusion, which are enhanced in effect by the dark greens of the trees and bushes. Evidently the law maxim, " Inclusio unius est exclusio alterius," has no force in the verdant and floral courts of the gardening world, and, then, so enthusiastic a lover of the "natural" style of gardening as Batty Langley, who was a boy when Levens was designed, included cones of evergreens among the adornments of his " beautiful rural garden." The terrace in front of the house commands a fine view of the noble country in which Levens lies. From the eastern end of the terrace extends the formal garden. There Nature and Art have certainly worked hand in hand, and the abundant fecundity of one has been matched by the patient labour and Copyright. FROM THE SOUTH. ' Country Life. ' that sweet region at Tully Veolan, where Rose Bradwardine walked with Waverley. There are recent gardens of the old character, too. But, go where we will, we shall find nothing in its kind to rival ancient Levens. No other place in England possesses so much old and curious topiary work. In the intro- duction to this volume something of the history of topiary gardening in England is told. From mere quaintness gresv its extravagance, it became fashionable in extreme developments, and the bitter satire of Pope and others killed it entirely. But the topiarius is an ancient functionary in the garden, who was known even to Pliny, and throughout his history he has certainly invested his verdant realm with a great deal of curious charm. Levens is the happiest example of his skill that England possesses, and is happily illustrative of a point that must be insisted upon — that the adoption of one masterful feature of gardening Joes not involve the banishment of the charms of others. Because we have trim borders of box or extraordinary skill of the other. Colour and the quaintness of peculiar beauty crowns the conjoint work. It is an ideal and grotesque world we enter when we tread tile pleasure-place of Colonel Graham and of M. Beaumont, the gardener who came from France. Fantastic forms rise in yew, strange and remarkable, as far as the eye can reach— a peacock here, a huge umbrella-like construction there, an archway, a lion and a crown, a helmet bigger than any man could wear, and a host of other such creations, all shaped out of the "ductile yew," except that some of the smaller adornments are in box. A bewildering world of gardening, some may say ! We rest in a green arbour, shaped after the fashion of a judge's wig, to wonder what some strange animal or figure can be. " At last," says Mrs. Bagot, in an account she has written of this marvellous pleasaunce, " I see you pause in bewilderment over some weird contorted figures of box, which form a complete circle round a small rose garden. Are they ////.V.s HALL I OJ : o x 01 X u. O — — UJ a. i 14 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. fish, flesh, or fowl ? Neither. It is Queen Elizabeth and her maids of honour these quaint little bushes are striving to imitate ; this one, see, has a ruff and a crown. Uncover and bend to the Virgin Queen ! " We are more prepared, perhaps, to salute the memory of the dead gardeners who created such a world of wonder, as well as the taste of those at the present day who know so well how such a place should be maintained. The mention of the rose garden suggests the other picture to which we have alluded. For a multitude of glorious flowers stand with radiant faces upturned in these formal beds, or droop their fragrant blossoms in clusters towards the ground. Trailing branches of roses extend between the formidable topiary monsters. What a carpet it is we tread on ! Gorgeous are the things that now attract us — stately lilies, tall lupines, blushing pa?onies, the fuchsia, pansy, salvia, bergamot, and pink. These are here, with a crowd of other garden glories ; rise hollyhocks, dahlias, and sunflowers, while below there is a wealth of gay blossoms in every season of the year. Masses of beautiful climbers clothe the grey old stone. Indeed, wherever we go at Levens we are greeted by flowers in profusion, which, as we say again, is proof that formal character is no bar to the gayer delights of the garden. Levens has also a beautiful park, very rich in all the charm that arises from the varied configuration and abundant foliage that are everywhere characteristic of Westmoreland. There is an old sundial also to delay us — that charming feature of the English garden. It stood, says Charles Lamb, as " the garden god of Christian gardens." If its business use may be superseded by more elaborate inventions, its moral uses, its beauty, might have pleaded for its continuance. It spoke of moderate labours, of pleasures not protracted after sunset, of temperance, and good hours. CopyrigM. A GARDEN PICIURE FROM A WINDOW. " Country Lije. and to walk by nigh beech, yew, or holly hedges with such neighbours is simply delightful. We pass in and out among the charms of the garden, noticing pots and tubs of rare flowers, which add points of beauty in many places, and ever glad to turn to the quaint old house, vested with jasmine, purple clematis, and brilliant nasturtium. Or we may set out from our arbour of green, where a curious old portrait of Colonel Graham hangs in the branches of a tree, may pass along the beautiful turf walks, so pleasant to walk on, with avenues of old apple trees, and York and Lancaster roses blossoming freely below, to the large square bowling green, a scene of singular attraction, where the old game is played once more. Now we think of gentlemen with wigs and clouded canes exhibiting, with biassed bowls, their calculated skill ; of the rippling laughter of ladies in silks and satins, with paint and patches, too, greeting with SclhiJenfrende those who lamentably fail. Or, again, we pace the terrace with the well-managed border, from which It was the primitive clock, the horologe of the first world. Adam could scarce have missed it in Paradise. It was the measure appropriate for sweet plants and flowers to spring by, for the birds to apportion their silver warblings by, for flocks to pasture and be led to fold by. The "shepherd carved it out quaintly in the sun ; and, turning philosopher by the very occupation, provided it with mottoes more touching than tombstones." Here, then, at this quaint and interesting Northern seat are grass walks, beautiful flowery borders, an ancient bowling green, a charming park with a fine avenue of oaks a mile in length, and noble individual trees of oak, sycamore, beech, chestnut, and elm. In truth, Levens Hall is unique and offers many distinct characters. It has the advantages that belong to a glorious country, which add so much to the beauty of its park, and it has a garden gay with flowers throughout the year, yet more famous still for the historic trees clipped by the topiary hand. BULWICK HALL, NORTHAMPTON, THE SEAT OF . . MRS. TRYON. GARDENS OLD-&NEW S \VLHT and beautiful Bulwick has a garden suggestive to many. Here is no giand st\U-, no lordly avenue, no imposing terrace; only the di ar charm ot llx- old domestic garden, the beauty and fragrance ol the individual flower and the broad colour ma-.sc">, o| the verdant lawn and the grass walk, of the long border and the thickly-trellix d and clustered wall, of the quaint pillar, and the gate fashioned by the hammer of the old cr.itt-.man. Nothing here is beyond the compass of many. It is such a garden as the loving hand may flush with a greater charm. We may fancy that here the flowers must lo\e t" grow . responding t<> the love that is IvM >wed upon them. " The Larkspur listens — I hear, I hear ! And the Lily whispers — I wait." It is a garden both orderly and rich, neither copying the wilful wiklness of Nature, nor donning the formal bonds ot a more grandiose ->t\le, fenced in from the outer world and belonging truly to the house it adorns. Simplicity rules its character, from the broad flagged was that leads in from the ar. entraiue to the sequestered paths where the lily and lark and splendid hollvhock neighbour the queenly r--se in the Compamoiiage of many a fair and ti.igi.int friend. Bulwick Hall itself is a building of plain and substantial character, older than some of its features world suggest, (or it was built in the seventeenth century, and is entered by » remarkable and unusual classic Colonnade be.irmg the date 1672. There are the picturesque features ot moss-grown gate-posts, those curious segment il ste|>s below the- house. •nd gates and rails ot hammered iron belonging to that time, and other interesting evidences ot old h.ibitati' n. But nothing is so attr.utive.it Hulwick hall as the park and gardens. Of the former, it is enough to say that it is large, and that it pleasantly clothes with its woodland be.iutu-s hills of attractr.e contour and iltar.u t>-r. Main line trees are here, well grown and rich in U-atage. disposed in g: *{ THE LONG GARDEN. 16 GARDENS OLD AND NEW, and belts, and making a lovely sylvan landscape, for the house stands upon the southern slope of the hills that separate the county of Northampton from the Welland. At one time the place was occupied by Lord and Lady Henry Grosvenor, and it presented in their time, as it does in the hands of Mrs. Tryon now, a notable example of artistic garden arrangement. The entrance by the colonnade and the delightful vista through the long garden, which is disclosed at the gateway, are characteristic, and tufts of African lilies (Agapanthus umbellatus) are in the path of greyish flagstone, and the vases are filled with summer flowers. Look where we may the arrangement is simple and pleasing. There is no attempt at the elaborate, imposing, or ornate. A wealth of flowers boldly grouped, filling the fragrant borders, fine shrubberies, and well-disposed ornamental trees, are the materials which produce the delightful effect. It is pleasant to descend from the higher terrace by the garden, and another traverses it from enst to west. At the end of the long walk referred to are the splendid iron gates leading into the park, which it is said a local crafts- man made. However that may be, they are an exceedingly fine piece of work, and, with the lofty pillars between which they hang, make a very charming picture indeed, and one quite characteristic of the old English garden. We may turn to the left at the gate of the long garden to reach the rose garden, first passing a fine old evergreen oak, upon which time has left its mark, for chains and props now support its boughs. The rose garden is beautiful, as such gardens should be, and is protected from the north and east winds by walls, while a yew hedge is on the other hand, through an opening in which we enter the lower garden, devoted to vegetables and kitchen produce, and having a walk through the centre. Here, again, there are flowers, the place thus forming a flower reserve, in which the gay THE IRON GATES LEADING TO THE PARK. 'Country Life." mansion to the level sward of the bowling green by the steps with iron railings of Dutch craftsmanship, caressed by ivy, ampelopsis, and climbing roses. At the foot a long border of mixed irises and another border filled with herbaceous plants add a great charm to the secluded green. Then we may retrace our steps to the mansion, and pass between the lofty ball-capped pillars, with their wide open gates clustered with roses and other climbers, to survey the fragrant beauties of the long garden, the extent of which is about i5oyds. Here the cool grassy walk is flanked by glowing borders, which are backed by tall holly hedges, generally well clipped at the top, and with standards rising boldly at intervals. The shiny leaves of the dense hollies throw the flower borders into relief with fine effect. The gnss walks at Bulwick are one of its features — there is little or no gravel in the neighbourhood — and are particularly pleasant to tread. In addition to the walk in the long garden, a grassy way runs round the whole border is happily associated with the large leaves, herbs, and fruit trees of the kitchen garden. The chief merit of the gardens at Bulwick is that flowers are every- where. The borders of hardy plants are simply glorious in their wealth of harmonious colour from early spring to late autumn, and the irises flanking the creeper-covered walls are delightful. Exotic plants, also, if we may so call them — geraniums and so forth — are not wanting. In Lord Henry Grosvenor's time at Bulwick the carnations were mag- nificent. One bed of the Ketton Rose variety was 25yds. long and 6ft. wide, and 15,000 flowers of good form were open at the same time. A host of lovely climbers add a great charm to this beautiful garden. Roses, honeysuckle, sweet peas, and everlasting peas, with many other beautiful clinging plants, are there. Everything is leafy, green, and full of colour. As Mr. Robinson remarks in his " English Flower Garden, ' the pleasure grounds at Bulwick do not astonish bv showy HALL. THh 01. 1) GARh'V 18 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Copyright. THE BOWLING GREEN. 'Country L ;fe. " display. Tliey are rather modest as regards flower-gardening in immediate relation to the house, but are charming in their little side gardens and long and pretty borders and vistas, and their delightful grass walks. The character, as we have said, is quite distinct fn.>m the usual effect in formal and elaborate gardens, and is very fresh and attractive. But much of the beauty of the place arises also from the abundance of fine trees and shrubs, and the remarkable leafmess of the sur- roundings. The colour effects in the autumn are superb, and at a time when many gardens have lost their summer charm that at Bulwick is still beautiful, owing to the well-chosen variety of flowering plants that fill its beds and borders. Copyright. CURIOUS SEGMENTAL STEPS. 1 Country Lij 0UH7CA HALL. 19 I f LU - o < ELVASTON CASTLE, GARDENS DERBYSHIRE, . . THE SEAT OF .... THE EARL OF HARRINGTON MONO the many regal gar- dens of England, few are more remarkable than those of the Earl of Harrington at Elvaston, in Derby- shire. There are many fine gardens in which topiary features exist — pyramids, columns, and globes of yew, with glorious hedges trimmed and cut to the evenness of a wall, but not even at Levens is there anything so characteristic as the quaint and curious creations of Elvaston. The history of the gardens has something of an element of enchantment about it, and we may well wonder to witness the formation of such gardens in modern days. We have already said some- thing about topiary gardens, but the subject is of such extreme interest that it may be useful to recall something of the nature and character of such pleasaunces. It may be conceded freely that verdant sculpture may be carried too far. It is apt to be dissociated, though there is no valid reason why it should be, from the sweeter charms that we look for in gardens. Yet the cutting of trees has always exercised a fascination over gardeners. Rightly used, they have regarded it as investing gardens with attractive quaintness, and yet with sequestered calm. Delightful truly it is to cross a green court enclosed with fine yew hedges, to pass between lofty, pillared urns filled with flowers, through gates, perhaps, of beaten iron, and then to enter a curious world which the cunning hand of the tofriarius is tending, where we find < Of I THE .MOORS' ARCH. Lije." 21 22 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. glowing flower- beds, contrasted with the dark shade of " mid- night yews." The topiarius was, as we have said, an at cient figure, known in the Rome of the Ca?sars ; he put Nature in duresse in mediaeval gar- dens ; lie was skilled in the •' antike work " of Tudor pleas- aunces ; alleys of yew and pleached arbours of hornbeam were his care in Stuart and later times. Bacon's ideal garden, it will be remem- bered, had a green in front, and a heath or "desert" for contrast on the other side, alleys on either hand, and a stately hedge to enclose it. It was not to be "too busie or full of work" within, and, as for "images cut in juniper or other garden stuffs," he did not like them — "they are for children." Yet, in moderate degree, and for the merit of a great deal of quaintness, Bacon admitted the topiary Copyright. THE GOLDEN YEWS. gardener and pleacher to his pleasaunce. It was only when extravagance was reached, with odd figures, that he pro- tested. " They be but toys ; you may see as good si glits many times in tarts." W e m a y gather from his view, which is not lacking in profundity, that topiary garden- ing is, after all, a question of degree, not of kind. Evelyn himself tells us how they trimmed the hedges of horn- beam, "than which nothing is more graceful," and of that " cradel walk, for the perplexed twining of the trees very observable "—" Queen Mary's Bower," of wych- elm, be 'it noted, at Hampton Court. He describes how "tonsile hedges," ijft. or 2oft. high, were to be cut and kept in order, by means of " a scythe of four feet long, and very little falcated, fixed on a long sneed or straight handle." " Country Life." Copyright. THE APPROACH TO THE ITALIAN GARDEN. 4 Country Lift,' THE HOLLOW HEDGE AND APR' >l kv And he had "four large round Phyllyreas smooth-clipped," at Saye's Court, Deptford. Hent/ner, a German who visited Theobalds even in the sixteenth century, spoke of the labyrinths, terraces, trellis walks, bowling greens, geometrical beds, and di\ clipped into cones, pyramids, and other forms. The most famous i-arly example of a topiary garden in England is Levens, which we have already described, and Heslington Hall, near York, is another very characteristic example. The gardens at ston Castle belong, there- fore, to a style of honourable antiquity, and they differ mainly from their congeners in being modern. Such gar- dens, of course, as Addison says, do not humour Nature ; rather they de\ iate from it pro- foundly. But the essayist re- cognised many kinds of garden- is of poetry: ir ma. of parterres and flower gardens are epigramma- and s«n- netee » Jn this THE "rOHAklUS" of bowers and ^riitt»s, treilla^es and cascade^, are r»mance writers; Wise and l.ond-.n are mir heroic p-«-ts." Thi>> IN .1 ^pirit «>f i\ |t-tt,,. ism that should lead UN !•• reio^nix- the met/ I i-ton. though Addison himself, who lived in a time \\lu-n .1 profound change had be^un, did not lik. -ismg in COIH-S, globes, and pyramids, and to discover the marks ot the •rs upon every plant and bush, but prelern-d to"|.H>k upon a tree in all its luxuriant) and diffusion <>f Iviu^hs and branchts." Qu»t hum: dil \fiitcnli.r. It was 3 question of taste. Addi- son did not know whether he was ular in opinion. Cer- tain ;t is that v tile t-^ vacancies and iries of the '•ner brought him into •r.lit. The fet-ling "f t.i to which B.I had given e\p:i-^si..n I before, was aroused against his fantastic dens about don. said Lambert, ing to " I. i n n Lon- Mr. writ- the e a n MIS WOKK. Transactions" 24 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. THE ALHAMBRA GARDEN. 1 Country Life." in 1712, were remarkable for fine cut greens, and clipped yews in the shape of birds, dogs, men, ships, eic. Pope \v.is scathing in his sarcasm. His famous gibes set a vogue in garden criticism, and a loud outcry was raised for the natural in tile gardener's art, such as some may echo when they see these pictures of Elvaston. It was the sarcasm of the wits that did much to dethrone the sculptor of trees, and his more quaint brother, the pleacher. Yet it was easy to run into another extreme. Shenstone's dictum, that " Art should never be allowed to set foot in the province of Nature," becomes an absurdity when we remember that without art there can be no gardening, and that essentially there is no difference in principle between the cutting of grass and the clipping of a hedge or tree. The Copyright. IHH BIRD COTTAGE. " Temple of Venus," the " Egyptian Pyramid," the " Ruined Arch," the " Hermit's Cave," the " Saxon Temple," and the^ oft-recurring grotto, frequent features, when the boundaries of the inclosed garden had been broken down, were every bit as absurd as the verdant monstrosities of the grove. The efforts of the topiarhis were, perhaps, even less to be deprecated than those of the landscape gardener, for the former was content quaintly, and in a conventional spirit, to imitate, while the latter often deliberately set to work to make places and things appear to be what they were not. It is not, indeed, difficult to understand the prayer expressed by Knight ("The Landscape," second edition, 1795), when he, with many heart-pangs, turned from some destruction brought about by Kent or Brown — " Again the moss-grown terraces to raise. And spread the labyrinth's per- plexing maze; Replace in even lines the duc- tile yew. And plant a^'ain the ancient avenue. Komi- feature's then, at lenst, we should obtain To mark this Hat, insipid, wav- ing plain; Some vary'd tints nncl forms would intervene To break this uniform, eternal green." Happily the best of our gardens are flower gardens, and avoid one extreme and the other, and the truest guide in forming any garden must be the hand of taste educated by the comparison of many examples. The Elvaston gar- dens, which have rarely been illustrated, are a remarkably fine example of the particular form of art they embody. So much all will concede, even ' Country Lije. ' /N/.»\ • »N ' Char acter 1st u teal . >Ked. skill been :ily in the cutting, 1'iH in th • I'hese g.ird< . lingly md tlu-ir \ quai- irioiis features make them attractive to the u-ith. I a garden like this enthusi.iMii and knowledge XV. , lint !l">v than skill in tin- handl .ill th .u.iii.n'I, I tlon of Klvastim is nut picturesque. and h.iJ no i-.ituns <>t l.m character, whence probably the VN ll| |t- III! i( They might never, indeed, have been cre.r ;l> .i> ti. for the unpicturesqtie Mtuatmn they occupy, which <-fteis. it \\nnlJ ; fe«- i>p|»rtunitie> to the laiuN«..ipe KarJvncr. : that man »t t.mu, "C»pahilit> " B«.\v^, s,-eins t» have shrunk fmm the \\nrk ni l.i\ in^ <-ut the grounds, for he bluntly wrote to the fourth h.irl nt Mairin^tm. wlv« invited him to undertake the t.isk. ii..it and he \viiiiU let well .il. demanded the reason •<•: replied, " Because the p! Hat. and there is such .1 want of capability in it." When, thereinre. I.IIKV gardeners look upon the topuitv work oj hl\.i«.t.m they mu-t Content, since n^t even 1 :\ : litown himself. perhaps the greatest e.\p< iu-nt of the landscape gardening style, sufficed to g.ve the gardens the ch.ira>.ter they mi-lit wish. He presei.ted, hn\\i-\er, to the h.irl n( !•' cedars of l.»banon, which were planted on the east s.dc o: the house, and jjrew iiito line :m I h.«ivi< -MU : 'if was j|| Whereupon the a ret n. and B 1Mb »'A\iLI«.N AM) EPS. It serins difficult : th.it these qu.ii- • -I.MJ> shap. I at I «r..\\t!i. ate n-.i'ly m GARDENS OLD AND NEW. famous for his skill in the work of transplanting, and remained in the Earl's service until his Lordship's death, a period of something like twenty years. Mr. Barron thoroughly drained the ground and formed large kitchen gardens, and under his direction hot-houses were built and the transplanting of old trees began. Three cedars, ranging in height from 28ft. to Copyright. ON THE TERRACE. •t2ft., were removed from near the vicarage to the east avenue, and shortly afterwards a cedar, 43ft. high, with a 2ft. trunk, and spread of branches of 48ft., was removed from the front of the house. Glorious old yews were brought upwards of thirty miles after being raised by means of remarkable tree-lilting appliances and devices which Barron did much to improve. Very large pleasure grounds were also laid out, at one time covering eighty acres, and the artificial lake with its curious surroundings is another work of the time. No expense was spared to perfect the gardens, and the rarest and finest specimens of conifers, at that time far less common than now, were obtained. As an illustration of the enthusiasm that inspired the creator of Elvaston, it is interesting to note that the first specimen in England of Nordmann's silver fir (Picea Nordmanniana) was planted by the Earl of Harrington, and that some of the yews brought from other places were centuries old, thus making Elvaston truly a link between the past and the present. The garden is particularly rich in splendid golden yews. Among other trees are the Douglas fir ; the Chili pine, or "Monkey Puzzle" (Araucaria imbricata); the Deodar (Picea nobilis), splendid in sombre blue-green colouring; the Spanish silver fir (Picea pinsapo), now a well-known tree; the black Austrian pine(Pinus austriaca) ; the Swiss pine (Pinus cembra) ; and the glorious Corsican pine (Pinus laricio). This last may be recommended to all who intend to plant pine woods, being of comparatively quick growth, tall, straight, finely-coloured in the trunk, very hardy, and succeeding well in almost all kinds of soil. To Describe the particular features of the gardens of Elvaston Castle is perhaps unnecessary. They are well illustrated in our pictures, and, as an example and a contrast, can scarcely fail to interest very many. Of the surroundings and islands of the artificial lake, which, at least, is a landscape feature, though scarcely an effective one, the Duke of Wellington is said to have declared that this was "the most natural artificial rock" he had ever seen. It must not be supposed that the coniferous growths and curious shapes of these lordly gardens are dissociated from flowers. The contrary is, in fact, the case, and the hot- houses are stored with very choice plants. As a pleasant mark of the changed times, and of the far larger extent to which those into whose coffers the streamlets of Pactolus pour admit others to participate in such enjoyments as are to be derived from the contemplation of beautiful gardens, it is interesting to note that Elvaston was closed to the public in the days of the garden-making Earl. He is said to have instructed Barron that, if the Queen came, she was to be shown round, but that no one else was to be admitted. Nowadays there are few great gardens that are not open, on at least one day in the week, for the pleasure and profit of many. The fourth Earl of Harrington died in 1851, and was succeeded in the title and estate by his brother, Colonel Leicester Stanhope, C.B., who thought it desirable to reduce the large staff of eighty men then maintained. At the same period trees from the reserve nursery, and some others, which could be dispensed with without great loss to the place, were disposed of, a specimen of Picea nobilis going to Osborne for the Prince Consort, while the Crystal Palace grounds were embellished with not a few of the Elvaston trees. Yet how many beautiful trees remain, however, in these splendid Derbyshire gardens the reader will learn from our numerous pictures. These have been taken specially to illustrate the little-known topiary character of the place. Assiduous care is necessary for the maintenance in perfec- tion of such shapes as we depict, and old servants well " Country Life." Copyngll. otry Life.' SUMMER SHELTERS. experienced in the work maintain the traditions of the place. Perhaps we ought not to conclude this account of Elvaston without a word of praise for the splendid fruit grown there. Those who visit the great fruit shows have often remarked that many of the richest prizes go to the grapes, peaches, and other dainty productions from this garden. GARDENS OLD-&NEW A RI.US I.ench Court the garden asjxvt is generally of the older time. The mossy terrace fk-«.ked by the sunlight through overhanging trees, the quaint hedges clipped by the patient and judicious skill ot the TV hand — working in the restraint of art. and not loping its extravagance and the ascending (lights ni the ssive uppt-r terraces, are all cast in the mould ot a former time. Yet there is subtle development in the character, and the inclusion of many things that are new. It is tins blending of the new with the old which is the chiefest A GKASi-COVERbD WALK. Rous LENCH COURT, WORCESTERSHIRE, . . THE SEAT OF REV. W. K. W. CHAFY, D.D. ili.irm i if some of our bullish houses and gardens, and it is the inn- thing about tlu-m whuh lannot Ix- imitated, •or the making of our lawns IN given the heart- breaking reupe. " I irst we mows them, and then we mils them fur hundreds of ye.irs." so ot our houses it may Iv said that first we build them in pleasant sur- roundings, and then we develop them into perfection, or rather leave them to develop themselves by slow pr evolution. ( >ur present garden is t mind in a somewhat remark- uhle part ot hngland. Clustered al-x.ul tin- List spurs ot the Clent Hills, just wl:< they die away into the Vale • if l:\esham. .i;< several old villages, all distinguished by the generic name ot "I.elK'll." The most im|-x>rtant ot tl.. st-qiu-sti-red pi. ues is Rons I.eiuh. apparently known In- fore the (.0 n^ues t is " Hisiopslcii/." or Hish'ij -'s I.eiuli, Iviausr it Ix longed to the See of W.nn-sti-r, and afterwards of I.eiuh Kadulphi. It took its present name from a family of great note which lon^ owned it. Tile house js inn- "t tile true dd English ihara^ter. They would build in the old times of stone, where stone was not difficult to quarry ; but in the forest lands, where stout timber was easy in the yetting, tin- knight or squire would raise a wiirden dwelling, with stories and windows tr-at overhung, and numerous picturesque ^al Many such, like Rous l.enih Court, are scattered through- out the land ; but few I. had its good fortune, for it has descended through careful hands, and certainly is now in the possession of those who know how to value it. The family of ROHM- built the prist-nt half-timbered IKKIS*-, probably early in Tudor limes, halfway up the slope. There were ancient \ there ..Iready ; but evidently planting very vton began, and it is delightful to find tlut both house and garden are -erved with the -i ancient days. Here, it '. Cromwell slept on the night before the battle of V\ • • -ter, tor the Rouses were his ipporters 23 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. hereabout, anJ partly ruined them- seives in the Parliament's cause. From the in the estate de- volved twice through fe- in ale ii e i r s upon repre- sentatives i/f ntlier laini- lies, and in 1876 Sir Charles Henry Rouse- Brougliton( Bart., sold the estate to the Rev.W.K.W. Cliafy, who was already the owner of Sheriff's CO/HI i THE SOUTH Lench, and thus united the Lenciies mostly under one head, a condition they had not held since the days of William de Beauchamp, soon after the Conquest. Owing to the steepness of the slope the gardens possess a very quaint character, being formed in ten terraces, with mossy flights of steps, beautiful terrace walls, and wonderful yew hedges as we ascend, enclosing delightful gardens anJ lawns. The yew arbour in the lower pleasaunce has a charm that is almost unique, and the pleacher and cutter of yew has never dune more satisfactory work than that we see as we look up the long flights that lead up through the " tunnel " and between the hedges to the top of the hill, where the kitchen gar- dens are nei 'j,ii bun red by a lofty tower. It is a pure delight to linger upon these lovely terraces, where the very spirit of old time seems en- shrined. We are in a frame of mind to agree with old Nash that the true glory of this place is, indeed, in its ancient gar- den. The many forms of yew seem endless as we proceed. In addition to the central ascent we have alluded to, there are gloiious "aisles" of yew climbing the hill both on the north and the south. The yew walk beside the house has grown into a stately avenue, now widened, lengthened, and duly cared for, and it has scarcely a peer in England, though we do not forget the famous example at Haddon. It is said to have been planted about the year 1480. The long vistas between the solemn yews, shadowed deeply, but flecked with light where the sun penetrates the gloom, are lovely in their sequestered calm. Here we feel the absolute appropriateness of the character, the subtle and satisfying influence of the right surroundings. But we see also that there is no necessary 'AISLE.' ' Cc-ttntry Life." I. I'D III. ill. I HI: NOIUH "AISLB. " CVUH ry Lijt A1/. x. 0 -i: s X ' G •x. 30 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Copyright. THE LOWER TERRACE. Country Life.' antagonism between this dear old-world character and the radiant charms of the flower world, which are happily united at Rous Lench Court. Dr. Chafy has greatly extended the garden, and intro- duced various forms of verdant adornment. Where the second quadrangle was, there is now a delightful formal garden with a fountain in the midst, the noble terraced path leading up the hill, and another at right angles bringing us into other realms of yew. A pinetum stretches below to the park, and a rosary, with another fountain, and a stone balustrade, leads us down by a great stone stairway to the lowest lawn. Altogether the house and garden, thus placed on the hill, have "Country Life.' THE LOWER YEW AVENUE. COUKT. 31 ! LU o < an as _ O z UJ (/) O UJ 32 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. FROM THE ARBOUR, LOOKING TOWARDS THE TUNNEL. " Country Life." ;\ fasciivition quite their own, while in front, peeping through the elms, is the little grey church, with fine Norman doorways, and many monuments of the Rouses, some of them very curious, within. THE LOWEK PLEASAUNCE. Lijs." GARDENS STONELEIGH f OLD-&NEW ABBEY- • • • A NOTABLE house and .1 beautiful garden art- those at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire. The river Avon, in its course south-westward through the county, glorifies many a great aN>de. and tr.u that are famous in our history. It sweeps jn broad lakelike stretches through the sylvan park at Stoneleigh, it lingers, as if reluctant to leave, beneath the shadow of romantic Guy's Cliff, it passes by ancient Warwick, win-re Cesar's Tower keeps watch upon its waters, it -u onward in growing volume to glorious Charlec»te and Stratford, and reflects on its broad bosom the scenes that Shakespeare loved, and that are haunted by the splendour of his genius still. It is a region in which the delights of many gardens are found. Here, as he says, we are in the Forest of Arden, that country of the greenwood, where the swineherd tended hi- grunting troops, crunching the mast "f oak .md beech. There was feeding, says Dugdale, for 2,000 hogs in the Kind's woods at Stoneleigh ; land, too, \vhere tin- «.»rn ripened for the sickle, and where the sokemen of the royal demesne, when the da\ of the lord's " hrederepe" came, rode thmuyh the licKIs from dawn to sunset, with the white wand ot briel authontv in their hands, to make sure that none were defaulting or " idly " in their harvesting f.ir the King. It was ordered that the reapers should eat by themselves, "everyone a little wheaten bread, four eggs and pottage, namely, gruel, without flesh boiled in it. except the lord would afford them other, with cheese and beer sufficient; and alter dinner one sitting down with bread and beer; but the sokemen themselves i,, be d with better diet, according to their degrees." Tins is a dead-and-gone world, some will s.iv ; but reflect how like it is to ours — the reapers stretched at length beneath some shadowy hedge or spreading tree. • .H-n^ their bread and cheese, and quaffing foaming ale in the heat of the summer day. THE WEST FRONT. 34 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Copyright. A VIEW OVER THE AVON. The Cistercian monks came to Stoneleigh in the days of Henry 11., and the ideals of the world they knew seem embodied in the ancient features of the abbey and the village church, the Norman doorways and columns, and in that glorious gatehouse, which is one of the many gems of the place. But look at the long lines of the great classic mansion Copyright. ' Country Lijc. ' THE GRECIAN GARDEN. ABBh). — . _ - _ I t- ui 36 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. of Lord Leigh, and you are in another world entirely. Here all is the stately splendour born of new ideals — great lines of win- dows, tall Ionic pilasters, support- ing the deep cornice and long balustrade. The monks had their herb garden by the cloister, where simples and old-world flowers grew. Now at Stoneleigh we find a stately terrace flanking the majestic pile and overlooking the river, with gardens planned and adorned in the taste of Italy and France, smooth - shaven lawns adorned with the trees of many climes, and umbrageous native woodlands full in the view. In the neighbourhood of the house the garden has rightly assumed its character. The imposing mansion was built by Hdward, Lord Leigh, and the gardens were laid out about the year 1720. The site of the abbey had been granted in 1539 to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suf- folk, and after passing through the hands of several members of his family, had fallen to William Cavendish, who sold it to Sir Rowland Hill and Sir Thomas Leigh, aldermen of London. Sir Thomas Leigh was Lord Mayor when Elizabeth came to the throne, and rode before her when she entered the City to be proclaimed at St. Paul's. His wife was the niece of Sir Rowland Hill, his patron, and when he grew wealthy, as a merchant adventurer, drawing profit from beyond the seas, he secured Stoneleigh for his own, and the remains of the abbey were embodied in a building of Tudor and Stuart times that was very picturesque and attractive. Another Sir Thomas Leigh, great-grandson of the first, was loyal to the Royal cause, and received Charles I. Copyright. THE GREEK VASE. ' Country Life." "with right plenteous and hospitable entertainment," when the unfortunate monarch, with 6,000 horse, was marching to Nottingham, and found the gates of Coventry closed against him. The changes that have passed over Stoneleigh since that time, its development into a palatial house of classic form, and the taste of successive owners, have dictated the character of the terrace gardens. The beautiful Avon, broadening out into a lake-like expanse just before the house, implied the arrangement. Horace Walpole inveighed against the terrace, and the balustrades that "defended these precipitate and dangerous CofyrigHI. ' Country Lite." THE ITALIAN GARDEN. .w.'.v/ ///<;// .-//. . I ai _ UJ z u. OS ffi x g UJ 01 O 33 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Copyright. THE ANCIENT ABBEY GATEHOUSE. •Cvuntiy Life." elevations," as against the vases and statuary that adorned them, but here at least he would have been content to see no canal " measured by the line," but the mirror-like expanse of the river leading the eye to the "subjacent flats," where the garden melts into the landscape. Here is no featureless garden, no mere landscape conception, but such a picture as we might find in a painting by Claude. The strong points in the foreground, both of form and colour, make by their emphasis a fine contrast with what lies beyond, and the effect is enhanced by the arrangement. The outlook from the terrace is, indeed, wholly satisfying to the eye, for beyond the • THE WEST GARDEN. river is a broad prospect of the well-wooded park, the trees diversifying the slopes, and forming a rich feast of changing colour in the seasons' ch inge. And the foreground is radiant with garden beauty, for the terrace itself is beautifully laid out in its "Italian" and "Greek" gardens. These are merely designations, but the character is formal, with quaint box edgings outlining the designs, and the treasures of the flower world are here in much splendour, with effect markedly beautiful. It is not only the tender summer exotics that make this brave display, but the old-fashioned perennials, too, flourishing in abundance, and the homely flowers of the border adding to the charm, while the fragrant rose is cultivated in great profusion. Dark yews form points of interest to enforce character ; there is a fine old hawthorn planted in 1818; and the vases and garden accessories are charming and excellent in form. Particularly interesting trees are pointed out, as, for example, a Wellingtonia and an oak planted by the Queen and the Prince Consort when they visited Stoneleigh in 1858. Very charming features, again, are the ivy-covered walks, bowers, or arbours, which are of great extent, each being not less than 2Ooft. in length, 8ft. in height, and loft, in width. These were planted in 1818, a period when much was done to improve the garden, and lead away from the summer- house, which has open sides, and commands a lovely view of the river and park. On the other bide of the mansion, and between •Country Life." .s/O.V/ -l.lHiH .1HIU-). 1 _ x u < a: a: _ i- Ol 40 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Copyright. it and the old gatehouse, is a fine expanse of turf, with excel- lent specimen trees about it — grand evergreen oaks, a fine old cork tree, deciduous cypresses, and others. We do not go far at Stone- leigh without finding something to admire in the garden archi- tecture and accessories — the terrace walls and balustrades, the vases, the fine gate-posts and flights of steps, and perhaps more than all in the excellent character of much of the iron- work. It is all good garden architecture, carrying the spirit of the mansion into its sur- roundings, and the vases are particularly excellent. Fine ironwork, in gates and clair- voyees, adds infinitely to the interest and attraction of stately gardens, and gives them a character of individuality which they might otherwise lack. The craftsman in stone, iron, and lead is, indeed, a powerful auxiliary, and many examples of skill are to be found at Stoneleigh. And, as might be expected at such a notable place, there is everywhere the evidence of the high state in which the garden is maintained, and the lavish care bestowed upon it. It is not possible to stand on the terrace without desiring t-i explore the sylvan beauties of the famous park. We cannot forget that "This is the Forest of Arden." We are on the fringe of it, perhaps, but its character is upon the land. For Arden was never a forest in the legal sense— a place set apart for the preservation of game for the sovereign or some great subject, with its officers and courts for the repression of forest offences. The legal forest was not necessarily, nor, perhaps, usually a country of woodland. It often included great expanses of moor and heath, and was a region given up to the chase, where the way of transgressors was hard. But the Forest of Arden. made famous by Shakespeare, was, even in the modern sense, a well- wooded district of glades and thickets, lying mostly north of the Avon, and distinguished from the Feldon, or more open country to the south. In his "Origins of English His- tory," Elton said, indeed, that a squirrel mi^ht leap from tree to tree nearly the whole length of Warwickshire. In a certain .therefore, it may be held THE GARDEN GATES. C fyrighl. THE WORK OF THE GARDEN CRAFTSMEN AT STONELEIGH. that the umbrageous beauties and pleasures of Stoneleigh park are accounted for. But this would only be partially correct. Thesoil is suitable for the growth of trees, but it has been the care of successive owners which has invested the place with its charm. The trees have been planted judiciously for their broad effect, and the variety of hue and contour is very charming. Indeed the visitor, before reaching the mansion, has already had a foretaste of the glories of the surroundings. The abbey is often approached from the west lodge, known as Glass- house Lodge. The road hence traverses the home park by a fine avenue, and crosses the Avon by a handsome stone bridge designed by Rennie and erected in 1809. Here are many noble forest trees, but the deer park is even more beautiful. The whole country-side is much diversified, and the slopes are dotted with splendid trees, sometimes singly and sometimes in groups, or even woods, some of them in their prime, others the gnarled and mighty giants of a former day. If these ancient monarchs of the glade could speak, if there were "tongues in trees," what stories they might unfold ! Near the abbey is a huge pollard oak, 33ft. in girth, and legend says that Shakespeare wove his fancies beneath an oak in the deer park. Other grand old trees cast their broad shade by the north lodge. Close to the keeper's lodge there are the remains of a fourteenth century cross ; Stare Bridge, on the way to Stoneleigh village, is a picturesque structure of many arches, narrow, with recesses in the parapet, built by the monks at the same date ; from the higher ground you may discern the three spires of Coventry rising far away to the north, and there is a great and rich district all around, famous for natural beauties and rich in historical asso- ciations, making a fine framework for the special charms of S toneleigh. Park and garden are indeed glorious, and the abbey itself, with its varied features of many dates, and the great art collec- tions with which it is adorned, is truly one of the noblest mansions in the land. Of its history a good deal might have been said ; its many beauties, here suggested, would be hard adequately to describe. ' Cmttitry WILTON HOUSE, SALISBURY, . . . THE SEAT OF THE EARL OF Pembroke & Montgomery. GARDENS OLD-&NEW /^ ^ I'l \ I .ire tin- memories tli.it move, and tar J-K-S the I T magination soar, when we speak the name "! class,,. Wilton— " IVinl.rokr'. prim-rlv ,lotnr, mbcrr niitnir Art iH-t-kn with • tn.ijju- liaml the .l»//liiin l«.»,r»." in stately tUrm is enshrined much that hnglishmen prize — tlu- memory of men of lofty iJ,-.iN. ..t st.itcsnu-n aiul s..Ll :ivalr..Us In-art. <>f p,vts, painters, thinkers— we scarcely know what l»tty thoughts the nanu- c.t Wiltun may not inspire. The hand of Holbein in its earlier architecture; Si speare acting here with his troupe ; kin^s ««tten within u^ walls ; Ben Jonson and M.issin^er asxKiated with it ; Philip Sidney walking in the groves as he cmiceived and wrnti "Arcadia"; George Herbert piously meditatinj; in its halls ; l.iiiviis treasures ..I art by line judgment and lilx-r.il patronage brought here together — <>l .ill these things do \\e think when we \isit Wilton. And tin- gardens .unong the most famous m tin- land. Cl.issu Lilm reigns ••ver them; they .ire the limm . we think, 'it oniteinplatioii. in the shadow ••! cypress and \ they have beauties and \.i:uti.s sin. I) as tew gardens i.in display. In tlk- tune "t (Juries II., who "did lo\e Wilton above all places," the house was altered bv .1 < i.i-^.>n. S"l<>mon de Cans, and the grounds appear to have Iven designed by his sun, Isaac de Cans, who described and figured them .is " Hortus I'enbrochianus." One Adrian (iilbert had a gre.it part in the work. Thus does layU. the "Water I'iK-t." lit o( his achievement : " Amongst the rest, the pains and industry ot an ancient gentleman, Mr. Adrian (iilbert, must - « HOUSE AND GARDEN— A HAPPY GROLI 42 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Copyright, " PEMBROKE'S PRINCELY DOME." ' Country Life" Cdfyrigkt. FOUNTAIN rtND STATUARY. ' Country Lijc." Cof),ifl,t. THE PALLAUIAN BWDGE. try Ltje.' not be forgotten ; for there hutli he (much to my Lord's cost and his own pains) used such a deal or, intricate setting, grafting, planting, inoculating, railing, hedging, plashing, turning, winding, re- turning, circular, triangular, quad- rangular, orbicular, oval, and every way curiously and charge- ably conceited ; there hath he made walks, hedges and arbours, of all manner of most delicate fruit trees, planting and placing them in such admirable art-like fashions, resembling both divine and moral remembrances, as three arbours standing in a triangle, having each a recourse to a greater arbour in the midst, resemble three in one and one in three ; and he hath there planted certain walks and arbours all with fruit trees, so pleasing and ravishing to the sense, that he calls it ' Paradise,' in which he plays the part of a true Adamist, continually toiling and tilling. " Moreover, he hath made his walks most rarely round and spacious, one walk without another (as the rinds of an onion are greatest without, and less towards the centre), and withal, the hedges betwixt each walk are so thickly set that one cannot see through from one walk who walks in the other ; that, in conclusion, the work seems endless ; and I think that in England it is not to be fellowed, or in haste will be followed." Plainly there was at Wilton a rare example of the work of the old garden-fashioner, with all its hedged enclosures, its maze, its quaint conceits, and its verdant allegories. Perhaps there is a timid vein of sarcasm in the Water Poet's description of its extrava- gance. Evelyn, who visited Wilton in July, 1654, was not, apparently, so much impressed. He describes the garden, " here- tofore esteemed the noblest in England," as "a large handsome plain," with a grotto and water- works, which might have been made more pleasant if the river that passed through had been cleansed and raised, for all was effected by "mere force." "Ithas a flower garden not inelegant," he says. " But, after all, that which renders the seat delightful is its being so near the downs and noble plains about the country contigu- ous to it. The stables are well ordered, and yield a graceful front, by reason of the walks of lime trees, with the court and fountains of the stables adorned with Caesars' heads." Many changes have passed over the gardens at Wilton since those times, and, perhaps, few of the special characters described by H7/./O.Y HOI s/. -. Q O 44 GARDENS OLD AND NFW. Taylor can now be found there. We do not now trace the touch of ancient Adrian Gilbert's quaint fancy and curious hand there. Yet old yews are in the gardens which probably belong to those early times of classic Wilton, and, lingering in "the yew tree's shade," it is pleasant to remember how the cutter and pleacher of trees worked out his picturesque fancies there of yore. He did not enjoy the advantages of these days, for the florist, with his new charms, has tempted the gardener, we may say, out into the fuller sunshine. It has always been the happy fortune of Wilton to remain in the hands of those who have valued it. The Herberts have been the patrons and lovers of everything good in art, so that the choicest adornments have been chosen to beautify their home. Judicious planting, the laying out of broad stretches of turf, the addition of architectural features and of appropriate statuary, and a fine conception of what gardens should be, have contributed to make the surroundings of the house peculiarly satisfactory. The country tends to be flat, but there is the charm as the reader will anticipate, the features are all Italian. There are gay masses of colour in these beds, with stone edgings and green margins, ranged about the fountain ; there is the contrast of rich and glorious foliage ; there are the terrace walls and statues of the style, all conceived in the finest taste, without a jarring note to break the classic spell. Then, on the south side, with equal dignity, we find green stretches of lawn, with stone-edged flower-beds at the nearer margin, to set off the stateliness of the splendid pile. Amid the many aspects of formal and natural gardening that grace this princely abode, the leading characters will be discerned in the rich greensward and masses of trees which enframe or relieve the rest. One particularly noble feature is the group of ancient cedars of Lebanon, planted about the year 1631, and older even than the monarchs of Warwick and Goodwood. They were, in fact, probably the earliest cedars planted in England ; and thus we linger, with pleasant thoughts of those who dowered us with these beautiful trees, beneath their sombre shade. Of course the storms Copyright. THE ANCIENT CEDARS. Country Life.' of water, for the rivers Nadder and Wily — of which one bounds the park, and the other separates the pleasure grounds from the kitchen gardens — add grace to the scene. How the opportunity has been seized of throwing a classic character over the place, may be seen in the picture of the fine Palladian arcaded bridge, designed by Inigo Jones, which was built by Henry, Earl of Pembroke, for the crossing of the Nadder. Successive hands have, indeed, enriched the sur- roundings of Wilton with new attractions. The place owes much to the taste and judgment of Catherine, Countess of Pembroke, daughter of Count Woronzow, who died in 1856, and whose noble monument is in that surprisingly beautiful l.ombardic church at Wilton, a vision, as it were, of the Renaissance of Northern Italy, erected by Lord Herbert of Lea, her son. This lady, in the changes she effected in the gardens, was guided much by the advice of Sir Richard Westmacott. There are several styles of gardening at Wilton, giving variety and character to the grounds. Near the house, of years have thinned the venerable growth of these monarchs, but others have been planted to bear them company and to maintain the history of the pioneer cedars of Wilton. Here is a lesson that should be learned — to think of the future, and where, in forest or copse, the decay of Nature sets in, to plant the vigorous shoots that shall speak to later generations of the character and beauty of the things we are now delighted to behold. From the Italian garden we may pass along a pleasant walk between lofty yews, relics of the old garden of Isaac de Caus and Adrian Gilbert, to the building known as Holbein's Porch, a stone structure which formed part of the old house. Sir Richard Westmacott had much to do with the planting of the shrub groups, and there is a broad walk running at right angles to the east front, 3Ooft. long, and terminating in a stone seat clustered with yew, which also was his. Wherever we go, however, something will please us, and it is much, indeed, to view the noble spire of Salisbury from the gardens of classic Wilton. MONTACUTE, SOMERSET, . . x^. w ¥-v o -v T r» * A T THE SEAT OF ... OLD'&NLW Mr. W. R. PHEL1PS Nuiic rtitnr toomrlv. none return tuo late.1' SO reads the hospitable legend <>vi-r tin- principal portal of Montacute — a pl.u v gracious to enter, and that tempts the visitor to linger long. Rarely may tin- radiant summer awaken greater glories than in venerable Montaaite. Where can spring he more delicious or autumn more fruitful than here ? To sit with N> •!< in hand in that lovely garden-house is paradise indeed. Th.-iue to look along that many-windowed facade, to conjure up vision- put time>. while \\ itnessiny the stately pleasures of these — who dr*s not feel ravi-hed at the thought ? But failing the actual presence of Montacute. these pictures .ire enough t» Mi^^<->t its charms. Here is a Somerset garden filled with the tv>t spirit of its time, embodying all that is good in the character of the old garden world, and a valuable examplar of the sunny glories of the ancient pleasaunce to those who may have felt repelled by the formal severity sometimes .is--'., i.ited with the \tncrable yew. Floral urace and garden t.uuv' .ire happily mated in plant life and stoneat glorious M'Mit.uute. So many gardens in this volume .ire entered from the houses thev adorn, that it may not Iv unsuitable to approach Mctntacute Hmise Irom its surroundings, recmding the tact that it lies some four miles only tmm the pleasant town ot Yeovil. One very beautiful was- of reaching Montacute is through the old village i-l Montacute — this being the most beautiful, in.l of all the four approaches. Leaving behind us quaint c--ti and rustic adornments we reach tl: • .ith side, embowered in rosi-s. ;ind giving a foretaste ol what is to come. Once there grew hard by a glorious wistaria, which had attached itself, with unfamiliar friendship, to a box tree, but a gale swept by, and, as if envious »t the delightful effect produced by the lilac wistaria il-iwets thing in prolusion over the dark green shrub, broke the quaint ass(>ciati m by swe« p ng it away. It is a delightful drive or walk from hence to THE ENTRANCE. 46 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. the place where the beautiful structure bursts upon the view amid its gracious surroundings, and as we approach, midway in the drive, a romantic prospect over the country is disclosed, the landscape stretching into the distance, with the church neighbouring the priory ruins, and the wooded hill behind. The approach from the east is also most attractive, and brings the visitor through the well-timbered park, where oaks and elms abound, to \\here the house stands nobly, its celebrated facade rising with imposing effect. A number of the older trees on this side bear conspicuous marks of the ravages of time and the elements, but the rich woodland of Montacute has been well cared for, and a great many young trees have been planted within recent years. The north entrance is near the vicarage, a valley intervening between the public road and the house, and is straight, with a broad is disclosed. To the south you look over the hills of Dorset- shire towards Lyme ; to the west lie the heights below Minehead and Blackdown ; north-westward the Quantocks, the Bristol Channel, and the Coast of Wales ; to the north the Mendips and Glastonbury Tor ; and, sweeping round to the east, many a pleasant prospect beside. The glorious old house has the advantage of being built of beautiful oolitic sandstone from the neighbouring quarries of Hamhill. Its builder was Sir Edward Phelips, successively Queen's Sergeant, Master of the Rolls, and Speaker of the House of Commons, and it was raised between 1580 and 1601, upon a simple plan — a main block, with projecting wings, so that it takes the shape of a stunted letter H. The west front is very beautiful, much enriched, and with a gorgeous screen, said to have been brought from Clifton THE ENCLOSED GARDEN. "Country Life.' stretch of greensward on each side, the background being formed by a long row of solemn Irish yews ; beyond which, again, are deciduous and evergreen trees, such as oaks, elms, cedars, and Weymouth and various other pines. Recently large numbers of flowering trees and shrubs have been planted in this part of the grounds, and, in their season, these will lend new brightness and beauty to the approach. Montacute is a house of Elizabeth's days, with all the character, and filled with the picturesque beauty, of Tudor times, lying in a chosen part of Somerset, with hill and hollow, wood and field, picturesque villages anJ rural lanes, for its neighbours beautiful seats, too, and pleasant houses in the land. About the house are tlv.se delightful surroundings, rich and diversified, all dominated by the hill — there are really two — pyramidal and wooded to its summit : the Monx Mitt us that gave the place its name, and from the height a splendid view Maubank. The east side is equally fine, and its imposing wall, with the three ranges of splendid windows, and statues of Roman soldiers in niches between those of the upper story, looks over the beautiful garden below. This, indeed, is a region well filled with architectural interest, for, as if Montacute House were not enough, there are glorious fragments of the priory, and the village has features of unusual note. Within, the mansion has many beauties for those privi- leged to explore. The hall is a noble apartment, with a fine minstrel's gallery, and the customary screen, richly wrought. The upper story is occupied almost wholly by a single chamber, of very great and imposing dimensions. An unusual feature is the winding stone staircase that conducts the visitor to the drawing-room, which he finds a most beautiful apartment, with rich and elaborate ceiling and much fine woodwork. But the delightful features of Montacute v -. : • IL 48 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. are many, and are not to be described here. Neither can anything more be said of the history of the famous house, save that, in the Civil Wars, it was held for the King, and sacked by the Parliament men. It will be observed that architecture does not end with the house. It has its due place in the garden also, for Montacute has an en- closed garden of terraces, and very charmingly are the walls and other features made a part of the design. The terrace walls on either side of the east garden, extending from the house outward, are simple in character, but adorned with obelisks to the piers, and in the midst, on each side, is a temple of stone, its six columns supporting a circular stone roof, with pro- jecting cornice, from which spring three ribs, forming a cupola, crowned with an open ball shaped by two inter- secting circles of stone. The garden-houses will speak for themselves. Here, indeed, are most charming conceptions in stone, which group delightfully witli the surroundings. The mullioned windows, projecting as semi-circular bays, the angle pillars, the embattlements, the chimney, and roof are singularly picturesque. Such buildings as these, with mossy walls and quaint aspect, are worth, in an English garden, many a classic statue, animated bust, or monumental urn, though each in its place forms a fine garden feature, nevertheless. The garden or banqueting house is a feature that has distinguished many an old garden. There were four in the Countess of Bedford's seventeenth century garden at Moor Park, in Hertfordshire — two at each end of the terrace walk, and two at the ends of the arcades which extended outward from the Copyright. THE YEW TREE WALK. 41 Country Life." house to enclose the parterre. The arrangement was thus analogous to that at Montacute, and was dear to the old Englishman, whose garden, as Bacon says, was "best to be square," but, in all cases, was in some measure to be retired from the world, yet a place into which the life of the house might be carried. Hence came the banqueting house in the garden, of which many instances might be cited, there being a notable example at Hampton Court. Bacon himself would have had " some fine banqueting house, with some chimneys neatly cast, and without too much glass." The fashion grew more abroad than at home, where the seasons did not always encourage outdoor life. Thus, in the times of Louis Quatorze, the French would often extend their houses into their gardens by building dining and drawing-rooms in the open air,, and creating salons, salks de bal, cabinets de -verdure, and theatres amid the groves where the masques of Moliere were enacted at fMOM.-i- LJ / z I s _ SL -1- O ULJ 5 • It] g ac. ui z 50 GARDENS OLD AND NKW. many a brilliant fete. The solitude of the old English garden .vas not found in such places, but it is obvious that the garden-house gave rare opportunities to the garden architect, and it may be doubted if there are in England any better examples of his skill than the charming creations we depict at Montacute. The delicacy and appropriateness of character and the unity of design are most satisfactory, and may well bo an inspiration to modern builders. Here is no cold formality, seeming to reject the caresses of the green tilings that cling fondly to garden architecture, but a distinctive aspect in buildings that rightly fall into the sweet picture, and are vested with many flowering climbers. The Roman soldiers of the long eastern front thus look out over an interesting garden from their lofty stations in the niches, and over fine balustrades, curious temples, and supremely delightful garden-houses. The garden is arranged as an enclosed court, and its aspect is very sunny and beautiful as you walk along the terraces. At equal distances on three sides, and about 2oft. from the walls, you find Irish yews of fine growth. Clematis Flammula wreathes the pillars, m;\'ith AMvy. Of tlu- sacrt-J ^lilici- rvthinu ««hall N- hrrr, save that the quaint structure fa IN aJmiraMx intu the laixlxajv mi that tx-autitul declivity ••! the l>.wn. The ConfifliratkM) Of the ground UIM- character rv)th to the h and the garden, and the eltect IN adrnirahle. Some parts ,,t the man- i-ack to pre-Retormation time>, and the .ver Mill note the older character >.t the side dmvn tin- declivity, l:\tn-mely picturesque is the M h- structure, built ti|»n those varied levels, with its In^h jjahli its beautiful MindoAs, and its m.inv f.atures bespeaking the stvleu! Tudiir and .laiotvan times. Hie singularly beautiful i. with the chamber above, jates tn»m the da\ Charles I. There is dainty puturesqueiu-ss in the Classic pillars and arch, tlv unusual niches at the an-les. and the open sides with the quaint balustrades. llu- house at "•),- tune belonged to John Hamilton, the father. In his second Mite, ..I Sir John Harm-ton, that witty knight whose epigrams and s.illi.-s \v,-n- the amusement of the Court o| bli/.iN-th. Sir John was the Queen's ^..dson. H«- was knighted in Ireland ! . t . her great an^er. tor she resented this exeicise ot pjwer, 1HI UKvA.lI. 52 GARDENS OLD AND and, when Haring- ton presented him- self at Court, she sent him away with a buffet, swearing loudly, "By God's Son, I am no queen ; this man is above me." It was Harington who shocked the Royal modesty by trans- lating a licentious part of "Orlando Furioso," and was punished for so doing by being made to translate the rest. However, the gay knight, "that saucy poet, my godson," was Elizabeth's favourite, and she visited him in Somersetshire in 1591. So much, however, must suffice concerning the personal interests of St. Catherine's Court. It afterwards passed through many hands, with varying fortunes ; and our illustrations show in what a state of perfection the interesting old house now stands. The character of the gardens is derived from the steepness of the ground. Successive terraces, with grass slopes and balustrades, approached by fine flights of steps, which have a remarkably picturesque effect, are the leading features. They are united with quaintness of design, and an unusual mixture of styles, in a manner we wish to enforce here. The Copyright. THE PORCH AND TERRACE. " Cvuntry Life." trees strictly formal is combined with the freely natural, and the plants are arranged without any very fixed or precise order, such as we meet in the pure Italian style. It will be agreed that the effect is ex- tremely successful, and that the sur- roundings are an appropriate setting for the lovely house, which, be it observed, is itself clad here and there with creepers, but nowhere to the obscuring of its architectural character. The situation is delight- ful, with bold hills enhancing the making a beautiful effect of the garden work, and t tracery against the sky. In the garden, foliage and flowers are everywhere. Here stand trees and shrubs taking their natural shape ; neighbouring them very remarkable clipped yews ; close by masses of perennials glowing each in season from early spring until the frosts of winter begin. But, again, with excellent taste, the trees do not obtrude upon the house, which stands, impressing us with the sense of repose, supported and enhanced in its engaging beauty by all the things that surround it. Let it be THE HOUSE FROM THE LOWER TERRACE. 1 (Country Life.'1 >/ './//// AV.V/.s GARDENS OLD AMD NEIV. Copyright. A VIEW FROM TUB UPPER GARDEN. " Country Lift.' noticed how effectively the Ag:ipanthus umbelhitus, or African lily, is used in large pots near the mansion on each side of the porch. This is just the place for the hold application of tub- gardening, and the simple effects we point out illustrate how satisfactory is the result. There is much scope in this kind »f gardening, and the Agapanthus funkia, heliotrope, orange, and many other shrubby plants, which merely call for protection from frost, may, by planting them in tubs, be made to import a charming air of new colour and fresh- ness into our summer gardens. The special character of the gardens at St. Catherine's Court, which has been alluded to, is well seen as the visitor stands by the porch of the house and looks up that long series of flights of steps by which the sylvan crest of the hill is reached. The old stonework, the terraces, balus- trades and urns, the grass slopes, the wealth of foliage, the flowers imparting colour, and the ferns their delicate green in many a sheltered nook, all contribute to make a garden-picture which would be hard to excel. Copyright. A CHARMING OUILOOK. Then again, from the foot of the lower steps, overshadowed by that beautiful tree, what a delightful prospect does the old gabled house, with its oriel, make as we look up at the grey gables rising from the sylvan framework, and see the ancient walls against that green and beautiful background. Or we may stand at the west corner, upon the terrace looking over towards the distant trees, with a garden foreground in which quaint yew-forms rise up from amid boldly planted shrubs and masses of flowers. Rarely will such huge clipped yews be seen as those giant sentinels of irregular conical form which flank the approach to that upper garden. It has bc-en by bold plant- ing that the fine effects have been gained. And, simple as the arrangement is, all the available space is well utilised, and it is delightful to pass from level to level upon the hill, discovering succes- sive charms. T hen the formal garden is quaintness itself. Walls, gates, and charming grilles of iron, with trees, shrubs, and flowers in abundance, in- vest it with indi- vidual charm at every season of the year. •• Country LtJC.' .s/. t;.4 1 HI-KIM- N ' "/ A'/. •g f as O ac. C [ 56 J BUCKLING,. . NORFOLK, . . . THE SEAT OF THE MARQUIS OF LOTHIAN, K.T BUCKLING is a place of many-sided interest. We cannot forget that it has been the home of several notable figures in history. To look at the house, or at the counterfeit presentments of it here, you recognise it at once as a famous example of architecture. You are no less apprised that it stands very high as possessing one of the fairest gardens in the land. And you see, too — unlike some old places, where moats are choked and weed-grown, where envious grass invades the pathways, and where black, damp moss clings to mouldering balus- trade and urn — that this is a place which it is a pleasure to maintain, where graceful minds have conceived new beauties, and where loving hands labour pleasantly at their garden toil. Let us endeavour, as it were, to walk in the scented pathways, to linger in fragrant bowers, to s:t where the blossoms are showering, to explore the sylvan glades, and admire the noble trees of Blickling. But it were a churlish thing not first to rest in the house awhile. Its very frontal challenges us as we knock. There are heraldic memorials of Hobarts, and reminders of unfortunate B:>leyns. But before either Hobarts came or Boleyns went, there had been famous men in the older house of Blickling. Here dwelt heroic, hoary Erpingham — "Good morrow, old Sir Thomas Krpinghaui : A good soft pillow for that good white head Were better than a churlish turf of France." not to dwell at Blickling— for Castle, some miles distant — from the threatening field of Then came, to own, if his home was Caistor Sir John Fastolfe, who, Patay, " Before we met, or that a stroke was given, Like to a trusty squire, did run away." It was the craven knight that sold Blickling to Sir Geoffrey Boleyn, whose great-grand-daughter was the unfortunate Anne. They say she was born at Blickling, but that it was at Hever, in Kent, she cast the tendrils of her charms about the fickle heart of the King. The Norfolk house of the Boleyns has long been swept away, and Sir Henry Hobart, Lord Chief Justice, to whom the place came, and whose portrait, in judicial robes, with cap, tippet, and chain of SS, hangs in the house, built the present Hall. Copyright. ' Country Life.' THE WEST FRONT. 67 V ;u Q se. " f i O _ _ uu z 58 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Its character is disclosed by the pictures. In the red brick walls, lofty \vindn\vs, cupola-crowned turrets, and twisted gables, there is exceeding charm and very great interest. The moat is dry, but spanned by a beautiful bridge, and the hollow below is clothed with turf, and made bright and gay with summer flowers. This is part of the scheme of colour adornment that beautifies the whole surroundings of this sumptuous abode. Within, the apartments are of noble propnrtions, flooded with light through the storied panes of lofty transomed windows, richly panelled with oak, hung with tapestry and fine portraits, adorned with marvellous ceilings, and furnished in the finest taste. It is from their windows that we look over the great gardens and tiie park. It is a realm of ordered delight, delectable to look upon through these mullioned windows, and doubly pleasant when we think of the long line of Englishmen and Englishwomen who have founu their pleasure in beautiful gardens here before. Blomefieid, the Norfolk historian, speaks of an "elegant wilderness" as or, more truly, created, the remarkably attractive garden we depict — a garden eminently successful in its kind. There are the close-clipped hedges, topiary features of unexaggerated form, yews standing like sentinels at regular stations, busts, urns, and basins of the classic school. Such a disposition of the garden is manifestly appropriate. But, formal though the garden is, its formality is not that of stiffness. There is now no character of a "wilderness," and the features are all such as attract, without disturbing the pleasant artistic culm. The lovely trees of varied foliage and growth that rise behind, and the delightful shrubberies, impart a special charm to the gardens. Nor does the extreme form of precise and yet fanciful carpet bedJing here find any illustration. We see at Blickling merely the strongly marked character that is required to give distinction and effect, imparted by a master hand. The principal flower garden, which is about an acre and a-half in extent, was begun by the eighth Marquess of Lothian Copyright. THE EAST FKONT. "Country Life." having been among the attractions of Blickling in his time. But the place, after ripening for 200 years, has reached fruition in these days, and it is impossible to imagine anything more beautiful than the gorgeous feasts of colour spread out beneath these venerable walls. Recent years have seen vast improvements made. The eighth Marquess of Lothian was an enthusiastic lover of the garden, and did much to beautify the surroundings of his fair and winsome abode, and his widow, Constance, Marchioness of Lothian, carried on the delightful work he began. It is a happy circumstance, to be observed in relation to Blickling, that the gardens and house are in perfect accord. We find the same in the case of all the beautiful gardens we describe. In no other way can satisfaction be achieved, and the judicious hand at Blickling, recognising the need for enclosure, cherishing all the charms of the flower world, realising the value of the umbrageous background, and wel- coming the adornments of the architect and sculptor, developed, and completed by his widow. It is in a sheltered situation, and great labour was expended upon its formation, the ground being excavated, and a terrace wall raised to surround it. The judicious lady who carried on the work is an ardent admirer of hardy flowers, and her taste in the decorative use of them never wavered in the times when formal bedding was at its height. The result is that the garden is filled with colour and fragrance, and that roses, pinks, carnations, lilies, bulbous rlosvers, and a host of other beautiful things, bloom in rich profusion. The design is bold and picturesque. Beds of simple character, disposed for broad effects, have been chosen, and the principal purpose has evidently been to give lavish effects of colour. The surrounding terraces are very fine, and command most attractive and interesting views both within and without. The fountain-basin and some of the statues in the garden were brought from the stately Elizabethan mansion of Oxnead Hall, in the vicinity, now a ruin, its principal portions having been pulled down long ago. Oxnead was the home of the Pastons, built in I - - r Clem, lit >ed .is the " . h.nnpioii " ..I H. n-\ Mil., Hi, •• soldier " ot the ! .t.ir Somerset, tin- "seaman" ill.- " father ' I ireate has said in •den volumes tint a true n should .ilw.iys tv tilled with (lowers. Th;-re should Iv n<> dull month in which all has taded. I o every month a June is. never- theless, impossible, but the gardeners at Blu klin;: contrive to leave no period in \\ Inch tlu- ^.ifvK-n is without intcn-st. is un.louMrJIv .1 u'i-." Jcsirahk- art. and tlu- i-xci-lli-r.t man- agement i«l tin- shrublxTii-s, with tlu-ir many varu-J colours, is a pn\\rriul factor in tlu- matter. Tin- ground rises, and a broad p.itli h.is K-t-n formed up to tlu- tempk-liki- arbour at the top. The path is broken by tliyht> of steps, and the classical features are sphinxes and urns, \\ith terminal busts, a quiet sequestered charm, as of learned leisure, bein^ imparted to the whole place, ( )n either side "f the paths are the shrubberies, in \\huh .Conifers, evergreens, and other tr, form a s i ^reen to the jjloxv ing beds nearer the house. Lilies, hollyhocks, sunflowers, and a hundred others dear to the Nature-lot er are -een richly grouped and massed at Blicklin^. Let it be noted that ^r.iss is the invariable surrounding of the beds, and will always form an unrivalled framework for masses .it tl.iwers. Another feature of Blicklin^ to be particularly observed is that the locality of tin- flowers is not restricted. Thev are. in • mi " r««.-- •ywhere, and, whether they -ire the ^l"ry of a K-d, or huht up with colour a missy urn, the unlelt hand ot working in the spirit of Nature, h.is produced the subtle iharm. In winter a piactice is made of filling the K-ds with < •i shrubs, so that the ^.iiden has interests .it .ill s, .IS..MS, and never pre>ents tint empty aspi-it s,i Irequeiitly seen when the time ot iVtwrrs is over. Winter has, indeed, its - THE U.» HHIXiES. 60 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. attractions, for the foliage of the evergreens, which is the chief note of the picture, is never so rich as then. Thuias and the welcome junipers are planted with excellent effect, and, in association with them, the beautiful variegated maple (Acer Negundo) in the form of low standards — a tree of great charm, but needing to be used with caution by reason of its pronounced leafage ; here, indeed, looking splendid, with the scarlet lobelia beneath it, which is beautiful both in leaf and flower-colouring, and will add much to the attractions of any garden in the early autumn where it is planted freely and boldly. The west front is very different. Here the lawn creeps up tosvards the sunken ditch of the moat and the house, of which the view is unobstructed, and thus presents itself with very imposing effect. Ivy clusters upon the walls and terraces, giving colour and character, but without hiding one place there are a couple of magnificent Oriental planes, neighbouring one another, but sufficiently far apart to allow room enough for each. The branches of these hoary monsters are about i6yds. in length, and, hanging with pendulous grace, have kissed the mother earth with such affection that some of them have taken new root therein, and, growing aloft once more, have added much to the mighty majesty of the parent tree. Then we are charmed by a noble Scotch fir, on the south side, which is about 1 5ft. in girth at 4ft. from the ground, and a huge oak, with a girth of I4ft. and an umbrageous spread of 86ft. A silver fir, too, I2oft. in height and i6ft. in girth, claims attention, and we notice many fine beeches and birches. There are pollard limes of notable aspect, also, fringing the offices at the approach to the house, and, withdrawn from gaze at a distance from it, the mausoleum of John, Earl of WHERE THE MOAT WASHED THE WALLS. Country Li/f." the structure. But wherever you go at Blickling you find variety. Much is due, undoubtedly, to the productiveness of the region. The trees are abundant, varied, and of fine growth, and the extensive park is traversed by venerable avenues of oak and chestnut, possessing great distinction of character. The sylvan scenery accordingly is very beautiful. There an- nodding narcissi and daffodils shooting up through the grass beneath the trees, and forming fragrant groups by the margin of the lake, which is a sheet of water about a mile in length, and 4coyds. wide at its broadest part, taking the form of a crescent, sweeping round delightful parkland, and margined by delicious foliage. There are splendid limes and noble oaks, with great mas--e-> of rhododendrons, which flourish in the kindly soil and hold a rich festival of (lowers in the early summer. Some individual trees are of special interest. In Buckinghamshire, enclosed by dark- spruce firs and gloomy sepulchral yews. But once again we turn, this time to the fruit garden, to observe how abundantly the tress and bushes are bearing their treasures of the golden time. Yet we cannot exhaust the delights of historic and instructive Stickling. Not only are the house, gardens, and park with its lake, beautiful, but the stables and dairy are all that could be wished. Here may be seen a special herd of white polled cattle, short legged and straight backed, with black mu//les, ears, and hoofs, representative of some of the wild cattle of Britain in early times. The cows are far from rivalling Jerseys as milk-givers, but they are not maintained tor profit. They are a well-known feature in the park, and add to the many interests of this picturesque and attractive dwelling. fll I — O — i f. O — z r 62 GARDENS OLD-&NEW GREAT TANGLEY MANOR SURREY THE RESIDENCE OF . . MR. WiCKHAM FLOWER GREAT TANGLEY MANOR HOUSE, lying about three miles south-east of Guildford, and a mile away from the high road thence by Wonersh to Cranleigh, is a triumph of art, and a very notable example of garden construction. It should appeal to Englishmen by its truly English picturesqueness and beauty, by its delightful gardens, and, as the writer trusts, because it is a goodly mansion recovered from decay, restored to its ancient state from the lowly condition of a rustic farmhouse, and brought to the condition in which we see it by the exercise of taste and skill, and by the care of its owner's hand. It was no small achievement to regenerate Great Tangley Manor from its recent uses, and to replace its surroundings of kitchen gardens, stables, cow-sheds, piggeries, and barns by the beautiful and wholly appropriate pleasure grounds which now adorn it. Here, we think, is a notable work in the domain of country life. Wherever we go we meet, with a frequency that begets indifference, such evidences of decay in the shires — deserted mansions, ruined gateways, weed- grown moats, and other marks of the changed conditions cf modern times — that it is a real pleasure to find an old manor house that has been recovered from obscurity. May the example of Mr. Wickham Flower be the inspira- tion of many. England is full even now of the dwelling- places of former times, wherein the rustic housewife kindles her fire on the hearth of the forgotten lord. Something there Copyright. THF AUVOR HOUSE AND ITS ADORNMENTS. "Country Lijc." THE ALPINE (JAUhl V. is in the panelling, «-r aloft in the plaster perhaps, of his ancient heraldry, with many a sentence carved in .1 strange, unfamiliar tongue. She has bedaubed the oaken wainscot with white- wash, clothes from the washing are hung on the rail of the minstrels' gallery, and broad sheets ,,i -l.iss till the pl.K beautiful latticed panes. But the old builders were men w host- pegged and jointed oak. whose solid stonework, and whose mellow brick will long defy the blasts of time, and such pi are not seldom capable of being regenerated from d< Can tl>ere be ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ anything more satisfactory to the lover of country !ife than such w Sir HeUher Norton, Speaker of the House of Commons, and from the Speaker's descendant. Lord (irantley, Mr. Wickham Flower bought the decayed manor house and f.irm ID tin The principal •fracture) tions rna.! the ii' • lion of a building at the we-; and the v|u.iint I \\ .is , in I XX -. and ••! the library and the riMtms over it. HI the ye.u |X<,;. The arcfuteit A -is Mr. Philip Webb, who, in. spired by the spirit of the old builders, Ins tied fea- \iellrntly in with tnc • Idci 64 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. portions of the manor house. The gardens and grounds are in most happy relation with the structure, and cover a space of between six and seven acres, with fine light alluvial soil. The foliage of chestnut, poplar, and elm fails naturally into the scheme, and the moat, with its quaint bridges, the yew hedges, and the enclosed court are wholly sati>- factory and charming. The to r m u t i o n o f these gardens and grounds was conducted chiefly in the autumn and winter of 1884, shortly after Mr. Flower had purchased the place. At that time there existed no ornamental gardens or grounds whatever. With the exception of the old orchard within the moat, and the great elms that border the lane from Wonersh Common, all the trees and shrubs and the yew and beech hedges have been planted in and since 1885. A body of about eighteen labouring men worked under directions given to them week by week, and the gardens and grounds were completed within a period of about six months. The leading idea was evidently to produce a natural arrangement in proper keeping of character and uuaintness v/ith the house. Copyright. THE PEHGOLA WALK. The first w o r k under- taken was the complete exca- vation of the moat, and the earth removed was thrown up so as to level the adjoining land, while the water of a pond which is fed by a stream passing through the valley of the Tillingbourne was admitted at the north end, and flows to- wards the Wey from the north- west corner. Additions have been made from time to time upon the same system, but no formal plan has been laid down, and no written direction given. Great Tangley gardens have thus a delightfully spontaneous character, but their features have been dictated by good judgment and experienced taste. On the north and west sides the space between the moat and the house is occupied by the old orchard, and on the south front there is a square enclosed court, planted as a flower garden and lawn. The enclosing walls are very old, the parts on the southern and eastern sides being of the time of Queen Elizabeth. They are of Bargate stone, and are loopholed, perhaps for purposes of defence in lawless times. These walls are of great thickness and strength, and when Mr. Flower bought •• Count/ v Life ' CofytigHt. "Country Life.' THE COVERED WAY. ...V/--I7 \U\tlK. the place an apr'^ tree, app.irei.tlv selt-plant- .'wing mil ot them. Although the gat. I. MS .nid grounds !.•!!. .wed no tormai plan as thev grew 01. T I although spont.meiU is the k I the w hole arrangement, and infinite vanet \ of beauts the unquestioned outcome, there are fixed and valuable principles underlying the complete result, and these are the same imperishable principles which go to the making of all beautiful gardens, small and great. To be brief, they are completely appro, priate in character. If he who would fain create a perfect garden in the t sense of tile word desires success in the end. there is no need to Ute any precise and compre- ve plan at the outset. Indeed it may be wiser to permit the various points Of beauty to gr.-w . as it were. naturally one out of another, and out of the character of tin- place. The • principle is to follow the lead of Nature as much as possible, to seek and ensue that kind of beauty of flowers and foliage which she offers to \ o..| and shady On the walls is a pr« idig.il wealth ot climbers, • vine, clematis, and what you will, and great i.iie and thought have clearly been bestowed upon the selection of the flo A tor this cherished retreat. Uittodils are there, but only those of the choicest and most beautiful kinds. In the earls spring d.is s • it Fehru.i's and March the deep purple and orange (lowers ot Iris reticulata bloom profusely, and sometimes they mas Iv seen to great advantage using over a iarpet of pure snow. Myrtle flourishes there, and rosemary, (or remembrance, in gre.it bushes ; Iris pumila in many colours gladdens the in the early part of the \e.tr; downcast fritill.ines, lx-p.itu.is. asphodels, yellow and grey, tulips, sum .ml \< -n .A. r •>-, -s full __^________ ot fragrant grace, and show their beauty in due season. \ • only are the vines which clothe the w.iilso; , not only are jasmine-, white and yellow, and wistaria, trailing t its purple clusters, present in thriving splendour, but the trees ot guelder roses are themselves pressed into service as creepers, and the eli both novel and pleasing. The visitor to r.mgley Man-- almost bewildered by the variety "I beautiful scenes that meet his Me has admired the court garden ; let us take him also into the little garden, girt about with yew IK on every side, in which m-rst cherish. .1 plants are tended. Inside tli.it pr<»- tecting bulwark tall lilies and li the best of the larkspurs, v.n them of tlv DCeivaWe, and Japanese anemones find a sanc- tuary and thrive amazingly. Then, come again to tin- I the house. • tlie moat and walk upon the i;osds. l.»ng. that borders the lawn. That terrace ends in a pergola, happiest of importations 66 GARDENS OLD AND NFW. from the sunny South, covered with vines. Remember, as you note the ye%v hedge parting the lawn from the meadows, that although it stands loft. high now, it is the result of trees which were but i8in. high when they were planted in the winter of 1884 — only six- teen years ago, after all. Through the pergola you reach the orchard, standing on the south- western side of the grounds, and hard by Wonersh Common. It is but twelve years old, and it is a thing of beauty, particularly in the fresh spring-time, before "The cuckoo's parting cry, ' The bloom has gone, and with the bloom go I.' " In nothing has Mr. Flower been more triumphantly successful than in his treatment of the ancient moat, not merely as a thing of beauty in itself, but ns a source of new be.mties elsewhere. Sixteen years ago the moat was a waterless eyesore, and the water from the pond above was wasted ; now the moat is full, and its surplus waters are turned to the L'leati-st advantage. Come to the north-east end Copyright. THE ANCIENT PART OF THE MANOR HOUSE. of tho terrace and you shall visit the bog garden, one of the most beautiful and successful of its kind in England. In the soil, a mixture of the local earth with finely- chopped peat, there is nothing mys- terious or unattainable. But the posi- tion is admir- ably chosen, and it has not been less cunningly used, for the bog garden is a few feet lower than the level of the moat, so that it can be flooded at will. Yet it is well drained, so that the water is never stagnant, and the manner in which the water is introduced is artistic in the extreme. One is loth to leave the bog garden, crowded with interesting plants ; but another feature is hard by — the small lake, fringed with a variety of water-loving flowers. Then the ground rises, and one enters a rock garden, not large, but perfect in detail, and a thousand alpine flowers cover the earth with rich carpets of blossom. Take Tangley Manor for all in all, it is certainly one of the most beautiful pleasaunces in England, and a true work of natural art. « Country Lift." rvFX^ / rv W ' " ' VH -1 THH KLOWEK-.MARGINEU LAKE. C'o*«(r>' Life.' I '••: ! LONGFORD CASTLE, WILTSHIRE THE SEAT OF ... THE EARL OF RADNOR. , GARDENS OLD-&NEW 1 SHAl I M!<>rr"\\ ni^ht. it (Vvl please," wrote (.r mmell, marchinc towards lk-\"ii- Mure, wl., MX had hi- army, on October i6th, 1645- The iron vldier was not N-nt. as we are. <>n the pleasant business , if ulamin^ at UK- tamoi.s abode and <>( lingering in its superb gardens, but on thr sterner matter of bidding thi- defenders march forth under pain of tin and •d. He had the - n «'f arriving theri-. a> he- vud, iresh from the lamous forcing of BaMn^;, aiC»mpli>liim! ln> purpose at Longford alv>. The IH-UM- he N.IVK \\.iv yn-atK ditti-rent trom that wr now hehold. It had been built niou than half a century lvt"re h>- Sir Thoma* G»'r^e>,and the arJutnt had been the celebrated Thomas Thorpe. Thi-> "(,a-.ti, oi Amphialeus," as Sidnt-> i.ilU-J it, had I een huili upon tlu- triangular plan of tin- CaMU- of Oranienhaum, which T\i.h.i Brain- had designed. It was an odd idea, but the good kni-ht had been ox-er-pirsuaJrd hj h;> wife, Hi-lm.i SJmachen: lady, who oune here In the MiHi ' t>trr hue "'I Sw«-drn. At h«-r s\\n-l Ivlu-st he put hi- Ic.rtiinr ground in driving piles t" supp"Ds. I inn- a-horr in nXM, m-.ir hi- iiiinin.ind <•! Hurst (la-tli-. .1 Spanish ^.illeon, ulu-iml. with wuman's wit. hl.s witi N-s«-eihed tile (Jueell fur the hull. It was a rei|Ue-t readily granted, and the silver and other tiea-un--. that > vli-i«i\t-red I" the \\rt-ik afterwards -utliii-.l !••! the huildin^ of l.iiii^lord. The plan has since ht-t ii greatly «. handed. It came hy purchase t" the family "t the present n»l>le ownei in 1717, and remains a splendid mansion of \er\ rein.irk.iHe character, with abundant J.i-stc features, and details rich t«> elaboration, grafted upon the older -isle, flankt-.l by li\e noble towers, and famous for it- pictures arnon^ all tlk- m.uisi< Hnyland. It has the adv.mtaye ot lyiny in a very tint lountrv. and ol oveiliHikm^ a noble hn^lish park, in whuh lx.-e» h, oal». THK FOk.HAL 68 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. and many other trees are seen, relieved by the sombre greens of conifers and pines. Eastward the ground inclines to be flat, but rises abruptly, and foliage makes a beautiful framework for the neighbouring landscape, where the village spire of Alderbury rises from amid the trees. On the other side the scene is different. There the ground undulates, and is beautified by groups of chest- nuts, while the beech is seen in splendid beauty, and a lover of the pine would notice, too, specimens of Finns insignis and the . deciduous cypress. Here, too, in the distance may be seen the " silent finger " of Salisbury's glorious and world-famed spire. Few gardens in Wiltshire are more interesting than those of Longford, and their charms are principally due to the zeal, taste, and knowledge of the Earl and Countess of Radnor. To create such a garden, knowledge and love of Nature must combine. The surrounding country is generally flat, or merely undulating, but judicious planting has given relief. Nothing, moreover, has been done that could in any way mar the effect of the splendid mansion. As we have many a time said, the house and its garden cannot be dissociated. They are parts of a whole, and Longford is an example of judicious arrangement. Tall trees do not shut it in, and climbers are not allowed to hide the cool grey stone. Those which we see are there to add the needed touch of colour. During recent years the gardens of Longford have been greatly beautified, and the floral wealth of the garden has been vastly increased. There is, for example, a feature of interest to lovers of hardy flowers in the two mixed borders, each about a hundred yards long, and presenting their pleasing aspect almost throughout the year. Such hards' plants are even used charming vases and balls along the terraces and their grey- green svalls, and the delightful landscape beyond, svith its water and rustic bridge. The classic spirit is enshrined in the termination of that splendid garden, svhere the goddess looks out from beneath her crested temple over a vision of stately beauty, in company with the sages and syrens of old. We are transported in thought to the scented gardens of the South, and as if in the Ludovisi, Medici, Doria Pamphili, or some other Copyright. LONGFORD CASTLE. ' Country Lift." Cofyrigh:. THE PARK FROM THE TERRACF to some extent in the principal flower garden at Longford, svhich is splendidly shown in one of the illustrations. The design is stately and formal, and reminds us of like arrange- ments at Behon, Castle Ashby, and elsewhere. It is composed of geometrical buds, in svhich are pansies and many other old- fashioned (lowers. Tlie quaint yessr hedges will be observed, ssith their arches— a rare teat re — the semi-circular end, svith the mossy temple and figure, the classic busts, the garden of Italy, we breathe an air heavy svith the fragrance of the land. A choice example of classic garden architecture and sculpture is presented here ; and mark how glorious is the contrast and harmony svith the umbrageous region beyond. The urns and vases, radiant with their floral denizens, or vested svith fragrant climbers, the terminal figures, and all other like features, and the temple itself, are fine examples of an imposing garden style imported from southern climes to our land. But the charms of Long- ford are not all classic, nor do they end or begin with the noble Italian garden. There are terrace svalks of the true old English character, and many places of quiet seques- tered charm. In svandering about the grounds we reach one very interesting spot. It is an old garden near the Rapids, where the waters of the Avon and Etele meet, and is protected by lofty trees, except on the north-east side. Greensward greets the eye, and moss and other roses bloom here more freely, per- haps, than in the formal parts of the gardens. Here, too, the fair white lily and finely- coloured irises are found, while an old Judas tree (Cercis sili- quastrurn) — on one of whose kind old men say did Judas Iscariot hang— will attract attention. Howsot-ver it be in regard to this shadowy, ill-omened history, certainly we say that the tree itself is more picturesque in growth than many, and more interesting in flower, too, when bunches of purple blossoms are seated on its yet leafless limbs. There are hardy ferneries, again, at Longford, to remind us how beautiful is the fern svhen rightly used. Its rich green fronds are cool in colour, rich and beautiful alike in form and ^ J _ - St. — O z -. — X GARDENS OLD .-IND Nhlf. hue, throughout the summer. Landscape gar- deners will some- times forget that shady places become beauti- ful through the planting of shrubs, tlo\vers, and ferns that demand scarcely a filtering of sunshine for their encourage- in e n t . The visitor will notice, too, a particular sum- mer-house o n a greensward, without any sides, but with a heather-thatched which roses and probably unique , ••-•"- Copyright. A CORNER OF THE TERRACE. roof, supported by oaken pillars, around clematis are twined. Here a curious and device is adopted to add colour to the roof, the plan being to insert small pots of crocus and snowdrop bulbs below the rims, whereby pretty bits of spring colouring and effect are secured. Passing by beds of hardy flowers we reach another summer-house, built so long ago as the memorable ye.ir 1745 ; and still another, built of brick, attracts attention. It has a handsome oaken table, and its tiled roof is overhung by a splendid yew, which is conspicuous in the grounds — a sombre companion, some may say, in solitude, but always noble and picturesque. Longford is rich also in houses filled with decorative and other choice plants, and it worthily main- tains its position among the finest fruit gardens in Eng- land. Often in visiting the great flower and fruit exhibitions are the splendid products of these gardens found in a k i n g n e \v triumphs. There are also pines in much abundance under glass — in these days a somewhat un- common feature, since the rapid transport of West Indian pines now brings them in splendid condition and cheaply to our tables. Grapes are sumptuous, indeed, in the vineries ; and garden walls, to the length of about a mile, are covered with choice peaches, Morello cherries, and other fruits usually thus cultivated in Britain. The figs, again, are remarkable. There are noble trees of the well-known Brown Turkey variety, and a specimen of the kind named the Brunswick covers a space of not less than 3ooft. In adding very much to the beauties of Longford, the Earl and Countess have done an excellent work, a real labour of love, and it may be hoped that they will long continue to enjoy and bestow the pleasures of their noble domain. :>v "Country Life, Copyright THh IhMPl.l: AND DIAL. To:,, I'M- I.ilr " r 71 1 LILLtSHALL, SHROPSHIRE, GARDENS OLD-&NEW The Duke of Sutherland. Till-. glorious distil, ts of middle Hngland. xvhich are rich in country homes and monastic remains, luxe not many places that can x u- xxith l.illeshall. There are finer mansions, it is true, but xve haxe goodly • faction in the magnificent prospects, noble trees. and glorious gardens of this Shr<>p>inre home. It is unnecessary mpare it xx ith Trentham, the Duke of Sutherland'-, other and still more stately at»de not s,. iar ax\ay. There is this distinction. however, to be observed between UK-MI — that Trentham lies losx in the valley, while l.illeshall is raised aloft on the hill, and surxexs tri.m its terrace garden the lovely country through main a lading mile, until, Iar on, the mountains of Wales are lifted into x iexx . That is something, indeed, to add to the delight of a garden foreground. Nearer at hand, the mouldering xxalls of the Augustini.m AMvy ••! Lilleshail lie full in viexx , lending their antique cloistered calm. A glorious feature, \xe say, is this tor hngland to N-stn\x . Times have vastly changed since the Aht»t complained that the neighbouring W.ithng Street impoveiislu-d him In- bringm many hungr\- mouths to his door. Wiien the Dissolution CMCd his house o! its burden ol chants . .is nf the rexniurs th.it had made Us Niunty lloxv, the pl.ue ,.nn.- t.i lames l.exes.m. l:>,|.. and from him descended \« th< (i nx'ers. and s.i {« the dtual house of Sutherland. The old mansion of the Levesons has gone, but the line modern structure, composite ,,i \.irn«is media-x'.il styles, xvith UN remarkable ai..i,lr.l t»-ira»r. lias iisni worthily in its stead. It carries xvith it the leatures of appropriate garden architecture in terrace walls, stairxvays, and les. The spacious pleasure grounds, with xvluch xve are concerne.1. \v.-re lai.l out wlu-o tlie h rase was built, that is. about ISM. Including the comparatively small kitchen garden, thev Co\vr ab,»ut tA-e,itver.;ht acre-, and are the foreground and ge.n of a great panorama. We experieii. <• ceitamlx a reminiscence ol I rentham as \\e survey trmn the terra, e the rich ina/e of the great lloxver garden, THE APPLfc WALK Ok P£IWX>LA. 72 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Co f ft in hi. THE ENTRANCE TO THE ROSE GARDEN. "Country Life." Copyright. THE FORMAL GARDEN AND PARK, FROM THE HOUSE. ' Country Life. THE TbkkACt AND ARCADE. nnd the leafy pleasure ground beyond, with the vista of more distant charms. The trees are glorious in size ana contour, and some of them cast upon the mead a vast expanse of shade. The arrangement of the great bedded garden is circular and unusual, and the blaze of colour is attained by boldly con- trasting various hues to secure rich effect. Dark colours are opposed to light, and zonal pelargoniums, calceolarias, and tuberous begonias are amongst the most important plants employed. The circular garden itself is a contrast, for, as our picture shows, it derives part of its effect from the presence of the rich groups of trees behind. The calceolarias and begonias thrive wonderfully, and the success of the former is the more note- worthy because disease has attacked this once favourite flower within recent years, throwing it partly out of cultivation in many places. It is worth while remarking that the tuberous begonia is now used in all our great gardens, and that few plants are so well adapted for creating fine colour effects. The hybridiser has much improved the begonia's habit of growth. It is now dwarf and compact, and the flowers are thrown well above the leaves — pure white, orange scarlet, buff, intense crimson, and lovely shades of uncommon tints, all characteristic of the plant, and all produced faithfully from seed. It will be seen from the picture that standard roses neighbour the circular parterre, and that fine oaks, cedars, and other trees are near. On the south-west side of the house are other noble trees and sloping grass terraces, very green and beautiful, leading down to the lovely setting of sward and woodland. These charms are common to many gardens, but Lilleshall has a very distinctive feature in the glorious apple walk, which is 57oft. in length, and we believe the longest such walk in England. The illustration shows it flecked and barred with sunlight, reproducing very well its delightful character of brightness and predominating shade. The names of the varieties of apple which form the screen have unfortunately been lost, but their sturdy branches bespeak their age, and they bear plenteous crops of well- flavoured fruit. We are reminded here of the trellised pergola of Italy and other southern climes, which affords grateful shade from the fierce sunlight by giving support to the rose, clematis, wistaria, vine, and other climbing plants. In this more temperate region we need no such elaborate arrangements as are frequent in Italy, but who can forget that we, too, sometimes seek the shade, and that a simple pergola must sometimes be a welcome retreat. That at Lilleshall, while pro- viding shelter from the fiercer blaze of summer, furnishes also its autumn harvest. It is beautiful in spring, when thousands of blossoms colour the bare branches, not less so in leafy June, and most »i all. perhaps, when the fruit /,!/*. /,///•>//-*// 74 GARDhNS OLD AND changes colour anJ ripens for the gathering. Per- golas may be built of stone, as some- times in Italy, but here something lighter, as of wood, for example, seems much more appro priate. It is pleasant, indeed, to pass from the Lilleshall apple walk to the rose garden, which is not only of large extent, but filled with choice varie- ties, mostly in the bush form, which is generally most richly dowered, while the standard, more especially of the tea-scented kinds, is often killed in severe winters. In the Lilleshall garden upwards of nineteen large beds are filled with such lovely kinds as Alfred Colomb, Baroness Rothschild, Beauty of Waltham, Captain Christy, Margaret Dickson, Mrs. John Laing, Merveille de Lyon, La France, Lady Helen Stewart, and Lord Macaulay. Some of the more hardy tea roses, such as Reve d'Or, are very successful. Climbing roses of many kinds clothe the walls, including such old favourites as the Garland, Felicrte Perpetuee, and the Dundee Rambler, and even the recent and somewhat garish Crimson Rambler, Copyright. THE TERRACE STAIRWAY. than which few- roses are more brilliant. Here is one of those gardens which charm by their very sim- plicity. The one bold feature of the bedded parterre is the foil to the green surround- ings, and adds its effect to the land- scape features beyond, with their far vistas, and the umbrageous depths of their woodland. Little more of description is required of the glowing and frag- rant garden of Lilleshall. It is not one of those pleasaunces arranged upon a definite architectural or formal plan, but the garden designer has happily succeeded in investing his creations with a character of radiant and ravishing charm not easy to define. If we had dwelt at all upon the mansion itself, or the venerable abbey that is its neighbour, the space at our disposal would not have sufficed to do any justice to the -theme. Therefore, with a glance at the old sundial, dated 1630, a memorial brought from the garden of Lilleshall Old Hall, we leave this beautiful domain. 'mintry Life." Till. IJUCIIKSS'S ROSE GARDEN. "Ctmntry Life ' /////N// •»//.. A VIEW 0\LK IHb I'AKK. 76 SYDENHAM HOUSE, DEVONSHIRE, GARDENS OLD-&NEW THE SEAT OF MR. JOHN A"ONG the many ancient houses of beautiful Devon- shire, few can rival in quaint attractiveness and picturesque charm the fine old mansion which is illustrated here. We describe and picture the delightful mansion because it is an admirable example of the exceeding charm cast by a simple garden upon a house of the class. Sydenham House stands some eight miles from Tavistock, and within about a mile of Coryton Station, on the solid rock, by the banks of the Lyd, and in one of the loveliest parts of North Devon. Those who know the country homes of England, many of which are illustrated in this volume, will recognise it as belonging to a well-known type, with its kindred dwellings many in the land. Here is the old ground plan, like a letter E — the central block with the porch, and the two advancing wings. The house is mainly of Elizabethan aspect and date, looking out from man)' mullionc'd windows over the country, but it bears the evidence of the days when men yet built about a quadrangle, and looked, freely and with safety, only within. The sturdy men of Devon, who went out to conquer a New World, and wrought such sounding deeds in the Old, came from just such places as this. Mark the richness of effect, in the various rectangular, rounded, and lozenge windows, the rare or unique feature of cylindrical mu'lions of granite, the fine character of the porch ; above all, the unusual elaboration of effect arising from the bold gabled structures that turn inward from the advancing wings, and the fine play of light and shade that results. Nothing better could be wished than such a. combination, and the house and garden together form a truly attractive domain. Note, moreover, how the house seems to rise out of its surroundings, and how lovely must be the effect of the many climbers which invest it in contrast with the cool hue of the stone. The slope might have suggested formal terracing, but Sydenham is a notable instance of the variety of character which may be found or developed in like situations. The house wa? built by Sir Thomas Wise, who was knighted at the coronation of James I., but his structure arose where an older mansion had stood, of which portions are embodied, for his family had obtained Sydenham, described as Sidraham in the time of the Conqueror, with the hand of the heiress of the Sydenhams in the days of Henry IV. The three chevronels ermine, upon a sable field, of the Wises still remain in their mansion, with portraits hanging in the panelled chambers. Like many other country houses, Sydenham suffered in the Civil War. It was garrisoned for King Charles, and taken by the Parliamentary troops under Colonel Holbourn in January, 1645, and appears to have suffered much. However, when the war was over, it was restored, and it has remained in careful hands ever since. On l.ofjnglil THE WhSI SIDE. 1 Cvuntry /.»/*.' T7 \II.W I-KOM I HI: 73 GARDFNS OLD AND the death of Sir Thomas Wise in 1675, his daughter and heiress, who had married Edward Tremayne, of Colla- combe, in Lamerton parish, carried Sydenham to the family that now possesses it. "Squire Tremayne," as his neighbours call the present owner, is very popular in North Devon, and it is delight- ful to find how much he and the Hon. Mrs. Tremayne cherish this beautiful mansion, and with what simple and delightful character they have invested its gardens. Within and without, as our pictures disclose, it is wholly satisfactory. The noble dining-room, with the great fireplace dating from 1656, the many oak wainscoted chambers, and the magnificent staircase, hung with numerous family portraits, and lighted through those glorious windows, all maintain the beautiful aspect of their earlier day, and it is pleasant to watch the pigeons fluttering in through the open windows of the dining-room, encouraged to enter for their food, or to heai them cooing from the chimneys and gables above. The gardens of Sydenham House are indeed in happy harmony with the mansion, and they owe much to Squire Tremayne. Approaching them from the direction of Coryton, we are impressed with the extraordinary beauty of the Cup) rigl:t. FEEDING THE PIGEONS. ' Country Life." country. We pass through fine woodlands, and by emerald meadows and cottages wreathed in foliage and flowers, to find the landscape growing in sylvan beauty, a sombre fir here and there enhancing the effect of the tender greens of beech and oak, with their undergrowth of ferns, hollies, and rhododendrons. At our feet the river pursues its course, and we cross a bridge to the gardener's cottage, almost hidden among MANVAH U.H >M;D WINDOWS. "Country Life.' s>/>/ s// -i\i inn s/- .in ! eniN.-.ver.-.l in The gard« •:•, u.it'- S '• 'ih.iin M i died h\ .111 av. "I heaui :ul • .lehghtful specimen • •: -eiith ir\ inm\\«rk. now unfortunately falling to decay, .itul .1 ple.ising introduction, indeed. t<> the Iv.iutiful scenes :ij. II'.' IK Sydcnlum. L »o j BELTON, . . . GRANTHAM, . . THE SEAT OF . . . EARL BROWNLOW. GARDENS OLD-&NEW 'HERE is a popular notion abroad that Lincolnshire is a flat, u n p i c t u r e s q LI e county, to which the tourist does seldom resort. It is as level, you are apt to think, as your hand, a shire of broad acres, much of it ancient waste, "stubb'd," perhaps, like " Thurnaby waaste " by the old "Northern Farmer," and no longer " nowt at all but bracken and fuzz," but very flat and unattractive all the same. This is a mistake. Putting aside the real beauties of fen country, and the charm that belongs to great over-arching skies, there is abundance of picturesque scenery in Lincolnshire, and in some parts the land is magnificently wooded, and often well watered. This is the case in the neighbourhood of Belton. Passing by the railway through Grantham, with its tall spire and cattle-pens, you do not suspect that a romantic pile like Belvoir is on one hand, and a. beautiful seat like Belton on the other. Lord Brownlow has another fine seat at Ashridge, in Hertfordshire, to which some of his art treasures have been removed, but Belton House is very splendid, its park most beautiful, and its gardens superb. It is simply delightful to find the sweet village of Belton on the verge of the park, a place quite typical of the charms of rural life. How deeply Lord and Lady Brownlow are interested in home arts and village industries all the world knows, and Belton has profited very greatly by their love for CofyrigU. FROM THE NORTH STEPS. 'Country Lift.' 7H//O.Y. UJ Q - -^ _; < _ X GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Copyright, THE COURTYARD. "Cuuntrv Li/I.' Copyright. DELTON CHURCH, FROM THE ITALIAN GARDEN. "Country Lift." (.affright. " Country Lijt.' WATERFALL IN WILDERNESS. rural pursuits. Although the neighbour- ing village of Sysson is said to be the original of " Willingham,"Belton might \\rell have been that village in which Jeannie Deans, on her long walk to London, discovered "one of those beautiful scenes so often found in merry England, where the cottages, instead of being built in two straight lines on each side of a dusty high road, stand in detached groups, inter- spersed not only with oaks and elms, but with fruit trees." The older house of Belton, and the surrounding estate, were bought from the trustees of the Pakenham and another family by Richard Brownlow, Esq., Prothonotary of the Common Pleas in the times of Elizabeth and James. Apparently, succeeding owners added to the estate, and it was not until 1690 that Sir John Browrilow, fourth Baronet, the Protho- notary's great-grandson, procured licence to enclose, in Belton, Londonthorpe, and Telthorpe, a park, about which he built a wall some five miles in circumference. Within it stands the house we depict, which was erected between 1685 and 1689, Sir Christopher Wren being the architect. It is in the somewhat familiar form of the letter H— a central block with bold transverse wings. In the high roofs and many windows there is a strong mark of the French style of the time, which was reproduced so much in Holland, but Belton House bears also the evidences of another famous hand, that of Wyatt, who did good work at the place nearly a hundred years later. William 111., during his Northern progress after the death of Queen Mary, v sited Sir John Brownlow at Belton. The Baronet had planted very largely and judiciously, but there seems to be little knowledge of the gardens he had laid out about his mansion, though, doubtless, they were in the formal taste of his time. A later Sir John Brownlow, created Viscount Tyrconnel in 1718, made many improvements at Belton, began the fine library, and laid out gardens of great extent and magnificence. These no longer remain, a natural treatment of the land having replaced most of the trim yew hedges, straight alleys, and formal grass plats. The fine brick triumphal arch near the eastern gate, known as the Belmont Tower, which affords a magnificent view from its crest, was built in 1750. Four years later Belton passed to Sir John Cust, Speaker of the House of Commons, in the right of his mother, who was the sister and heiress of Lord Tyrconnel, and Sir Brownlow Cust, who succeeded, was created Lord Brownlow shortly after his father's death. It was he who employed James Wyatt to alter and improve the house. The cupola and balustrade were removed, the drawing-room was made much more lofty, and other improvements were carried out. At about the same time alterations were effected in the pleasure grounds, into which the landscape spirit was more largely infused, and smiling wood and hill replaced some arrangements' of the bygone time. But Belton owed much to the foresight of its earliei W-LTON. 'in li.u! richly planted, and the syKan K.I a- l.ntJ- SP" tlu- touch <>l the later hand. Thus it will bj th.it tlu- develop- ment i.t this estate ! through the modification A nets, T h . client character of the house, the churmin : pic t u r e s q u e n e ss "ie courtyard. the lavish beaut, the iron grilles and -. the elm avenue with its delightful i. the \.irmus •t t h e pleasure grounds, the \enerahle trees, all bespeak the loving care and criminating t.i^; ,,t ^ener-itmns. Thus are the charms and Jllurem.-nts ,,f country life preserved in Hngl.ind. At B«-lton we • Hit t'l the « n r I d — t ii the (.'illege i.\ u.i.l • Mliglr, t'i the i.imp. the leglsl.Huie. ->t the har — h.is .umni plislled ll s t.lsU. .111,1 Ins tenantry foil. in- him to the ^r All this you teel at lielton. K-i.nise in that pretty vi. churth. with its l:atl\ l:nglish t and its m .1 s s i v <• nil arv.i.le. there inoiuilllellts of many lords <>f lielton. including of Sir John THE CONSERVATORY. Tyrconnel, of Sir John Ciist. the Speaker, of the first Lord Brownlyw by \\ Mm. u "it, and of ^' 'letti and Onov.t, the first H.irl and his Countess by with others. The gardens, which are am -n^ the most impirtant in THE NORIH FRONT. are, indeed, in tin; heart of the land. The venerable tower M the village church rises near the house, and it is Kit .1 pleasant walk acn»s the ^arJen from the dwelling of the lords of Belton to the place where their ashes lie. Here is the rounding of the nobleman's and country gentleman's life. The child prattling in the garden path's Lincolnshire, resemble little, as we have said, the formal pleasure gmunds of hutch trimness which Sir John Brownlow. nil Tyrconnel, improved and partly formed about his house early in the last century, though a certain stately formality rightly belongs to them. > pt that splendid Italian garden is as a jewel set in its p GARDENS OLD AND NEW. surroundings, it is chiefly natural landscape, with picturesque- ness of character, and floral wealth that we discover. That pretty village of Belton, which has been alluded to for its rural charms, lies on the north, while the many-acred park, rich in umbrageous glories, and roamed over by herds of deer, is upon the south side. The woodland character most attracts us here, with many a glade for our delight, many a cloud of bluebells in the spring, many a primrose bank, and many a ferny hollow. The house may be approached by several ways, but the principal entrance is by a conspicuously straight road on the south side, which has a glorious avenue of elms, one of the finest, indeed, in the kingdom. On the same side, but more towards the east, is the notable Belmont Tower, already referred to, which is approached by a very beautiful avenue of limes, upwards of a mile in length. The other side of the park, where the character of the land is different, is skirted by the river Witham, which flows through part of the gay pleasure grounds near the mansion, adding a very distinct and natural charm to the place. It is, happily, unspoiled and pellucid, so that in dry weather water for the house can be obtained from it. The landscape features of Belton have been suggested. They consist in the enhancing of the natural character of the land, of wood and water, by judicious treatment, careful planting, and the variegation of foliage, combined with the effect of noble avenues, and rich groups of trees and shrubs. Some features dear to the old landscape gardener may also be discovered, as in the picturesque cottage known as the " Villa," with a broad sheet of water hard by, and in others near the course of the Witham. These, like the grottoes, temples, pagodas, and other varied adornments represented, and, judging by the growth, soil and climate must be well suited to leafy evergreen shrubs. These may be particularly noticed in that part of the grounds known as the Wilderness, where the Witham pursues its course, and the yew and box make luxuriant growth. Spirasa ariasfolia, the big summer plumy spirsea., is very handsome in this place, and near a rustic bridge, clothed with clematis Jackmanni, honeysuckles, and other creepers and climbers, aie some Copyright. "Country Life.' THE SUNDIAL. Copyright. THE WILDERNESS GATE. of the gardenage of what may be called the middle period of garden design, add points of interest to the grounds. It is not necessary to insist upon the attraction of fine trees and shrubs. Oaks, planes, elms, and beeches are conspicuous, with groups of evergreen and flowering bushes freely planted. These add greatly to the beauty of the place, with a changing charm, at every period of the year. As in in .my other fine English gardens, box and yew are thoroughly well weeping beeches, very pleasing and distinct trees in the landscape. But all, as we have said, is not landscape gardening at Belton, and as our picture of the principal flower garden reveals. Here is one of those splendid areas of green turf and colour, enclosed by hedges cut like walls, which are seen, with some varying characters, in many great English gardens. The well- gravelled straight paths, the green, close-cropped grass, the yews standing like sentinels as you walk, each in its bed, square or round, and radiant with flowers, the urns and statuary, all enclosed by the hedge, are inviting, indeed, in the evenings of summer, when the shadows lengthen in the sun. You feel that this is the rich jewel set in the land when you turn to the pleasant prospect beyond of wood and hill. It is a stately pleasaunce of happy effect, harmonising with the house, and yet strong in its own classic character. By contrast it enhances the beauty of the woodland, and itself derives much from the presence of its leafy neighbours. We have often re- marked that the garden must be appro- priate to the house, and if not every mansion demands such a noble Italian garden as this, it cannot be questioned that the splendid enclosure is wholly suitable to the house at Belton. The formality does not by any means imply the exclusion of flower beauty in prodigal profusion. As at Belvoir, a few miles distant, spring flowers are greatly used in the flower garden. Thousands of pansies, aubrietias, wallflowers, primroses, and other blooms gladden the eye, and fill with fragrance the air in the opening of the garden year. Bulbous plants are there, too, in great numbers in the grass, making the spring-time truly enjoyable at Belton. The brilliant hues in the beds, the nodding daffodils, the countless " Country Life." VELTON. x. X. " H x: T - UJ H 86 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. bright and fragrant varieties of flowers, are all delightful in the:r time. The pansy is a great feature. Nowadays there are so many varieties of the plant in cultivation that new beauties have been attained in diversified and pretty blossoms, all very gay and bold. The improvement in the group is, indeed, quite remarkable, and the "tufted" kinds are particu- larly noticeable, as being closer in habit of growth and less unruly tli a n the older varieties. These are cultivated in great numbers, and in favourable circumstances, at Belton, and it is satisfactory to know that spring garden- ing is there considered as much as the more radiant gardening of the summer. B.it to make a catalogue of the charms of the floral world which have been gathered at Belton would neither be possible nor desirable. Copyright. RUINS IN THE WILDERNESS. Our fine illus- t r a t i o n s show sufficiently the broad character of the place, and imagination will reaJily supply the rest. There is sound garden archi- tecture to study at this noble seatalso; but here, again, the camera comes to our aid, and calls before us the visible presentment of things more clearly than could be the case with any de- scription from the pen. Let us there- fore draw to a conclusion. The very fine conservatory which stands near the house, of good architectural character, wherein all the favourite flowers are grown in multitudes, must, however, be alluded to. A fountain garden, with ivy-grown arches, roses, lilies, and abundant other flowers, is there also. But enough has now been said. Wherever we go, in fact, we find good gardening reflected in each part of the pleasure grounds of Belton House. "Country Life.' Copyright. THE ITALIAN GARDEN AND CONSERVATORY. "Country Life." • ASHRIDGE PARK, GREAT BERKHAMPSTEAD, THE SEAT OF ... EARL BROWNLOW. THIS great domain lies upon those fair n "I Hertfordshire and Buckingham which .HI- so rich in the stats of tin- noble, and it is famous amurv^ the beautiful places in the land tor its rare tv.u:ty. its palatial grandeur, and its many memories. Tlu- two countit-s might well strive for the possession of such a place. If Buckingham has the house, the staHes and a large part of that umbrageous park belong to Hertfordshire. It a region of open forest tracts ..net, where the porkers chewed the beech mast while the swineherd sat in tin- shade. and is full of green and umbrageous richness still. Ancient men are \et. or a tew \t-.irs ago were, alixe who would tell the wayfarer that in their youth the only w ay to Dun-table w as. at will, by the meadows or over the downs. But famous makers u«>dly house for the brethren «•( the " Botishoinin. s." whom he endowed, not onl\ w;th wealth, but with a portion of the "holy blood " ot H.ules, m (iloucester- shire, whicn brought main1 pilgrims to the imintry shrine. Ten years belore lidmund died, hdward I. kept his Chri-tmas sadly .it Ashridjie. for Hleanor had passed awa\ but .1 weeks Ivtore.and he held a parliament there, to the discomfort of the natives, who were called upon tor supplies. When the Dissolution came, and revenues tell tr-nn monastic hands into royal or noble >..ilets. the B»nshonimes went the way o! their brethren, and bdward VI. installed his sister hh/abeth at Ashrid^e. There she was sleeping, and feiynin^ to be ill, as many believed, when the "Iti.eiso! Oueen Mar\ broke in upon her privacy, and in the royal litter boie her "It to the Tower. Then AshnJ^e passed to the celebrated Lord Chancellor b^erton. h.ul of Hllesmere, and from him to h:s son John huerton, first harl of Brid^ewater, of whom his monument, in the church of delightful Little < i i. outride 88 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Copyright. THE FOUNTAIN GARDEN. 1 Country Lije." the park gates, says that " Art and Nature did strive which might contribute most to make him a most accomplished gentleman." The second Harl of Bridgewater was a liberal patron of learning, and once was a friend of Milton. It was said that upon the circumstance of his losing his way, with his sister, in a wood at Harefield, some miles from Ashridge, the plot of " Comus " was founded. But when Milton published his " Pro Pofiilo Anglicano Defensio," Bridgewater wrote upon THE MONKS' WALK. the title of his copy, "Liber igne, auctor furcd dignissimi." Much concerning Ashridge and its old possessors may be road in Todd's " History of the College of Bonshommes at Asnridge," 1823. Earl Brownlow holds Ashridge by female descent from the House of Egerton, Earls and Dukes of Bridgewater. Their monuments are in the church at Little Gaddesden, with epitaphs so magnificent as to inspire a belief, as one writer said, that we of tlvs later age are but very degenerate individuals. The monument of the last Duke, the father of inland navigation, the suitor, too, of one of the "beautiful Miss Gunnings," he who could see no use in rivers except as feeders of navigable canals, is among them. It was the Duke's misfortune that the beauties of life did not appeal to him. Perhaps they wsre all swallowed up in the supreme beauty of Miss Gunning, in whose honour he remained a bachelor to the end of his days. Women never waited upon him, and things that were merely ornamental he despised. Once, it is recorded, on returning from London to his Lancashire house at Worsley, finding some flowers had been planted there, he " whipped their heads off and ordered them to be rooted up." When, therefore, he died in 1803, leaving Ashridge to his cousin and successor in the liarldom, General Hdward Egrr- ton, his work at his fine Copyright. .-fs//AY/><;/ PARK. -t 3 / / 0 _ GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Hertfordshire estate must mainly have been destructive, and certainly the gardens cannot have prospered under his hand. The last Earl of Bridge- water, an eccentric old gentlemen, died in his house, the Hotel Egerton, in the Rue Saint Honore, in 1829. His carriage, with three gold-laced lackeys hanging on behind, was well known to Parisians. They used to collect about the hotel to see the steps let down, and the Earl's dogs march out, dressed, if gossip be true, as human beings, returned from their airing in the Bois. The Earl himself remained at home, solacing his feeble days with the " sport" of shooting tame rabbits, and partridges with clipped wings, in his garden. It was a reminiscence of his days of youthful prowess in covert and over the stubble. He was a wayward testator, who attached impossible conditions to his will, pledging the legatee to become Duke or Marquis of Bridgewater within a period, and thus he well-nigh shipwrecked the estate in Chancery. So much for the interesting possessors of Ashridge, all men in whom the spark of talent or the love of literature shone The house and gardens were very fair and tasteful. The Lord Chancellor had done much for the place, and it had been " a stately house " in Elizabeth's lime though the collegiate church was then destroyed. So the house had remained, with many a change, doubtless, until the year 1800, when the last Duke of Bridgewater, the canal maker, in the height of his wealth, razed it to the ground, great hall and cloisters together, leaving nothing of antiquity save the crypt. The present splendid mansion was commenced on the old site in 1808 from the designs of Wyatt, and completed by Sir I'hala. THE EAST FRONT. Jeffrey Wyatville, his son, in 1814. It is a great and imposing pile, splendid in conception and details, elaborate in its character and rich in its internal fittings, now happily main- tained by the excellent taste and love for true art of its noble possessor and his Countess. The principal front is i.oooft. in length, and the great range of buildings presents, as may be seen, a wonderfully varied and picturesque aspect, with towers and battlements, a splendid porch, machicolations above, mullioned windows, arched doorways, and whatever else the Wyatts could fitly wrest from the beauties of mediaeval architecture But to describe Ashridge House is not the purpose here. Let the pictures speak for themselves. It lies amid beautiful surroundings, for the counties of Buckingham and Hertford, as all the world knows, are famous for their woods. The long avenues of stately trees in the park, the noble groups and single specimens, the broad stretches of turf, the multitudes THE SKATING POND. "Country Lift.' *,/>.,/ 91 92 OLD AND NEW. of deer, all contribute to make the finest pictures. One of these avenues, nearly two miles long, leads to a loft}' monument erected on a height in honour of the last Duke of Bridgewater. There are splendid beech trees — towering giants, lifting their grey, pillared trunks to enormous heights, where the birds are happy in the greenery among the slender branches stretched towards the sky, while moss and lichen gather about their feet. Then there are majestic limes near the house, planted, as men say, by Elizabeth herself, but really known to have begun their budding when Charles II. was king. Many another splendid tree is here also, and looking round, you say that in this place have lived men who loved and knew the beauties of the sylvan world, and planted that others might enjoy. The reader will already have divined that the gardens are of equal beauty and interest in that fair setting. Several styles of gardening will be discovered, and it is pleasant to find a character preserved in keeping with the old English aspect of the house, a* for example in the Monks' Garden, reminiscent of the Bonshommes of former times. Here, therefore, is to be learned the lesson of appropriateness. Then we come to a quaint enclosed parterre surrounded by trees, which lend additional character to it, where rhododendrons are used with moderate freedom. A certain distinctive character is discerned in the conifer hedge, and we say to ourselves that the good box-edgings have very marked value, and that the creepers vesting the stone pillar add a feature that we like to find in gardens. A verdure-clad pillar, an old dial, or mossy urn filled with (lowers, standing, perhaps, in the open, or decked with sunlight through the trees, is far more appropriate in some situations than a gleaming statue or sculptured marble vase. But, just as the old eclectics chose their principles from the teaching of many schools, so can the modern gardener select his features from the best characters of many styles. Ashridge, Copyright. THE SUNDIAL. " Country Life." Cofjrngni. THE FERNERY. for example, has its Italian garden, lying on the east side of the house, very gay with many blossoms, and including delightful borders of hardy flowers also. One great feature of the place is in its cloister-like alleys, or corridors — if such a word may be applied to a garden — which lead from one part to another, and are cool retreats from hot summer suns. They are clothed, of course, with climbers, and have quite a character of their own. Then, again, as in so many English gardens, we find the yew a very conspicuous and handsome feature. There are nob'e specimens near the house, and certainly no tree is more impressive than some ancient yew — its gnarled trunk twisted, as it were, in its warfare with a hundred storms, from which it has emerged a sturdy veteran to delight us with its dense growth and character, and the deep shadows it casts upon the turf. Leaving the "yew tree's shade," we meet the same tree in another form round the skating-pond at Ashridge. Here it forms a fine hedge, well kept, dense, even, and extending for a considerable distance. The lawns, again, are delightful. Now a great glory of many of our best gardens, envied by those who visit them from other lands, is in tln>M stretches of velvety turf, which set off the house to such advantage, and which in many cases have a most attractive effect, enhancing the value ot everything else by investing the whole with simplicity anJ dignity of character. Another particularly charming feature of Ashridge is the fern glade, leading to the grotto, where ferns luxuriate in prodigal profusion, making a fairy bower, leafy, cool, and satisfying. Ashridge in short, is full of interest for the lover of gardening, who will feel the charm of its varied garden features, its ancient trees and clipped yews, and its many other beauties. The Earl and Countess Brownlow are both interested in the charms of the garden, the arts of the home, and the things that are tlu beauty of country life, and Ashridge has gained very much under their care. 1 Country Life." OLD-&NEW CONDOVER, . . SHROPSHIRE, . . THE SEAT OF .... MR. R. H. CHOLMONDELEY. such a hous H this .it Con.i.iver, in tlu . county »f ft enter the gardens with expectancy, and an- nut disappointed. Hew counties in l-.ngland can b•• many fine seats anJ families of ancient lineage as Shrop- shire. Go where yu will, some old castle or castellated me mansion • •! early time, some example of the timber structures which were so notable a feature of Middle England, or some stout dwelling-place of stone, will attract your attention; and if you enquire, you .ire as likely as not to find your village resting-place well filled with history. Condover and, in a measure, its formal garden are very typical of Tudor times. The house- bears plainly the character of its age. and in the main front there is no small resemblance to Charlecote in Warwick- shire, where the old Knight dwelt whom Shakespeare satirised for all time as Justice Shallow. There is the s.ime central block, with its Cables and projecting porch; on each side project the same wings, with similar windows, cresting, and chimneys; the grouping is thus about a hollow square, an I the front, if you inclu Je the porch, is somewhat upon the plan ot a letter H. It is certainly a massing of stm.ture that lends Itsell exceedingly well to the h st c-tl lit and shade, to the article picturesqueness <>t sky-line, and to .ill those leatuies which we are wont t» ass.i iate with I udoi and Jacobean turns. As we know. Iheie .ir<- s.ilid lomti-its -.\ithin siK'h g-Nidly dwelling-places as tins, and often line g.ndens aNiut them. It you look. too. at the other side of flondowi. \--.i will remark .1 sjvu.-s of corrid-ir or arcade, o|H-nmg upon the terrace and overlooking the grass slopes, which m.iy remind you in some degree of M.itlu Id, and you rrcognis,- that here should be a garden of distinction and iharacter. I he park jt Condover is one of rich umbiageous Inautu-s and I- green expanses, and it is sumewhat notewithy that the line between tin formal gardens and their natural surroundings is not strongly drawn; the character of enclosure is absent. The rival schools ot gardening— the natural and artificial— have had many a battleground, but the conflict has not been waged, and will not be, over the delights of old d ndo\er. Here certainly is p. .thing of the extremely fantastic, such .is y-.u will find .it l.e\ens and Llvaston, but merely the cutting of tre.s to prim forms, analog. .us to beel-.ivis and cylinders, and the natural . THE SOUTH-WEST VIEW. GARDENS OLD AND NFW. life of the garden is not overshadowed by the neighbourhood of arboreal curiosities. But before \ve enter the garden, let us say something about the spacious and beautiful house. What manner of dwelling was here when the Parliament of Edward 1. sat at Acton Burnell hard by — the nobles in the castle, and the commons in a barn — to pass the famous " Statutum de Mercatoribus," we do not know. The estate was purchased in the reign of Henry VIII. by Thomas Owen, who appears to have built the house itself in or about 1598, to be completed by his son. Camden says of him that he was " a great lover of learning, who, being dead, left behind him a son, Sir Ro^er, an excellent scholar, and worthy of so excellent a father." Thomas Owen was native of Condover, and a gentleman of the law, who rose to be Queen's Sergeant in 11,93, ari(J a Justice of the Common Pleas in the following year. He died in 1598, and is buried in Westminster Abbey, where his fine monument may be seen. Sir William Owen, of Condover, was a wary gentleman in the Civil Wars, who contrived, with a certain agility, to be now en one side of the hedge and now on the other. He still survives among the beautiful houses of the land. The Owens continued to live at Condover for many years after that critical period in the fortunes of their house, until by marriage the mansion and estate came to the family of Cholmondeley, and it has recently passed to the hands of its present possessor. The house within is beautiful, spacious, and abundantly interesting, though not to be described here. Fine panelling, rich ceilings and mantels, old portraits, and plenishings of the richest kind, add to its old-world charm, and through mullioned windows there are delightful views over the gardens and park. Rare and beautiful, with a subtle charm, these gardens are. The principal flower garden is on the south side, where the pictures illustrate the character of the grass terraces with their conical yews, and the noble trees and glades of the park beyond. .The arrangement is formal, and quite typical of some gardens of the class. It will be observed that there is nothing elaborate in the design. The slope of the ground lent itself to a terraced arrangement, and there is a simple charm about the varied grass walks, with suggestion, in the character Ccf>yright. THE GRASS TERRACES was in the Commission of Array, at least, and signed certain warrants, being a supporter of the King, and was in a position of authority at the council house in Shrewsbury. The Parliament Committee afterwards averred in his favour that, when they first " took footing " in the country, and were in the poorest condition, penned up in the garrison of Wem, and there surrounded by the enemy, he held correspondence with them, and offered them possession of his house at Condover, " being a strong stone building within three miles distance of Shrewsbury." Though they were not in a position to garrison it, the circumstance led them to the conclusion that his "affections were always right towards the cause of the public," and if he ever acted otherwise this could scarcely proceed from disaffection, but rather "from some passion of timorousness, or the facility of his nature." Not content with this plea in Sir William's favour, the Parliament p.irty asserted that, after the taking of Shrewsbury, he had mani- U'sU'd the bt-st dispositions towards their cause, while his backwardness in contributing mortgages or yielding assistance M the Royalists caused them to threaten to bum his house. Fortunately for himself and for us, too, his noble mansion escaped the fury of the Royalists he had disappointed, and of the pleasaunce, for those who do not seek enclosure, but prefer a broad outlook to the charms of a sequestered parterre. Geometrical gardening marks the west side of the house. There are as fine tall box edgings as you could wish to see, giving character and distinction to the place. Their quaintness is delightful, though to keep edgings in such condition as those at Condover is no easy matter, and with unkempt raggedness the old-world aspect and beauty straightway disappear. The spiral junipers and Irish yews are here an attractive feature. At the end of the garden zinnias, roses, and other lovely flowers fill the beds, and those who enjoy the satisfying shade of a good yew hedge the glory of many a fine garden — will find a splendid one here, in association with many notable specimens of the golden pyramidal yew. Something of the character of the beautiful park at Condover will be seen in the pictures. The little river Cound, from which the place takes its name, winds through the pleasant glades overshadowed by very fine trees, and the ground is diversified with hill and hollow. The elms of the park are noble specimens of one of our finest forest trees, and there is a splendid giant on the lawn with branches sweeping the turf. HAH.. «« — Of. 3 U _ — u at. < z _ ~ x < O 2 z -- -- X i. UJ > O D O U 96 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Fruit and flower garden- ing go hand in hand at this pleasant abode to an extent rarely seen, and this is not the least interesting feature of the place. The associa- tion of the various branches of gardening might often, in truth, be closer than it is, and certainly our fruit and vegetable gardens vvoulJ gain much in attractiveness by reason of the presence of gayer denizens. The Condover fruit garden may appropriately be described as a reserve flower garden, i:or great numbers of flowers are cultivated year by year solely for the purpose of cutting for the adornment of the house. Thus is the flower garden proper not ruthlessly despoiled, and its fragrance and beaut}' are preserved undiminished. Condoverthus has lessons for the garden-lover. There is unfailing charm in a place that possesses noble grass terraces, that is distinguished by its lines of stately yews and glorious hedges, that has its various levels approached by such stairways as these. A prodigal wealth of flowers scents the gale in this rarely beautiful garden, where once again we find the architect working hand in hand witli him under whose care are developed the charms of the sylvan shades, the sentinel yew, and the fragrant parterre. The mossy stonework of old stairways leading up from level to level, united in this garden picture with the green slopes, and with the characteristic yews, is most pleasing. Here is Nature Copyright. THE GEOMETRICAL GARDEN. " Country Lift." linked with the other work of man, and thus is Nature, as Schiller says, possessed with a soul and exalted by Art. There are many elements of a liberal education in a good garden ; it inspires by its influence and gives the opportunity for expression. And, in conclusion, it must be said that the modifi- cations of style at Condover, the uniting of old features with something of a new disposition of them, are very charming and suggestive, as affording a fine example of good gardenage. Copyright. THE TERRACE STEPS. "Country Lifl." -/A' H.-HI. J i _ o = 'O x 33 ~ X. 90 5! : — o < -— •/) VBN HOUSE, SOMERSET, . . THE SEAT OF ... Sir Edward Bradford Medlycott, Bart GARDENS OLD-&NEW THE very fine and attractive gardens which we illustrate are the adornment of a notable mansion in the West Country — Yen House, near Milborne Port, on the borders of Dorset and Somerset. This is the liea j of the gathering ground of the pleasant river Yeo, 0:1 ths western side of the watershed which separates the b.isin of the Somerset river from that of the Hampshire Stour. The country is extremely pretty, with much varied natural beauty, and to show that it is interesting it is enough to say that famous old Sherborne, with its enriched and glorious abbey church, is the near neighbour of Yen. At H;nstridge Ash, on the hill close by, veracious tradition asserts that Walter Raleigh smoked his first pipe, and was liberally treated with water by the peasants, who thought his clothes were on fire. The country about Yen House is hunted by the celebrated Blackmore Vale Foxhounds, the vale being the wide and fertile level through which the Cale flows southward from Wincanton to the Stour. The mansion stands close to the little town of Milborne Port, with its fine Norman church and other evidences of a once greater state. An ancestor of \he present Baronet began the building of Yen House in 1698, and completed it in 1701. It is; a red brick structure of classic simplicity, its front inlaid with stone, and the surface broken by Corinthian pilasters, which run up to a balustrade crested by urns, and its wings are pierced by large archways. The design has baen attributed to various architects, and the house was thoroughly restored about sixty years ago. Though far removed from the modern ideals of domestic architecture, it belongs to a period and a style that can never fail to command admiration. The gardens are in character appropriate to the hou;'-ef and are well deserving of attention. Near it they have a certain classic formality. At a little distance the regular lines give place to the features of a more picturesque style, and the grounds approach to native simplicity. There is here a happy combination of styles. An enclosed garden with a bordering terrace and classic adornments is the approach to a leafy venue that seems to breathe the grandiose manner of Le Notre. Though the mansion is not in a position that gives THE ENCLOSED GARDEN AND THE ELM AVENUE. Country Lije." HOI M i - 5 X _ o ae. z _ 5 JL) (/) O _ I 100 GARDENS OLD A!\D Copyright, THE GARDEN AND GARDEN ARCHITECTURE. " Country Life." it extensive views, yet its immediate surroundings are thus attractive enough, and the vicinity is well wooded. A wide avenue of elms extends up a gentle grass slope, which forms the j-ky-line a mile away, and, on the other side, beyo.id the garden, a like avenue leads away across many a level meadow. Within the gates are several fine cedars of Lebanon, and a range of beautiful deciduous trees and evergreen shrubs shuts off the neighbouring village from view. Along the rear of the house, and overlooking the enclosed garden, is a fine broad stone terrace, with balustrade, and urns filled with flowers. Upon this opens a glass arcade, in which are orange trees, palms, and flowering creepers, leading at one THE BRIDGE IN THE PARK. end into a beautiful structure of glass and masonry — a very fine and rich example of Corinthian architecture applied tc garden work, which will be seen in the pictures. Here the principal object of interest is an enormous specimen of the fragrant DaUra, which is planted in the centre of the conservatory, and fills the greater part of the space. Its trunk is not less than 3ft. in circumference, and it is truly a noble plant, often used with fine effect in the summer garden, where its creamy white odorous blossoms are very handsome. In the house climbing cacti, eucalyptuses, palms, and camellias are its companions. From this Corinthian garden-house we pass along the broad terrace which has been alluded to and look over the formal walled garden below, which is rectangular, and an excel- lent example of the particular style. It will not fail to remind the reader of Sir William Temple's description of the enclosed garden at Moor Park, though it has not the same elaboration of features, anJ is of quite simple design. Neighbouring Montacute is a more striking example of the character. In the midst of the garden at Yen House is a marble fountain supported by storks, and surrounded by a basin, with water-lilies. From this foun- tain four broad walks lead away at right angles to the four sides of the garden, one approach- ing the house, which is reached by a flight of shallow stone steps, and another leading directly away from it to a very beautiful semi-circular marble seat, set in the greenery, and with finely-sculptured figures along the top. The general effect, combined with the excel- lent standard Portugal laurels, their heads cut into spheres, which line the raised gravel path above and behind the seat, is very striking Lift.' VEN HOI V. 101 »nd ch.ir.ictemt'c. Su.h l.i a l.ke i'.«rk, a p . icom-non The level I.IASIS of this I.M! Hit, • J in little* munJ A III) A IlltC tutted p.i ^ ' .|uare : with bedding plants, e.ich sep.iuted from • * ell-kept bI^i"^. and on the garden walls arc trained • md jasmines, the glorious scarlet I'yrus japonica, and exquisite wistaria. 70(1. in length. At intervals along the pathways stand variegated aloes, quite a feature of the place, in large pots. Terrace walks along and above the sides of this garden enable its many features to be well seen. That opposite to the house and behind the marble seat, and along which the clipped Portugal laurels grow, is approached by fine flights of stone steps at each end, for it is raised some feet above the garden level. Let it be observed that the garden architect and sculptor have everywhere done admirable work at Ven. Amid a l">.' th of garden beauty there is an ad led ihirm i.i the line balustrades, the richly-carv.d vases anJ urns, and tho sculptured figures in stone and marble, which give a J.I->MC aspect t" the place, and carry the spirit of the house into its surroundings. Look at the marble seat in the formal jir.li-:>. at t) - th.it dank tlu- ascents, at tin- li.ie urns that neighbour the stairways, at the bridge in the park, and .it a multitude of other adornments, and you will realise that sound taste has, indeed, ruled the beautifying of thi« tin. On the lelt-hand side of the great stone terrace, and opposite to the conservatory, another broad (light of steps lea. Is t > the pleasure grounds. It will be agreed tint a perfectly b.-autiful THE GW-AT C iSShKVA!' picture is lonn 1 !<. under th shadoxv ot that splendid old tt.llliu1 ' H II ide.il place -.\herein t» u<-.i\ i- a garden ph.i;it . i;ureiipa greenxvuid roina-: A re iv\\ in l!i • reahn "I in-ire natural beauty, and, except ' ••< Iv.l ! :\z pla:its at tin- 'it a xvalllu-ar the flight <>l steps, in t; -nventi >n ility mivts tl> I rm -raid la\\ns, on which d-.-udu-'iis and .-\'ergreen tre.-. iluuish. ( ).i\s anJ elms, tulip t; Copper beeches and their brethren, weeping allies. \ l.ib.irnu:ns, ^reat a;i. ,i!- IN, and a h 'st ot ..(her Iv.iutitul :reen and tl iwerinz trees and s!irii!>-, diversiiy the sa-ne. Then, in thech in^in^ sc i> in\, we *.l..i , Jeli^httul pictures THE CLASSIC ASCENT BENEATH THE OLD "CfMU 102 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. and peeps of colour. A colony of paeonies is blooming on a wide lawn, around which low - branched trees have made a rampart ; fresh pink monthly roses are clustering round a weathered statue of their goddess Flora ; syringas are shedding their fragrance on the gale ; and Scotch briar roses enter a quiet retreat through a honey- suckle-covered arch- way. Further on we discover an octagon summer-house to rest in, built round an ancient apple tree, open to all the winds of heaven, beloved of birds, and wreathed with climbing roses, honeysuckle, ivy, jasmine, and clematis. Around it are horseshoe-shaped beds of carnations, dwarf roses, and pansies, edged with London pride, and behind these a mixed border, filled with the stronger-growing hardy perennials: — giant evening primroses, tall daisy - flowers, delphiniums, phloxes, the old-fashioned double white rockets, and lovely Madonna lilies. But we find, perhaps, a more charming part of the pleasure grounds still if we leave the central vista, flanked by greensward and umbrageous trees, and terminated in the distance by the carven figures of shepherd and shepherJe>s, Copyright. VEN HOUSE, FROM THE FURTHER TERRACE and strike to the left, where the sound of running water is heard. We emerge then upon the banks of a murmur- ing brook, an early stream of the Yeo, over-arched by trees, and flowing between fern-covered banks, with many a silent Jeep and many a bab- bling shallow, until it passes beneath the span of that graceful bridge amid flag-irises and forget-me-njts. How delightful, we think, to play croquet or tennis on a lawn by such a stream. Yen House has a garden of woodland and flowers ; almost wherever you go the air is filled with fragrance. The centre walks are gay, behind their box edging, with fine arrays of hardy flowers, and you pass beneath many a rose-laden arch. The inner walled garden has the same character. Carnations and daffodils line each side of the centre path, while the rose- arches are masses of bloom, and colonies of lily of the valley hard by produce in due season plenteous harvests of their delicate and odorous blossoms. To convey an idea of such delights is difficult, indeed, but the pictures will enable the reader to realise how really beautiful and characteristic are the gardens of Yen House. "Country Life." Copyright. THE ASCENT FROM THE GARDEN. ' Cvitntry Life." NORTON CON YERS, YORKSHIRE, OLD'&NEW are few plac-". more interesting in Yorkshire than >n Conyers. th.it quaint old h HIM.- w Inch we illus- trate. It IN pleasantly situ.ited in the valley «f the ^ four miles north of the city »f Rip -n. and ha> a Charmingly simple garden, such .is iis pcturesqm demands. | -.- who. like !'•.:• BeH, hfl "truJgi I through York'shir ' have n -ticed in their wanderings many s akin t«» Nort.m Conyers. Some "l ilu-m have fallen tr.>m tlu-ir high estate, and tin- peasant light* his tire up >n the hearth about which lorJs and laJu-s ^atlu-reJ of \ ,>re. A the mantel trn-ir armorial bearing m.iy ^ull remain, with many a J« tlieir ancient heraldry. S >mt-times the Royal Arms speak of Stuart diy. with Mich an inscription .i> < . ..) ; H -nour the Kin^e." Uut-iJe at the fates or over the door will be tlte date and some motto wikomin^ the :. or it may he. as in a certain place that the writer knows of, warning tlv>-e who violate justice tli.it they may not knock thereat. The ghosts of those times still linger in the panelled galleries, and are seen when the moonlight fall* through the latticed wind -iw, or are I with silken s in the ni^ht tinu*. About them II il s ,m times neglected, but olte;i u and fragrant with etness. \ ton ( :.. nvers lu- in many \\ .i\ •> !• •. -n a fortunate ; In that beaut. I ul country of tlie nvi-r Y"rc. fani'ius i.ir its spreading woods anJ i~reen piMures, the memory of the Nortons still - .md tlie pl.ue was |..< .iti-d with them.. iv Is witli tlu- j.i\ and gallant ( iraliarns. I'lu-re n some Jitti.ulty in ti\mu ' ! date wh.-n the old house was built, but no doubt can r\i-»t that it was standing in the rei^n of IK-nry VII. UK- aiuu-nt tamily of Norton was in P ,sv, xs.,11 from very early times, until it was involved in the Rising in the North. A remarkable cliaptrr of I: i-^lixh history was that in wh.ch those who clun^ to the old Faith staked their lives for its caiisi-. many perishing, while others, like tlie l:.ul «.t Westm irland, wlio lelt historic Raby b.-hind, and ancient N .rt-n. tied !•• r-landr-s. .m.l were k:i r.vn in England no more. The st.iry ..f Norton was taken by Words- worth as the theme of his "White l)..e »t Kylstone," in which he accepts the st"iy, as told in the oil ballad, of the mission of Earl Percy's " little foot page " to Master Norton. It was a summons In- m.ild not re^ THE ORANGfcRV AND THE KSEtllV, SLAVE. 104 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. " 'Come you hither, my nine good sonnes. Gallant men I trowe you bee; Ho'.v many of you, my chil- dren deare. Will stand by tha*. good erle and me r ' " EiR'it of them did answer make, Eight of them spake lias- tilie. • Oh ! father, till the clay we dye, We'll stand by that jjood erle and thee ! ' ' And so went forth ancient Norton with his banner bearing the cross and the five wounds of our Lord. His fair.ily was ent;rely ruineJ and its estates confiscated, though only one of his sons was executed, while he escaped himself to the Low Countries. After the attainder of the Nortons, their estates were forfeited to the Crown, and subsequently Norton Conyers passed by a marriage with the ,\\ u s g r a v e s to the Grahams, descended through "John of the Bright Sword" from the Scottish Earls of Menteith anJStrathearn. The first of the Grahams at Norton Conyers was the Royal. st Sir Richard Graham, " of the Netherby clan," who had married the daughter and heiress of Thomas TUB OLD CHAPEL. Musgrave. He was Gentleman of the Horse to James 1., wj> created a Baronet in 1629, and distinguished himself at EdgehillandMarston Moor. The storv runs that he fled, desperately woundeJ, from the latter field, and was followed to Norton by Cromwell, who gallopeJ into the hall and up the staircase, arriving just in time to shake Sir Richard in his bed before he died ; and even, as if to con- found the incredulous, the print of the horse's hoof is still shown upon the stair. Sir R.chard Graham was, indeed, wounded at Marston, but did not die until ten years thereafter. The exterior of the house has perhaps little claim to architectural beauty, but it tails well into its charming sur- roundings, and curious, qu lint, weird, and pic- turesque it must ever remain. It is surrounded by trees of great size, and the sycamores are perhaps not surpassed in H n g 1 a n d . On the northern side is the historic bowling green, on which King Charles I. is said once to have passed five , consecutive dayi in that amusement ' Country Life.' THH NORTH FRONT AND BOWLING GRIT::,. IT, f - 4J z. 106 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. vopyngni. THE GARDhN TERRACE. "Country Life." while waiting for supplies. The garden terrace, anJ the old gate of hammered iron, hanging between two ball-capped piers, leading to the orangery, with that curious and remark- able sundial and the leaden vases, are features in the midst of a delightful old-fashioned garden, fully appropriate to the venerable house and its green surroundings. Quaintness and old-world charm are everywhere. Look at the kneeling slave, or at the leaden warrior in the glorious park, at the old chapel, at the entrance gate;, and linger on the terrace. It is an exceedingly attractive place, with a character quite its own, wherein is no sinning against Nature. We miy set- here how, without artificiality, and even without marked features, a delightful garden may be created, which is neither a floral wilderness nor a trim parterre. In fact, it is from these old gardens, containing many things which the artist would object to if they stood alone, that we may learn that most excellent lesson of toleration. There are those who speak evil of orangeries, of vases, even of terraces when they stand alone. But, at Norton Conyers, the great artist Time has brought Art and Nature into harmony. The green lawns, the spreading trees, the borders filled with many a flower in season, and certain adornments of unobtrusive quaintness, are enough, and Norton Conyers is thus a valuable example of the garden art. I he green lawns creep up to the house, whose cotyntht. THE ENTRANCE. \valls are kissed by the rich green of climbing plants. The trees spread their grateful shade, from the house there is a fnir outlook over the park, and the grounds have many charms pleasant to explore. The reader wiil say that there is little here to describe, but will be charmed by the vision of the sweet old-fashioned house and garden we depict. It is delightful to look out from the windows of Norton ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^— Conyers over such beautiful surroundings. Within, the grand old hall covered with ancestral portraits, the broad oak staircase of the legend ascending to the big mullioned window with its many coats of arms, the oak-panelled king's room, occupied by more than one of the Stuart kings, the white - panelled parlour, the library, with its quaint window corners and its Romneys and Zoffanys, are all most charming and beautiful. Many generations of Grahams had come and gone from the old hall at Norton before the time of the last Sir Belliiigham, bom 1789, and died i8c6 — for seventy years a Baronet — a reign of extravagance which sadly en- cumbered the extensive family estates, inherited by him when but sjven years old, on the death of his father (another Sir Bellingham), in 1796. Now Sir Reginald and Lady Graham have for nearly twenty years resided entirely at the home of his ancestors, and in no more fitting hands could this unique possession have " Country Lilt." fallen. 107 ^fc GARDENS 2SS« QLD^fJ^yyf THE SEAT OP HIS GRACE The Duke of Devonshire, ft L K.G. -AHATSWORTH maivel and .1 maiM'l a- a splendid ion in the great st\ le ot j»ardenage. and a contrast to many a U— stately domain. We may like better, perhaps, the scented path where lime trees shed their leaves upon some mossy Urracv. Of to linger in sequestered alleys wh re the antique dial n companion t-» the ancient yew, or in ->me flagrant wilderness with - garlanded; but, whatever be the garden of our choice, we cann t Kit u that England would be poour if it had no Chat-worth «f it- own. We m.i) -ee "live agiiii how wide i- the world of gardening that can contain charactf- so diverse, that can give us the simple wayside garden ot the rustic Cottage, and that ca:i pos-e-s places like Chatsworth loi its crown. This, indeed, i- a peat, spaci >u-, stately, and trul\- ducal domain, with a garden comparable in its kind to any ot the -plendid gardens of the world, and it i- a g irden, moreo\er, in tlie pleasure- of which, through the ga:ne a Member of Parliament, architect ••: the - • — • 1HE VltW FROM THE WEST MW 103 UARDI-NS OLD AND NEW. Valentine. THE HOUSE /\ND THE CLASSIC BRIDGE. JLtiin.iee. Crystal Palace, and a knight — really enjoyed the opportunity of showing upon an ample canvas, in a supremely beautiful country, and with ample resources at his disposal, what he could do at liis best. It is here that his work may be studied to the m«M advantage. To describe Chatsworth itself is impossible here. There are many rooms with sombre panelling of carved oak. There are pictures by Holbein, Zucchero, Sir Joshua, Rembrandt, Luca Giordano, Watteau, Salvator Rosa, Landseer, Verrio, and many others; and they are nearly all famous, and, thanks to the generosity of the Duke in lending them for exhibition, nearly all familiar even to those who have not had the oppor- tunity of visiting their customary resting-place. Who does not know Holbein's " Henry VIII.," Zucchero's "Mary Queen of Scots," Sir Joshua's "Beautiful Duchess," " Bolton Abbey," and so forth ? The chapel, with its painting by Verrio, its Cafjtlt.1.1. IHh EMPEROR POND. Cmn'.ry Lift.' t.n- 110 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. carving by the unrivalled hand of Griniing Gibbons, is one of the wonders of England; and all England contains no such complete gathering of curious and precious statuary. In a word, or in a sentence, there is an unrivalled collection of art treasures within, just as there is the finest example of the work of a very notable gardener without. It may be said that Chats- worth is stately, massive, and imposing, rather than exquisitely beautiful, save in point of situation . Yet its very soliaily and substance are in harmony with the status of its owner, the owner also of Hardwick Hall, of Bolton Abbey, of Compton Place near Eastbourne, and of Lismore Castle in the County Waterford. It is essentially ducal, and was built by the first Duke, raised to that Cofy,ij/,t. honour in 1694, and extended and adorned by the sixth Duke, who succeeded in 1811, and died unmarried in 1858. Of the old Chatsworth and its gardens one of our illustrations will serve to give some idea. Its very quaintnrss may also cause a feeling of regret that t!',e ancient building and its surroundings have been so completely obliteraied. In that ancient Chatsworth Mary Queen of Scots was placed in confinement by Elizabeth. The unhappy prisoner is said to have passed many of her lonesome hours in a garden, called Queen Mary's Bower, on the top of the low square tower or platform which is seen by the visitor amid THE LOWER WEST GARDEN. " Country Lije.' the trees as he approaches the house from that classic bridge which Caius Gabriel Gibber, the father of Colley Gibber, adorned with its statues. That tower, indeed, even now, when the creepers have veiled some of its uncompromising outline, is grim and sullen beyond belief. For the rest, we must be content to realise that the Chatsworth of to-day is as different as it is humanly possible for it to be, house, landscape and all, from the Chatsworth in which Mary was immured. The sky is there, and the river, and the lovely and undulating Derbyshire country ; but for the rest all is changed. " County Life.' THE SOUTH WALK. OMTSW&KTH. in X ULJ - y. " O x UJ x H 112 GARDENS OLD AND KEW. THE ENTRANCE TO THE WEST TERRACE. " Country Life.' Our illustrations serve to give as complete an impression as can he obtained of the remarkable work of that great man Sir Joseph Paxton, the notable and leading exponent of a strong schotl of gardening, which sought its inspirations and effects in the garden design of classic lands. It were idle to deny that these gardens, generally, leave room for considerable differences of opinion. Indeed, it may well be that the succession of ten aces in which the original gardens at Chats- worth were laid out had a special charm of their own, and that, from some points of view, the new garden is less pleasing than THE GRtAT CONSERVATORY. the old must have been. That subject, however, is one into which it is unnecessary to enter at any length. Suffice it to say that the gardens, as they stand, are the best and largest example of Paxton's method displayed on the widest and most chniceworthy canvas, that they possess a defin te historical value and interest, that they have a distinct quality and character of their own, and that whatsoever may have been lost in natural beauty or garden quaintness has its compensation in the stately and appropriately magnificent scale upon which the whole has b.-en conceived. Let us take as an example that ..'_.. . ._ which is perhaps the most characteristic of all the views, that of the South Walk. Here is a broad and white sheet of gravel glowing in the sun, its level raised as it leaves the house by a flight of stone steps, flanked on either side- by rhododendrons, which are particularly good at Chats- worth, and by two fine statues — there are more be- yond. On either side is a broad belt of lawn, shaven close, and, again, fine forest trees. The whole leads with inexorable and inevitable straightness to Flora's Temple, which is partially shrouded from view by the cascade of the fountain. It is not, perhaps, restful — on a smaller scale it would be in- tolerable—but in this huge manifestation it is emphati- cally imposing ; and as one looks towards the Temple, with its splendid background of trees, one seems almost to be able to hear the roar and the crash of the falling water. • Luuntry Ltjf." •v///. 113 THE WfcLLINGTON R(>(.k. GARDENS OLD AND NFW. The fact is that there is room, and an abundance of 1% for every kind of gardening at Chats\vorth ; room in par- ticular for the line of limes, which were fine trees when Dr. Johnson enjoyed their shade 1 16 years ago; and beyond the end of this line are three trees of peculiar interest, known as the Royal Trees. Of these, one, an oak, was planted by the Queen when she was Princess Victoria, in 1832. The planter was then twelve or Thirteen years old, the tree — unless, indeed, it was a case of sowing an acorn, which is hardly likely — may have been about the same age ; and now the planter, held in far more honour than any living man or woman, is well stricken in years, anJ the tree is in its forest youth. Another, planted on the same day by the Duchess of Kent, is a Spanish chestnut, and the other is a sycamore-, planted eleven years later by Prince Albert, who had then been Prince Contort for some two years. Room is tlit-re also for landscape gardening, and for the arrange- ment of woxls and views and vistas upon a really colossal scale. The predominant features, we are inclined to say, of Chatsworth are those straight, broad, and uncompromising paths, the statues, and the fountains, of which several views are given. Greatest amongst them is the Emperor Fountain, fed as the others are from the lake 4Ooft. above, and appearing in our picture as a parallelogram of gleaming water. But the gardens are full of other points of interest also. Look, for Copyright. THE HOUS3 FRO.M THE SOUTH EAST. ' Country Life." example, at the charming Ring Pond, with its rude boulder in the middle, its lilies in the water, its trim yew hedges, its surrounding sentinels o" columnar yews. Or stand by the entrance to the West Terrace, with its ironwork gates, low in height, but of fine workmanship, and note tlu- quaint statues of animals, especially the boy on the lion. Note also the same statues, in the Lower West Garden, from another point of view, and see hiw fine a view of the distance and of the lawn below is to be obtained from the West Terrace. Observe also the Italian Garden, excellent of its kind ; and the French Garden, highly characteristic, with its statues on high pillars, and the pillars themselves wreathed in creepers and THE CASCADE iia — u X. — no GARDENS OLD AND NEW. JW-'V Copyright. THE RING POND. Life," roses, and the elaborate centre-pieces. Very beautiful too is the cascade from the living rock, especially on a bright summer's day. Non fitn-is lioniini ctniHngit attire Coriiit/iiim. Not every man, nor every duke even, possesses so princely a domain as Chatsworth, nor the great extent and variety of ground which permits so many kinds of horticultural art to be shown together — this word "shown" is used deliberately, because Chatsworth is emphatically a show place. It would be folly to r e c o m mend owners of houses less imposing, and of less abun- dant space, to imitate the style, with itsfoun tains and its temples, and its French and Italian Gardens. But none the less, taken for ail in all, Chatsworth is splendid and unique. We will not say that the formal garden of the past, with its terraces, which Paxton is said to have " de- stroyed," may Copyright. not be 'THE PALACE OF THE PEAK." regretted. But, when all has been said, Chatsworth remains as the most splendid example of Pax ton's ideas to be found in England or in Europe, always imposing, valuable as an historical monument, and endowed with a peculiar stateliness of character. But even now the greatest and most characteristic glory of the gardens remains unchronicled — the pride of Chatsworth and a truly splendid edifice of glass, not very beautiful perhaps from without, but sti'l, on true Ruskinian principles, to be admired by reason of its absolute and complete suitability to its purpose. It is approached through a rocky ravine, in which everything is done on a grand scale ; its dimensions are, like those of the famous house at Kevv, almost those of a cathedral, and it is the very temple of tropical gardening. Let the reader Consider the picture which is shown, and endeavour to read into it, by effort of imaginition, a few significant figures. In length it is 27/11., in width 12311., in height 67t't. Truly a glorious winter garden, for the hsating of which six miles of hot-water pipes are required anJ used. The carriage drive does not end at the entrance. On the contrary, for a highly- favoured visitor the great doors will open, and the drive may be continued through what is, for all practical purposes, a tropical forest, or the best of many tropical forests com- bined. The central walk is fringed with bananas, planted, as almost everything is, in the ground and not in pots, and at the north end is a pile of bold rockwork, covered with a luxuriant growth of creeping plants, in which Ficus repens flourishes amazingly, and the euphorbia lends a dash of glowing scarlet. Behind this rockwork, and screened by it, is a spiral staircase leading to the gallery which goes round the transept, and the memory of the aspect of the conservatory from that gallery is a thing imperishable. Noble examples of palms and 4 Country Life." .\T//. 11; • - ! ' almost tu tin- |. • and below II ' Illie .manas. the papyrus luting UN willowy sterns, v.il.i.luini-. plulodendrons and hedychiunis all revelling in the soit moisture. Truly a wonderful sight ; and so huge is the SG»!. plete the illusion. anO ct— and it must be oppressive to Northern lungs — is the at sphcri-.th.it it is quite startm-. as \\rll as very pleasant, t • errii i the climati Afr - nth America into the hi rhyshire air aiul to ; through the arboretum into 'Id Park. And when, delighted. the visitor leaves thr ducal mansion — favoured, indeed, if it be to cast a line for trout <>r grayling in the Dei went, the the Lathkill — he will not marvel that many have ; into rhapsodies in describing the glories <•!' Chatsworth. The splendours of the park and gardens, the scented patlm .i\ s, the emerald lawns and lovely trees, the music of the waterfalls, the white- limbed nymphs reflected i,i pellucid basins, the dancing girls ot CI.UMV.I. the \.i-,s .>t blida!.-n porphyry, the famous \\ater\vnks by (inllit, s.nne of them belonging to old Chatsworth, and even the "weeping willow " of copper, which sheds copious stu.irns upon the unwary — all these and many more things ha\e attracted h m. From the upper terrace >-r the "hunting tower" on the lull SOLOMON'S WALK. he has surveyed thv im^ising I . :th the palatial I. by the iK-rwetit in th.- iniJst, and tlii- pi^tures^jin- moJel village of hdensor mi the w^ijed hill beyond, and he teels that he leaves behind one ot the fairest .i:iJ ruhest domains in the land, (x-rtainly iv> visitor \vhois privileged to linger in these enchanting scenes at i;iuts\vorth will tail to appreciate the grucetul compliment which Marshal Tallard. u ho was taken prisoner by Marlboroiigh in 1704, paid to the lJuke ot I)evnnshire "ii !ea\ ing "The I'al.i.e of tin- Peak ": "My Lord Duke, when I compute the da\s o| my captivity in England, I shall omit those I pass.d at Chat> worth." v ^ Tf^- '-7N, . . f-nnj |* Yti^ fj • ',y/MM.~r^V^*- A B;PD'S-EVE VIEW OF THE .-\s OF OLD CATHSWORIM. GUY'S CLIFF, WARWICK, . . THE SEAT OF ... LORD ALGERNON PERCY GARDENS OLD'&NEW THE present writer retains a recollection of Guy's Cliff and its gardens that will not be obliterated. It fell to him to visit the place upon a rare evening of early summer, when the hedges were white with the blossom of the scented thorn, the primroses begem- ming the banks, the bluebells beginning to brighten the shade, and the trees still in their freshest green. Along that beautiful road from Warwick he had journeyed, sometimes under the deep shade of immemorial trees, anon looking oat over the country, remembering how the jeering Gascon, Edward's hated favourite, hastily condemned by angry barons in Beauchamp's stronghold at Warwick, had been hurried, accompanied by a hooting crowd, along the very same way, to his beheading on Blacklow Hill. Neither did he forget the famous Guy, Earl of Warwick, slaughterer of the Dun Cow, who retired to Guy's Cliff long ago ; and, as he approached the scene, the silvery tinkling of bells was heard. They were hanging to the necks of dun kine in the meadows, sleek and beautiful, and possessing none of the terrors of the draconian creature— mmstnun lnn\'nlii:n. infonne, ingens — that fell beneath the blows of heroic Guy. Then there opened a prospect of Guy's Cliff itself, half disclosed at the end of a grandly picturesque avenue of gnarled and twisted old Scotch firs, its front flecked by the evening sunshine. It was a foretaste of what was to come. Down a narrow lane went the wayfarer in quest of the famous mill by the Avon — a place where many have ground their grain ever since Saxon times— picturesqueness, indeed, he said, with that quaint gallery embodied in wood and stone ; and beyond it the footbridge and the meadows, through which you may fare forward to Leamington. But the mill looks out across a broad expanded sheet of the famous Avon — a lake in extent and character — with water- lilies upon its surface, willow and ash dipping their trembling foliage in the water, and in the Jeep shadows of the bank green grasses rising from the pools. The slanting sunlight fell athwart THE HOUSE FROM THE RIVER. "Country I.i.c" GUY'S < I HP. 119 THE FOOTPATH BY THE AVON. 120 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Cop Bright. THE SOUTH GARDEN AND AVENUE. 'Country Lilt." the magic scene, filling the limpid air with radiance, lighting up like a patch of gold the strip of meadow on the further bank, and making splendid the great house rising in the cliff beyond. It is a mansion with a character all its own. You do not here pause to question the architecture, nor to think of the style of the building ; you recognise that Guy's Cliff belongs to, and is indeed a part of, the scene you behold ; that it grows, if the phrase be permissible, from the rock, in massive grouping, filling the exquisite framework, completely embowered amid noble trees, dignified by lofty elms and by great firs with their rare purple tinge, contrasted with the gay colouring of flower- beds below. It is a place meet for the Muses, a veritable castle of Otranto, seeming as if it might be the home of Copyright. A CORNER OF THE LAWV. romance. Those were the impressions of a visitor who saw Guy's Cliff, as it were, by surprise, and saw it with such conditions of atmosphere and sunlight as Claude or Turner would have desired. The place is, moreover, one of singular interest, and its legendary history is full of romance. Leland spoke of its predecessor as a " house of pleasure," and the situation attracted the notice of Evelyn. There is, undoubtedly, something of extraordinary attraction about it, and we read without surprise that the famous Gay, who in the light of legend has assumed proportions so heroic, retired to the enchanting margin of the stream to court abstraction from the world. Here for three vears he dwelt, unknown and unrecognised by "Fair Phyllis," his wife, though daily he came, clad in the russet garb of a palmer, to solicit food from her bounteous hand. The legend says that not until his end was near did he dis- close the rock-bound hiding- place that had been his home. There are caves in the rock upon which Guy's Cliff stands, in which it is certain that anchorites did actually dwell. Near the chapel — dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen, and erected in the time of Henry VI., wherein is a mutilated statue attributed to the hero — are Guy's Well and Guy's Cave, the latter a ruJe excavation in the rock, now entered between heavy oaken doors. Here a Runic inscription of the tenth century has been discovered, in- "Country LI/I-.' terpreted to embody the prayer cf Guhthi, the hermit, (,/ > s < ///•/-. 101 1-22 GARDENS OLD AhD NEW. whose occupation of the place may have given rise to the stories of Guy. But the hero is not represented only by his well and cave, for at Warwick Castle they have a wondrous equipment which, it is said, he wore — body and horse armour and a two-handled sword, with a fork, and a pro- digious p>rridge-pot, no doubt used for cooking the rations of soldiers at a later day, as well as " Fair Phyllis's slippers," being really iron slipper-stirrups of the time of Henry VI. There does not appear to have been any residence of importance at the place in the Middle Ages, but Henry V., who visited it from Warwick, determined to establish a chantry for two priests on the sp it. He died, but Richard BeauJi.mip, Earl of Warwick — the same who founded the exqu site chantry chapel in Warwick Church — carried out his wish, and Rons, tile Warwickshire antiquary, was once the chantry priest there. At the Dissolution the place was granted to Sir Andrew Flammock, and afterwards through many hands passed in 1751 to Mr. Samuel Greatheed, \v ho twice represented CD/I) right. THE ENTRANCE. " Country Life* Coventry in Parliament. Guy's Cliff was at that time an inconsiderable country house, approached by the great fir avenue, which is no longer used as a drive, the lodge entrance being nearer Warwick. The new possessor built the front facing the courtyard — which has partly been excavated out of the rock — and did much else to improve the place, but the character of the house is due to his son, Mr. Bertie Greatheed, who almost entirely rebuilt it from his own plans in 1822. Mr. Greatheed also much improved the grounds and gardens, formed paths, and introduced many adornments, and his work has been carried on by liis successors. Through the marriage of his grand- daughter, Guy's Cliff passed to the Hon. Charles Bertie Percy, and to the hands of its present possessor. A point of interest associated with the Greatheed family may be noted here. Roger Kemble with his theatrical company was accus- tomed to perform at Warwick, and Lady Mary Greatheed, attracted by his daughter, the future Mrs. Siddons, wa.i wishful to make a home for her at Guy's Cliff. Her father, THE LAKE AND LANDING-PLACE. •Country Life," GUY'S THh 5.1 NUIAL. 121 GARDENS OLD AND AW. disapproving of her affec- tion for Mr. Siddons, a member of the troupe, fell in with the idea, and the girl was received by Lady Mary, with whom she lived for some time. The attachment was not, how- ever, broken off. and the marriage took place at Coventry in 1773, and the famous actress — of whom a bust is in the house — was afterwards several times a welcome guest at Guy's Cliff. The account which has been given of the character of the surround- ings of the house will sug- gest to the reader, having the pictures before him, how very charming are the features of the gardens about Lord Algernon Percy's stately home. The situation, which is remark- ably picturesque, being a noble cliff of sandstone rising by the bank of the Avon, precluded any formal arrangement, if such ha.i been desired. When Evelyn visited "Sir Guy's Grot" from Warwick, he described it as "a squaliJ den made in the rock, crowned yet with venerable oaks, and looking on a go idly stream, so as it were improved as it might be, it were capable of being made a most romantic and pleasant place." It may be doubted whether the hand of Evelyn himself could have done better with that marvellous combina- tion of woo.l, \\ater, rock, and meadow. The ancient trees are particularly beautiful, and though some of the grand old firs in the avenue are long past their prime; most judicious planting has gone forward, and the character of the varied foliage invents the grounds with rema rkable charm. So beautiful are the trees growing by the margin of the river that it has the aspect of a romantic water avenue. One cedar is particu- larly noble, and is reputed to be the largest in the county. Splendid is the aspect of Guy's Cliff from almost every point in its sur- roundings, and the tynu-e itself is placed in a particular P.,si- Cc/>T;.fM t vantage Copyright. THE UNDER CLIFF. THE FERRY. for the enjoyment of the scenery and gardens. From the windows of the drawing-room there is a siucession of enchanting vitws of garden, lawn, wood, and river. The most romantic of these is towards the old mill, across the space of shim- mering water, enframed in the glorious foliage, where it is.-ues from be- neatli the dark arch- stirred by the slowrevolv, ing of the wheel. The sombre shadow of elms and tall firs is relieved by the bright flower-beds and the whole combination of effects would be hard to excel. It is bright anJ beautiful in the sunshine, and full of varied charm. The walks are skilfully contrived to give alternate shade and brightness, and those by the margin of the stream under the wall of rock are singularly beautiful. The garden adornments are both natural and artificial. From the Cave of Despair we emerge to sunlit spaces, where radiant flower-beds glow in the summer. There are expanses of the greenest lawn, shadowed by most handsome trees. Water-lilies add beauty to the lake, and irises and other water-loving plants are thick up;>n the banks. The south garden is particularly attractive, with a wealtn of many flowers, and the Kneeling Slave in lead curiously supports a dial, while a charming vista is opened up through an avenue, with a meadow rising beyond. It is not necessary, however, to describe further the garden attractions of romantic Guy's Cliff. Enough has been said to indicate that it possesses a special character arising from tha superb situation it occupies. The Avon is a beautiful river w h i c h fl o w s t h r o ugh e n - chanting scenes, of which some have already been depicted in these pages, for S t o n e I e i g h Abbey is almost a neighbour of romantic Guy's Cliff, which itself certainly possesses one of the fairest domains in the whole county of Warwick. i r.ift* I 1- CLIFTON HALL, NOTTINGHAM, ™E SIAT ^ • LT.-COL. SIR HERVEY BRUCE. IOSE who go in quest of tlu- beauties ot English gardens. associated with many splendours "I architecture and mam "t the interests of histury. will find them in every p.irt ..t tin- land. Our survey IKIS t.iki-n u>- n«>rth. sout'i. e;ist. and wc-st. and we have found our su1 u-t nu- »n the level plain, sometime^ am»n^ broken undul.it m^ .mint- n.tllv in deep valleys, and nut seldom on lofty height*. Each and every situation demands a treatment of its mvn. and the happy adaptation of the house to the landscape and of the garden to both is the object of the artist's hand, an I its delineation is the reason of the present delightful quest. In not a few places have \\e 1"imd the character of the land demanding, or .it le.ist su^t-sting. a terr.uv I f-imation for gardens. This is imtahly the CUC at ( .niton Hall. The terrace has sometimes tvi-n found WVCfdy formal andclassual. at times invested with vari-.-d leatures and much picturesque- ness, .in : allv takmu the form »f an adaptation o| the ground itself. This last m.i\ lv sji.l t.. Iv the character ..( The -tr.it - ass terraces at ditto i Hall, l>ut they \\iihMiperb garden arjiitecture. in a most s.itistact.-r v \v.i\. Of them, however, more anon. The house stands on an al.ihister r.K'k ..vetUioking tin- wide past'.ial vallex- ot the slow -winding Trent, making its way throuji the greenw I country to the Humher and the ' TME OLD CHAPEL AND FOUNTAIN. 126 GARDENS OLD AND A£W. THE WEST FRONT. 1 Country Ltje." North Sea, and a wide outlook over a far landscape is opened from the windows and terraces. The mansion is of late Jacobean character, belonging to that period or aspect of the style — if the word style can be used where the features are so distinct — in which the classic and stately had replaced the broken and picturesque. Red brick always falls well into a garden picture, and Clifton Hall is no exception to the rule. The location is ancient, for Clifton is mentioned in Domesday, and even in the Conqueror's days there was a house on the site. The manors of Clifton, Wilford, and Barton have been held by the family of Clifton ever since those times, though the estate has now passed through the Copyright. THE OLD BOWLING GREEN. female line to the present owner, Lieutenant-Colonel Hervey Juckes Lloyd Bruce, late Coldstream Guards, whose mother was the daughter of Sir J. G. Juckes-Clifton, M.P., ninth Baronet, and sister and heiress of Sir Robert Clifton, the last Baronet of the line. She married the Right Hon. Sir Henry Hervey Bruce of Downhill, B.irt., and died in 1891. The permanence of English institutions is but the reflection of our social life, for, great as have been the changes in the descent of property, it is still possible to find many examples like that of the long-lineaged family at Clifton Hall in the territorial records of the land. The chief features of the grounds at this imposing seat are those fine grass terraces we have alluded to, of which there are five, one above the other, adorned by rows of magnificent old yew trees, as well as by some splendid single specimens. These terraces add distinction to the place, and are amongst the most notable examples of their kind in England. The gnarled old yew trees, which give such strong character to many gardens, enhance the quaintness of the picture here. Terraces are of many kinds, sometimes paved, sometimes laid with gravel, sometimes with a balustraded supporting wall, and sometimes, as at Clifton, covered with turf, very beautiful indeed being these gentle lengths of rich verdure, overlooking the great landscape below. Many notable gardens in England possess a succession ol terraces. Tho:;e at Chats- worth were for the most 1 Country Life. part destroyed in the changes U II TOW H.-UI. 1-24 GARDE\S OLD AND introduced by Paxton, and at an earlier date several perished under the hand of Repton at Bur!ey-on-the-Hill. At Haddon Hall the famous ter- races form a beautiful feature, and are well described in " The Formal Garden in England," and there, as at Clifton Hall, the yew casts its shadow over the turf. The gardens of Haddon "are laid out in four main levels ; at the top is a raised walk. . . , planted with a double row of lime trees. About i oft. below this is the yew tree terrace, divided into three plots, about 1 5yds. square, surrounded by stone curbs, with yew trees in each angle. These were once clipped, but are now grown into great tree*. over- shadowing the entire terrace. 'Dorothy Yernon's Stairs' descend on to this yew tree terrace. A flight of twenty-six led from this terrace to a lower garden about 4ovds. square, divided into two grass plots. A walk from this garden skirted round two sides of a second garden laid out in three levels, and reached the postern door in the outer garden wall In- seventy-one steps, laid out in seven consecutive flights." This was an example of garden architecture and design at their best. Clifton Hall is also very dignified and beautiful in arrange- ments of analogous character though different form, for the grass terraces are adorned with beautiful stonework, and with classic features scarcely surpassed in English gardens. That charming grouping of the curved stairways to the terrace by THE CANOVA LIONS. ' Country the old chapel might have been transported from some old Italian garden of lemon and cypress, of marble stairways and plashing fountains. Look at the mellow stonework, at the mosses that clothe the surface, at the ivy that fondly clings, at the beautiful vases filled with floral wealth ; think what it is to ascend to the green terrace above, and to look out over the balustrade across that noble basin covered with water-lilies, and at the gracious scenes arounJ. Then, again, how note- worthy is the quaint and attractive character of the contrasted semi-circular form of another flight, the convex shape of the lower steps leading to the concave plan of the upper ascent. These are instances of imagination leading to a beautiful THL RIVtk-SIDB CIRCLb STAIRWAY. •'Country Lift." HALL. THE ROSE GARDEN AND PERGOLA. ••Co*.: expression of pardon architecture, and the List, though simple in idea, is a delict. tful pardon creation. It is unnecessary t<> enforce the value of such features, and much has already been said concerning the work of the pardin architect. Conspicuous to the eye of all who ID >k at our pictures is the fact that Clifton Hall pusses^-* prodigal floral wealth — the preen lawns that old Englishmen loved, com- bined with the ir."Nt radiant palaxy that the modirn florist could desire. And yet we discover that the architect, at least in certain parts t> to the deep shade of woodland, and from stately architecture and sculpture to the radiant swettne-s of the fraprant bed and the beautiful border. In short, imagination has invested the place with remarkable character and charm. The various parts of tin- pn.unds at Clifton are v. ry charming. Thus, UK- Italian garden at the back of the house is remarkably attractive, and commands a superb view. There is a modern rose pardon, with beautiful her- l\uooiis borders formed re- cently, and a pergola. How often do we now see tlx rvr;jo|a in English pardons! It has become quite a fashion of late years to create such features. That at Clifton Hall is very delightful, and provides both .1 prate-ill shade from hot suns and a place for the growth of beautiful climbing plants, the gloriously coloured vi the rose, sweet -scented j.ismine, honeysuckle, clematis, and many another P/ai-.-ful plant. The word is, of course. Italian, and such places were formed originally »c«M"7 L»t*.' Of Wooden uprights and cross- pieces, with stone piers and 130 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. i'ofj right. A PEEP THROUGH THE TREES. "Country Lije." Copyright. THE LOWER FLOWER LAWN. "Country Life." Copyright. " Country Lije" A CAPTURED SPACE OF SKY. pillar supports at the angles. In Italy the vine has been the trailer used to cover these structures, aril pergola signifies a variety of vine. But pergolas, if they are new in England, are also old. They were akin at least to the "covert alley upon carpenter's work," beloved of Bacon, through which he would reach other garden pleasures, not willing, in the heat of the day or year, to " buy the shade in the garden by going in the sun through the green" — that delectable place which he proposed with its two pleasures, " the one because nothing is more pleasant to the eye than green grass kept finely shorn ; the other because it will give you a fair alley, in the midst, by which you may go in front upon a stately hedge, that is to enclose the garden." Our ancestors of that time, seeking the welcome shade, would sometimes make pergolas of their own, even without suggestions from sunny Italy, for the pergola sprang from the needs of climate, as the terrace from the necessities of situation. The roses are very interesting at Clifton Hall, and comprise many choice varieties of the various groups into which the rose family is divided. It is very satisfactory to find how largely the rose has been planted of late years in many gardens. At one time it was confined to the rosery, and trained in the most formal fashion, but since a better gardening spirit has prevailed, promoted doubtless by the acquisi- tion of the many beautiful tea- scented kinds, the rose has played a proper part in the adornment of most English gardens. By simple grouping of distinct kinds, keeping each apart, their full value is won, and the tea-scented race tlower bountifully until the late autumn, even until winter in mild years. The woodland surroundings are delightful, and Clifton Grove, a fine avenue of double rows of old elm trees, on which Kirke White wrote a cele- brated poem, extends from the Hall to the village of Wilford, a distance of nearly two miles. Clifton Church, which is situated close to the Hall (a private gate opening from the front approach into the churchyard), is of very ancient date, the greater part of it being of the twelfth century. On the gable at the west end is a stone crucifix, one of the very few remaining in England. It is said to have escaped the hand of the destroyer, owing to its having been overgrown with ivy, in the image-breaking time. The church contains many fine and interesting monuments and brasses to the Clifton family, and its tower is an interesting feature from the gardens. HAM HOUSE, RICHMOND, . . THE SEAT OF ... THE EARL OF DYSART. GARDENS OLD-&NEW A' FTHR dinner I walked to Ham, to see the house and garden <>f the Duke of Lauderdale. which is indeed inferior : the h »t \Ml.is ot Italy itself ; the house furnished like agreat prm, the parterres. tln\\cr gardens, orangeries, courts, st.itiu-s, perspectiws, tountains aviaries, and all this at the banks of the sweetest river in the world, must needs he admirable." v ' 'lin Hvelyn of the famous house of Him. which stands amid ancestral t THE TERRACE AND ENTRANCE. somewhat set back from t!:e river, where Petersham meadow* lie at the foot ot Richmond Hill on the right Kink <•! the Thames. The house and the region are alike l.imous. mi. its historic interest and r.ire charms, the other li-r its noble: and umbrageous Iv.mty. which made it the haunt <•• I' Swift, Gay, and many other /Y./MV <>/>/;/•" ot tlu-ir time, and that endear it iviw to .ill w IM lind tlu-ir pleasuie by the Thames. "()|.i trees, the most placid of UMTS, Thnin«"i. up ab-\e yi'ii, l'"pe near \ou. Cow le\ lum-eli ii"t t.ir -I h"pe here is a nest ot repose both material and spiritual of the most Cow • le\ i.in and H\elynian sort," s.is s l.i-igh Hunt. The great charm Ham House is its oKI-wo.l.l chataiter and seihisi.o, the "pillared dusk" ot its a\eniif. and thickets, the :id'Hir "t the tiees, an 1 delight "t scented paths and (lower borders hy the mossy w.i, K. The lions.- itst-lt is se\eiel\ plain in its quaint ilnr.uter, though ninjj 1 • be ornate in its porch, and in the series nt busts .it tarn 'Us men in niches in its \\ .ills. I hey look out up n a garden that has chang'.-d since Stuart ive that the . mjre deeplx lusted, and the brick is mellower than ot yore. Ham House was built by Sir I hom.is \a\asour in lOlO, but it SIHIII Lime into the hands ot the 'I olli in.it. lies, I:. ills ..| hys.irt. I lie tirst harl was a Murray, but his daughter, who \\.is Com n her own right, man u-d Sir l.ioiu-l I ''llemache, and atter- wards the harl of l.auderdale, tamous f.,r in the Cabal wh"se members otten \ iHted him at Ham. Thi-tc are t.' I au- derdale's altt r.r .ut the place, but since that time very I. Hie has changed. Let it tv I b)w the house and gar^len are quaintly asso- uated by the lines of busts in ovals adorning the old k enclosing walls, which rul> out *rom 'he terrai the sunk wall tl at s< | arateb 13:2 GARDENS OLD A\D Copyright. THE WEST GARDEN. 'Country Life." the garden from the meadows. In the midst of the dappled lawn is the recumbent figure of the river god, and beyond, betwei-n those mossy urn-crowned piers, hang the famous iron gates. Veneration for the eld lias certainly settled upon Ham House, and many a legend is told of how the gates have been opened but once since they were closed on Charles II. When Copyright. THE EAST GARDENS. Horace Walpole's niece became Countess of Dysart, the witty scoffer noted the unchanging character of her new abode. Everything was " magnificently ancient," and all his passion for antiquity did not keep him up. " Every minute 1 expected to see ghosts sweeping by ; ghosts I would not give sixpence to see— Lauderdales, Tollemaches, and Maitlands." His nephew was " so religious an observer of the venerable rights of this house that because the gates were never .> opened by his father but once, for the late Lord Granville, you are locked out and locked in, and, after journeying all round the house, as you do round an old French fortified town, you are at last admitted through the stable- yard to creep along a dark passage by the housekeeper's room, and so by a back door into the great hall." It is a sweet and charac- teristic scene that we view from the north terrace, looking across the close-shaven lawn, flanked by beds of hardy flowers and splendid pyra- midal bay trees, to the old gates and the noble elms nearer the river. But Lift." wherever we go the gardens are in perfect accord with the HAM HU( . f x: _ a X. < O 21 JU 134 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Copyright. THE NORTH GATE. 1 Conntiy Life." quaint old mansion. The hush of ancient times seems to dwell about the Broad Walk as we enter it between those two great pillars, with the beautiful urns on the top, though the glamour of the eld certainly does not imply neglect or di/cay at Ham House. There are no weedy paths or tangled beds, and, unlike the moated grange of Mariana, where " The rusted nails fell from the knots Thnt held the pear to the gaLL-wall," everything is kept in perfect order. There is a delightful outlook over the garden from the south front, where the low terrace wall is skirted by a border delightfully planted with masses of flowers. Here in June lovely white lilies and pale blue larkspurs are flowering, followed later by hollyhocks, and such beautiful things as the Aistra>merias and Galtonia candicans, and there are groups of white Canterbury bells, sea-holly, evening primroses, irises, China roses, and many other favourite flowers. The very walls are green and beautiful with the shrubby growths they shelter. The old house itself, too, is garlanded with many beautiful climbers Cefyrighl. FROM THE WEST GARDEN. n Country Life," \/ 111. Hk< >Al> WALK. / 1 . — such as clematis, fuchsia, magnolia, honeysuckle, and ceanothus — and brightened by the gay orange flowers ••! ; iiiocarpus scaber. Beyond the border is a well-kept lawn, with groups of rhododendrons and other evergreen and flowering shrubs on either side, thrown into relief by beautiful trees in the background, while a delightful \v«>«ijland faces us from which noble Scotch firs lift thfir picturesque branches to the sky. Leaving the terrace, and turning to the right, the visitor s through an archway in the ivy-clad wall, and finds himself in another garden, more attractive, perhaps, than the THE RIVER FROM. List, where the I >fty r-.\l huck walls are vested with • other climbers, and' the borders are filled with a multitude ><: gay and fragrant tl >.vers. The lawn I. ere is broken up by rectangular beds, tilled with roses and \.uious hardy growths. and several fiuit and ornamental trees sh.idow its surface. It is .1 perfect less >M dia vn from .in old b >•>!< a> to the method of forming and maintaining in character a truly hngli-h garden. Elsewhere peat-loving plants, such as rhododendrons and a/aleas. are intermix.-.! with man\ ferns in a very (.harming arrangement. But little furth.-r description is necessary. What we find in the gardens ol Him Mouse- is ;i -, -use ..t quiet and ie. There is no attempt to impress by sharp contrasts and very brilliant masses of ..ir. It is simply an old r.nglish g.irden, adorned with many of the beautiful things that these days provide, though possessing all the quaintness "t its early time. The garden walls, tor inst.i are mHaNe examples of good ien architecture. Ivlight- ful in their nrigm.il.t\ are t!ie long walls enshrining the cl.issR busts which have been •red t... The brick coping adds enrichment, and the wals ;ire divided into spaces by buttresses treated as piers, and crested by q'i u,\t urns nr other carved linia s. In some pUu • . the north front, the wall is In* . and the space betwet-n the piers is tilled by an iron grid inetimes the wall an.: >g have a hollow cir . .U thj ends to the piers. As m'«nt ^' J in such J -I 136 GARDENS OLD AND so venerable an estate, the trees are particularly fine. Some of the elms are notable, and there is a noble avenue of those trees. The evergreen oaks are also greatly ad- mireJ, and there is a good tulip tree, while an old red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is one of the most interesting specimens in England. The whole country, how- ever, is a sylvan paradise, and Richmond Hill forms a noble background to the dear old place. It would be interest- im>, indeed, if we could know the history of such a garden. Here and there in old diaries the curious may discover some few references to it. Evelyn, as we have seen, men- tions orangeries asexisting in his time, but perhaps, as Mr. BlomfielJ suggests, there were plantations, hut the history of the g.irden of Ham House is reflected in its quaint a r run tie me t and subtle charm, and it is cert.i nly delightli.il in the summ-r evenings to linger in its sweet pleasaunces, and with the scent of the flowers, to feel something of the fragrance of the eld. What Walpole wrote of Ham House is, in a great measure, Copyright. THE SUNDIAL IN FORECOURT. true of it still. " Close to the Thames, in the centre of rich and verJant beauty, it is so blocked up and barricaded with walls, vast trees, and gates, that you think yourself an hundred miles off and an hundred years b.ck." That seclusion which was a reproach in Walpole's days has become a delight in these. Who would wish to see the shadow of change pass over the sequestered charms of Ham ? Within the house, too, there has been little alteration s nee its early times. The splendid galler ed hall, paved with black and white marble, the great staircase, the t.ipes- tried Cabal Chamber, afterwards called the Queen's Audience Chamber, the Blue and Silver Room, the Duchess of Lauderdale's suite (with her armchair and other articles of personal use), the beautiful Draw- ing Room, the Chapel, the Long Gallery lined with portraits, the famous lapestry Room, and the noble Library, have scarcely been touched by the modern hand ; and it is from the windows of these historic chambers that the glorious gardens are surveyed. "Country Life,' THE NORTH TERRACE. 'Country Lift." •• J CLEEVE PRIOR MANOR, WORCESTERSHIRE, OLD-&NEW THE SEAT OF • • • MRS. HOLTUM. is a feature in tlie j-ardens .it Oeeve Prior in Worcesteislure tli;it entiles them to a hijjh place in the history of English j-.irdenini;. They are not. indeed, unique, hut they have j-re.it claims upon the attention of ill who would penetrate the ideas of our .mcc^turs as they m.imtVsteJ in the externals of domestic life. That t.iiii"iis ye\v avenue, so fantastically cut, aid representing, it is said traJitionally, the twelve Apostles anJ the four ^elists, is line ot the quaintest garden features in all England. A m ist quaint idea, indeed, is this attrihuteJ t> the " Pn - ' i -Jen," Kit it could not be to it alone. Cleeve Prior lies on tl»e borders of Warwickshire, and is actually in the Shakespeare country, within a mile and a-halt of Bid! rd. Thomas tell us in which a Ct-itain tradition ass.. i.it>-s \vith the rev.lluu of the Hud. N I-A soim-\\ hat further ninth in the same county ot VVat\vuU, .it Packwood, as Mr. Hiomtield anJ Mr. their " h'nrm.il (iard.-n in lin^land." the Sermon on the Mount is literally represented in clipp \J yew. "At the entrance to the ' mou it.' .it the end of the ^.nden, stand four tall yews ^ott. hi^h lor the lour evangelists, and six more on either side for the twelve ap >stli-s. At the top of the mount is an arKmr toimed in .1 £tL-.\t yew tree called the ' pinn.i V .•! the temple,' which \\as also supposed to represent Christ on the M Hint, overlooking the evangelists, apostles, and the multitude Ivlow ; at l.a-t this account of it uas ^iven by tl)e old gardener who was pk-iwhin^ the pinnaJe of the temple." The like quaint 1HE PUKCH. 138 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. devotional idea may also be found in the arrangement of windows in a few old houses of 300 years ago. The middle districts of England are rich in the natural graces of Nature, but they offer many examples also of the manner in which our ancestors fashioned their garden world. In the villages some formal shape will start up from the hedge, confronting us with a strange presentation of bird or animal cut in box or yew. When we remember that the old English idea of a garden was an enclosed place, we begin to see how Cleeve Prior is a s\v garden. It stands high :et in A SECTION OF THE YEW AVENUE. the hedge assumed its importance, what was the function of the terrace.', and how necessary was tlu- pleached alley. They afforded shelter from sun and wind, and gave that bounding line which the eye craves, and the terrace by the house looking out over the area below — a pleasant resort at all times. Such gardens as that at Cleeve Prior could not have been unknown to Shakespeare, and we may certainly conceive that he was thinking of Warwickshire and its borderland when he conjured up his visions of quaint garden beauty. A garden like that we depict is especially valuable, because it embodies anciei.t worth, and is the representative of the ideals of a former time. The moods of the minds of old workers are here ; here is their handicraft; in this garden they rejoiced. Here they tcok their pleasure in the quiet life of a less bustling day than ours, and they have left behind them the poetry of their existence. place in which to find such a the country amid a beautiful range of hills, whose folds it is delightful to trace for their entrancing views and their rare variety. The lofty per- pendici.'-ir tower of the church of St. Andrew, anciently a possession of the Prior of Worcester, is conspicuous through the surrounding coun- try, and looks down upon a typical village full of the sweetness of rural character. A Norman doorway is below, and there are tine features of Early English buildings, and much else that is interesting in the church. You may notice, too, in the village, the quaint bird cut above the hedge and the beehive yew at the hostel of the King's Head. Then by the rustic way you come to the picturesque entrance to the Manor House, and notice an old montoir or mounting-block, from which, in heavier days than these, men got astride their horses, or took their ladies behind them upon the pillion. Trees overhang the way, and rise in massive groups above and behind the house, to which the approach is up the flagged way between the great and lofty avenue of yews. Let all hope, indeed, that these noble relics of a former time may long maintain their vigour and delight genera- tions yet to come. Uncertain tradition says that the monks of Worcester cut and trained the avenue. However that may have been, the sixteen trees are a masterpiece of garden handicraft, cut into their billowy heads and mighty shapes with subtle skill— heavy but not gloomy, for there are transverse sec- tions through which we gain an outlook upon sunlit stretches of grass and radiant banks of flowers, catching si Jit also of the quaint dove- cote in the farmyard. Beautiful is the porch at the end of the pathway, a lofty building of stone, with the motto " Dieu et mon droit," and a chamber over the door, such as we see in many houses of three centuries back. Mullioned windows and lofty chimneys look out over the garden, and the gables group with the splendid trees behind, while the quaint figure that crests the porch peeps out above the yews. On either side of the "Apostles' Garden" we have exemplifications of other styles. The emerald lawn is simply delightful, and makes a pleasant resort, indeed, when the spring "Ctnintry Life, ., .is .it Meltcm Mall in .Norfolk, and at Athelhampton in Dorset, a tevoh'in^ p.st stool .n .1 si«.ket in the centre, with a projecting arm to ivhuli a ladder was liun^. In this way, by turning r-mnd the ptst, act. ess could be had to any part of the structure. The curious interior of the Athelhampton example is ilhMrati-d later in this volume, l:\elyn mentions a " pigeon-house of THE MOUNT ING- BLOCK. 142 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. most laudable ex- ample" at Godstone in Surrey. Many old columbaries, such as the great square one at South Stoke, near Goring, on the Thames, are, as the authors of "The Formal Garden" say, so exceedingly picturesque, that there seems no reason for excluding them from the garden — the greater reason, we might say, for giving them a place. The ordinary barrel dove- cole or other like construction upon a high p:jst was often erected in old gardens and may be found in many places now. In a garden near South- water a dovecote such as this forms the centre-piece of a square walled garden, with straight grass paths leading up to a circle in the centre, and the effect is very good. Badeslade's view of Sundridge PLice in Kent (1720), sliows tlie dovecote standing in the centre of the fish-pond. The water-floor was occu- pied by the ducks ; above this was a room, with a balcony all round, and steps up from the water ; THE OLD FLOWER GARDEN. and the upper part was pierced with holes and perches for the pigeons. Again a large octagonal dove- cote on a solid wooden trestle is shown in Logan's view of St. John's, Oxford. Cleeve Prior has, therefore, a special claim to attention. The village is exceed- ingly picturesque also, and there again is to be seen a remarkable dovecote, though one in no way compara- ble to the fine example at the old Manor House. But, after all, the fine and individual feature of the place is the great double yew hedge of the Prior's Garden. Beyond this we need scarcely go. Our ancestors have left many great illus- trations of their lives and ideals ; but per- haps nowhere have they given us examples so notable of their piety and quaint fancy in practical combina- tion, as in the few illustrations we yet possess of their suc- cessful efforts to figure sacred personages in the green foliage of tlie yew. The posses- sion of such an example is the distinction of Cleeve Prior. Copyright. THH CART HOVELS. "Counlry Lift." <.///:•/ z .u 3 as < J as -L: X 1/1 [ 144 ] GARDENS OLD-&NEW ATHELHAMPTON HALL, DORCHESTER, . . THE SEAT OF .... MR. A. C LAFONTAINE. WITH nl! candour be it confessed that there are thorns and traps on either side of the path of him \vho would deal with such a topic as Athelhampton. For Athelhampton as it stands, that wonderful and artistic harmony of house and garden, is truly an "architect's garden," and in the main the work of one who is an architect in the widest sense of the word. Now Mr. William Robinson, whose services to the cause of the beautiful in country life are beyond all price, and many with him, as we have suggested already, cannot tolerate the architect in the garden. " The architect can help us much by building a beautiful house. That is his work The true arclrtect seeks to go no farther/' On the other hand, the ambition of the architect — in many ways a noble ambition — knows no limits. He will prescribe for you the plan and outline of the garden over which his windows look, and even, perhaps, the very plants and shrubs which must be grown in the various parts of the garden. Some years ago there was a feud, of that bitterness which appears to be inseparable from literary and artistic controversy, between Mr. Robinson and thase who think with him on the one hand, and a group of young and cultivated architects on the other. There is much to be said on both sides. The architect, in designing his house, must think of the work which the gardener has to do afterwards ; and the gardener, in his turn, must think of the opportunities wh-ch the architect has given to him. In a word, as has several times been said in this volume, the spirit of the house must, if in some indefinable sense, pervade the garden. The ideal situation would be if "the compleat gardener" could work hand in hand with the excellent architect. That kind of combination of talent is, however, possibly rare, and it may happen, especially where an ancient and historic house has to be rehabilitated, that one mind will be called upon to plan, out of existing materials, and subject to present conditions, an harmonious whole. Such was the problem which was placed for solution before Mr. Inigo Thomas at Athelhampton in 1890. How great was his success is shown by our illustrations. Cofrrigkl. THE FOUNTAIN IN THE CORONET GARDEN. ' Country Life.' 115 m 4WW 1 ft : — u - 2: _ I H _ LU If I 146 GARDENS OLD AND A'£ff. D o w n i n the water- meadows some miles out of Dorchester the clustered gables and battlements of Athdhampton nestle under the s p r e a d i n g houghs of a great cedar, and in the secluded courts there can be heard the gentle coo of pigeons and the conver- sational putter of falling water. The place was once the h jine of the Martins, a respectable Dorsetshire family, wli .se fortunes have long ceased to be connected with the place of its origin and continuance for eight generations. Then the place passed into otlur hands, and some ten years ago a gentleman fro.n London purchased ail of it that money could buy, to enjoy the retirement and old-world charm of the Dorsetshire country, which the magic pen of Copyright THE EAST SIDE. Thom.is Hardy h.is made so familiar. The prospect before t'.ie reconstruc- tor must liave been inspiring. A thick' forest of larches, no part of any original design, grew Lip to the very windows of the house; but there were other tilings far more promising. To start with, a lofty fourteenth c e n t LI r y hall, with a root of carved oak, formed the mam block of the building, and from its western end there stood oLit at an angle a t hr ee-storied Tudor wing with chained martens on the gabl.' ends. These two blocks were in good preservation, and cjuld be left intact. From the other end of t'.ie hall, and receding from it at right angles, later additions, of no particular character, had been built, and some Elizabethan windows used again in them. "CmiKtry Lije." Copyright. THE LILY POND AND LAWN. "Country Lift.' • IJHHHMMi 147 .rnin^ from this, so as to form thr< the hall. was a still later w ..nous brickwork that might have set n eighty summers. Here was abundant material (or much hard thinking j'lanning, and for .n c 1 1 i.i 1 1 mi ot van. us ideas and Ivauty which seemed at tiist to he mutually contra- dictory. But at length ; Ian shaped itselt. It included rebuilding part"! these two blocks and connecting the end i't the last with the hall by I !e. So much for the house. And now what could Iv done in the n ? There hod tven a forecourt with a delightful ~.te the porch. 1 h i s was known from old views of tile llou-e, a:id the i Irom the gate- house still stood in s under the great Cedar. That was to be rebuilt into the south tront. As to the -ardens. there were no tiaces remaining. The lardi wood spread pa-t the south front; beyond that was a paddock, then a lane and the load to Blandford. \ smis ot a sunny court ot green on the south front, with a Ion- down tlxr Centre, seemed to map themselves nut on the survey. But the larch wood must ^" t" get it, and the ground be excavated to ^ive a Step down fro:n the doorway. There w as a mass of soil to be mov ed, and the idea t ok shape cf carting it towards the Blandford mad to make an upper garden, with .1 walks all round and a long terrace id. With a pavilion at either end, which would command the whole. Between this and the south couit there would be a long, narrow space, a pretty v ista from the drawing-nx m windows when rampant roses and creeping clematis clothed the pinnacles. For in the middle, at the cr from the upper garden to the south court, some errant fancv dictated a i 9nT*c*:- THE INTERIOR OF fHE ANCIENT DOVECOTE. f of) "*••'. coronet in >t->ne, a circL- of pinnacles on ramps. with a sundial in the centre and step> down from tlte upper garden, with wrought-iron gates and basket fruit in stone. Beyond the arcade in the house would • le tennis-lawn, and a ti-ure in 1 n the stre.i!' ! the vista tii.U w through the Courtvard, the house, and the s.,uth garden. Another visj.i, tro.n the seat on tli would .ross the upper garden, through the and tin- i ori.net, unit, and. .living into the ;;! i.l a grove Ivvoiid. lose Itselt 111 the sh.ldy M -s ..i a sUmmer- hoUSe. Mull was the scheme, tint .ailed for much in the a. i "in- plishin.1. Thi tin- telling, grubbing, and v.irtmg away o| trees, the purchase and planting of yew and I MX. ni ttirl and tl >.\ers and creepers. There \\eri tuns nf gravel, twice silted, and metalling for the garden paths. For many months laden with russel st me tioni Ham Mill creaked down the Yeovil mad Rome was not built, nor was Athelhampton rebuilt, in a day. The thousand and one ditti. ulties that attend such undertakings all put in their appear.m.e in due Course. But at last the outside work was finished, and the hbiary in the long w ing pain lied in i ak and plastered with a dainty pendant Celling fr;^ ot iris and Turk's-'.iead • hhes. if:'- "1 I -'it v ears 1 passed since the designer uas separate. I lro:n his I'tlsprmg. and on the whole T'IIK- and Nature seem to have dealt kindly with hi> work, and to have overlaid the bare torm w it i • •I clematis, • and honev suckle, leaving ju>t a hint here and there of architectural form, eii"ug i ti show :le ammc _:oAlllg tliinus. I s,.me changes in his darling idea might not alto, plea-e him. In the coronet garden a fountain has usurped the place of the sundial. In the sunk garden the format on lacks a ceiure and the four surrounding figures, and there is a sense ••: Illcomplet' irom the piers wanting proper lim.ils. But on the wh irdening seems to have followed the right direct! -n. The paved court with its wuker du.is is the very place in which to ba-k through Me alter lunch; but one would readily THE 148 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. THE GARDEN APPROACH. ' Country Life.' enclosure. In another eight years, cr less, yew should be as high and as dense needed, and tlu stone has doubtless banish the glazed pots on the balustrade in favour of gcod leaden vases with covers for winter. It is interesting to see what eight years' growth will do where things are sheltered by the hedges of as will ever be long since taken the soft lavender lichens that its surface affects and that painters delight in. The old dovecote in the paddock by the stream is of interest, and is a garden feature also, retaining the revolving ladder hung from a massive post in the centre that helped the col- lection of sqmb pigeons from tha myriad nesting- places with which the in- terior is lined, and that does o still. But in speaking of Co,,, ,,.,..,. Cleeve Prior, THE NORTH we have spoken of dovecotes as garden features, and we need not further elaborate the matter. They are very effective points, like garden-houses and sundials, to be used well by the discriminating hand of Art. What we discover at Athelhampton is that the ha> d of Art has worked most excel- lently both in past times and in these. It is most gratify! g to deal with such a place, because, like same others we might name, Athelhampton is an example of a house regene- r a ted. Li k e (jie.it Tang'ey, to name but one, it has been recovered from t h r e a t e n i n g decay, and it stands amid its pleasant gardens and woods in the picturesque land of Dorsetshire, a fine and cha- racteristic illus- tration of what ripe judgment \ a good old H n g 1 i s h dwelling and its PAVILION. surroundings. "Ciiuntry Life." i X 01 5! < O UJ t 150 ] IGHTHAM MOTE, KENT- • • • TriE SEAT OF • • Mr. T. Colyer-Fergusson. GARDENS OLD-&NEW NGLAND would be poor indeed if it had no such places as Ightham Mote. In this ancient courtyard, with those dear old gables looking down, we have the very type of the houses of former times. We may go to grander places, where the clang of the mailed heel seems yet to echo in stately halls, to more sumptuous chambers, where courtly dames might have seemed, perhaps, more at home ; but in few other places cm we find so notable an example of the houses in which the mediaeval gentlemen dwelt. It belongs to the days when the times were troubled, and when the knight or squire foun.l it comfortable to live in a house whence, securely through a lo.'phole, the cloth-yard shaft might wing its way, and where it was well sometimes to parley from the gate-tower with the stranger across the moat. There was protection in such houses from the sudden raid, and, at a pinch, with the drawbridge up and the portcullis down, they might even stand a siege. But such measures were only for the turbulent or the unwelcome ; for the friend or the honest stranger the gate was opened wide, and there was English hospitality behind the iron-bound oaken door. The sun was caught in the court- yard, and was kindly to plant and flower, and such growths as the century knew garlanded gable and chimney, while beyond the bridge the garden lay, all sweet with summer blooms, a gay domain of beauty that many were glad to explore. Ightham lies in a hollow in a very beautiful part of Kent. The stream running down from the hill supplies its enclosing moat. A pleasant stroll of some four miles from pretty Sevenoaks, through the famous park of Knole, thence along an elevated ridge and by copses and hedgerows, brings the visitor to the point where he looks down upon another world, gazing out upon the tower and gables of ancient Ightham, romantic and beautiful in the valley. Nothing more picturesque can be imagined, whether we look at the quaint old house, with its grey tower and courtyards, its high gables an.l red-tiled roofs, or turn attention to the luxuriant gardens that add so much to the charm. Here we shall endeavour to du Cofyrighl. A CORNER OF I HE QUADRANGLE. "Coun/ry Lift." 151 iir THh (iKKAT TOWfcK. 152 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Copyright. A PERGOLA. "Ciiuutry Li/c.' both, to catch the spirit of the place in thinking of its history, and to iv>te the characters with which the garden i.; informed. The family of De Haut, or Fitz Haut, is said, like many otliers, to have come over with the Conqueror, and one of its members had a fortified house at Ightham in the time of Henry II. The oldest parts of the existing house go back to Copyright. THE LAWN AND ORNAMENTAL TKEES. Edvv.irJ II. or a little earlier, but the greater portion was rebu It in the reign of Henry VII. and Henry VIII., and a good deal of excellent timber work' was added in the times of L-lizabeth and James, with the result that, in its varied features of weather-worn stone and picturesque timber, rising from a moat, Ightham is one of the quaintest piles of domestic architecture imaginable. One Rich.irJ Fitz Haut of Ightham forfeited his heritage and lost his head at Pontefract for joining Buckingham in favour of Richmond, where- upon the Kentish house was granted to Robert Bracken- bury, Lieutenant of the Tower. But Bracken bury fell at Btsworth, and when Richmond ascended the throne Edward Haut, son of the dispossessed squire, was installed in possession of the Mote. At this time the tower was raised and the west side rebuilt. In 1520 the house was sold to Sir Richard Clement, of Milton, in Northampton- shire. It afterwards passed to Sir Christopher Alleyn, Lord Mayor of London, and in 1590 was sold to Sir William Selby, of Branxton, in Northumberland, Warden of the Marches and Governor of Berwick-on- Tweed, a veteran of the Low Countries, whose descendants continued genera- tion after generation at the Mote. The date of the hall 'Ccunlrr T.tfe." /GW7//.-/.V \10TK. i c _ o O u /• ZD O LU X 154 GARDENS OLD AND and crypt is supposed to be about 1340; the chapel, from having Sir Richard Clement's arms and the badge of the Tudors, appears to date from 1520 or thereabouts ; the arms of the Selbys in the hall with the motto "Fort et Loyal," and on the tower, also indicate the date of Henry VIII. or later. There still remains in Ightham Church the monu- ment of Dame Dorothy Selby, who died in 1641, and of whom her wondrous epitaph avers that she frustrated Guy Fawkes. Her "curious needle" "Turned the abused str.ge Of this lewd world into the golden age," whilst her nimble wit enabled her to read a veiled letter to Lord Monteagle for the un- doing of deluded Guy. And then, as if to confute the doubter, behind Dame Dorothy's 1-ead is a carving wherein we see the Pope, in conclave with cardinals, monks, and the devil, instructing the traitor, while ships are discerned making towards England, and the Houses of Parliament are depicted with the faggots, powder-kegs, plotter, and lantern in the cellar. Even odd conceits and unveracious histories like thes : add something to the interest of Ightham Mote. Romance undoubtedly belongs of right to the place, as you feel when you traverse the garden and cross the substantial structure which has replaced the drawbridge that of old spanned the water. Here is the embattled and turreted tower with the gateway, and the flanking buildings rising sheer from the moat. Through the archway we are really in another world, with the great windows of the hall and the loveliest of enriched gables and oriels looking upon the sunny space v.ithin, while the graces of foliage and blossom Copyright. A GENERAL VIEW. ' Country Lite." cling fondly to the ancient walls, and touch with brighter colour their venerable tones. The hall, the famous domestic chapel, and the apartments are all exceedingly interesting, and from their deeply splayed windows look either into the courtyard or across the glistening moat to the garden and the fair country beyond. In olden times tradition says that 300 horses were stabled in the quaint building opposite to the entrance tower across the moat. These stables and out-buildings form another quadrangle, built entirely of timber in Elizabethan times, and are wondrously picturesque to the eye. A house such as Ightham Mote must needs have a beautiful garden. If the gardens had been of formal character there would have been nothing unsuitable, but it cannot be gainsaid that the scenes we depict are tilled with a sweeter and most appropriate charm. The surrounding moat gives the character, Copyright. THE STABLES FROM THE KITCHEN GARDEN. /<;/////• -/A/ MO n. ! \\.iti-- flourish. vx hile tl'xxets g itl.tnJ the ills ,,t til . xxeil till- ill. .uelii. climbing pl;int> h. i* d th< in t-> tl .• xx.iTs that \\ ith- !io\xe\er. in any lllllg till' slniitiir.il char. i,.; JuU-v.tur.il ,.! •11 in t t" x i- 1 looked. .111 J tin- fin \v c r in asses t«>tm a charming contrast t.i till- ruh tin: xx alls anJ ht\!. H .xv delightful i< this xxall gardening. \\ ith, maybe, an rhituim. to.iJila \ . ots i; the chinks aid form .lens of precious growth. pvrpi-tu.its.-J by scattering of seed irurn \ i-ar t • year. • •niii;! ilr.ivxs in. A dt li^llttlll Il-M,lt tlllix IN this tor tin- pV.is.int old on. with thv thrush in tin- tti-e «t tin- c.ill n^ li«'in the and \xiili such a ti> rrturil to « tlic play >•> i'V r. Wh.it a xxoiid-.-iliil hill, t hi .in I aMt. sun- xx ith A VIEV. THROUGH THE GATEWAY. •Count' the natural tin- kitchen y.n l<-ii as \\ i look .ICIONS i.i tin- st.i! Mi-re the spuii o| quaint- llc-s is in the old timber ;.i - the hiuh-pitcheJ ro' i I U N t e ii n g i \ x'. grey "Id xx.ills, the bell-cot lilted ( iladdenej x\:tll l:ght. and Billed shaduxv, rare in the ii"ti- "I melloxx colour, and xx ith the bnjit edgin.' it x.i\i!ra,je .in.l tin- rough stmie margin in the ton-gio'ind, tins is a sivne di-.ir to the artist. 'III.- pi. i.e. IlloreoX-er. offr:^ .1 p.il.,t study oi the tn-i- and liiMin.int gat dening appiopn.ite to such an abode. the valley, xvhence the a puiling brook that t< ,1 Then, again, xxe I'Mik up xvater descends to the lloloxv, the old stew-ponds xxheie lish \x< i. • latteiii ,1 toi the tal-lr — and the moat; t"i tins, as \xe h.ive s.ud. is no -t.i^n.int xvater. but a captured expanse of it, that xx.ish.-s the IMS.- ot the ancier.t xx.ills. ret;r-lu-.l l>\ the |-|e.i-ant K. nti-h steam, xxhich then p.isst's onxxard rejoicing, xxith deep and slialloxx, from its visit to the quaint old place, t'> other charming scenes beyond. There seems t > be no jarring note here, and Ightham is a place \\here tin- sxxeetness of tlie garden and th.- country reign-.. THE EYTPANCE TO THE DIMNG-HALL. And the parJeii* tinirst|xes ate xerx leauMul. xxith man;. .tnd shad> ntTeat. xxith a pugola under which it is dili-htful to linger, for the ttagraiue and Nrautx ••: the mas- huh f mh.-.vi r tie [lace, xxith grassy paths and edgiiv. n which lilies and many otl.it splendid --!en loutish. with no: adorning the landscape, and casting their Icr.gthening shadoxvs across the sunny boxvlin^ ^teeii as the TMI TOWEP. «c««^ [ 156 J /^ A O TM7 TVTC NEWST£AD ABBEY, OAlYUJlJN O NOTTINGHAM, X^« T% O ^T¥-»TAr OLD-&NEW MR W. F. WEBB. of O long as English literature lasts shall the fame Newstead Abbey enJure. Deeply loved for its charm of the eld, Its hoary walls, the deep solitude of its presence, the mystery of its tangled brakes, the legends it cherished, and the dreams of dim romance and high emprise it could evoke, it was t're home of the most brilliant poet, and most meteoric genius, perhaps, of modern days. And Byron never saw its full fruition. Neither the character of his stormy life, nor the means of which he disposed, enabled him to renovate its mouldering walls. His predecessor had left it desolate. The ruined Augustinian house of Newstead, which the Byrons had made their home, had stood a siege in the Civil War, when they fought well for the King. When Evelyn was at Newstead in 1654, the place reminded him of Fontainebleau. It might be made a noble seat, he said, for it was "accommodated" with brave woods and streams. The oaks of Sherwood were its reverend counsellors, the jewelled banks its adornments, the kine browsing in the meadows and the squirrels leaping in the woods the denizens of its " most living landscape," and the legends of Robin Hooc' its romance. But much was needed to make it a Fontainebleau — much more even than "the old Lord's devils," as the country-side called the leaden Fauns which leered at the nymphs and dryads of the grove. And, looking at Newstead, we ask ourselves whether we should like to see it a Fontainebleau, indeed, whether, for an English country home, those radiant gardens, terraces, landscapes, and varied picturesque features are not on the whole much better ? Horace Walpole visited Newstead in his time. He found "the hall entire, the refectory entire, the cloister untouched, with the ancient cistern of the convent and their arms on it; a private chapel quite perfect." "The park, which is still charming," he wrote, "has not been so much profaned ; the present Lord IKH lost large sums, and paid part in old oaks, .£5,000 of which have been cut near the house. In recompense he has built two baby forts, to pay his country in castles for the damage done to the navy, and planted a handful of Scotch firs, that look like ploughboys dressed in family liveries for a public day." The old lord, returned from his conflicts with the French, had, in fact, raised mimic forts along the margin Copyright. THE EAST FRONT. " Country Life," - z / c _ Q 21 _ I/) _ X H 153 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. of the mere, on whose rippling surface floated a little frigate or other miniature man-of-war. The poet fitted up a corner of the house for himself, and, adjacent to the chapel, his bedroom remains almost as he left it. But the story of his life at Newstead must not be told here. They whisper that, tor his profane revels, he dug up forgotten skulls from monastic graves for the making of drinking cups. But, in other moods and more often, that " glorious remnant of the Gothic pile " with its ruined lane, its cr\ pt, its great hall, and its cloister — tilled him with won- drous thoughts. "A mighty window, hollow in the centre, Shorn of its glass of thousand colourings, Through which the deepeii'd glories once could enter, Streaming from off the sun like seraph's wings. Now yawns all desolate." It is, indeed, as we may see, a glorious fragment to this day. The cloisters have a quaintness all their own. "Amidst the court n Gothic fountain play'd. Symmetrical, but deok'd with carvings quaint — Strange faces, like to men in m isquerade, And here perhaps a monster, theie a saint.1' The region in which Newstead lies is one ot ancient forest; but many an oak of Sherwood had bowed beneath the stroke, and the beautiful woods that grace Newstead in these days were mostly planteJ by Colonel Wildman, who followed the poet in possession, bringing the decaying house to a condition of domestic charm it had not attained Cofrriglit. THE CLOISTERS. before, and carrying on a great work in beautifying the sur- rounding estate. But the final fascination of Newstead has been conferred upon it by Mr. Webb, who, with his daughters, is a true lover of country life, well versed in gardening lore. In such good hands has Byron's abode, with surroundings further altered and adorned, reached a state of splendour which per- haps he could not have forecast. Yet his poetical allusions in " The Dream " are, nevertheless, singu- larly apt and beau- tiful. There is a tenderly g r a c e f u 1 reference to the "gentle hill," on which he said his last farewell to Miss Chaworth, a hill afterwards ruthlessly shorn by a strange hand of its " peculiar diadem of trees in circular array." It rises hard by the beautiful lake, to which fine lawns and grassy steeps descend gently from the southern side of Li/c. ' tree graces the slope, writing his lines " To of the water bv which the abbey, where many a r.oble Looking on Lake Leman, Byron, Augusta," bethought him tenderly he had often lingered at home. " I did remind thee of our own dear lake By the old Hall, which may be mine no more. Lemaii is fair; lr.it think not I forsake The sweet remembrance of a dearer shore. Sad havoc time must with my memory make Ivre that or thou can fade these eyes before." Many memories of Byron are treasured at Newstead. Here, by the flower garden, is the oak he planted and . THE TERRACE ASCENTS. ' Country Life." •'V II.N //.»/' 160 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. celebrated in song. Not far away, beneath the shade of a noble cedar, is Boatswain's grave, where his favourite Newfoundland was buried. Many tilings have happened since he last visited Newstead in 1813. In that generous soil the trees planted after his time have thriven well, and now we behold the beauties that spring from the judicious planter's hand. Mr. Webb has moulded the gardens afresh, and he and his daughters have watched them with judicious care. Thus the fish-pond of the monks has now most beautiful surroundings, and from every point of view new charms are disclosed. Whether we traverse the delight- ful native English garden, or survey the quaint features of the French parterres, or gather bowlfuls of blossoms in the garden assigned to Spain, or again examine the un- familiar denizens of the tract of bamboos, or the multitudinous treasures of the rock garden, we feel that true lovers of Nature, possessed with a keen interest in its varied forms and developments, have invested the abbey with its charm. Newstead is mainly a garden of terraces, gentle grass slopes, and broad mixed borders, in which countless varied blooms have their home. The famous terrace is about 230) ds. long, and is reached by a flight of steps, with groundwork, for assuredly the box edgings are familiar in the best English gardens, and it cannot be said that the tuberous and other forms of summer Ivgonias, and the many bright flowers that fill the beds, are in any way the monopoly of France. There is something very quaint and delightful in the Spanish garden, a modern development which is its neighbour, or more truly a part of itself. Here again we find red gravel and box edgings, these last developed into veritable walls, 2ft. high and as many broad. They enframe numerous varieties of bulbous flowers, which give changing colour from spring to autumn, besides lupines, annuals, and a host of familiar flourishing things. The Devil's Wood is approached from the terrace, but the evil spirit has been exorcised, and instead of a forbidding thicket of dism:il yews, we find ornamental specimens of the tribe, well-kept hedges, open spaces of grass, and quite a collection of beautiful crab trees. Our pleasant journeying at Newstead now brings us to the Eagle Pond, which in character and setting reminds us of a Dutch garden. Its shape imposes a certain formality, which we find in the grass terrace and square flower-beds, and a peculiarly charming feature is THE EAGLE POND. 1 Countiy Life." moss-grown balustrades, and many shadowed seats for those who enjoy its pleasures. You can scarce imagine a more fragrant or entrancing report than this to linger in when the shadows slowly lengthen, the thrush sings from the apple bough, and the air is rich with the hum of the laden bee. You may make much in your "study of imagination " of a garden terrace—the very place for sober converse, light-hearted laughter, or any delight of the open air— as you survey these gentle grass slopes, broad borders and beds of flowers, and the many features of the garden that lies before. We have glanced at the grounds on the south side of the house where these emerald lawns, shadowed by spreading trees, fall to the margin of the lake. The gardens on the east side are quite different. The creators of these seem, in a manner, to have ransacked the earth for its treasures. They have captured the garden delights of France and Spain, and even have brought to Newstead the jungled growths of Far Cathay. But, somehow, these various manners strike no dis- cordant note in the harmonious character of the whole. Here we are in the French garden, and, if there be any- thing Gallic about it, this must, we think, be in the red gravel the happy marriage of the finest varieties of rhododendrons with that magnificent flower, the Lilium auratum. Let us now pass through the tunnel beneath the terrace to the bamboo garden, planted where the old "stew-pond" was, and where these graceful and vigorous grasses lift their feathery stems in fascinating contrast to the dark shade of the yews. Then we come to the Alpine or rock garden, re- modelled and replanted a few years ago, and reflecting the loving care bestowed upon it. Here a thousand starry gems have their home, reminding us of the upland Alpine meadows, where such flowers overspread the ground like i.'inve rich carpet. We linger, too, fondly in the rose and carnation garden, where is the sweetest partnership of colour and fragrance in the linking of our two fairest hardy flowers. Go where we may in these garden?, there is something to attract and charm, some delectable prospect, some dainty garden imagining, some enchanting effect of variety. We are led by our surroundings to recall the former dwellers at the abbey, while we revel in the delights created and fostered by their successors. But space is exhausted, and so \ve conclude our account of the beauties of historic, romantic, and charming Newstead. FOUNTAINS HALL - AND ABBEY, YORKSHIRE. . GARDENS OLD-&NEW Ft >l \ I \I\S MALI, is n mansion whose stones speak ;is loudly o| a (||?H- Ion;; P-'st. I 111- house IN •Iv.in. .nul the terr.ues and hedges c>! the ^atdeii, whkh .HI its immediate neighbours, tv.ir the aspect nl th.it picturesque period, hut the materials out of which it was Iniilt were quarried Irom the ruins of tlk- house nt tin- ureat abbot ot Fountains. Our minds are carried I- THE EM RANCH GATE. therefore, to the time of the thirteen monks whom Archbishop Thurst.in of York took from tin- M- 'v\ »: M. \\e\'s. i ! pl.inteil in wll.it w.is then the ru^ed \\ •lUli-rne-.s by the little river Skell, where tlu-\ " in.ule the desert smile." I \\ere men with girded l"i'is and the l.imp lit, who cr.i\> I ' stricter rule than prevailed in the Benedict. ne house .it York, lor there were ro.its in the Hem-dMr e soil tint thirsted l^r the water spunks found in the silenl rec-.-sses o| h Hint. nil I t.ile. There h.ul Ix-ell the --.in from laxity in the h m^ ,'\ islesme, trolll which Al'l">t Kol'ert had ^oile out to join with Stephen liardm^, the l:n^lislriiaii, in estahlishm^ the pa-eiit house of the (^Mercians at (Iite.iux. Harding was the master and instructor ot the famous Bernard, abhot of (Jairva'.ix, and I liiirst.ri w.is Bernard's friend, aiul Iv.tn had a keen interest m the new th.it was to Iniilt l>y the river Skell. Looking .it the smiling scene that greets us in h'o'antain I Kile, we recognise that these m mks Were the pioneers and exemplars of a^iiailtural development, and oi the richness and virtue of country life. To Ix-^in \\ith, there was little but the ru^ed r«ck and tile wilderness to ^ive proin^e i-f plenty. I hey lab Hired in the making of mats, in tilling th in cutting ta^ots tor then oratory, and such ol them as > .uld in that pleasant art "I gardening, which, in the M.its t i C"iiie, was t • t ist a new Clamour 0\ • 1 i it.nn l)ale. Wll'.-le the ancients wo il.l h.ue found Pan and the l:auns and l>ryads, tlK-se men disc .. the incentives to a lu^lu: " Your letters snu I! o! the tort st." wrote I.eo \. to I;-! .In Viterl», " and shed the odour of the sha.le and of the delightful spot in which your h->use is reared." And v) wrote St. Bernard to Ab!»t MurJac of Fountains, telling him, out of the frint of ex|erience, that tin-re was more to be found in the wixiJIand than m books. "Li^na et lapides docebunt te quoj a ^tus audire non j However much truth, or hosve\er little, there may be in the statement that the exquisite which had sent out the 162 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. white - robed workers was forgotten, and that the spirit fled when the form was made perfect, at least it is certain that they entered upon their labour — as is written in the Chronicle of Meau.x, ruled over by a monk from Fountains — seeking " their daily bread by the sweat of their brows, planting with their life's blood the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts." Not less certain is it that under their laborious hands the sterile wilder- ness and impenetrable thicket were brought under culti- vation. Fountains Abbey shall not be described in this place, for it lies mostly outside our scope. It is usual to approach the entrancing scene through the pleasure grounds of Studley Royal, the noble seat of the Marquess of Ripon, from which certain of our illustra- tions are taken, and few visitors are found to deny that the classical character of those grounds, with the land- scape gardening introduced by Mr. Aislabie in the last century, has produced an effect of contrast that is very charming. They are approached by an avenue of splendid limes, and another of noble beeches. The place is full of sweetness, and many hours may be spent amid the delightful woods, in examining the ruins, and in surveying the Copyright. "Country Life.' THE RUSTIC BRIDGE WALK. picturesque beauties of Fountains Hall. Mr. Aislabie's work at Fountains Abbey began about 1720, and he was assisted only by his gardener, William Fisher. The river Skell was canalised, and caused to open into large ponds, extending between turf-covered terraced banks adorned with statues and bordered by fine hedges of yew, above which rose the natural woodland. Since that time ways have been cut through the wood to the top of the hill, whence > Copyright. THE RIVEW SKELL. 'Country Lift," /0/.-\/.-/;.\.S /A-///.. 163 — _ z ii Q x: _ U - 101 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Copyright. THE HALF MOON LAKE. "Country Life." there are charming views of the formal " pleasaunce" below. " The Moon " and " The Crescent " ponds reflect upon their silvery surfaces the forms of classic deities, the Temple of Piety, and the umbrageous woodland. Sometimes the walks pass by the side of the canal, and sometimes through the woods, and are continually opening delightful prospects. There are some exceedingly fine spruce firs and hemlock spruces of great height and girth, with other trees, many of which have been figured by Loudon in his " Arboretum." A particularly beautiful view is from the classical Temple of Piety, beyond which a path through the wood brings the visitor up the hill, and through a tunnel cut in the rock, beyond which the Octagon Tower is reached. It is a point from which there are romantic prospects on every side. The visitor then passes through great woods of noble beech and oak, and reaches Anne Boleyn's seat. Here the doors are flung open, and then is disclosed a prospect scarcely surpassed in England, for the great ruins of Fountains Abbey are seen on a strip of green meadow shut in by the wooded hills. There is something of pleasant artifice in the manner in which the noble ruin is reached, which does not detract from the impressive and beautiful character of the scene thus Copyright. A VIEW FROM THE TERRACE. 'Country Life." // ii L ICO - • THE GARDEN FACADE. • 163 GARDENS OLD AND NBW. suddenly disclosed, and the visitor lingers to contemplate the great monastic pile. The abbey went through many vicis- situdes. Once it was burned by vengeful partisans, but the building went on through the twelfth century. Abbot John, the Yorkshireman, began the choir of the church in 1203. It was nearly completed in 1220, from which time up to 1247 the house was ruled by Abbot John, the Kentishman, to whose taste and energy are due the erection of part of the magnificent cloister, the infirmary, the hospitium, and the exquisite transeptal aisle at the east end, known as the " Nine Altars." The great tower, which is such a conspicuous object in the landscape, was erected by Abbot Huby (1294-1526). The bridge across the Skell belongs to the thirteenth century, and is close to the Abbey Mill, the " Seven Sisters " being near by. These last are no longer seven, but only two, and are venerable yew trees, which have been growing there per- haps from the day when the thirteen monks reached the banks of the Skell, and may even have given them shelter then. From the west gate-house, or por- ter's lodge, there is a magnificent pros- pect of the great church with its lofty tower, and the long range of the cloisters and dormitory ex- tending to and across the river Skell. Nowhere in England can the plan of a Cistercian house be so well studied, and the excavations which have been conducted have revealed a vast deal that was formerly hidden. Every style of architecture from Transition-N o r m a n to the Perpendicular is found in perfec- tion in these impressive and beautiful ruins. The site was granted in the 32 Henry VIII., to Sir Richard Gresham, and the story of tha ruin is a painful and even a terrible one. It is now known that the rich carved woodwork of the choir was torn down anJ burnt in order to melt the lead taken from the roof, which formed a large item in the accounts of the depredators, and there is good evidence to show that even the graves were rifled in quest of valuables. In 1597, Sir Richard Gresham's representatives sold the site to Sir Stephen Proctor, who pulled down the abbot's house which had been built over the river Skell at the east end of the conventu il building, and used the material to erect the mansion of Fountains Hall. The estate was sold again in 1623, and passed through various hands, until from the Messengers it went by sale in 1768 to Mr. Aislabie, at the price of ,£18,000. As we have already seen, the Ablabies did Co' v'ij-r f. THE POKCH AND ITS SUNDIAL. i great deal to beautify and improve the estate, and Fountains Abbey is now well protected and Jealously guarded by its proprietor, the Marquess of Ripon. Fountains Hall, the noble house built by Sir Stephen Proctor, stands a little way beyond the West Gate House of the Abbey, and is a most picturesque example of Jacobean architecture, which has remained unaltered since its completion, and forms an admirable subject for the artist, chiefly because of the very charming grouping of its bay windows, gables, and chimneys. It is approached by broken, weatherworn steps, in the interstices of which the careful hand of the gardener has made green things grow, while a great yew overshadows the way. Then, by a path between well-clipped hedges, we reach tile entrance, which is very im- posing in its varied character. The round-heaJed door- way is flanked by fluted Ionic pillars, and adorned with quaint figures and a sundial over the arch. Mul Honed windows are on both sides, and a gallery is above for the outlook, with a semi-circular bay and large and beautiful windows set furthei back. The lofty projecting bays of the structure on either hand, with their gables and em- battlements, and their great ranges of mullioned windows, are particularly strik- ing, and the whole composition is of so notable a character that it is scarcely surpassed in England in its kind. Ivy clothes a large part of the facade, and roses and other climbing plants gar- hind the stonework, without, however, concealing its character. The gardens about the house have a subtle charm all their own. They are distinguished by a simple character in which radiantflbwers are contrasted with dark green hedges of yew, and the foliage is particularly fine, the trees being of large size and beautiful growth. 1 he outlook from the terrace over the quaint features of the garden to the meadows is remarkably attractive. Fountains Hall, like Fountains Abbey and the stately gardens of Studley Royal, lies in a singularly beautiful part of ti:e country, within a few miles of the notable city of Ripon, and in a land invested with a character of great natural charm, rich in oak and lime, and often deep in beechen shade. The house 's not in itself devoid of any of those elements of attraction which are found in old country hojses, and has notable features of broad impressiveness which few others possess, while about it are gardens appro- priate to its charac'er, and entirely pleasing, rich, and attractive in themselves. * GARDENS L OLD'&NEW PRIOR PARK, BATH THK stately mansion and the beautiful gardens we depict constitute one of the most interesting don places of comparatively recent date in hngland. The house was the creation of .1 very remarkable mtn, w I. nality impressed itself upon the City of Ball), and the plea->rre gardens in general Jate from his time. Kalph Allen died in 1764, and the mansion which he -" highly valued is no longer devoted to the purely domestic purposes for which it was built. It has now tor .1 Imi^ time Km a Roman Catholic College, and nowhere in THE GREAT MAik\\AV. : students more m.i.nin'cently IvuiM-d. though there may K- build ngs tli.it seem more adapted to student lite, perhaps, and Prior Park his ii.,thm^ t. remind U! the hills and qiudr in^le-i ot <)\:..i.l. ..r .,( p|.u,-s like \:\ -n <>r Winchester. Architecturallx . tl.is is .1 palace, with the j;reat and imposing aspect which we tind in such plu.- Blenheim and other creations of Vanbru^h. T«- ilestnlv it at length is. however, unnecessary. I he IH.ISSIM- central bl.K'k. with its vast Corinthian he\ast\ le portico and pediment. anJ th.« balustiale with which the structure is crested, is striking enough, and is i»n. nected by arcades with outlying pavilions or win^s, now vonverted into the l'.«\- le-esof St. IVterand St. Paul. The situation is su|vrb, .in I has dktated both the iharacter ot th • h-uise and the disposition .1) its glorious park. It stands at the head ot the Vale ot Widcomlv. loolt. below the level of ComK- iJown. and 4O.MI. ab '\'e the (.t\ oi Hath. o\er which there is an imposing prosj ilisi-d hy tlu- d.stanl height ot l.ansdown. Bemy thus upon a slojv, a terraced !• r rnation became n<\es^ary, and nothing could surpass the i .\cellence o) the arrangement. which will be seen in the p;. lures. The ^reat curved A.HS. with their statuary adornments and urns, and their exquisite balu-tra are temarkably ^'»«d. Tile place commands the whole ran^e of the Ix-autifully wo >ded park below, w th tht- exquisite Palladiin 1-r crossing the lake as a pr«imi- nent note in tlie landscape, and the gardens are \ beautiful, though extremely simple, and the whole estate is preserved with traditional care. It may be said here that the house itselt is the lence of the Pnsiden the College, while the wing pavili -ns ot Mr. Allen's man- sion are drvott-d one to junior students, and the other to those more adxanced. andthat such as desire to embrace the clerical state p.i the St. Paul's ' the -<..». President's S«.h -»A ot Theology and Phitosopliy. 1G8 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Cofynglit. THE PORTICO AND SOUTHERN WING. * Colt.ltiy Life." But it is now time to turn to the extraordinary mnn who built Prior Park. Ralph Allen appears to have been the son of one John Allen, the host of the " I Juke William," or the "O!d Duke," at St. Blaxey, in Cornwall. His grandmother kept the post-office at St. Cohunb, and it was the good fortune of the boy, while he was staying with her, to attract the attention of a postal inspector, who procured him a place in the post-office at Bath. There young Allen did himself credit, and, by detecting a Jacobite plot, won the favour of General Wade, whose natural daughter he afterwards Co fy tight. LOOKING NORTH. •Country Lift." /' /A1 K. 170 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Copyright. "Country Life, THE NORTH COLLEGE. Copyright. THE SOUTH COLLEGE. "Country Life.' Copyright THE CARRIAGE DRIVE. 1 Cuu/ury L.IJC." mnrri'd. In 1745 his enthu- siasm led him to form a corps of Bath City Volunteers at liis own expense. He very so >n rose to be Deputy- Post- master, and, having long been convinced of the fatuity of a postal arrangement which might send a. letter from Bath to Worcester round by way of London, he set himself to devise a system of cross- country posts, which were officially approved. His scheme was adopted in April, 1720. Allen at once became a "farmer" of these posts, and it is stated that from 1720 up to 1764, when he died, his profits on the business were not less than ,£12,000 a year. He also turned his attention to the development of the rich mineral resources of Bath, and, by opening quarries at Combe Down, became a great employer of labour, and very popular in the locality. Thus did Ralph Allen make himself so prominent a man in the West of England that he was known as the " Man of Bath." Once he was Mayor of the city ; but he seems always to have ruled the affairs of the municipality, and there is a caricature representing him as the "One-headed Corporation." Ten years after Mr. Allen had introduced his cross- country posts he set about the work of building his splendid mansion out of the stone which he quarried. His lotty ideas confounded the architect, John Wood, to whose taste Bath owes so much, but he was able to carry them out in the form in which we see them to-day. Here he enjoyed his leisure in beautifying the place and in laying out and planting the grounds. He had another house at Bathampton, and he built that picturesque tower known as "Sham Castle," which stands on a hill south-east of Bath. We have so far seen only one side of Ralph Allen's character — that of the shrewd man of business. But the prosperous postmaster was filled with the spirit of muni- ficence, and hefreely disbursed of his plenty for the alleviation of the distressed. It is said that he never expended less than £1,000 a year in charity, and he did mu:h for the Bath Hospital, and encased St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London with stone. He was greatly esteemed by all his contemporaries, and Prior f\iKK. 171 Park became the resort of ma; ul writers of the tune. Am.. he be- friended was Kieldin^. who Ills l v pitied his friend for all tmv ^ Mlworthy in •• I .111 luies." In that hook he describes Prior Park in glow in-: ter the splendid outlook and tl»e multitudinous trees, omitting the Palladian bridge, hut extending tils vision tvyond the height oi Lansdoxvn. I < Id ing dedicated •• Vmli.i " to Allen, and alter the novelist's death his children were cared for hy his l-eiu-tactor. P-ipe also was a friend and admirer of Allen, and in the Epilogue to the "Satires of Horace" spi.iks of him in a couplet which i. familiar to every ear : •• I.rt hnml>lr Allrn. with «wk- «nnl »h»mr, It.. KIMH! l.y »tr:ilth ami l>lu*ll to titlfl it l.oiu." The friendship at one tinv was interrupted. .to the poet's desire to impose Maitha Blount upon the family at Prior Park, or, according to aiinther story, to that lad\ 's lux ing demanded Mr. Allen's chariot to convex her to the Catholic Chapel in Bath. Whatever might have been the cause of the breach, it was made giNtd, and Allen continued t • shower tavours upon Pope and his friends. One of these was \\.nburton. who married (leraldin? Tucker, Allen's favour. te niece, and who was appo.nted hy Pitt, it is said at the instance the philanthropist. Bishop ot Salisbury. Pitt was an intimate trieiid of Allen's, and when the latter died he left the great statesman £,l,OOO, "as the best of friends, as well .is THE MIDDLE STAGE OF THE CiKEAT STAIRWAY. • . it is th.- mo,t upright and ahlest ol Ministers that ha\e adoined our country." Pitt. Warhurtoii, Hurd. and other writers of the tune, all speak of the splendid hospitality, the ^reat natural ahility, the simple manners, and the elevated taste> o! Mien. When the philanthropist died, in I7>'>». h- l>-:i one son, wlv> ne (...mptroller of the Bye-Letter ( )ttice. and ol whom comparatively little is known. Such was the man who cr-iteJ Prior Park, and it is excellent testimony t<> enliuhtrne.J ta«te and classic knowledge, that he clvse .1 fine situation and built a house which stood lu-h amon^ the palatial dwellings of the land, while he dispose I the whole i.f the surroundings with a master hand to contribute to the eltt a. - THE PALLADUN BRIDGE. t 172 ] GARDENS OLD-&NEW PANSHANGER, HERTFORDSHIRE, THE SEAT OF ... EARL COWPER. ANY memories crowd upon the visitor to Panshanger, that very stately mansion of Earl Cowper in Hertfordshire, a place possess:ng all the characteristic features of a great house, and in particular having a very large and finely-timbered park, with the pretty river Mimrarn running through the midst of it, and a truly noble garden for its adornment. The house is comparatively modern, and of the Gothic of the beginning of this century— a bad period, unfortunately, for any house to have been built in — and it is very famous for its magnificent collection of pictures. It stands in a fine position on the brow of a hill commanding a prospect of the park, which lies between Cole Green and Hertingfordbury, and of the surrounding country. The Cole Green estate belonged early in the last century to one Elvves, a London merchant, and that at Hertingford- bury to a Mrs. Culling ; but both were bought by Lord Chancellor Cowper, who built a house, after the year 1740, in a favourable situation near Cole Green. Later on, when considerable additions had been made to the estate, the fifth Earl Cowper decided to erect the present house on the higher ground. The noble collection of Italian pictures had been made chiefly by the third Earl, who passed a considerable part of his life in Florence. The present Earl Cowper takes very great interest in the estate and its gardens, and our pictures reveal the condition of perfection in which the latter are maintained. The situation is favourable, for the park is picturesquely undulated and the woodland fine, whilst the mansion presents a most imposing appe.irance in its setting of varied green. Tilt TLkkACE GAKUEN. Country I ife." :IK. 173 c _ — I 174 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. In many places the walls are wreathed with climbing plants, and give support to such growths as the splen- did Magnolia grandiflora, whilst some of them, as on the north side, are richly mantled with ivy. There is a character of great stateliness in the noble pleasure grounds at Panshanger. The broad expanses of gre^n lawn, upon which mighty trees cast down their vast domain of shade, combine with the features nearer at hand to c o m p o s e surpassingly beautiful pictures. It is a goodly prospect, indeed, a region of delectable charms, that we survey, wherein Nature and Art together have worked to produce the glory i-f the gardens. The forma! character prevails largely, though the diversity of treatment leaves room for much that is natural and picturesque. In the first style is the " box garden " at one end of the terrace, where are the arms of Cowper and De Grey grown and cut in well- trimmed box. The Dairy Garden, on the east side of the terrace in front of the great conservatory, a sweet place with a quaintness of its own, is manner. On the other hand, the rock Copyright. A BACCHIC VASE. formed in a similar garden, a delightful retreat, is full of natural charm, and is adorned with many of the plants collected by the Countess Cowper during her travels. Ferns are grown here in great abundance, the British varieties being very prolific. The rose garden, again, is extremely delightful, with pillar, standard, and climb- ing plants. Everywhere extreme richness charac- terises the place. The hardy flowers are well planted in clumps for effect, and grow in great numbers, and the splendid woodland forms a fine background for the radiant charms of the flower-beds and the more sober attractions of the lawns. In short, turn which way we may, there is some- thing to satisfy the eye in the pleasure grounds of Panshanger. To the many pictures accompanying this article must be left the full illus- tration of the charms of the place. The beauties of the garden do not end with the gay and fragrant things that grow so luxuriantly, for it has architectural accessories of excellent and appropriate character. We should go far, for example, before we found so splendid a garden adornment, of classic aspect, as the great Bacchic vase we depict. 1 Country Lije." •B#» Copyright. THB ROSB GAkDBN. 'Country Life.' /••my /.•/•• WA- THE BROAD WALK. •Twin/. I In- pjrk IN tnily magnificent, and an entrancing view is revealed from UK? tvrrace. The wide valley of the Mimram opens out beneath tlie range of lulls that give the place UN ni"st conspicu'i is character, and the stream widens Mow into a lake, which reflects its glorious surroundings. The landscape is beautifully wooded, and the oak, beech, bpanish chestnut, ;:id lime prevail. An island in the lake is .1 delightful resort, threaded by l"»tpatns amid its growth of shrubs and trees, where nodding dahVHs and sweet primroses give their glory to the spring. A romantic view of the vail -y is disclosed trom it, and the babbling river may be. traced from where it issues from behind the WIKK! to its lower course amft iiil'ic tret, and eui-llent Strutt, who hv \l IMI sniiie tune at tue interesting \'ill.ige nf Tew in near by, and loved the tiee. which he etched in his great "S\l\a Br tannica " (l«V)). his nv.ich to sa> aNmt it. At the piesent tune the di:nens|ons ot the trunk are jolt. 4111. at sft. from the ground. The charm oi the tree. IMW . resides not s,. much in its SJA- as in its superb torm. 1 •• trunk rises unbroken for a height of about utt., and then the giant boughs sweep oat on every side, forming a circle io:n d>. THE SOUTH FRONT. 176 GARDENS OLD A\D NEW. across, while the vast symmetrical mountain of foliage above is tall "as the mast of some great ammiral." It may be interesting to record what old Strutt says about the tree, which he tells us in his time appeared not to have reached its meridian. " The waving lightness of its feathered branches, dipping down towards its stem, to the very ground, the straightness of it.i trunk, and the redundancy of its foliage, all give it a character opposite to that of antiquity and fit it for the cultivated and sequestered pleasure grounds which form part of the domain of Earl Cowper, at Panshanger, in Hertfordshire ; where it stands surrounded with evergreens and lighter shrubs, of which it seems at once the guardian and the pride. It is igft. in circumference at 3t"t. from the ground, and contains i.oooft. of timber. On looking at an object at once so graceful an.l so noble, raising its green head towards the skies, rejoicing in the sunshine, and imbibing the breath of Heaven at every pore, we cannot but fed equal wonder and admiration when we consider the tininess of its origin, the slendenu-ss of its infant state, and the daily unfolding powers of its imperceptible, yet rapid, progress." The good tree-lover begins his book with a description of this monster of the grove, and goes on to quote Evelyn where he says, "So it is that our tree, like man, whose inverted symbol he is, being sown in corruption, rises in glory, and by little and little — ascending into one hard erect stem of comely dimensions, beneath a solid tower, as it were. And that this, which but lately a single ant could easily have borne to his little cavern, should now become capable of resisting the fury and braving the rage of the most impetuous storms — inagni inclicirlc ariilicis, <7j//.s/.vsv tntniii in tarn cxi^ito, et horror cst consideranti." " Hail old patrician trees ! " may we well say with Cowley when we linger in the green gloom of the Panshangnr Oak and its hoary br possessing each " its charm peculiar." It has always I f'o-u THE S'-'AT AND FOUNTAIN. ' Country Life." others, •en the Copyright. THE DAIRY GAKDEN. pride of the English gentleman to love his neighbour trees, and Washington Irving discovered in this the chief characteristic of the good old Englishman. Many a time, alas ! have the ancient trunk' and the young hamadryad together bowed beneath the stroke of need, or been laid low at the caM of some spendthrift necessity. No such storm, most happily, has ever swept through the woods of Panshanger, and long may the mighty oak, in Ovid's words, " tower o'er its subject trees, itself a grove." It is right to remember, in the presence of su h a giant, how great a part the oak — " the unwedgeable and gnarled oak" — has played in English national life as "the father of ships." Old Collingwood, dropping acorns into the hedges, as a glorious type of the Englishman, preparing in the embryo "Tlio-,1.- sapling oaks which nt. Ilritantiia's call Miij'it lu-avi; tlu-ir trunks nuituro into tlu' main, " Country Life." And float the bulwarks of her liberty." 177 All through the l.inj there • .iks u hi, li sprang from (his patriotic ideal, and therefore .1- .1 part ,.| :'-e o.ik to the ! h-.hm.in. I 'arms of a \\.ilk through tin- par .!, us ••I I'.ihsh.H, ,r .in- many ind. i lul liar • , ;. \\mkin;: in thi .r, . has Juno tl unobtrusive work. Look, tor e\am|le. :it tin- green lawns, with their er closing . .n:J .it tin- delightful \ ;-t.i opi !;,-d ...it fmm the K auliful broad walk. It is -.int thru to stroll to :>"t that Ir-im which the poet surveyed tin- sylvan scene. Kit .1 !. modern success r at the same pta The p.H t \\a- .1 nephew of the Lord Chancel!, r, and : liu- •> mple dflijihts of P.m-han^er. In I7l. <>r lias lost j.r.ililir jMiH-'n. ImiMir'.l I iy nyr. hi* n in lentini; han.l -;s to tlu- knife: nor the south is a line avenue of elms and HID But it would be difficult to e.xh.iust the inti t Panshanger. One nouNc feature is a magnificent Beaumontia yrandi- fl'ira supi-rha. for which the place is famous, sh is glorious flowers having b< shown often before the Royal Horticultural Suci-ty. Lastly, it is interesting to note — and on many estates the same thing might tv done — that the river Mimram is "harnessed" for the useful work of pumping up w.r to the mansion and the fruit and kitchen gardens. N iture is doing her own work directed by the hand of man, and this is but an extension of the essence of all good gardens :n every point of view, therefore, is Pansh.mger a place to be admired. [ 178 1 SHIPTON COURT, OXFORD, . . . THE SEAT OF ... Sir George Compton Reacfe. GARDENS OLD-&NEW SHIPTON COURT is situated in a village of the same name, distinguished from the many Shiptons which are dotted over Oxfordshire as Shipton-under-Wychwood. Years ago, before the Clearing Act of 1850, the forest of Wychwood extended down over t^e slopes at the foot of which the village lies. But since the disaf- foresting took place the borders of the forest have gradually receded, until they are at the nearest point some miles from the village itself and the name alone remains to perplex the casual visitor. The Court began mainly with the advent of the Stuarts. Part of the house appears to be gooJ work of the sixteenth century, but the main portion of the fabric dates from about the year 1603 — the date of Chastleton, near by — and was built by one of the family of Lacey, who held it during most of the century. From them it passed, in 1673, to the Reades, whose monuments remain on the walls of the parish church — Sir Thomas Reade (Clerk of the Green Cloth to George II.) - Sir John — Sir Compton — Baronet aft^r Baronet — and at the present time it is let to Mrs. David Reid. The house is built of the grey stone of the country, and is another illustration of the fact that the builders of those days understood their art. Placed on the slope of a little valley, the house is a story higher on the east than on the west, and springs so straight and steep from the grass alley at its foot, that its sheer front dominates the terraces and fish-ponds like the keep of a fortress. Thick walls and massive foundations endow it with an air of strength and endurance that are yet only the beginning of its charm, for gable after gable stands out clear-cut against the sky, and on each face and at every corner the outline of the house assumes new picturesqueness, angle overlapping angle in a design perpetually broken and yet never irregular. And, if one must attempt to analyse the effect of such a building upon the eye, it is found in a beauty that continually claims and holds the attention, that to one pacing below it THE WHST PKO.NT Country Life" stiirio\ 0 i yj u. a. a. O! UJ = ISO GARDENS OLD AND NEW. THE LAWN AND ITS FLOWER BORDER. offers at every step a fresh development of the first plan ; not the beauty of a plain building magnificently ornamented, but the miracle of a living organism, the creation of an art in its very flower. The great charm of the gardens lies not so much in the variety and rarity of shrub and flower — though there is an abundance of both — but in the perfect way in which, they have been adapted to, and harmonise with, the architecture of the house. This is well shown in the illustration where a long grass alley, running the whole length of the garden and flanked by a yew hedge, sweeps one side of the house and on tlu otiier is raised to a terrace, which leads to the entrance door. Unfortunately, the hand of the "improver" was at work here nearly a century ag->, with the result that almost all the windows of the first and second stories were then deprived of their mullions, though, fortunately, one side of the house has been spared to vindicate its original beauty and to act as a deterrent to further vandalism. The best view of the house as a whole is that in the picture taken from the meadow, access to which is obtained from the garden through an iron gate and down a flight of sbne steps. Copyright Country I.i.c." THE TERRACE WALK. The waters of the fish-pond, which hardly appears in this view, are seen lower down. In "Skelton's Oxfordshire" is an engraving which shows the upper pond of the two before the ground above had been raised into a lawn, and when it sloped gradually down to the water's edge ; and at the end of the lower pond, shown in the illustration, the old arrangement still remains. One of the most conspicuous features of the place are the yew hedges, which form the main lines in the design, and divide off the garden into different parts. The north garden, with the foun- tain in the centre, is separated by a hedge of this kind, as well as by a wall of goodly dimensions, from the orchard and rose garden he ow it, and from the west front by a terrace, flanked by another wall and the ubiquitous yew hedge beyond. From the north garden is obtained the best view of the .\H1I'JO\' (.< 'I 'A / 181 older pofuon of the IMUM-. I he end window ..(' tlu- dining-: opens upon a flight of stone s: which lead tlu- fou an. I tin- pink and white hawthorns tli.it lenJ hter •>ur in iln to the el mal VnJ here -!>!'• ' - :ven taken of the • the pr.. the the approach to the kitchens and the basement j-ener- has N-en led I . lone Is, x,i roofed over in part as to n a terra., e aNive and a quiit covered \\.i. Thus there is no back to the house, and tl.e - ncircle it coinpk-ti ly. Another illustration all-irds a •v i't tlu- west front, now I (ri>m the road h> .1 mas-, of yews and I- \ I, < >: initially there was nothing between the road and the house but the hed»e and a low curtain wall, which apjvar in the foil-ground, and a pair uilicent walnut trivs. An :ent view of the unclun-eJ fi'-nt is to he I .und in V-.ile's "\io\s .,• Seat-.." a work wh:Ji throws valuable h^ht on tiie state of many country houses at the Iv^innnu ..f the nineteenth century. 1C t" the s null-west ,. irner of the hous.- are the stablts, b iilt in tlu- «-ame manner and as deli^htlully as the house. They form t .\ it stable-yard, in one corner of which stands the picturesque dovecote, capable of holding 2.OO3 pi-eons, a;ij standin:; sentinel over the her- baceous horder Ivaeath it. The wall alon^ the line of which • THE TERRACE. LOOKING SOITII. it is inult i> t\ pii'al of the majesty of design and breadth o| Conception inspired by which the old builders, undeterred by cost eithei oi labour or of material, carried out their plans ; their walls, t» be worthy of the name, should be 1511., and sometime-. JOM., hi^h ; their hedges, to Iv lu-.l^-s, shuiild Iv 8lt. thick. Their work, two and three hundreJ years old, Mill remains to testify to the care an.! skill winch they lavished upon it. As the visitor approaches the house under the shadow of one oi these monumental walls, and, turning in at the end. IHt HOUSE FROM THE MEADOW. 132 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. THE MOUTH FRONT. gate, looks from the deep shade of the avenue across the road to the sunlight playing on the gables, he is carried back to a time when men built and planned and planted not for themselves, but for their successors and generations to come. Close to the house, but screened by these stone walls and yew hedges, runs the road from Bui ford, dipping down here from its bleak or burnt uplands into the shelter and shadows of the valley. In old days, one fancies, men did not hate to see the road from their windows. To the dweller in the country the highway was his link with the world, and with those who passed his gate, either travellers upon their business or the neighbours, rich and poor, who made his society and perhaps fol- lowed his leading. Now we must shut out the wcrld, buy up the right- of-way, plant out the railway, in a vain effort to forget that our treasure is in the city, and our hearts turn there also. But here the road runs by, and beyond it the avenue leads not to the house, but away from it. For directly opposite the gate begins a long straight walk THE STABLES FROM between tall and close-set limes, which with fields on either hand passes awav into a pleasant medley of wood and grass, involuntarily named " Tne Pleasaunce." Upstairs in the house the middle rooms of the west front look right down this avenue, and it is always with a fresh shock of delighted wonder that the guest, late arrived overnight, throws open his window and, with eyes and ears yet scarcely cleansed from the dust and din of Piccadilly, looks out through the morning sun- shine into that long dim tunnel of cool green light. The avenue draws his feet with a gentle insis- tence. It seems to lead 1o something different in kind from Hie stately house and the ordered garden, to a ruin, per- haps, or to the scene of a tragedy. Sometimes it seems a walk designed for meditation ; some- times rather one of the " places which pale pas- sion loves." And at the end of it is nothing strange— only a wilder- ness of thickly-shaded paths and unexpected waters. For it comes suddenly upon a pond at the foot of a mighty cedar, where the wild THE GARDEN. duck rise and are away in Coun/ry Lift." cm -ni. FROM THE GkASS W/LK a moment, and tin- sile;Ke falls a^.iin on tin- \VH-K! and the water nnJ the little i«.lanJ in the mulM <-t tlu- u.itc-r. S" tlu- walk> K.:J on, now hy the >iile of a >U-i-p\' char iu-1, n'p\v at the / 1 , - of a meaJo\v, hut al-.vays un.ler the tuvs. until the cloister is all imUen, aiul at the end of the vista tlic sun shines a^:iin upon t!ie t;re\' Cables of the lions.-. THE LOWER POND. Lift' KING'S WESTON, GLOUCESTER, THE SEAT OF MR. R. NAPJER MILES GARDENS OLD'&NEW T kHIS volume depicts and describes several wardens in the vicinity of Bath and Bristol, that favoured land where many people have been attracted to dwell, rich in great houses and beautiful examples of gardenage, where there is a pictorial character in the landscape and a generous richness in the soil that are the chief elements in the beauty of a chosen part of England. King's Weston is a remarkable house, in a fine situation and amid very lovely surroundings, in the neighbourhood of Shirehampton, commanding superb views of the diversified, romantic, and gloriously vvooJed country. The mansion dates from the year 171 1, and has the solid classic qualities of the reign of Queen Anne. The pleasant colour of the old B.ith stone, weathered and mossy, lends a charm to the Corinthian pilasters, the pediment, the cornice, and the crowning urns of the structure. An uncommon feature is found in the design of the house, for the chimneys above are quite unusual in character, and take an architectural form and grouping rare and effective. We do not wonder at the classic proportions and harmonious features of the st ucture when we learn that it is a work of Vanbrugh. We do not know whether he designed it wholly, but it bears the mark of his hand. The tough fighting man who became an architect and then a dramatist, laid many a heavy load on earth, as his punning epitaph says, but there is some uncertainty as to his actual share in the design of certain buildings. Castle Howard in Yorkshire, Blenheim, and Greenwich Hospital were wholly or partly designed by him. We therefore look at King's Weston with a good deal of interest. But what will most impress the visitor to the house, and the reader who sees our pictures, will be the extremely peculiar manner in which Nature is tempted and encouraged to invade Copyright. Coun'ry Life.' THE WEST FRONT. S VkSTVN. THfc GARDEN-HOUSE. ito GARDENS OLD AND Copy i iglit. THE WATER GARDEN. "Country Life." the realm of Art. Heie is a u;,ion of the two such as will be teen in very few places. Tlu " flower in the crannied wall " is familiar. There is a charm in the weathered brick giving hospitality to a crowd of beautiful things, and crowned with white and red valerian, or snap- dragon, or wallflowers, or with some other radiant thing that finds good rootage where soil and moisture and sun are to its liking. Such thhgs we may find at Kind's Weston, as in many West Country gardens ; but what we note as individual here is that flowers are invited to root themselves in the crevices in the steps that lead down from the mansion. Alpine flowers are flourish ng in the stair- way with many gay companions, and giving floral beauty where it is quite uncommon. Ther-i is something fresli an.l THE FLORAL STAIRWAY. original in the pleasure of finding flowers garnishing thus the way by which we descend ; something, we may say, especially appropriate to the gentler sex, where Flora attends their coming. On the other hand, there may be those to whom this plan of cultivating flowers in the hollows of substantial masonry may not seem right. We are accustomed, perhaps, to regard the vesting of stonework with thick moss and (lowers as the proper accompaniment of decay or rough- ness of construction. What is suitable, some may say, to the old garden wall, to the broken rockery, or to the clefts of the rugged stone support that holds up the higher bank flanking the garden path, and over which we look to the fair denizens of the vvioJIand shade, may not be suitable to the regular masonry of the house and its immediate approaches. °But King's Weston is a standing witness that this manner of gardening is, or may be, good. There is harmony in the result where some might expect incongruity, and the investing approach of Nature to the house gives many a clinging plant to clothe the cool stonework. Yet shall we invite her not only to clothe our house, but. as it were, to e:iter intimately into the structure ? Qnot homines, tot scntcntia-. It is a legitimate matter of opinion, but we may, at least, gather one lesson— that there are many forms <:f beauty in gardening, each appealing to a particular taste, and that it ill befits a gardener to be a doctrinaire, pinning his faith wholly to this school or that, adopting one manner to set his ban upon another, and rejecting, in his rigid view of his art, a good many beauties that otherwise he Country Li/c." 187 i 7. _ O C o. UJ z t- 188 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. might have used and made others enjoy. The gardener, in short, must be a cosmopolitan. His work is to accept and select, and to invest his garden with character and adornments appropriate to soil and situation, so that it expresses an individuality. So shall the garden, as Schiller says, be Nature invested with a soul and exalted by Art. It shall be the place where the man expresses himself h his own conception of Nature adapted to his needs or his inward likings. Whether it be a walled enclosure, with openings like the gates of a Roman camp, or a great pleasaunce upon a terraced slope, or merely a homely garden, there shall be individuality in it. It may be a place where the strawberry-bed neighbours the roses, and where he wanders among apples, cherries, plums, medlars, and filberts, with a multitude of flowers, small and great, in their company. This would be an individual garden. And so, at this beautiful West Country seat, we find personal character in the floral adornment of the solid masonry. And we see at King's Weston that this idea of welcoming the garden in the very approaches to the house is not confined to one flight of steps, or to one side of the house, but is borne out in a free and delightful use of plants and flowers in pots and boxes. The care which is devoted every- where to wall and water gardening is excellent testimony to the love of flowers which has beautified this old place. Tin.- rectangular pond garden is gloriously fes- tooned upon its walls, and, in combination with borders of hardy flowers, there is an abundance of moisture- loving plants, of the beautiful things that will grow and flourish in the crannies of walls bordering water, while the water itself is made rich in a plenteous growth of lovely water-lilies. This garden, in fact, is a perfect study in this special class of gardening. Especially charming is Ihe view of the old garden-house, with the ivy-wreathed wall, and the brilliant broom, and the lilies, irises, poppies, and ornamental garden thistles, to name no others, reflected in the glassy sheet. There is a world of beauty in gardening like this, giving radiance and sweetness combined. And such gardening at King's Weston Copyright. THE GARDEN STEPS. " C.miicry Li,c.'' is wholly in keeping with the character adopted nearer the dwelling. The garden dates from the same period as the house, wIMBBHiilRM^^^K^S^H^^^^RHC THE ECHO WALK. A/\C'S W/-N/ . .-I'll !. Tilled about the \ i .1 r i ; l l . I :. • " •. t"i,l. IN slip- pv tlu- siu- of :in ancient market-place, and the is s -, : >!umn tli< to Iv tin- original in.irK lli< .: irden is quit. ' ' .! lias one wall covered hs .in o'.l Turkey lig tree. >( U and f«.r tin- extraordinary M/e - fruit. Two or three ' : rntircly <>ne long \v ill, anJ arc nm.irkahle for their prolific growth and r:ch inn' :ir.uii\f i>. tln-i qiuunt and quii-t retreat, with the i the airimisly cut spinJle->hapeJ >tered utt-i o| the place. The walled garden \\.IN ilc:ir to our t, Ix-in^ hut another lormot the well-hedged parterre — a |-L;ce with ample sun, n»t shadowe.1 by tr-es, and v|)t.|. well Irom all the winds that How . Then how r.itraitive is the l:,h. W.ilk at Kin-'s WeMon, with the hnv'v greensward Hanking the p.ith. the standard - adorning it, the glorious m.iNNi-sof lingers on either side, the line plants in tuhs, and the noble elms, pines, and other THE GAKUEN TEMPLE. •<„,.>. t. i I. I tin- fiifinntio-i ot this wl."!l\ Ixaiitiflll | and the same spuit maintain', it in the |x-rleition whuh our picture di-t. loses. It .ill t.ls i conti.ist oi ihann aiul ih.r.uter whkh is Je'ightiul. and -i;-| a nii-.isui.- oi st.i- t •• t'ie piitir H whiih reigns elsewheie, thus a.ld.nx .1 MTV pleasing and .ittr.i.l \ .- variety t • I In- t.-rr.i . ' •• veiy t' .uililul, I'Mikin^ out o\ er the -\\oli- mouth, with the line h. lusi wall, a not.il-le ey.uii| l< garden arihitei'lure, coinp u.iNe with many wi- have de-mlx-d, the gn-en ^tass within, and the adorning yuii.is and the iviHe \u-\\ without, and thov ^'r.iiid trees whiih rise majestually from the p.uk Ix-low. It is M"t xs.ir\ to desintx- Kind's \\.-t.ni much tuither. \\ have suggested the '.;-<-, i.il character, and ot!r putun-s \M|| do the rest. There are charms both in the classic auh. future of the mansion and the gatilen- houses and in the rare te.iuty dt the garden, and we find speu.il interest in the manner in which the qualities ol llictwo are combined. i THE IbkHACE. 190 HENBURY MANOR GLOUCESTERSHIRE GARDENS OLD'&NEW GEN. SAMPSON-WAY. charming Hcnbury. places ; we have for are they not a by their ancient HE garden -lover will observe a very remark- able feature delineated in these beautiful pictures of We have seen yew hedges in many insisted upon their value very often, glory of the English garden, appealing, aspect and curious associ.i lions, to our sentiments, and wholly satisfactory and pleasing, as a relief and contrast either to gay masses of flowers or to green expanses of turf? "The yew wood, the true wood," is the wood of Old England, the brother-ancient of the hoary oak, companion of the mighty beech, noble where it stands unfettered, and beautiful where it assumes its place in the garden world. In few places in England are there arches of yew like those at Henbury Manoi which, however, have much in common with the arches in the famous yew walk at Cleeve Prior. Their unu>ual character and the over- hanging mushroom-like heads of the yews themselves have a quaint and indefinable charm. They grace a very beautiful house nnd a charming region of the West Country, for Henbury is a near neigh- bour of Bristol, being, in fact, only five miles away. There are few who do not know something of the peaceful beauties of that favoured land. The high downs thereabout afford magnificent prospects, extending over the surrounding country and across the Severn to the mountains of Wales, while the valleys are embowered in woodland of surpassing loveli- ness, and the many fine houses and seats are rich in their attractions of evergreens, flowering banks, and wide lawns. King's Weston, one of Vanbrugh's best designs, surrounded by a singularly beautiful garden, has already been illustrated in these pages, and the view from Weston Ridge, which is covered with the finest turf, towards the Severn and the Avon, is of ravishing beauty. Henbury Manor is its neighbour, and is a house of character quite dist'nct. It was built in the memorable year of Revolution, 1688, but has gone through various changes, and Copyright. THE UPPER LAWN AND THE CHURCH. 'Country Life.' I'Jl — — Q _ •^ ._ ULJ O) I 192 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. now, in its general architectural features, recalls the houses of an earlier time. To describe the mansion is unnecessary, for its excellent gables, high roofs, and mullioned windows, all very charming, are well seen in the pictures. The land hereabout was monastic property, and the location bears the evidences of antiquity. The road that passes by is the old pack-horse way from Bristol to Gloucester, and many thirst)' wayfarers have doubtless tarried in the village of Henbury, an. I recently in levelling the ground at Henbury Manor a skeleton was discovered, which seems to point to an ancient burial-ground having been here. The mansion stands in a fine position, and the grounds are very appropriate, Cofyn^t. with excellent grass slopes and a most attractive disposition of trees, bushes, an.I flowers. At the beginning of the cc itury the ancient yew hedges were a solid wall of greenery, evidently of great age, but it was boldly decided to cut them into arches, and the result was undoubtedly an addition to the attractiveness of the effect, an enhancing of the form and character. Such an operation should of course be entered upon with great consideration, especially in the case of old hedges, but none can say that the arch-cutting at Henbury was other than a conspicuous success. It is recorded, however, that the yews were a long time in shooting after the first arch was cut. It was as if they resented a little the intrusion of the tree-cutter's hand. But the yew is the friend of man ; it lends itself to his THE SOUTH FRONT. " Country Life." taste and his uses, and is kindly in its response to his skill ; and so the lofty hedges of Henbury at length budded anew. The two lines of curiously-shaped trees partly enclose a velvet-like croquet lawn, which is in a situation that could not be bettered, since it is in close proximity to masses of beautiful flowers, and there is a landscape outlook that is really superb. How delightful is the turf of English gardens, how soft and velvjty are our lawns. The college lawns of England are doubtless the richest of all. Thus did Nathaniel Hawthorne feel their indescribable beauty, shadowed by their ancient trees, living a quiet life cf centuries, nursed and tended with such care and so sheltered from ruJe winds that they seemed the happiest of lawns. At picturesque Henbury, too, there are Copyright. THE GARDEN REST. -Country Li/e." ULK) 193 UJ o Oi U UJ x 194 GAKDhNS OLD AND NEW. Copyright. THE OLD FLOWER GARDEN. '• Country Lije. '' the same green lawns and tall ancient trees, heavy masses (f foliage, and sunny glimpses beneath green branches and through arches of yew. Altogether the effect is particularly quaint and fascinating, and we see that the hand of good judgment has fashioned the garden in this attractive way. In this descriptive series, it has several times been remarked that the effect of yew hedges in relation with flower masses is charming. This may again be observed in the | icture of the old flower garden at Henbury, where fragrant groups of carnations and other beautiful things in profusion make sweet the air. Gloucester and Somerset are counties famous for their floral charms. The climate, the soil, and the love of such things which the country gentlemen manifest, THE WEST FRONT. conduce to a richness that seems to surpass what on; finds elsewhere. Henbury is, indeed, distinguished by its great wealth of blossom, which invests its garden with the twin delights of colour and fragrance. The church, as is often the case in country villages, is near the house, and its substantial character may be gathered from one of our pictures, where it is disclosed through the quaint arches of green, making a very pleasing picture from the garden. Although old, much of it is modem, tor it was enlarged in 1833. One curious feature in it is the great divergence of the chanctl to the north of the line of the nave. Slight inclinations of this kind are common, but in few places is the feature so marked as in this structure. The church is generally Early English in style, with Decorated details of excellent character. It con- tains the monuments of many prominent families of the neigh- bourhood, and notably those of Sir Robert Southwell, M.P., of King's Weston, Envoy 10 Portugal, and President of the Royal Society, who died in 1702, and Edward, Lord De Clifford, dating from J777- Although Henbury Manor has no famous history or associations it well deserves to be noted as :i country house of excellent cha- racter, of which much has been made, and which is valued and cared for by those who love its charms, and who know what the delights are of the beautiful region of England in which it is enshrined. The simple character of its gardens, with the few marked features we have alluded to, is chief am.ng its charms. "Co:m:ry Lift." I '•'••• I DRAYTON HOUSE, NORTHAMPTON, THE SEAT OF ... Mrs. Stopford-Sackville. GARDENS OLD-&NEW (-.1 I. ! we hurried a A ay t > I )r.i\ I. MI .111 hour tvtore dinner." \\ rot.- " th.it inimitable posxip Horace Walp«K- t.. < i, •• ^- Montague, in July, 176?. "Oh. tlu- dear oil place! You would Iv transported with it ! UK- ti.mt i- a brave, stron- castle wall. embattled and loopholed for defence. Passing tin- ^reat ^.itc ^'«' COM: iinptu n- hut narrow mi>Jem court, hvhin.l which risis tlw olj manM..n. all t".M-rs anJ turrits. Tlu h-iusi- is i- \ii-IU-nt, h.is .1 \.ist hall, ditto Jinm^-r.H.m. kin-\ diamrvr. trunk-^allcr\- at tin- top of tlu- Ivusc. aiul M-XCII or c-.^l" Jiffcrcnt jpartrm-ntx. Thi-n it is c«i\i-ri-J with p>rtraits, ..rammed with old china, iiirnislu-d richly, and not a ran in it tinJcr forty, fifty, or a thousand years old ; hut not a hed or a • that has lost a tooth, or not a «rey hair, v> well are they I Hiiinna^i-.l it fruin head t'i i" 't, i-\.iiniiu-d c\ > ry in^l.-d hed and enamelled pair ot rvllovss. tor su.h there are; in short, I d> not rv the i -Id mansion u.i- ever IvtU-r pl.-a.ed \\ith an inli.ihit.ini since the days oj W.ilM d-- hrayton, e\c--pt \\ !i -:i it ;,M-I\<.| its divine o!d mistress, ll one could honour lu-r more tli.in one di.l Ivlore. it woiiM Ix- to N. • uith w'-at religion slu- |<,- ps up the old dwelling and customs; as well as o!J xvivants, who \ou may r:ia^ine do ii"t lo\ e lu-r l.-ss than other |\-..p|. The yarvlen is just as Sir John (iennnn hnni^lii it tioni Holland; pyramidal yews, treillaws, ,UK| >qu.ilL- cradle walks, with windows clipped in them." Walpole's description of hrayton House is as and it is true in e\ery particular to-Jay. Sull inn THE INNER COtkT AND COLONNADE. 196 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Copyright. THE STAIRWAY TO THE UPPER TERRACE. there is the brave front, dating from Elizabeth's days, looking out over that delightful garden ; there are those wonderful leaden vases and iron gates and clairvovt't's ; we may see the splendid classic front with lofty Corinthian fluted columns, strangely linked, in bold contrast, without modification or breaking of the style, with the remains of a much earlier day, enclosing the narrow court, exactly as Walpole describes it. Such a house must be abundantly interesting. The Walter de Drayton to whom Walpole refers was a member of the great family of De Vere, Earls of Oxford, who lived in the time of Richard I. The branch of that family which retained Drayton assumed the name, and the estate descended from them, through the marriage of successive heiresses, to the Greens, the Staffords, and the Mordaunts. It was Lewis, third Baron Mordaunt, 1572- 1601, who added to the Edwardian structure the noble Tudor front which looks out over the formal pleasaunce, and his arms, with those of his wife, Elizabeth D'Arcy, still remain on the sundial on the low wall dividing the "wilderness" from the principal garden. The famous John Thorpe is said to have been the architect. The fourth Lord Mordaunt, who lay a year in the Tower through supposed complicity in the Gunpowder Plot, was deprived of the custody of his boy by James 1. This boy was afterwards created, by Charles I., Earl of Peterborough, but adhered to the Parliament and was General of Ordnance under the Earl of Essex. His successor, Henry, the second Earl, was a very remarkable man. His early sympathies were with the Parliament, but he passed over to the King in 1643, and " Coitnfry Life." Cofyrigl.t THE TERRACE WALL AND BANQUET1NG-HOUSES. " Country Lift.' •< i IU _ se. O O _ O UJ x ! GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Cofyiiglil. AN OLD GARDEN. " Country Life." Copyright. THE PARK GATES. "Country Lije." /w-n / THE FORVAL GARDEN, LOOKING P.AST. fought gallantly at Nevvbury, being wounded in the arm ar.d thigh, and having his horse shot u.ider him. In 1646 he roturneJ to England and coinp >unded for his estate*, but wa . s'x.n embroile.l again, making a list effort for the King. b. r.u>ing the royal stand ird at Dorking, with the id. -a "t -oi/in^ Keigate. Once more he escaped, wounded, to the Continent, and again compounded, and at the Restoration became Governor of Tangier, afterwards served with the fleet, and r THE BALUSTRADE AND LEADKN \ •• was an envoy h the I)u!r high trns ,n "in d -laulti.ig ?ro-ii his allegiaiu'e. an 1 Iving roc-incilo.l t. tli.- ChurJi ol Kotiv.-.1' This l:arl di.l a gr<-at deal to l)rayto:i, and. tlwagh tlu- geiu-r.il arrangement o) the girden is o.irlier, he certainlv improved it greatly. Ih- " banque'.nig houses." terminating the terrace at tin- further end. were erected by him, and it is probible that the Iv.iutiful terra.. ing an.l flights of step. may bo attnlMU-d t" his time. To about the sum- | eri"d belong fe magniticont KM K-n \a»i-s and statues \\hiil si.iK.ly exu-IK-d by any in England, When the Hail died his title went t • Ins nephew Ovules, afterwards the gn.it of Peter 1-ifough, that famous seaman and soldier, but the l)r.iyt«'Mi-t.ite passed to lux daughter, l.idv M.rv. H.I- -.I), -.s Mor Jaunt, who married the l)uk. \ This lady carried o-i |>er father's work at |>r.i\ ton. and tlie magnificent ir >;rilU-s. s,,me of them bearing her monogram, were ereited in i6q9 and 1700. We are thus able to si-e i H'-use tx-came the spU-nJi.l composite builJing it is, and how it wa- a ionu-d -c -. \.utly appropriate to 200 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. • Co?) tiglii THE PLEACHED ALLEY AND CRADLE WALK. 'County Life.'- THE OUTER COURT, GATES. AND CLAJRVOYEE. •I , y.r- it. The l;uly married, as IUT sivmiJ hush.inJ, Sir John Germain, a \\i-ll-Uiinv\it soldier <>f fortune, who accompanied William III. t<> Kn-l.m.l. Walp.le, as we have -een, saiJ that lu- hnm^ht the l)r.i\ti>n ^.irJi-ii ovt-r with hm (n m H<>ll.inJ, meaning th.it Iv impiirU-J tlu- Uuul, >tyli-. The truth i-vuk-ntly is that lie j;ralti-J sumctliin^ »l I)utch qu.imtiifss upm similar fmms l) existing in the garden. The plcachvJ walk will n-miiul many "f that qu.iint alU-y kn«iwn a-. "'.'. V, H»\\i-r " <>n the South ti"iit ot M.impton (-oint. anJ it is n i a little singular that the io| lh.it \\hkh Wren ereiteJ in tin- (.Ink C-mit ot tlu- p.il.ue ot W.ll.am III. It \\.is Sir John (itiin.nn. Willi.im's fneiul. an.l, .IN s line s.l\'. Ills h.lll-hlothi-r. who l.HM'J thi- ii'lollli.l !•• .It l>i.ut. It was actually a work of rebto- ration, and little is really changed since James I. and his Queen visited the place in August, 1605. We have endeavoured, so far, to suggest the evo'ution and perfect appropriateness of the gardens. Tne formal paths, stately terraces, hedges of hornbeam and beech, grass walks, avenues, and pleached arbnirs are as when the cavaliers and dames of a former day delighted in them. Tlv.3 piece of still water and the great limes are most beautiful, and the antique air truly is about fie place. There are three main divisions at three different levels. The first, along the north side of the house, is a spacious lawn bise:ted by a double row of well-grown lime trees, beyond which again is a large parallelogram divided into four by high palisades of elm, beech, and hornbeam ; within these are ancient flower, fruit, -ind vegetable gardens. Here we find tlu pljached alley. The whole is surrounded by a high wal', Cofyi ight. OLD HAMMERED IRON GATES. "Conr.try Ltft." FLEMISH GATES. admittance being gained through a pair of fine iron gates. The next level, to which we descend by a flight of steps, is that of the f< rmal garden. The general arrangement gies back to the time of the third Lord Mordaunt (1584); the leaden figures and vases are of rare excellence; and the terrace at the further end, with i's terminal banqueting houses bearing the coronet of ihe second Earl of Peterborough, its flights of steps and splendid urns, is extremely fine, and separates the garden from the mount or raised terrace, which looks over a ha-ha into the park. At a still lower level is a third parallelogram, divided by a fingle row of lime trees into water and kitchen gardens, and beyond again is the bowling green, with its splendid iron gate bearing the cypher of Mary Duchess of Norfolk. Our pictures will enable many to appreciate the beauties and in- terests of Dray- ton, which was great in Stuart times, was ex- tolled by Horace Walpo!e in the last century, and of which a modern writer has said that, "if it yields to Burghley in uni- form magnifi- cence and to A 1 1 h o r p in pictorial riches, yet ex. els them, and all the county houses, in the wealth and sublety of its •Cauntry Lift." arlistiC 3Ild IlJS- toric charms." •DR/1YTON. •4 I Q Z 0 a. UJ 2: < : _ L 204 j MELBOURNE HALL, DERBY, . THE SEAT OF EARL COWPER, K.G, » i GARDENS OLD-&NEW surveyed bear the WE have now to describe a. place which holds an important position in the history of English gardening. We have already many gardens that marks of an earlier time — long alleys and shad nvy walks beneath sombre yew.?; quaint courts with their mossy terraces, where peacocks spread their plumes in the sun ; the strange and curious cutting of the trees. We have been able to note the growtli of new tastes, and the breaking away of barriers, and have glance J at the work of the landscape gardener. We have seen also the fruitful love of flowers which has filled our m<>dern gardens with splendour and variety that the old gardeners never knew. But this survey has so far given us merely a glimpse of the grand or stately style associated with the name of Le Notre. There could, in the nature of things, be comparatively few examples of it, for the creation of great intersecting or radiating avenues formed of forest trees was an achievement not many could contemplate. Not to go abroad to the land from which the new spirit came, we have a classic example in the great gardens and park of Hampton Court, partly arranged by London and Wise under the personal supervision of William III. Here a long svater-piece and splendid avenues bespeak the new taste of a remarkable time. It is to this time and this school that the lovely gardens of Melbourne belong, and they may be described as a complete illustration, on a comparatively small scale, of the manner of Le Norre as it was developed in England. Be it observed, however, that these noble avenues, dense hedges, and stately lengths of formal water do not preclude — nay, perhaps they demand— the wealth of floral beauty that the modern gardener should know so well how to bestow. But, before we say anything in detail of the character of this interesting place, it will be well to learn a little of the history of the great house and its farmer possessors. The - "*""\""'!*^fj._'~r* • -•*- /T ^••jita^ "-/*-** - '""• '***"*£- THE LAKE AND BIKDCAGE. 1 Country Lijc." •Ml- 1 It' X KM-. THE CROW WALK. 20G GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Cofyri^hl. THE FOUNTAIN WALK. •' Cuuntry Life." name of Coke deserves to he greatly honoured among lovers of the country and its pursuits, for the Cokes have ever loved both. It \vas a Coke who wrought a marvel in developing the agricultural possibilities of Norfolk. It was a Coke who created the gardens we are now to survey. Tlvj first of the family to be resident at Melbourne was Sir John Copyright. THE HOUSE fkUM I HE GARDEN. Coke, Secretary of State to Charles I., who acquired tiie place in 1628. He was lessee of the estate under the Bishop of Carlisle, to whom it belonged, and from whom it was purchased by his heirs. Sir John Coke was a man of importance in the royal counsels, and it deserves to be remembered to his credit that he did a great deal to reform ._ „ the naval administration of his time. It was after his marriage that he retired for a period from the cares of State, and occupied himself in farming at Melbourne until the events of the Civil War called him back, in January, 1643, and he lived and died at his house at Tottenham. His son and successor was another Sir John Coke, also a man who loved the life of the shires. It is noteworthy that in the civil broil he took the popular side, while his brother Thomas remained a Cavalier. In those troublous time.-;, if any men were safe, they were the brothers who thus divided their sympathies, if they could but be true to one another ; and the curious will find that there was, in effect, often a brother on either side of the hedge. The Melbourne correspon- dence gives a remarkable insight into the country life of the age, upon which it would be pleasant to dwell. The two Sir Johns, father and sen, were both devoted f\tl-UK>LKM. - o 2: u — I H 208 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. to falconry, and the letters contain many allusions to it. Thus writes Sir John the younger: "Mr. Harpur, son of John Harpur of Calke, comes hither (to Melbourne) pretending to see my hawkers fly, but in reality to see my sister." It was a brother's remark ; but we may hope that the gentle swain loved to see the lady with the hawk upon her wrist, for it is a sport in which a graceful woman may well look her best, and bring down other game than such as fly. The house about which these pleasant diversions went en was, of course, not that which we depict. In it Baxter, the Puritan divine, wrote some part of his " Saints' Everlasting Rest," and it was a house of gables and mullioned windows, with an old garden of its own. The present solid and substantial structure may wdl date from about the year 1700. The older garden seems to have consisted of a terrace, with two levels below it, and brick walls on either side, a quaint and beautiful arrangement, where the clipped hedges a d fragrant (lowers would be very charming to view. These pleasaunces, however, were entirely remodelled for Thomas Coke, afterwards Vice-Chamber- lain to George I., from designs by the "famous Henry Copyright. THE BLACK "Country Life." Wise. This was between the years 1704 and 1711, a time when the grand style of Le Noire, made known largely through the work at Hampton Court, was very popular. Gardens were then necessarily formed upon a larger scale, for the long avenues were Copyright. THE UPLAND VISTA. "Country Life." MELBOURNE. • Till ARCHKD YbW WALK. Couil'i Li/l.' ' THb OLD YLW HbUGB. . 210 GARDENS OLD /t^b miv. carried through the parkland, which before had been left in native wildness. In "The Formal Garden in England," by Mr. Reginald Blomfield and Mr. F. Inigo Thomas, the following account is given of the work of Henry Wise at Melbourne : " The lower wall (of the old garden) was probably removed, and an extensive faisjitct or grove planted, with a great water-piece and several smaller fountains. Long alleys with palisades of limes were formed, and an amphitheatre of limes with vistas radiating in all directions from a superb lead urn in the centre. The ground is of irregular plan, but the difficulties are met by the design in a most masterly manner. Some alterations were made in the garden about fifty years ago. Other- wise the original design is substantially perfect, and is a very valuable instance of a garden laid out when the French influence was st.ll dominantin England." The book from which this quotation is made is one which can hardly be charac- terised in terms of excess of praise, for in it Mr. Blomfield and Mr. Inigo Thomas, who have distinct and c'ear ideas, expre»,s their views with rare moderation of tone. The trees have now grown to grand dimensions, and are lovely in form and colour ; and the Vice- Chamberlain, it" he ever conceived the full effect of his work, must have lamented that he could never see its prime, and to him we owe honour for the pleasures he prepared for pos- terity. Our pictures illustrate admirably what is the character of these noble gardens. The great water- piece is particu- larly fine, and has a somewhat elaborate character. Its formal outline is broken by curves, there being a half quatrefoil on the further side, where the curious cage is seen. The hedges of yew, with THE FLYING A'.ERCURY. wrought iron rnrden-house green verges of gra s, recesses for seats and or bird- the dense statues, the great belt of splendid trees in the background, and the hill ris ng beyond, combine to create a very remarkable and striking effect. The leaden statues and adornments of Ihe gardens are among the most characteristic features at Melbourne, and are as important as anything of the kind in Hngland. In the view of the ornamental water, the very notable figure of Perseus will be discovered in its niche in the yew hedge, as well as the most remarkable Flying Mercury on a ped-slal nearer the foreground, of which also a larger picture is given. The Black Slave is extremely fine, and the wrestling Cupids and the other figures and urns are all particularly interesting. White marble is a very lovely material, but it sometimes looks cold under English skies, while t'.ie colour of old leadwork belongs as it were to the garden, and has a charm all its own. Bacon, in his time, had some objection to statuary. The princely garden he spoke of, in which no cost was spared, had perhaps no such adornments. There were those, he said, who, taking advice with workmen, instead, perhaps, of seeking that of men like h'mself, would " set their things together," an.l sometimes add statues and such things, for state and magnificence, "but nothing to the true pleasure of a garden." Yet statuary is of ancient d a t e i n English gardens. At (he famous house of the Lord Treasurer Burleigh at Theobalds there was a semi- circular s u in in e r- house, with twelve Roman emperors in white marble standing round the curve, as terminal busts, we may suppose, and here in leaden cisterns was water for fish, or for bathing in the s u m in e r . No one truly can gainsay that such statues as those at Melbourne are at home amid those lofty groves and stately hedges. The F o u n ta i n Walk, with sparkling showers, and the Crow Walk' are two striking illustrations of the rare beauty that belongs to this style. The trees are noble in si/.e and aspect, the yew hedges are grand, and the green turf is delightful to tread. Where there are trees like these, we have beauty alike in the bursting green of the spring, the riper hues o leafy June, agiin when the foliage turns to red and gold, and still when autumn has blown, a n d above the great yew hedges the matchless tracery of the trees is lifted agiinst the sky. Very characteristic is the long yew walk— ihe length from the top to the fountain is abjut 120 paces and the width is I2ft. inside— which has c! )sely-knitted branches, making an almost impenetrable sh ide. Like Queen Mary's Bjwer of wych elm at Hampton Couit, it is, to use Evelyn's words, "for the perplexed twining of the trees very observable." There is, however, s exquisite evimple of •tv-.il) aulmeiture deputed ID tli' s should have heen • h.-.eii as the nvxlrl fur the British Pavilion at tin- Pans i:\hihition t>t icjoo. The H.ill. Bradi..rd- on- Avon, is, indeed, niu- nl tin- i;ems ot nur do.itestic • :«.-. In richness, v.iin-ty. ;inJ originality "t t.e.ituient . .!. I Inn- is in its features tin- expression i.l tli.it new love ••! hie. and the things th.it lid- could m\e, tli.it flashed throu-h tin- world in the ^n-.it :.nJ ui-iivlc-r- \vp. in the li^lit "t a new MIII. tin- pr.i.nise larger .i^e. Hr.iJf! 1 1 ill. nJi J.'thu-is ,,| Hi.iJt.ird. hut theev.ut date "t its eie. ti.i.) Ills nut Iven determined, tliou^li we d<> m>t d"iuhttliat It helon^s to the rei^n n| Junes I. (>iueit was known as Kingston House, hut earlier still had Ix-i n styled the Hall, a name which was rest .re.l t» it hy the present owner, Mr. John Moulton, in |S«)4. The mansion deiive.l its second name from the IVrrepomts. I hikes ,.( Kingston, uho tomieily owned it. Some authorities h.i-. e -un: that it was erected hy that famous John of I'aJua who was en,M-ed upon the work at l.on^leat. and it is recorded that the celebrated John Aubrey, in the year |6S6. i t > I' "the hest house tor the quality «.t a gentleman in Wiltshire." Kingston House has seen many chan-es, hut it is most famous— or, we nii^ht say, notorious— troin the l.ut that the hi^amist huvhess nt Kingston « . casion.illy resi.led within its walls, and still the Country-folk tell of her ecientru Tilt ^h AND ILOWtM BOHDSR. 212 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. I The last Duke bequeathed the property to her for life, but her interests were disputed, and great excitement was caused by her arraignment before the House of Lords in 1786. At her death the property passed to the last Duke's nephew, who became Earl Manversin 1806. From that time, however, the old Hall fell upon evil days. The beautiful furni- ture disap- peared, and the whole of the building suffered considerably, several of the best rooms being given up to the work of hand-/oom weavers, who lived in tenements within the walls. In this state it continued until some fifty years ago, when the property came into the possession of the late Mr. Stephen Moulton, who restored the glorious fabric of the building. His brother and successor in the estate, Mr. John Moulton, has completed the work of beautifying the immediate surroundings and improving the gardens. The site affords little scope, because immediately in front of it, within joyds. indeed, are india-rubber works, only partially hidden by a belt of trees and by shrubs at Copyright. THE ANCIENT DOVECOTE. ountry Life." the bottom of the lawn. The grounds are, nevertheless, remarkably secluded. The view from them is not extensive, but the old white gables of Brad- ford are visible, and, though hidden, the waters of the Avon rushing over the weirs may be heard as they speed through the valley. The scenery in this part ot Wiltshire is charmingly picturesque and attractive. As our illustrations reveal, the gar- dens are formed in terraces, with beautiful enriched walls. A good wall in a garden is a feature to be seized upon, because against it can be planted many beautiful things that will scarcely prosper elsewhere. The upper lawn, devoted to tennis courts, is a pleasant resort, where gay flower borders creep up to the sward, and at the back of the flower border on the upper side are several rows of ornamental shrubs quaintly trained, with elms, pines, and other trees behind. Some loft, below is another lawn, devoted to bowling, the fine old English game that is becoming more popular every Copyright. THE HOUSE AND TERRACE FROM THE WEST. ' Country L>lt.' 7HE H.1II, -HK.lt -i THE GRAND APPROACH. it*.- 214 GAKDhNS OLD AND NhlV. Copyright. " Country Life' THE GEM OF JACOBEAN ARCHITECTURE. year. Here the terrace wall is covered with peach trees perfectly trained and in full vigour, and against the lower terrace walls are several noble pear trees hori/ontally trained. The borders by the lower terrace walls are filled, like the others, with hardy flowers, their brilliant colour in the summer-time relieved by standard and other roses. The walls themselves are architecturally beautiful, and enriched with the addition of vases excellently carved in stone. On the lowest lawn is a tine specimen of the y e w , and in the belt of surrounding shrubs many choice kinds of conifers have been recently planted. Along the :-ide of this lawn, next to the terrace, stands a row of beaut it ul Irish yews, and, near adjoining, there is a snia I orchard and Iruit garden, laid <;i.t in squares, planted with standard trees, and surrounded * \ th applt-s, pears, and other I RUM • fruits on wire trellis. The whole character is made quainter still by these squares being edged with box, in the bygone manner now revived. On the right hand of the Hall is the slope garden, where are standard apples, plums, etc., and trees trained on trellises, whilst the squares and borders are used for the growth of flowers and vegetables. Leaving this slope garden, we come to a Dutch garden, laid out on the site of an old factory, and only recently completed. It is not often that we see, in these days, such a quaint feature created. There are vineries, peach, orchid, and other plant- houses in these wonderful 1 y compact gar- dens, which may be classed amongs' the most interesting of their kind in England, and show what in- telligent and lov- ing care can ac- complish, where casual interest and indifferent attention would have achieved THE EAST. "CvrtvW v,rylitt,e. f 21.', i ALTON TOWERS, STAFFORDSHIRE, THE SEAT OF THE EARL OF SHREWSBURY & TALBOT."' ,GARDLNS OL D-&NEW 'HE classic ;:ardens nl Alton To\\. rs deserve In IV nil 111 hi- r ed a mo ii;; the most famous in tin- British Isles. anil fortunately \ve are able to recount th.-jr history. It was to Charles, lilteenth H.irl of Shrewsbury. th.it tin- lorin.iiion <>\ tlii-iii was Jiu-. bnamocred <>\ ihe n.itni.il tvauties »t the Ctnintry. and tvinj ;ui .irdi-nt l-«vi-r of tin- ^.irdon, lu- Jtrtermiiu-J tn >urruunJ Ins 3h".lc uiih .1 Ji-li^htlul rr.ilin nl trees .inJ ll .\\-i-rs. Tin- pn-siJinj; clur.ut. -riNtu's "I tin- h.irl's creation, t»r it \vas ivitlun^ i-lv, \\ru- J.is-k -r.ue anJ luxuriant richness .inJ in OIK- p.nt of tlu- ».irJcns is .1 circular trmplo in tlie st\ li- of tlu- laiiu-J m. and squirrels ^r.l through the /i-.il We pass through nuiih till v'eiu-rv Ivlore enleriii<> tllC sp.Ki..iis ph .isure grounds, ilu- -He i.t whiili, eaily in the vvntii'V, \\.is a u .Ll \\.xKll.inJ, where i.il-hils many in the liees ; hut all this «.is ul the nohle nwner. The scene lent ilsrll In the improvements elti>ieJ hy Ins luii. I, an. I tile ^lul-ns aie n w a ma/e -it Ivatitilul flower-gemmed lurl \\a ks threading a rotnantK1 \ alii \ . and from the temple allu.Kd {•> we mnmand a superh view ..I the e.\v)ui-ite s\ Ivan -veil •. l-k I >\s aie these wa\s thrmi^li rhoJoJendrun and a/ilea uro\-,-s, ulu-n tlie lealy huslu-s with th ir multitudinous il.\\,is ar>- a snur.f ol tintailin^ delight. Miles ot |»ny drives thread th •• tvautilul pl.uc. and attr.Kt h\ ri- is ,:i ,,i tlu- s,,n ;,nj veKetv turt with which they are spi,-ad. Hut let u> now pursue the K-autilul path that inns d.>\\n from tlie circular temple. On our way we pass tin- ari.iJeJ 'LE kEFlGb" AM) UK- 216 GARDENS OLD AND NLW. Copyright. THE CASCADE AND LAKE. " Country Lift.'1' wall, and descend to the ravine, where, in summer months, brilliant masses of colour light up the surroundings. The natural configuration of the ground has made terraces a marked feature of the place, and it will be seen how sculpture finds its right use at points where the slope is broken. The same characteristic of the ground opens out many delightful views from various positions. One feature is the Harper's or Swiss Cottage, which is well seen across the valley as we stand by the great conservatory. Another, in the lower garden, is the terrace of the Muses, which is surrounded by beds of rich and harmonious flowers. But wherever he goes in the gardens of Alton Towers, the visitor will find something to his mood. If tireJ of statues and masonry, he will wander through rhododendron groves, and linger in leafy recesses with flowering shrubs for his neighbours. Then he may discover a flight of 172 steps, known as Jacob's Ladder, which conducts down the slope, and may wonder at a fountain like a Chinese of quite imposing pagoda, height. Alton commands, Copyright. THE LION FOUNTAIN. "Country fife.'* Towers itself as it should, splendid views of its gardens and surroundings, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to discover on the heights a spot from which a delicious prospect or panorama is not spread out below and around. There are special points to be visited in the gardens. Thus we may go to the Gothic Temple upon its sandstone rock, or climb the flag tower, which looks over mile after mile of romantic scenery to the distant Wrekin itself. In few gardens can tree- life be more vigorous. Rhodo- dendrons are everywhere, and we tread even upon little seedlings which endeavour to usurp the pathway, so strong and forceful is the growth of this leafy shrub. Many of the , ///ON 7i'»/-A'v 217 I •n — I O JL! ^ 218 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. finer kinds have been planted, and hence largely the extreme beauty of the early summer at Alton, when the valley-sides are clouds of varied colour. Hence, too, the green charm of tiie winter, wh.-n otiier shrubs have cast their leaves. The beech, the sweet chestnut, anJ the acacia are in rude heal.h in this chosen spot, and there are firs to give relief, by their sombre hue, to the deciduous trees and statuary. These splendid wardens preceded the existing mansion they so lavishly adorn, and have therefore appropriately been first described. The fifteenth Earl of Shrewsbury, the same who "made the desert smile," turned his at ention to gardening as an enthusiast, and began his work in the year 1814. His successor, the "good Earl," w.is not neglectful of his green heritage, which he greatly improved, but his attention was devoted more j articularly to the house, which, by successive alterations, he converted into an imposing pile. Before his time the place had never Iven known as Alton Towers. Fortunately, in his later life, he made the acquaintance of Pi-gin, and the two worked hand in hand, the Earl having an inspiring worker, and the famous architect a munificent patron. Between them the mansion grew into what it is, and was stored with historic treasures and works of art ; but, unfortunately for the place, both owner and architect dieJ t>o soon. Their congenial work did not end with Alton Towers, for, as everyone interested in the later development of our English architecture knows, churches and other buildings sprang up under the liberal hand of the Earl, and through Pugin's loyal truthfulne s to style and to mediaeval tradition. Those times have goie by, but the work of those two men has left its mark on the land. When Bertram, I:arl of Shrewsbury, d'ed, the senior line of the Talbots failed, and, after some litigation, Alton Towers, with the Shrewsbury title, fell to the late Eail Talbot of Ingestre. The imposing conservatories, 3OOtt. long, with a central domed house, are architectural also, but here the hand was not that of Pugin, but of London. Their vast size and lofty character cause them to stand out boldly among their beautiful surroundings, but it is unfortunately true that architectural effect, if associated with great size, may mar the object for which conservatories are intended. Few plants can be happy in buildings so large and draughty that the greatest skill can scarcely make them suitable for their inmates. Some o; th- architectural features of Alton Towers, which are external to the mansion itself, have already been referred to. The Gothic Temple, " Le Refuge"— that quiet nook, which we have illustrated, under the hill— the Harper's Cottage, a picturesque building of S.viss aspect, on the opposite height, the Pagoda Fountain, rising strangely amid lovely foliage and retlecte.1 in still water where lilies sleep, the Modem Stoi.ehenge, and other features of this great estate all ad J their points of interest or attractiveness to the domain. Then there- is Ina'.- Rock, where the great King of Wesscx is said to have held a parley with Ceolred, the Mercian, after the battle. From these various features the visitor who is seeking out the garden and sylvan beauties of Alton Towers may return to the old quarry near the mansion, which in the happiest tashion has been made rich in conifers. Here, indeed, they succeed beyond expectation. The Deodar cedai , Pinus Cembr.i, P. insignis, Abie> Douglas! , and A. Menziesi are amongst the most flourishing of the tribe in the quarry. Before we leave Alton Towers, it is pleasant to linger a while in the private garden of sweet-smelling flowers, also near the house. Here a crowd of roses, honeysuckles, and other beautiful plants exh ile their welcome perfume. Hence, too, a quiet walk leads to the private chapel or oratory of a late Countess of Shrewsbury of the old line, and is entered by an iron gate, surmounted by a cross. Pleasant it is, too, having enjoyed the charms of the ornamental grounds, to glance at the indoor plants and at the fruit quarters, where many a fine English pear is as luxiriant as the rhododendrons in the woodland, or the gay denizens of the parterres. The illustrations depict better than words can describe the character and some of the beaut'es of this truly famous garden. Our country may well be proud of such places. Here the mossy trunk, the still pool, the green wall, the radiant parterre, and the silent glade are the outward tokens of the subtle glamour Copyright. ' Country Life.' THE PAGODA FOUNTAIN. of such surroundings. Silent, did we say ? Not so, indeed, for here is a pleasure-land beloved of birds. "This jjuest of summer, The temple-haunting mnrllet, doth approve, By his bold inaiisionry, that the heaven's breath Smells wooingly here." So may we well say, in a place filled with song, and whose every path and glade is fragrant with the breath of the Country sum ITU-T. Not that the gardens at Alton Towers are summer gardens only. The varied foliage makes them delightful at every season of the year, whether it be in the bursting of the bud, the leafy triumph of June, the mellow charms of autumn, or the chill days of winter, when lovely branch-tracery extends against the sky, a. id silver glitters on the dark greens o? rhododendron, cedar, and yew. But now no more may be said, and the writer is content to remember an inscription on a pillar of one of the conservatory vestibules at Alton Towers: "The speech of flowers exceeds all flowers of speech." f *ll» I HOLME LACY, HEREFORD, . . THE SEAT OF ... The Earl of Chesterfield. GARDENS OLD-&NEW THliKH are in.iny Iv.uitiful s /.it- in the rom.ritic v.ill -v ol tin- Wye, and ammi^ them stands H line I in a tine situation, surveying a glorious pp.sp.-ct ..t lull and \\-<>-\\, ah >nt tour in li-s south-east "I Hereford. It is a very lovely country, famous lor many ih.iMiis, and hard to surpass for it> prox|v,.ts ol th.- tai -winding un. The landscape. C'>mp»M-J of lulls ID endless variety, :>.:nu to tlu- glorious river, is rich in Us luv.i'ian.v. and full of English charm. Here, centuries a^>, the treat lamily of ScuJam -re held sway, the lands by the Wve cvmin<: to it through a A STUDY OF YfcWS. marriage with tlu- h-.-iress of De I >cy. Kni-ht< and s.| . men famous in the court and the field, \\rie thi-v. and »:i them, Sir Jam.-s, \v as a patron «>t hdinund S|\-n«.er. and tlie type "t "Sir Scudamore" in the " l:.u-rv (.linen." Hi- S.,D. who uas .it one time am!\isN.idor in Kraiue, h< ..mi ! a Uatonet in I6JO, and U.IN vieate.l Visc.-unt Scudanvre and Baron hromore in 1628. Holme l.acy w.is the principal s^.u <•( the lamily. and the present house was largely huilt hy the third an I last ant, the friend of I'ope. who died in i;ifi. and whose daughter and heiress married, as her second InisKind. Col iiiel Kit/roy, who assumed the name •>! Snidam> r.-. I heir onlv daughter was the wife of ( Ih.lfles, eleventh I Hike ii| N :lolk, hut she died Juld <-ss in iSj<), and Holnu- l.a.v de\o|\ed upon Captain x .yn Stanhope. Hut.. K.Y. whose s. HI succeeded m i.HX? .is ninth hail ol Chest.-ilield. The h":;se Is he.iut.tul 111 Its simpluiiy.and has a clMimin^ outlook on each ol its three tionts. Within, it has smne splendid apirtmiiits, notahls- the s .1 1 oo n . with in u c h wonderful cars in^ o\er the Chimney-piece from the chisel of (iihlxns, w Imse v\ oik exists also in other pait- of the house. The charaiti-: .,| tlir •, charming gardens at Holme I i> y will he dis^c !ii d II the accompaii) in^ putures. In \ e r \ lew p I a i e s are various stvli-s N.. s.it torily Mended and contra-1 and, as is usu.il wln-ii < ttri is are pit-asm,:, tlu- m. it. rials emplo\ed are simple and UOIK!. Th' from the park K-vond a I- lawn rising Irorn the lakeside. amid a wealth of M everything enhancing tlie .Ite.t. It is a happy liamm^ .reerury tor the stnuture, which is cast m a plain hall- t lassie style, with advancing hays, a lo;ij; halustrade. Charactenst and the union ot mansion, park, and pleasure i:r«mnds is i-\Lellent m ch ifer the h o U s e w e have t h e well kqt -ardtiis, ot which that on the south side, is GARDENS OLD AND Nhli/. said to have been formed in the style of the gardens at Hampton Court. " What of the yew ? " asks Dr. Conan Doyle in anothtr relation. "The yew was grown in England!" Much, indeed, in our shires have we of the dark ancestral yew, the yew that "changes not in any gale," and yet, its dark steadfastness notwithstanding, whereof the poet exclaims, " Thy gloom is kindled at the tips ! " Yes, the careful watcher of the yew will discern the seasons' change in that dark foliage, and we have observed, too, in this series of garden studies, how this "ductile yew," though rising often in its native grandeur and ruggedness, is yet subdued with endless variety as the handmaid of architecture. At Holme Lacy, the ancient sentinels of the park, seared and dark with the branding of many a summer sun, seem scarce akin to the trim hedges that neighbour the mansion. They stretch forth their arms in sturdy freedom ; these are shaped by the cunning garden beauty, and no better illustration of what we have said can be found than in the gardens at Holme Lacy. Here the deep colour and protecting shade of the hedges are in the happiest union with gay beds of herbaceous flowers. A forest of foxgloves, delphiniums, and other tall plants send up their glorious spires of blossom from the mixed borders, and their effect is wonderfully intensified by the colour of the background. Thus we mark how the character is strengthened with good and distinctive effect. Note how the dense hedge separates the long garden of hardy flowers from the more formal garden of ribbon and other bedding. There is no gainsaying the fact that this "bedded-out" garden is remarkably beautiful in situation, colour, and special features ; and it is certainly most interesting to find the two great families of plants growing side by side — in one garden the geraniums and other bright summer flowers dear to many gardeners, and possessing a Cofyiighl. THE GREAT YEW HEDGE. " Country Life." hand of art, to subserve the gardener's need. The-e are many splendid yew hedges in England ; we have seen not a few in these pages ; but we may go far before we find any to surpass in beauty and variety the yew hedges of Holme Lacy. Some idea may be formed of the extent of them if we say that two men are occupied six weeks in cutting them once. Several of them are of great height and thickness, and all are remarkably dense and of fine colour. The greater hedges, moreover, have that quaint billowy aspect which adds so much to their charm. We have marked two great uses for a yew hedge in a garden apart from the inestimable value of the hedge as such — the shelter it will give to tender growths or open flower gardens, enabling many beautiful things to flourish in situations where they could not succeed without shelter, and the value of the hedge, by colour and form, as the background to flowers, enhancing and enforcing their beauties of hue and growth. We have often found the yew hedge playing this part in very real attractiveness of their own, and in the other the sweet and homely perennials thrown into relief by their sombre background. Such striking effects of contrast are found in very few places. The yew hedge has its great value also in increasing the effectiveness of the sweet rose garden. The foliage at Holme Lucy is remarkably fine. The visitor discovers this at the very entrance gate, where great dins and other trees overhang the way. It is a sylvan land, and many varieties of forest trees are found in the park ; and the contrasting tones of oak, elm, ash, beech, and cedar, and of not a few fine coniferous trees are remarkably beautiful. The noble old yews have already been alluded to. The splendid "Monarch Oak" on the ridge of the park has a circumference of 2ift. loin, at jft. from the ground, and the " Trysting Tree" is grander still. The undulating character of the ground and the rich green of the turf complete a picture //<)/ nr/ it Y. m x: 3 _ x H 222 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. ^•H THE ROSE GARDEN. " Com'.ry Life.' THE TWO STYLES OF GARDENING. / /<.). .Ill I . lllstiTt J .ril many mi-lit be tin- ::iu;inel than . . .1:1.1 Hi • in- Iv in kin I. iinnv .li-'il. I II no r.-K ir.l, till SciKlaiiinrr'* kkilful h in I Ini]irnv.-«l hrr. Mini liv r xirtlv iliscijiluir Tanu'lt hi-r tlu- ^.n i- n itur- to dux -I; Ilrnor «l« IM thr Scutlamoma Ji|.i:il ; »lni.t v.inj \Viiocv.-r t««t«-». let him w.th j-r.itiful h.-itt i-Ct tll4t .oii-ii ut lny.il huu-f." • THE TEkRACU VMLK. • But the |V.ir is n-it I.---- Mil here t'l.lit the Ni ir tile vicarage Inuse stands a I.IMMUS NJV(. mii-n. an oiJiar.l in itsi-lf. Tliere is authority lur saying that in 177^1 it \ielded 1 1 0:11 14 ti i(t ho^sheidt "I perrv "I lc» ^illmis eich. It appears that a l.ir^e hraiu'h \vas hio!»en d-i\\n In1 the win. I. :.n.l. tlnn^h still aJhenn^ t<> the trunk, its h.-ad Ml to th • ground. Ih.-re, 1.1 cours- ut time, it riHit -d, and the vuar hid other layers m ide in the same \\.tv. Thus an interesting place in many ways is tins pl.-asant cmiiitfv h nisi-, wlM^e Ivautittil le.iturcs .irt- \\i-ll d -pi. t -.1 in t!u THb Iv • OLD PLACE, LINDFIELD, . . THE SEAT OF ... MR. CHARLES E. KEMPE GARDENS OLD-&NEW THE village of Lindtidd, between Cuckfield and HorsteJ Keynes, is one of the most interesting to the artist and the antiquary in the whole county of Sussex, which is a very great thing to say. Few of those who pass Cofi-iighl. THE SUNDIAL. through Hayward's Heath on the way to Brighton are aware that a p'ace so charming lies near. It is a lovely wooded country, from which many views are gained of the distant South Downs, with picturesque and rustic scenes such as we are familiar with .in the paintings of Constable. From the earliest times there has been an important resi- dential district in this part of Sussex, and on both sides of the South Downs are numerous great mansions or the remains of them, not seldom turned into farmhouses. The wayfarer will constantly come across quaint bits of timber architecture hereabout, with a rustic beauty possess ng a special charm of its own, and Lindfield itself still possesses many houses of timber in its ancient street, of which several are very deserving of notice. The ancient gentry have departed, but several of their houses remain. There is Pax Hill, an Elizabethan house of stone, built in 1606, and very picturesque. Kenwardes was once the seat of the old Sussex family of Chaloner, of whom Colonel Chaloner was a supporter of the Commonwealth and a Justice of the Peace, who is recorded to have cele- brated lay marriages in his house under an ordinance of the Parliament ; and Lunt and Ea^t Mascalls are other notable houses in the vicinity of Lind- field. Happily the architectural treasures of the region have not been overlooked, and a new sun of pros- perity has shone upon some few places that had fallen into decay, leading to achievements in the domain of country life which are very note- worthy indeed. The Old Place, a mansion origin- ally built about the year 1590, is a notable illustration of the fact. Here has the skill of modern hands recovered the spirit of the eld in the regenera- tion of the house, and thus created a jewel well befitting that beautiful land. Mr. Kempe, who loves his garden well, was also his own archi- tect. This is a house of a class found in many parts of r-ngland besides this district of Sussex, but few examples of it are so satisfactory in their varied features. Look at those wonderful gables, in their picturesque grouping, at the lofty chimneys, at the mullioned windows with their storied panes. Ask yourself, then, if anything can be more English in character than the "Country Lift." OLd, and stjne, of its m )>sy tiles, and the rare greens of the ivy an 1 flowering climbers that vest its structure. There is rich detail in the minsioii, yet all in the simple style, developed from simple materials. Never, surely, did the an:ient worker produce a more subtle charm THE ENTRANCE DRIVE. than we find in its many features. The splendidly-carved barge-boards, the armorial adornnunts of the porch, the slender vanes, the quaint forms of the pargeting anil chiselled wood- work within the court, all mark the rare hand of an artist. Moreover, whatever is new here is own brother to the old— 1 1 the rugged time-worn timbers, and to the thick" thatch of straw, beneath which nestle the diamond panes well sheltered from wind and sun. And, if we would seek a feature of distinction, and a rare adornment for a garden, do we not find it in that splendid dial with its faces lifted aloft upon the twisted pillar, that speaks of the fleeting hours ? This garden monitor of the life passed joyously <>r sorrowfully in the pi' asaunce or in the outer world, illicit well Iv an exemplar for many. It is a delightful garden creation. Nnnc sol; nitiir n/iih'j so is it true of the garden as of the world. And above the dial, in bronze, is the pelican "in her piety" — the desert bird "whose beak unlocks her bosom's stream," feeding her young with her blood. Could we grace a garden with "Country Life." adornment than thjs } /'/ . z Z _ J ui GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Could we seek a more fitting centre about which a garden should grow ? Where, compared to such an object, are the mouldering temples, fabricated ruins, or ancho- rites' cells of another age than this ? Perish they from the sweet domain, where labour the conjoined hands of Nature and Art — those presences dwelling in the garden word ! But the added charms of the Old Place do not end here. There is the sweetest fancy to be found displayed in all the gates and surroundings of the mansion. Look, now, at the marvellous grouping of the house, where many gables rise frcm overhanging stories, where rarely-leaded windows give their picturesque charm, where the barge-boards are a masterpiece of the crafts- man's skill, and where the chimneys and vanes rise up Mark how the shadows fall of sweet mystery Copyright. to the on this seems to ' Country Li'e. THE GREEN ALLEY. over-arching sky. gl irious frontage ; cling to the wood how an air and brick; ho.v the imagination is tempted to seek new beauties in all those nooks and shadows, wherein clinging clematis bestows its starry charm. What a pleasure, then, is it to pass down from that Tudor porch along the green alley to the garden realm without, with the delight of flowers and of yew. Then the garden-house ! Wh.it can we say of this fascinating resort save that it is a supreme triumph of garden architecture in subtle harmony with the surroundings, THE WEST END. •Country Lift* ni r> n i> r THb HWMAI. <,M'bl.N. I >'••" THH FROM THI: «,\l'l>LN. 230 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. and carrying the spirit of the house into the green pk-asaunce without ? Here is nii-tn, e-quer.ess truly em- o idied. And from those windows ranged along the length what a realm of beauty do we n >t survey ? Look at that wondrous double hedge of yew, but- tressed and strengthened, as it were, in its curious and unfamiliar shape to flank and enclose the way. We do not know another hedge exactly like this, for, if the expression may be pardoned, the hedge is architectural too, and possesses the same spirit that we find in the House itself. And this yew walk is flanked by sweet and fragrant gardens, wherein are abundant floral treasures. 'Ijii/iis amor flonun — such is the love of flowers indeed. Hence is nothing banished but what would be garish or would obtrude. Simple blooms are these that neighbour the standard laurels garnished with ivy. It is a character the pictures disclose, but that the pen can scarcely convey. Yet it is evident that the hand of knowledge has guided the formation of these pleasure grounds, and it would seem that there has been an admirable system— the good old system described by T. James in "The Carthusian' —"of terraces and angled walks, and dipt yew hedges, against whose dark and rich verdure the bright, old-fashioned flowers glitter in the sun." There has certainly been a surpassing love of flowers, and hence does the garden prosper. "You have heard it • Cofyrighl. THE SIMPLE GAk'DEN. 1 Country Life'* said," wrote Ruskin, in " Sesame and Lilies," " (and 1 believe there is more than fancy even in the saying, but let it pass for a fanciful one), that flowers only flourish rightly in the garden of someone who loves them. 1 know you would like that to be true ; you would think it a pleasant ma,.;ic if you could flush your flowers into brighter bloom by a kind look upon them ; nay, more, if your look had the power, not only to cluer, but to guard— if you could bid the black blight turn away, an 1 the knotted caterpillar spare — if you could bid the dew fall upon them in the drought, and say to the south wind in frost, ' Come, thou south, and breathe upon my h r,,f?rixiit. BISHOP'S GATE. 'Country Life." /•/ /• /. I J THh hAST I-.ND. •232 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. THE GARDEN PAVILION. " Country Life." garden, that the spices of it may flow out.' This you would think a great tiling " Many a time mi^ht these words be quoted by the garden-lover. Without pursuing Ruskin's magic words to tlieir deep human significance, we may say that they have an objective truth also— that they imply the effect of the love of a garden upon its outcome, as the caiis.i caucus of its perfection. Such, we think, must have been— and, indeed, manifestly has been— the origin of the perfection of the gardens at the Old Place, which, to paraphrase the words of William Morris, in his " Hopes and Fears for Art," are both orderly and rich, well-fenced from the outside world, stored with fl >ral charms, but not with the " mighty strong colour" of glowing masses, and yet not imitating either the \\jliulnejS or wildr.ess of Nature. Coffiig!:!. Illli PLEACHED WALK. Then, again, we must notice the pleached avenue of the stately limes that margin and adorn the straight path to the interesting church, with ever a view as we proceed of architecture and garden combined that would be hard to excel. Yews of many shapes and kinds are here to invest the place with the solemn character that they alone can impart — a solemnity that wins us to sweet garden melancholy, as it were, irradiated with a beauty and a joy that otherwise we might never experience in our pleasaunces. Tlu tall-growing lilies and irises, the branching roses, and all the sweet galaxy of the garden, find their foil and contrast in the lines of these deep hedges and of the sentinel yews that neighbour them. Thus is the character of enclosure given to the garden, but of enclosure brightened by open lawns like velvet to the tread, and by many a distant view of the hills and meadows of that delightful Sussex land. Therefore is the Old Place at Lindfield a most artistic and interesting abode. To create, or re-create, such a place as this is a very notable thing, and to make- all harmonious in house and garden is an artistic triumph. Here we have an admirable exemplar of what it is within the compass, not, indeed, of many, to accomplish, but of a favoured few. These will find both suggestion and encouragement in our pictures. Simplicity, quaintness, and occasional elaboration will be noticed, and no more than this happy association, in the adornment of the garden with foliage and flowers, is needed to produce a charm which all may admire. •13 ] BROUGHTON CASTLE, BANBURY, . . . OLD'&NEW THE RESIDBNCB op • • GARDENS Lord Algernon Gordon Lennox. -u A |:| u -\ Ca - *• Castle being in the market. it- noble cnaracter and m.inv tv-iulie* commended it ti> l.ord ( , Lennox, int. i whose hands it passed, .uul the latter bec.ime its presiding genius. N..IK-, : the mo>t stately limn.- ' I inland. Could • more absolutely appropriate lor this volume than tliis, for in Broti-liton Castle as it st.m S now, • T .thereabouts of loving care, there is an unrivalled example of the triumphant results which may .ichieved by cultivated modern taste in dealing with an ent edifice and its surroundings, I'lie tahric— it stands :c ttw reader's eye ill many asfvct— is in part, at any nt-uly si\ Centuries ..Id ; the ^arde:is h.ue I veil but tour s in the making. Yet the wh..le is a harmony. Something of architectural history, a measure "i ;illusioii to the part which Bmu^hton and its inmat.-s h.ive played in the nation's story, must needs be \s ntten in , ' ••! « ith a house of character so unique. [Irou^hton, re^ardin^ a lar-e ..1 its structure, is .im -n- tlie earliest evamples ..t consul, -t.ible domestic architecture in tiv^land winch still hou- tain lies. It is in three distnut r<-no.|s, .iiul t •• t ~t •>! tliest-. which can all but claim t > be of the thirteenth ventury, Ivlon^s a |.ir-e and int.-!..-st!ii4 part of the present striutuie. It was in the interval between noi and no; that John de Brought'.!! built the ori-in «l castu-. 01 in, early fourteenth try work much still remains, and miv be studied in our pictures. His w.is the groined p.i--.i-c. graceful and Mtv. leading to and fr.cn th.- Hall. The chapel with its stone altar and live consecration c t II in position, the dining-room, the newel staircase, the priest's ro.,:n. the armoury, and the hospital, with its beautiful Harly l:n^lish windows, were all his work. But Broughton was not to remain in the hands (,t the De Brouuhtons for any lonu time. In I V*), it was bought by William of Wykeh.iiii, fatlu-r of our public schools, and prince of artists iii architecture. The very • ' I the purchase is an example ->t Wykeham's ma-nit'K'-n;e. THE GREAT SUNDIAL. 234 GARDENS OLD AND NklV. Not for his own use, not for a present to the King, did the founder of Winchester and of New College acquire this stately house. He bought it with a view of settling it upon his sister Agnes and her family, and in that family, directly first and indirectly later, it h:,s remained ever since. Thorn is Wickliam, grandson of Agnes, obtained from Henry IV. in 1406 a licence to " crenellate his house at Broughton," by which licence, in all proba- bility, tlu1 house was raised to the * dignity of a castle. The said 'I liomas, like many another good man and true of those stirring days, when the lives cf men were often cut short, left an heiress, whom William, second Lord Saye and Sele, espoused. And from the hands of tli at family Broughton lias not departed. Changes h a v e been made in the fabric, of course. The embattled part of the building, early fifteenth cen- tury, speaks of the licence ''to crenellate" se- cured by Thomas Wickham. The Tudor windows of the north front were added in r 544, and the ceiling of the great hall and the oak-panelled drawing-room are of the same period. In the days immediately preceding Broughton witnessed the beginnings of a William, secon 1 Baron Save, was "the Purit-in Party " in the days of Charles 1., the Civil War great movement. godfather of the and in his house took place many a secret mee'.ingof those wli > were dissatisfied with the King's government. Hampden would come thither, and Pym, St. John, Lord Brooke, the tiarls of Bedford, Warwick, and Essex, Lord Holland, and Nathaniel Fiennes. Under the roof, too, is a great space, known as the Barracks, where Lord Save and Sele's regiment of 1,200 men passed the night before Hdge Hill ; and en the following dav Broughton fell into the hands of the King. And now for the gardens, the beautiful framework in which this antique architectural jewel is set. The subject is particular! y pleasant, because this is one of those rare cases in which the evolution of a garden may be followed, and the all-pervading in- fluence of dainty and cultivated taste may be traced. Of the present o:cu- pants of Broughton it may be said that they entered upon their tenancy in circumstances de- m a n ding g r e a t creativeskill. They had to face deso- lati )ii ; the space appropriate to gardens had been a b s o 1 u t e 1 y neglected, and a rough pasture-field ran up to the walls of the house under the drawing-room windows. The best that could be said of the situation was that it offered free scope to the artist c imagin ition ; but the task to be achieved was stupendous, the problem was of infinite complication. Never- theless, in a few short years, and with the aid of but four gardeners and a boy or t.vo, ureat things have been achieved, and a long series of beautiful scenes has been created. In some cases — for example, in that of the rergola, which the roses have not yet clothed completely — it is plain that the beaut:es of the future will surely excel those of the present ; but DAY. Copyright. 'Country Lift-' THE SOUTH-WEST CORNER. _ x : — •x. - : ^ a - .. 236 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. our pictures, taken as a whole, make it abundantly plain that the thought, and Ihe taste, and the loving care which have been devoted to these gardens have been richly rewarded. What is the principle animating the makers of the gardens which has produced so admirable a result. To our mind, pondering on the gardens as a whole, or in detail, it is deliciously, deliberately, and definitely indefinite. No hard and fast rules have been followed ; no external authority, no matter how eminent, has been allowed to dictate rules of taste. In the spirit (if willing desire to recognise beauty in many systems, in the wise determina- tion to borrow gooJ ideas from many sources, and with set purpose to devote attention principally to those plants and flowers which should show themselves appreciative of the soil and climate of Broughton, the new master and mistress of Broughton set them- selves to work. It is delightful to see the progress which they made, and the readiness with which they assimi- lated ideas. One of our pictures, for example, represents a Carious dial, of which the style is a clipped shrub, while the hours are designated by figures in llowers and foliage set close in a semi-circular bed cut out of the green turf. That pretty conceit was borrowed from the ancient gardens, long ago remodelled and now grown old a second time, of New College, Oxford. Doubly appropriate is this, for Wykeham's name is closely associated with New Coliege as with Broughton. The motto, too, is neat, " Give light to them that s't in darkness, and guide our feet into the way of peace." Roses, again, were indispensable ; but of the rose garden proper, as it now stands, there was but the framework in the shape of an old and utterly-neglected walled garden. That it was the best of frames need hardly be said. Now it has a rich herbaceous border running along the wall, and all the central space, cut into beds ot somewhat elaborate shapes, is full of roses, which tlourish amaxinglv. Where the terrace now lies Copyright. LADY'S GARDEN. Country Life.' I ofjrrigU. THE ROSE GARDEN. beneath the drawing-room windows, where the yews, clipped into dark green spiral form, stand sentinel, was formerly an unsightly pasture, and beyond, a restful spectacle from the windows, is a formal garden. In the west garden, also, great efforts are being made to introduce yew hedges, the trees having been planted at a height of 3ft. 6in., and the chances are that they will flourish and endure to be a glory of Broughton for ages, and to attain beauty very soon. Fountains have their place, and one of them, shown in a picture, is encircled with a beautiful verse from Fitzgerald's "Omar," and the reader may exercise his or her imagination in selecting the most appropriate quatrain ; for there is a fountain, and it is in a rose garden (of China roses, by the way), and Omar can find a quatrain appropriate to either or to both. A pergola also is there, of rustic boughs cunningly built together, and something stark in outline a: present. But the roses grow at its foot ; they give sure promise of rich clothing of leaf and blossom, and the picture serves our purpose of showing the gardens of Broughton as they grow in beauty year by year. Even now the most peculiar and essential feature of the gardens remains unsung. To few persons, indeed, is it given to enjoyso unmatched an opportunity of creating a garden of the water and th.1 water-side as that which the moat at Broughton affords. Its still and gleaming waters are the home of many a beautiful water plant, and the Marliac lilies, the most beau- tiful of them all, grow there in great perfection. And on the far side of the moat, in the deep, moist soil, is an attractive half-wild garden of the Marish plants. Here Iris Germanica, Sibirica, and the common yellow flag thrive in strong colonies, and Iris Ka-mpferi displays its wealth of glorious colour. Here Arundo Uonax, Gunnera Mannicata with its grand leaves, and the common bulrush, grow in lush luxuriance, and form already a beautiful picture. So we part fro;n Broughton, presuming to say that never in its long history of nearly six centuries has it presented so fair a spectacle, and that the aspect of it will grow in beauty year by year. ' Country Li/e." 'BkOUGHTON CJSIU-. •» I x H - _J _ _ o iu !- " : ~ z H [ 238 ] TRENTHAM, . STAFFORDSHIRE, THE SEAT OF ... The Duke of Sutherland. GARDENS OLD-&NEW A1ONG the great houses and great gardens of England very few indeed can vi- with Trentham. The Saxon swineherds, whose "mutiny porkers ate the beech-mast and acorns beneath the trees of that little " ham " by the Trent, would have opened wide iheir eyes to witness the triumphs anJ splendours that these days disclose. Then, the classic conventions of architecture and the glowing glories of spreading gardens no English mind had conceived; then, no mighty smelting turnaces cast alternate gloom and (lame athwart the sky; then, no Wedgwood had tilled the Potteries with a bu -y hive of men. But the pioneers had begun their work. There was a little priory by the Trent, presided over at one time b/ St. Werbergh, sister of King Ethelred, refounded at a later date, as some say by Ranulph, Earl of Chester, as a house ol Augustinian canons. Cattle, wool, and hides were carried to the markets of the country towns, and the tenants brought their plenteous grain to grind at the priory mill. The sounding politics of mediaeval England awoke their echoes at Trentham, bat of the priory I.Ule is known, until it shared the fate of other houses, and was suppressej by Henry VIII. It there- upon became a possession of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, who had married Henry's sister, the widow of Louis of France. But the place did not long remain in the Duke's hands, for presently we find it in the possession of the Levesons, an old family of Willenhall, in Staffordshire, of whom Nicholas Leveson was Lord Mayor of London in 1535. It was the Lord Mayor's descendant, Sir Richard Leveson, who built old Trentham. His was just such a house as was beloved by country gentlemen in Stuart tinus. There was " it • •-** ••***&•.&& Cofyright. t"; ' » A TERRACE WALK. " Country Life," 7 Kh. {\7H.1\I. < f z _ - X H 3 UJ _ 240 GARDENS OLD AND the centra! block, with its porch, flanked by two projecting wings, as at Hatfield and Charlecote, and there were twisted gables and many chimneys above, while immediately to the left rose the Perpendicular western tower of Trentham Church. The hollow square formed by the house was completed by a garden wall and balustrade, in front of which was still another court forming the approach, and entered through an ornamental gate. Within these courts were doubtless formal beds appropriate to the situation, with cut yews and, perhaps, a sundial or a basin of water in the midst of each. The parapet of the enclosure had a perforated inscription raised against the sky. It ran thus : CAROLO BRITANI/E REGE RICARDVS LEVESON EQVES BALNEI /EDES HASCE HIC FIERI VOLVIT. If the curious in such matters will take from this inscription the letters I, V, L, C, and D, as they follow in sequence, reading them as Roman numerals, and will then add them together, he will arrive at the total of 1633, which was the year of the work of Sir Richard Leveson, Knight of the Bath, at Trentham. family who married ths Leveson heiress, and in 1703 Sir J.ihn Leveson-Gower was created Baron Gower of Sittenhum. Later descendant^ a .Lied the honours of Viscount Trentham, Earl Gower, and IVUirquess of Stafford, and, in 1833, the husband of the Countess of Sutherland was raised to the Dukedom of Sutherland. The house which has been described stood until towards the end of the last century, whsn a plain structure of Georgian solidity took its place. The tower of the closely neighbouring church was taken down, and a kind of dulness settled upon Trentham, though much was done at the time to beautify the gardens and grounds. Tne house was surrounded by beautiful woodland, clothing the swelling hills, rare beauties were in its gardens, and a sheet of water, fed by the yet unpolluted Trent, diversified by sylvan islets, extended across the dale. B.it the second Duke of Sutherland saw greater capabilities in his house, which Sir Charles Barry was employed to beautify and enlarge. At the western end of the southern facade a great conservatory was buiit out, matched by a projecting dining-room at the other ; the crest of the building was adorned Copy light. ' Country Lift" THE WEST SIDE AND ENTRANCE. This front of the house, like the principal entrance to Trentham at the present day, faced the west, but the great gardens, as now, were on the south side. Old Plot, in his "Natural History of Staffordshire," shows them very clearly. They had the rectangular character common at the time, and were in the form of two walled enclosures, separated by a division running out from the house at right ang'es to its southern front. These gardens looked down the valley of the Trent, towards the wooded hills and the fields, but the great lake, which now fills the bottom of the hollow, had not been formed, and Perseus did not yet dom nate the scene. Sir Richard died childless, and his estates descended to his grand-nephew, William Leveson-G:>wer. The Cowers were an old family of Yorkshire, settled at Sittenham, near Sheriff Hutton, a property which still belongs to the Dukes of Sutherland. Of that place was John Gower, the poet, " moral Gower," the " master " of Chaucer. Another Gower was concerned in the death of Gaveston, and still another in the Wars of the Roses, as standard-bearer to Prince Henry at Tewkesbury, where he was captured by the Yorkists and afterwards beheaded. It was the second Baronet of the Gower with a balustrade ; and a stately campanile arose behind ; while to the west a semi-circular corrid >r or loggia, with a noble portico in the middle, was erected as the principal entrance, and, at the other end of the pile, a splendid suite of private apartments arose, extending along the terrace to the east. This is the Trentham which is depicted in these pages. To describe it in any detail is not the purp ise here. Whatever unstinted care, taste, and judgment could achieve has been lavished within and without upon the great ducal abode. Here hospitality presides, and the workers of the Potteries, who are privileged at times to survey the glories of Trentham, have endless delights in its extensive gardens and park. The church, as of old, closely neighbours the house, in its shadowy grove. The corridor entrance is imposing and unique, and leads to the magnificent state apartments of the house. The hall and grand staircase are very splendid and ornate, and are hung with family portraits. Although Trentham is not one of the great " show " places of the country for its pictures, it possesses several choice examples of Romney, Reynolds, Gainsborough, and many more. A noble corridor l?ads to the ;A/ \i. 241 GARDENS OLD AND M:7K billiard-room, where the table is made from the wood of Kempenfelt's ill-fated " Royal George," and to the great suite along the southern facade — the bright and cheerful drawing- room, the saloon, the library, and the breakfast-room, each noble in proportions, rich in plenishings, and rare in pictures. Then comes the projecting dining-room, entered through a spacious hall, and adorned chiefly with statuary, and beyond lies the new wing with the private apartments, those along the great southern facade having the beaut, ful family dining- room at one end, and the Duke's study at the other, with the Duchess's boudoir, hung with fine family portraits, and the Venetian Room. We, however, are content to look out from the noble terrace, over that glorious ground of colour presented by the pudens, to the further terrace, where Benvenuto Cellini's Perseus lifts aloft the head — we think of the great Florentine flinging his dishes and porringers into the furnace to make up the metal for the casting — and to the lake, with its wooded islets and the sylvan thickets that overhang. it was found possible to maintain the level of the lake by conducting into it various sources of supply from the hills. But the work of diverting the Trent was one of very great labour, though all difficulties were overcome, and the river now joins a culvert underground, being thus conveyed through the grounds and out into its own channel lower down, and away from the surroundings of the house. Needless to say, Trentham, by this iireat work, has been made almost a different place, and it is an illustration of the loving care bestowed upon the domain, as well as of what can be done to avert such dangers as threaten some fair place in the garden world. Among other improvements recently brought about is the rearrangement of the great con- servatory. As the pictures show, the flower garden is of an essentially formal character. This is especially true of the great garden on the south side, but even lovers of landscape gardening will admit that it is in excellent keeping with the house it adorns. From the mansion, on this side, a splendid view is obtained, Copyright. "Country Life.' THE FRONT VIE\V. For Trentham is more famous, perhaps, for its gardens than for itself. The situation is one of especial beauty. Behind the house, indeed, to the north, a few miles higher up the Trent, are those thriving towns of the Potteries, but these do not obtrude upon the fair scene, and notwith- standing their proximity, it is observed that plant life is very robust, and certainly wholly satisfying to behold in its varied forms. The aspect r.f the gardens and park in summer, and, indeed, throughout the year, is extra- ordinarily beautiful, and testifies to the ore bestowed upon them by the noble owner. The pictures well illustrate their special characteristics and merits. Perhaps no place in England — unless it be Chatsworth — is so sumptuously laid out, and since the present Duke of Sutherland came into possession a great deal has been accomplished in adding further to the beauties of the place. The chief work has been the cleansing and purification of the lake. The Trent had grown foul by ras'.n of the sewage of the great towns above, and it became necessary to supply the \\ater irum another source. Happily the eye being carried over the beauti'ul formal foreground to the ornamental water, from the margins of which the land rises, clothed with woodland, to form a charming setting to the picture. Especially glorious is this prospect of the Tittensor Hills when autumn clothes the steeps with its resplendent hues. A stone terrace, with a parapet or balustrade, extends round the house, connected with a gallery, and as the visitor paces this delightful walk, with charming alcoves and classic canopies for statues here and there, he bjholds a magnificent panorama of the valley of the Trent. But there is nothing to exceed in beauty the great view from the south terrace, already alluded to, with its acres of flower-beds, its myriads of blooms gloriously massed for their colour, and the lake and the wooded hills beyond. The flower garden calls for special notice. In its formal character it may be classed as a. very fine example of the Italian style. We have, as it were, three stages. First there is the teirace garden, admirably figured in the pictures, with \IH.-t.\l. • .rinof t! - 'or Sutheil.ind. whi- ilir arrangement (•am-lling .iri- thi- tenures. I t i Hu- It.ili.iii garden : liner iiere \M- tinJ (.lipjv.il - in tubs, statuary, trim ! t.i.mtams. The slat.; • I' - ;s already • allu leJ toiN.it tin- 1 i nt tin- great garden, .it the I.ik<-. anJ troin this point, • tlu- intervening spa> e ther, -v lino vuw ot tin- massue hou I ph-.i-.tiro grounds cover ab ut . .in I adjoin the formal gaidi -.IN. .ut irJin^. in.! I Jon con- as we pass iri.m uno to the other, anJ awakening, peilnps in some a pleasant lieling of repose. Hero many improvements li.we been m.iJe in recent years In particular. gr.iNs\ Blades have been op.-ned mil wher.- tvloro there w as much crowding of buslK-s, and this work :> conducted with the rij'.ht purpose of ili->cl»*>in^ the beaut inJiviJu.il shrubs :iis. which luxuriate in the soil. t« i!eli»ht beholders in the first summer days \v ,t!i their \vo.iltii <•'. llo\\i-is and varied beauty. In this | art of the ^round.% .it Trentlrim tiio arrangement is all of the landscape character. The groups of bushes are arranged \\itli natural a«.|\\t. the greensward here creeping up to them, and again falling back, and then there is an expanse of simple lawn. followed by other rhododendrons, so that we are with equal charm and variety. 1HH OF BENVLMI.i (.EUIM. • But rhododendrons are not a predomm int feature. Then- are many very hoautitul holhes. fine in their lolmu . -Itect. siuh as the Ciolden (x)tieon, Milkmaid, and H<>dgkinsi. Tl.i-n. again, we ha\e gl-niou> groups of hardy a/aloa- t • di\> | tin- scone. Irentham i» ruh. to.i. in Japanese maples, \\h-ise i 'lour, \ar\ing tvtweeii bright gieen .in. I Jr.-p crims •!), is \i-ry handsome. But uo might goon n iting variety alter variety from among the groat collection in th-- gaidt-ns and pleasure grounds, while the park is distinguished tor splendid t singly and in groups, and tlieie are line cedars o| Lebanon n.-.ir tlie h It is the g • -i.l fortune of Trontham to !v splen li.lly main- tained, and t'> exhibit ahk.- the highest skill ol tlie : art and, in its p.uk of 400 acres, the capable hand ut the h—i uoo.li raft. The M--it ir to the pl.i.i- C0m« aw.iy \vitli the tl-.'i'.ight that he has si-en in every departm-. lit, whether it ! flower, truit, or ornamental tree, the best the country can I i oduce. In the great conservatory he lias f um I t.u- ch. growths in wonderful peilec- tion. Hlsewhero he ha eyes ,,:i s;'iv miens '. /A'/ /fi»A'c '/(,// // ///. -• •216 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Countiy Ltjt..' FROM THE SOUTH-WEST. to which he rose, and also, we may say, from the suggestive fact that, when Worksop Priory was desecrated, lie obtained permission to remove to Barlborough Church, where it may now be seen, the monument of Joan, the daughter and heiress of William, Lord Furnival, who carried vast estates to her husband, Sir Thomas Nevile, and was the mother of another heiress who married the famous John Talbot, the Talbot of Shakespeare, who fell at Chatillon. Those, therefore, who stood prominent in the sounding times of Elizabeth, lived in this beautiful and dignified mansion, which is a place of many interests besides those which belong to its beautiful gardens. It may be compared with its neigh- bours, Bolsover and Hardwick, both built by famous " Bt;ss Copyright. 1HB NORIH-EAST VIEW. of Hardwick," and seems, as it were, to occupy a place midway between the two, for it has neither the castellated aspect of the former, nor the spacious, lightsome character of the latter. Yet, in a real sense, it typifies its age better than either, for the day of the castle was over, and the influence of modern ideas, which seems manifest in Hardwick, had th^n in few places exercised a well-marked sway. It is not in any way surprising to find Barlborough Hall so very remarkable in itself. Here, indeed, is the visible presentment of the time in which it was built. We feel that the modern hand had no right of intrusion in such a place, that it would be something of a sacrilege if aught should break the quaint historic charm. And, as a matter of fact, the house externally has practically been left untouched ; it remains as it left the hands of its builders, with ancient features unim- paired. The centuries have passed over it, leaving upon it little mark save that of the kindly hand of Age, which has clothed it with mosses, and touched its grey stone with the tender greens that are the vesture of the eld. Within, however, many changes have been made, especially in the lower part of the structure, and much has been modernised. If much of ancient Barl- borough Hall, therefore, remains untouched, notably the splendid south front, we cannot say the same of some of its surroundings. The utilitarian needs of the coal- fields have shadowed that district with features the reverse of beautiful, and the pits that are in the vicinity Lilt." 'BARLBOROUGH H^LL. 147 the \hed habitat tlie ip.runient, h.ne bl .tied a tar N k. It i- a- il t .e ha the twentieth Centiuv were at the Ion;;- ed gate ot the sixteenth, and long may its mtiusion by the stout w aider be repelled. ,v at the feature . e tri'iitag' ndei fully varied they how interesting in cha- structural element « of the house. You it well belie\e that the I would open, and that the peo; U1 earlier da\ might still descend into their nichanged is nar.uter and sountouched the clurm. The entrance is remarkable, with arched door, tl.e double classical pillars that flank it, the shield of aims above, and the triglyphs in the cornice • >\er it, the shield and the beautiful window still higher, and then the ornamental cresting, and fie third shield, all consti- tuting a very striking and characteiiMi. centre-piece tor th. structure. Nor shall wv find in many places anythiii. notable as the great bays with th.ir rninv mullmned and t ransomed windows rising to the turrets above. The ettev t ideed, extremely fine, and quite characteristic, and, in combination with the many other windiws ot the fac, i le and the lofty and imposing character of tl.e whole structure, is extremely grand. The details, t »i, are very good. as. for example, in the heads which are t-mnd in lunettes m the », and carvings in many other parts ,.[ the mansion. The architect.ir.il character, moreover, is carried out in the THE (JAIIWAY . surroundings, .is in the eiulo-i..^ wall nf llu- fore^nut, and the " lion spring," in the western i->uit, which is c)uamtiiesN emt»ilied and makes a remarkable ...':iip..Mtion with the old structure bfhind. The excellent iron ^ates Iv-tAeen the pillars, the iron lampholder, and many nther teatures extern. il to the house itself, are m .st altr.utiw and a!Chite«.turally \aluable. The stone steps on the south front le.id down into thepriiuip.il garden, to which is an appmuh b.-tween st..ne pillars at either en I, although t:ie clue) enti.nue is M.. longer oil that sije of the ll»use. Keautttul ('III air. I lilie> o| yews, with tall flowers in clumps and b-.nders, are the !eatun-s ' and the garden is ein-losed by a I .w st'ine wall o| plain but eueller.t character. Outside lie the p.irk and other THE "UON SPklNri " 243 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. THE FISH-POND. " Country Li/e.' all very fair and attractive. The unpromising character of some tilings in the vicinity of Barlhoroii'ili Hall has been alluded to. Most happily, however, they do not mar the charm of the gardens or the park. There is no reflection of them in our pictures, and nothing breaks the sweet garden spell. The surroundings, indeed, are very beautiful, as the illustrations sufficiently disclose. There is character in the rows of clipped yews which flank the pathway down the south forecourt, and the same may be said of the sentinel yews which are found in other parts of that enclosure. These serve to give point and distinction to the place, and by their happy contrast enhance the beauty of their floral surroundings. In regard to the general disposition of the gardens at Burlborough, it may be sai.l that the house is partly enclosed or surrounded by them. On the eastern side there Copyright. "Country Life." THE OLD GARDEN. '1! IKlHOKoH.H H III. 250 GARDENS OLD AND THE ROSE WALK. "Country Life." CnffTighl. ANOTHER VIEW OF THE SOUTH FRONT. " Country Life." is a pleasant grass plat or lawn, with a large conserva- tory to the soutn-east. On the south is the formal en- closed garden, and the attrac- tive forecourt possesses those excellent hammered iron gates which have been alluded to ; and on the other side are further interesting portions of the grounds. The whole arrangement is very satisfactory, and is in absolute harmony with the character of the structure. A prodigal wealth of flowers makes a gay picture from the windows of the front, while beyond extends the park with its magnificent avenue, leading to Barlborough village, and its many line trees, both groups and individual speci- mens. It is a spacious out- look, truly, from these windows of the lofty Hall, standing high above the sur- rounding country in a com- manding position on the lull. There is something extremely attractive, too, in the fish-pond and its surroundings, with the well-shaven lawn on one side and the standard roses thickly blossoming on the other, neighboured by those beautiful ornamental trees. Varied foliage plays a large part in the attractions here. The rose garden, again, with its arches, is a place pleasant to rest in, and notably attractive in its wealth of beautiful specimens. But it is unnecessary to describe further these attrac- tive garden features. The illustrations enable us to dis- pense with that. Let it be said, then, that nothing seems wanting to complete the beauty of this delightful domestic picture, wherein the ancient house looks out upon its pleasant surroundings, and finds itself, we may say, reflected therein, while dis- covering some floral charms that belong entirely to these days. We began by speaking of the builder of Barlborough, and we may conclude by once more expressing the hope that the place may long continue unchanged, and preserve its features unimpaired. Like many others we have illus- trated, it is a great exemplar of the lives of our forefathers, and in its presence we are able to re-create, as it were, the pictures of a long-past age. Barlborough Hall is, indeed, an extremely interesting place, and in itself and its surround- ings it forms a remarkably attractive subject of study. •' I BROME HALL, NORFOLK, . THE SEAT OP . LADY BATEMAN. GARDENS OLD-&NEW "Mil-; counties »t .v-rfoiu and Suffolk arc rich in country seats .inJ and Br.ime H.ill is one ..I them, with t.im»us •unchain fur it-> ni-i^hh >ur. It was lon^ tin- sr.it »l the 1 His family, and the cradle of tlie race which u-'^' '" tlii- tountry many public servants, anJ am»n^ tin-in the us Marquis Cornw.illis and the Admiral who slured with N i in the final I'.mpressjun of the French. The house itselt is picturesque anJ £ i -d, though modern, and preserving only a fia^au-nt of the older mansion, which have been built bv Sir Thomas C inuv.illis, wh-i died in 1590. Bronu- has the picturesque attiactmn of i-nriched •:id emb.ittk-nu-nts. ^«>d windows, and b >ld y-in.i-.^ed te.itures, but it d»es not rival v>me of the ^reat architectural of bast An^lia. The Cornwallis title ivcame extinct in 1823, and Brome subsequently passed t<> Sir tJward .^ o| tin- Clart-nce kt-riison, l.ady Hate- man's l.itlur, \\lii died in |886. In his lilt-tune much \v.is dune t'> improve and K-auti!y the siitro house. and tlk- special (.hai.uter ol variety and lormality in the ^ard.-ns has thus (veil imp.uted vvitlun (.ompaiat. reient years. To mans the surroundings u| the Hall may vein more attractive than it-clr, for hen- are all the marks ..( an aiKient d.-main which lias Iven trea-uteJ In -ive It is approached by a magnificent aveiu: oaks, kindly tiei-s u\ vi-oroas ^r.. wth, sturdy strength, and noble as|vct. The whole country is well timbered with old woodland and many plantations, and the park is extensive, with line groups of trees, bio.U open stritJies of turt, and coverts well stocked with »ame. I he tlower gardens are about t. -n a.ies in extent, BOX-EDGbD PARIEUkES. 252 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. WHERE THE W.-iTHR-LILIES GRO'.V. " Country Life." and are comparatively moJern. A terrace extends along the south and west fronts of the house, looking over tii. in which, at a depth of about 6ft., another and much larger terrace of gravel is seen. Tills second terrace is laid out with patches of green turf, and with box beds of geometrical design, dotted with English yews of perfect symmetry, which are always beautiful, and give character and distinction to the garden. The arrange- ment adopted f r the box beds at Brume Hall is peculiar, for the beds are inlaid, as it were, with broken tiles or Mimes, upon a system once much in vogue both in England and France, with the purpose of introducing colour, the particular scheme chosen consisting mostly of blue, grey, and white. In these days we are mi. re accustomed to find the glories of colour imparted by all that is beautiful in flower life. It must not be concluded that such gaiden glories are THE TERRACE WALK. wanting at Brome Hall. Very far from this, indeed. The terrace walls are adorned with statuary and with vases, about which tea and noisette roses twine their flower-laden stems. All through the summer the place is redolent with the fragrance of the queenly flower, for the rose is there largely cultivated in every form, from the dainty tea varieties to the vigorous climbers, which lift aloft their glowing burdens to the sun. The south terrace overlooks the tennis lawns, which are surrounded with flower borders, having conifers and flowering shrubs in the background. This is a delightful spot, rich in colour when the lily, larkspur, sunflower, and other bold perennials throw up their sheafs of flowers against the fine background of the deep green shrubs. Amongst these rise graceful bamboos, which we now begin to know more of, with laburnums, the mock-orange, lilacs, spira-as, and Forsytliias, those golden-flowered climbers of March. ' All this beauty of tree and shrub is heightened by the sombre hue of the purple beech, and relieved again by the beautiful sheen of the silver maple. During the months of spring, when tin tints are freshest, this ming- ling of silver and rich brown in trees and shrubs is not less happy in its effect than the most charming associations of flower colouring. On the lawn there is a fine specimen of Biota orien- talis, about 3oft. in height, while on the western side of this fine green expanse rises a beautiful example of the Magnolia conspicua. This is a Chinese tree, and the present example is about 2oft. in height. Unfortunately it was damaged about three years ago by the fall, during 1 Coun'.ry Life." n-iii. 3; O — 0. _ z u a: / — x t- 254 GARDENS OLD AND NEIY. a storm, of a neighbouring tree, which carried away part of its branches. In spring, even before the frosts have .eft us, all who know the lovely magnolia look for its multitudes of great waxen lily-like flowers, which cover every branch, and give it the colloquial name of the lily- tree. Interesting walks inter- sect the grounds in various directions One extends the whole length from east to west, and is delightfully picturesque and quaint. The fornrility of Brume Hall is rarely, if ever, extravagant ; but here, as the visitor walks along between the yew fences that flunk tl.e way, his attention is attracted by the curious figures formed in the leafy growth — animals, heraldic designs, and other strange devices. Running from this yew walk to the north is another over the turf, known as "The Spong." This delightful way is en- riched, as we traverse the velvety turf, by splendid mixed borders on ouch si.ie backed by (lowering trees and shrubs. There is a subtle charm about the place, and all the world knows the beauties of the grass walk, the glory indeed of many gardens. Continuing along the walk, we reach an avenue of well-trained VIEW FROM THE TERRACE. Irish ye AS, with masses of hybrid perpetual roses in beds between them, and the combination ,of yews and roses is unusual and striking. There is charm, too, in the walls of this beautiful East Anglian dwelling, to visit which is abundantly pleasing, instructive, and interesting. Copyright. A GROUPING OF VARIOUS GARDEN CHARACTERS. •HKOMI- //-///. ' -- - / - . - ' s - [ 25G BRICKWALL, GARDENS OLD-&NEW SUSSEX, . . . THE SEAT OF ... COL. EDWARD FREWEN. IT would be difficult to discover in the South of England a more attractive sixteenth or Cofyrifht. THE TERRACE AND GARDEN FRONT. early seventeenth century manor house than Brickwall, the Sussex seat of the Frewen family. Here we have one of those quaint country houses which bear the marks of many periods of history, sur- rounded by gardens which are very pleasant to linger in. They have the attraction which belongs to yew and beech, to old bowling greens and fish-ponds, to trees quaintly shaped, to the stately and the picturesque combined. You enter through a gateway which would not seem out of 1 lace even in the splendid gardenage of Hampton Court. There are then the old brick walls touched with green mosses, the time-worn steps and gates, and the trees which add much to the surroundings. Northiam, the village in which Brickwall is situated, and indeed the entire district which lies between the marshes of Romney and Lydd, and the marshes (.f Bodiam, seems to have long evaded all modernising in- fluences. The visitor discovers in the heart of what remains of the great Hurstmonceux oak forests a house dating from Tudor days, which remained sequestered com- pletely until, in this year of grace, 1900, the screech and rattle of the locomotive began to be heard, and a railway station was planted in Nor- thiam, awakening the village, as if reluctant, from the sleep of the centuries. The iron horse of the Rother Valley Railway has, indeed, invadeJ a quiet corner of Arcadia. Upon the village green which slopes down from the church stands a glorious old moribund o.ik, which is over 24ft. round the trunk at a height of jft. from the ground. Queen Elizabeth, who had been staying with Sir Henry Gulde- forde at Beiienden, lunched "Country T.ift" HI I ULJ OJ — se. JJ H Q - — < s z - 258 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Cnfyright. THE FISH-POND—EVENING. " Country Lije." under the tree in August, 1573, when on her way to Rye. She changed her shoes, which were begged of her tire-women by the villagers as a souvenir of the Royal visitor, and these shoes, of green damask silk with heels, be it noted, 2iin. high, and a sharp toe, are to be seen still in a glass case in Brickwall. Attached to the church is the beautiful old mortuary chapel of the Frewen family, some of the mural tablets claiming in old-world phraseology almost superhuman virtues for those who sleep in the vaults below. Brickwall itself was built towards the close of the sixteenth century upon the site of an old house, no portion of which remains ; the half-timbered front bears upon its Cofyrifl.!. THE HOUSE FKOM THE SOUTH-WEST. west gable the date 1617. The house was added to and decorated by Sir Edward Frewen in the reign of James II., the beautiful ceilings in the drawing-room and on the. front staircase having been constructed at that time by Italian workmen. There are also in the drawing-room two Chinese lacquer cabinets with pier glasses, concerning which Sir Edward leaves a memorandum to say that he paid for them the extraordinary price of .£500, the scarcity of Chinese bric-a-brac at that period, 1690, alone justifying this lavish outlay. The house contains a fine collection of paintings, for the most part family portraits. There is a good picture, by Mytens, of the Rev. John Frewen, who was born in Queen ' Mary's reign, and was Rector of Northiam for nearly fifty years. His eldest son, Accepted Frewen, whose picture by Gerard Zoest is also in the drawing-r n, was b ;rn at Northiam in 1 588, and was chaplain to the Britii.li Ambassador, Lord Bristol, at Madrid when Prince Charles arrived to be betrothed to the Infanta. The Prince of Wales being at that time much solicited to embrace the Catholic religion, the chaplain preached from the text (i Kings, xviii., 21), "How long halt ye between two opinions ? " Prince Charles professed to be much editk'd, and presented the preacner with his miniature, which is still at Brickwall. Accepted Frewen was Vice-Cli.inCi.llur of Oxford University in 1639, and was responsible for the despatch of the " Country Li/e. BRICK UtiLL . t'nixn-ity plate to Charles in \ reward i.OOO guineas w.is ottered (or his peix.(!i. de.i.l . r alive, ' -mell. hut tin warrant tving made out inadvertently .11 tin- name ot Ins brother Meplie:i. t!:. \ < h.llKellor successfully escaped to Fiance. Alter the : -ion, he returned. .inJ was consecrated ti> the See of Y»rk, and was intt-rroJ in Yotk Minster in 1664. Me lelt a very con- 1 UK- to his brother .hen, of Brickwall, who is said to have survival two attacks of the great plague ot l.onJ > the quaint old manor of Brede, and 2,000 acrr* of land adjacent, which lie purchased from the ancient house of Oxenbnd^e. Amongst otlk-r noticeable pictures at Brickwall is a full- length portrait of Louise de Oiu-rouaille, I Hiclu-vs ,,f potts- mouth — a splendid dame, whatever lu-r morals— by Lely, and on the front Maircn«e there i> a picture, by Vandyck, of Richard Weston, Lord Portland, the Lord Treasurer who died in 16*4. The Hall Chamber bedroom. which is hung with stamped Spanish leather, and is n -need in the inventories .it least .is far back as William of Orange, is an attractive room. It is perhaps not unnatural that the owners of this quaint untroubled wilder; >ks and yc\vs should have been a very lon^-lived race. It is recorded of Thom.is n, whose p.ruait hangs in the dining-room, the j;r<.-at- THE BOWLING (i grandfather of Colonel [Edward Frewon, the pre-ent ow ner o) Brickwall, that he haJ frecjuently ^os>i(vd with the old housekeeper at Wolluton, who reiiu mix-red seeing Cromwell ride up to that house after the hatile ol N.IS, hy in iC^;. Mere is a link with the past not unworthy of re, or, I .it this turn of the century. The dwellers at Brickwall have looked out, we may t-e sun-, with delight upon the garden which lay before them, and have expended tlu-ir labour in creating and modifying its character in accordance with the t.i-!. their times. They have walked in the green al and spi-d their howls upon that lon^ bowling gm-n a 1Mb BOWLINCi GHbEN TbRHACE. 2GO GARDENS OLD AND NEW. delightful place wherein to pass a long evening of summer enjoying the ancient game; and such a place, be it noted, as is within the compass of many to imitate in gardens of their o\vn. Then this garden at Brickwall is another such place as Leonato and Benedick might have walked in, that plea- saunce where the gal- lantry of men and the wit of women are presented in a manner so masterly upon the wonderful stage — where Hero and Ursula lingered in the pleached alley talking of Benedick, and where was " little Cupid's catty arrow made." You go down from the house at Brickwall — with its green vesture of climbers, which e!o not hide its b e a u t y — b e n e a t h a curious arch of brick, and through that strange and picturesque laby- rinth of conical yews, by the old sundial, to the bowling green, and beyond it to another world of yew and oak. It is a garden realm of a n c lent and curious Copyngnt. THE BEECH WALK. 'Country Lije." aspect all quaint and o r d e r 1 y , w ith the fascination that must always belong to the p laces w h e r e past generations have found their pleasure. In the shape given to the yews a special character will be found. You may linger in the beautiful and r .'tired beech walk, where the well-cut trees make a sequestered shade, or you may sit in that enclosure of yew by the old fish-pond in the sun. But, wherever you go at old Brickwall you will find the subtle charm that belongs to all such places, a charm that is indefinable and cannot well be described, but that all can feel, and that the pictures in a large measure convey. There are flowers also in prodigal | lenty, as need scarcely be said ; but, after all, the great distinction of this place is to te found in its old-world character, which, it m ay be remarked, accords well with the timber struc- ture, the mullioned windows, and the fretted 'Chimneys of the abode. Copyright. " Country Life.' THE HOUSE AND THE FJSH'POND. 201 1 - z UJ Q x «r J _ r a. t/> -- 0* [ 262 ] RENISHAW HALL CHESTERFIELD GARDENS OLD-&NEW RENISHAW HALL is one of the many great houses that are an ornament of the fine country lying along the borderland of Derbyshire, Yorkshire, and Nottingham. Quaint and beauiiful old Barlborough, which is already known to the readers of these pages, is its neighbour, and within a dozen miles or thereabouts to the east and south are Welbeck, Clumber, and Hardwick. Renishaw is in Derbyshire, in the valley of the Rother, there flowing northward to mingle its waters with those of the Don. The whole country is extremely pretty and quite charac- THE AVENUE AND POND. teristic, and the traveller by the railway to Sheffield is attracted by the prospect of the rich hanging woods of Renishaw, which clothe the hills rising on the left. The natural attrac- tions are many in this region, though in places they are marred by the advances of industry, and the walks are very beautiful, that to Worksop markedly so, by way of the romantic dell of Markland Grips and Cresswell Crag. There is much that is pleasant in the long lines and the embattled cresting of Renishaw Hall, its pinnacles and bay windows, and the varied play of light upon its frontage, but evidently the modern hand has replaced some things that were old, and Renishaw is now no architectural marvel like its neighbour Barlborough. We are here, however, to look for garden beauties, and how many they are the numerous pictures will suffi- ciently disclose. What is the character that we find here ? That of spaciousness and yet of enclosure in the first place, of broad terrace levels with fine descents, excellent in architectural fitness, of floral wealth, of a great outlook, and, above all, of splendid trees. What more should we seek ? There has been no straining after effect. All is simple and natural, and we pass from level to level, attracted now by some sweet and radiant flower-bed, nosv by the creeping things that clothe the walls, here and there by an appropriate acces- sory of dial or dovecots, always by the long borders that fringe the terrace walls. We linger in the woodland garden beneath the trees, where the sunlight, falling through the trembling foliage, invades the shadow. We find many a pleasant vista among the woods, anJ look out through that delightful gateway anJ iron grille from the garden into the park. We love the ancient limes that rise aloft to unaccustomed height, with the most imposing effect which dignifies the whole girden, and we emerge upon the open lawns, where there is a far outlook to other masses of trees. A pure and simple effect, 11 Country Lift." K/..N/.S//.-M H.iLL. jj ui ^ O I — Q U •x. UJ z H 264 GARDENS OLD ANb Copyright THE GREAT AVENUE AND FLOWER-BEDS. 'Couti.ry Li/6." v.e say, that has grown "atlK>r than been created, and wherein all is appropriate and beautiful. Other places have charms of their o\vn ; there are greater hedges, terraces more imposing, designs more ambitious, but here we know that all is suited at least to Renishaw. What a vista is that along the terrace walk far into the green depth of the woodland ; and it is wortli while to note how effectually trees in tubs are used for further adornment. The excellent character of the architectural accessories has been alluded to. Good stonework marks the terrace walls, and these are most beautifully margined by the long beds wherein countless tall-growing blooms tempt us to the lower level. The descents are very characteristic, flanked by tall pinnacles, and in one place the steps have an effective semi-circular form. " There is a great lawn upon Copyright THE SEMI-CIRCULAR MARBLE STAIRWAY. " Country Life.* x _ - X. •3 : as. — _ — X H 2G6 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. CofyrigU. "Country f.ife.' THE LOWER GARDEN PLAN. "Country Lift.' THE TERRACE GARDEN. A-/.V/S/MJI // ///. . tli<- lowi-r area, w ith .1 enclosure, and |s.f .1 in the mulst an oin.iim-nt.il st"ne : old I-' -lie greet us .is we go tor\\ard through tile garden, amid the flow W.ivs. ..;:.! Ill- (.Itlis del on tile hillside. \\ t know ivt whether to like most the MM. Is i.f the •ant wiNidland or the more ordered chaiins of the broad terrace garden. The hand of good judgment rules every- where in the disposition of floral charm, and the gr.iss walks b.tweeii the Ivds are both pleas nit to walk upon and sat- :i the artistic harmony. An extra< rdin try wealth of hards flowers is m these b- Ivds and in the terra*. e borders. Mark how along the embanked slope under the great row of tree-, by trellis and buttress, multitudes of blooms are co.i.x. d to gi There is a subtle art in discovering the suitable placi every tl'vver, those that love the full sunl.ght and those whose charms are discovered most beneath the partial shade. Larkspurs and lupines, columbines and foxgloves. Cyclamens M-apJragons, and a prodigal host of others, are liere. THE TEkWACR WAlK AM> H )i n LIMES. t,, .. ,,f main- kinds llourish < l> , and i\ y and many climbers U-nJ the.i charm t.> the h -usi- and tlu terrace w.ills. It is, |H-rl).ip^. unnecess.irv In attempt t idra\\ It ss.iiis from such a garden as that .it Hem^haw Mall. Much is «\v m^ tin the work of the old planters, and \se C-iniv-t Is ate sti. it • A GARDEN VISTA WITH LEADEN IK. IKES. 263 GARDENS OLD AKD NEW. Lofyriglit A WOODLAND GARDEN. ' Country L ift.' a charm as belongs to ancestral trees. Tandem fitsurcvlus arbor. Our saplings may be long before they burgeon into a grove. But meanwhile there is much to be done in forming suitable terraces, narrow on the steep hillside, broad and flower- gemmed on tl,e gentle slopes, as at Renishaw. Let there be well-built walls, hospitable to climbing growths, sheltering flower borders like thes_j. Open out some pleasant prospects, viewed, if it may be, through excellent ironwork such as we see at the terrace end at Renishaw. Construct basins where lilies may float, or where your garden creations may be doubled, or in which a patch of sky shall be brought into your foreground. AcLi the enforcing features of balls or pinnacles along your terrace walls, or at the flanks of your well-built stairways. These are some of the p,>ints that are suggested by a survey of the simple and effective gardens of Renishaw Hall. THE DOVECOTE AND SUNDIAU. "Coun'.ry Lift," '->• rflfc GARDENS KINGSTON LACY, t\ DORSET, . . . |fj ,j OLD-&NEW ™ - ; BANKES '"I "MIIS be.iutii'ul a:ul extremely interesting iiun-ioii lies a short two miles north- \vi--t »t Wimborne in Dorsetshire, on the Blandford mad, in the vallev ..t the pleasant Kiver Stou , il-winn theiue to ancient Chnstchurch and the sea. The country is atti.i . tne \vith the charm "t Nature, and rich in tlu- manorial- »t history .rid ancient occupation. Norman lords have added distinctive names t.i local designations. anJ Maltravers and Marsha '!. (ilanville an I St our ton, .in.) many more \vh >se n lines are vvritt'.'ii in the proud Roll of B.ittle Abbey, have lelt the.r m.i k ..n the C'umty. Tile jjreat family nl l.i.\. l:.nls ut Lincoln, were once ! of Kingston. a:iJ so it K-ars tlu-ir n.nu- t» tins very day. Now, for many ^ener.iti..ns. the place has be n the p iSNessj.in ol the old fa:n:lv ut Bjnkes. wh»se mansi.in stands in the midst of a b.-autilully.\vo.)dv.l park, distinguished by tin- presence of numbers of noble - i-nt i;rowt!i. Sir John Bankes. Atturnex -(ieneral in |6?|, •• t ut eveeds B in eloquerue. Ch i le*m • e in jud^uenl, and Wil i.iin N"V in I.IA," was the purchaser o| Corle ( 1 istl--. \\ '• ,se w si . ,il\ ided it. dunn . for the k Parliament nu-n drew otf and letl it iinsubdu 1 house at Kingston l.acy w as built by S r Ralph Bankes. and was b.-^un shortly alter the Restoration in i'»>. as m iy Iv interred troai th-.- date i<*>\ ap,x-aiin^ in the p.-dun -nt ot tlie north front, and doubtless indicating when the work was linished. The inlliietiCe ot Ini^o I me-, ha-, b .MI attributed t • the design, but. since he died in l(>\*. Ill re can Iv n •• lert.nntv a- to tint The mansi.in has sin.v unJ.-r^o ie mr;v ilian-es. • •verythin^ aNive the mam cornice is m ^l:-rn. The whole ot tile exterior, winch was toimetlv ot red brick with stmie ijuoms, lias receive.! a facing "' Caen ml was Ilished with lurtlvr architectural teatires and details m It ilia.) style by the Lit • Sir Charles Bari> ab nit the iS,j. H .A :-, aatitul and sp u i HIS it is. our illustr.n THE GARDES STAIRS • )N THE EAST SIDE. 270 GARDENS OLD AND 1HH TcRRACt. " Co:i:iti-y Lijc.' sufficiently reveal. There is in it a character of completeness that is very charming and satisfactory, and the care that has heen lavished upon the house has been carried also into the garden, where the architecture and sculpture are superb and extremely rich in character and detail. Garden architecture, as has more than once been remarked in this volume, has been much neglected in English gardens, but it holds a high place in the function of uniting the house with its surroundings to constitute a pleasing and harmonious whole. As the house is, such is the character of the brick or stone work in the garden. It may be stately and formal, befitting a classic pile, or it may take a quainter cast and fall into a different picture, with a terrace and a mossy balustrade flecked with sunshine and shadow, and a flight to a lower lawn, seeming wholly appropriate to the battle- ments, pinnacles, and mullioned windows of TuJor and Stuart days. A magnificent staircase of Carrara marble, 3oft. wide, lea Is up from the entrance hall at Kingston Lacy, and the house is full of the finest examples of art drawn from the best collections in Europe by the care of successive hands. The pictures are superb, one room being filled, for example, BKONZc VASES. Coitntiy f.i,e." AV.\O.N/c'.V _ z _: 27.4 GARDENS OLD slND Copjiight. Life.' THE HOUSE FROM THE NORTH-EAST. chiefly with splendid works of the Spanish masters. Sir John Bankes, who from Attorney-General became Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas — the purchaser of Corfe Castle —began to fill his gallery there, and several pictures which lie admired are now at Kingston Lacy. Successive members of the family have possessed the same fine tast2 and discriminating judgment, and have been men of well-known attainments, who in extensive foreign travel have gathered many beautiful things for the'r home. A perfect unity of character exists between the house and the garden. The terrace is extremely rich and beautiful, and it is supremely de- lightful to look thence over the lawns, to note the beautiful trees, and feel the fragrance of the flowers. There are beauti- ful urns of bronze upon highly- wrought pedestals, and upon the south lawn, sheltered by the long, over- hanging limbs of noble cedars of Lebanon, or strewn with the bl ossoms of venerable limes, are disposed large vases of various forms and rich materials, some Copt-right. THE of them of ancient pozzi, and " well-heads " or cisterns brought from the courts of Italian palaces, or fashioned out of the marbles from the parti-coloured quarries in the mountains above Verona. Sculpture by the late Baron Marochetti, too, is here to give further adornment, and the broad terraces and marble steps have dignity and character that is very delightful. The Kingston Lacy sculptured cisterns are very note- worthy. In many fine English gardens will be found superbly wrought capitals of classic columns, sometimes wrongly described as coming from Venice, where, strange as it may seem, there are no we Is, and consequently no "well - heads." The mouths or openings of these cisterns are usually circular, a n d not in- frequently e I a h o r a t e 1 y sculptured. The finest example still remaining is the noble one in the courtyard of. the monastery of San Sebastiano, by Sansovino, which has often been copied in various materials, from marbletocopper, an admirable receptacle for ry uf,.- very large FERNERY. plants. Anotliei KINGSTON l I :K| ill 111.- 1 i .a ii n i e richly • ! in the • I N N .1 II V. V NtVle. W I t I) i and il Ix.n- I in.my pl.t to he t>'iind numerous r iv hly-sculp- so-called I. - heads," nals and s of which .ire frequently iret with in our majestic garde) «>i tliese have K-t-n designed t «i represent immense capitals ot v.!assj,.al columns. Such are the two specimens which adorn with very striking t the ureat lawns cf Kindlon Lacy. These are evidently genuine Vent ti;-n cistern-heads Ivl >n-in_' t» the •>t the Renaissance, »>f the -a me il.i-- .is tlu- N-autiful one by Sansovino at San S«-l\istiano, which is rd by his name. Fresh Jtinkinn water was brought to Venice in former times from the mainland in feluccas, and suld about the streets by \\mnen who wore a very curimis C"Ntiime, and carried mi their shoulders a yoke, from the ends of which dandled two buckets. MtxJern improvement has sw»-pt them and their calling away, and nnw u^l\p leaden pijvs of prodigious length, THE LI )N AM) SUkl'iAI. admirable yardrn admnments. All »\<-r whuh run .il the r a 1 1 v. vi.td'Ut. linking tlK- land, b r i n u thence Ih i- s n p p I y "I drinking w to the «.' the Adn.it i. . Hutllu- \cnetian I INt I-IIIS Ntill remain, a n d their i.l t «• n »• 1 a b i> r a t e d e c <> r a t i mi mi^lit easih reproduced ("r plant puts, and inlfikliici-.l I > break up the monotony •>'• our lawns, c- veil in >. oinpar.it ivi-lv homely Hardens. T h r >• w o u Kl make indeed Italv the capitals of Columns will touiul converted into llowei or s| M.IAI.. THE AK.MILLAkY SPHtRB. pedestals for statues and sundials. An ami/m^ numN-r of ruined temples and monuments have been in times destroyed, and their materials used up in the decoration of churches and palaces, but the capitals of columns were in many instances preserved, and turned to us ':on* for gardens and courtyards. This occurred at \emce anJ 274 GARDENS OLD AND NEIY. Naples, and in the gardens of botli cities heautifi.il Corinthian and composite capitals will often be noticed employed as flower -pots and sundials. There were some magnificent specimens in the Ludovisi Gardens at Rome, which the cupidity of modern speculation lias wantonly destroyed and replaced by streets of hideous buildings. There was nothing in the world to equal the loveliness of these gardens, which were literally the direct successors of those of Sallust, whose site they occupied. They were the delight of poet and painter, who haunted them, to enjoy their manifold beauties, and the glorious views of the Eternal City which they commanded. The wanton and greedy destruction of the Ludovisi Gardens was one of the most monstrous acts of vandalism committed in Italy in this century. But beautiful works of ancient art, such as the cisterns and column caps we have spoken of, though diverted from their original uses, are not, we may say, misapplied in garden adornment, as the examples at Kingston Lacy will show. Another notable feature in the grounds is a large Egyptian sarcophagus of granite, and a still more striking object rising skyward is the tall and stately obelisk of red granite, brought from Phite by Belzoni in 1819, and erected in its present position at Kingston Lacy. The venerable monolith stands within full view of the house, and in a place chosen by the great Duke of Wellington, who laid the foundation of the pedestal on August i/th, 1827. The garden at Kingston Lacy has thus a very distinguished character. In spacious dignity, the broad sweep of emerald lawn, the far-spread shadow of noble trees, the attraction of a beautiful park, it has few equals. Quaintness is there, too, with a more wistful charm, perhaps, in the moss-grown sundial and fine armillary sphere ; but wherever we go at this CofyrigM. A VENETIAN CISTERN. Country Life" A happy union, we repeat, w Copyright. A UtCoKAiED USIERN. charming seat there is something to appeal to the sense of beauty, and much to satisfy the sense of fitness. We may walk from the stately terrace to pass through the scented avenue of glorious limes, whose boughs sweep the turf, and may linger in the delightful hollow of the cool fernery deep in its welcome shade. There are yew hedges, too, if not so extensive as in some places, and the climbing plants cling to the balustrade, and the garden is full of flowers. What more shall we ask? As the years go by we find greater richness and beauty arising in flower effect in our English gardens. New forms are introduced, while the old hardy flowers, improved, still hold their sway. Kingston Lacy is not wanting in any of these. The present owner, who was high sheriff of his county in 1880, is a great lover of the garden, and has recently added a fine range of iilass-houses extending over 6ooyds. He has added much to the charm of the place, and its condition is all that could be desired. is this of house and garden — a seat ranking high among those in the West of England. At Kingston Lacy are kept the keys and seal of Corfe Castle, that ancient place so closely connected in its later fortunes with the family of Bankes, and of which Mr. Bankes was the last mayor in i8Si. He is also "lay Bishop" ot Wim- borne Minster, with which his family has many associa- tions. The north porch there was erected to the memory of the late Right Hon. G Bankes, M.P. for the county, and the beautiful east window of the minster, with its lancet triplet and shafts of Purbeck marble, was filled with old Italian glass by Mr. W. J. Bankes. The present Mr. Bankes of King- ston Lacy is, by royal charter, Lord High Admiral of Purbeck, an office of great antiquity in relation to Ihe defences "Country Life" ... , .. and privileges ot the shore. I 275 1 HARDWICK HALL, GARDENS DERBYSHIRE, . . THE SEAT OF HIS GRACE The Duke of Devonshire OLD-&NLW THIS famous mansion of northern Derbyshire exem- plifies in stone, m- • pletely than any other house in the land, the spa. •06 of Elizabeth. It is the \ery antityfe of a medi.-rv.il dueling. We have remarked before in this series ot article* that the wide developm.-nt of the national outlook in that century was accompanied by a : change in domestic arcliitevture. In earlier time-, the strong tower, with its narrow loopholes, cut <.ff from the Mir- rounding land by a ino.it and a drawbridge, marked the duelling of those who wished to be secure. There has been a tendency to depict the spirit of m;-Jia-v.iLlo;n in the guise of some gloomy ascetic, hastening tornbward with his head beneath a cowl, and looking even upon (i-.i's sunlight as unholy, while, on the other hand, we have had pres-.-nted to us the new spirit, finally exemplified in the R.-n liN-ance, as a youth of virile development, enjoying to the lull all ttk- bnglitness and the pleasures which this hie c.m he-' There was. no doubt, a fundament il change ot ideal at the time throughout liurope. though it is v»-ry imperfecth presented by this hasty imagery. The greater truth — and this is the matter with which we ate especially i-iinceined — is that the change in the houses ot hnglishim-n II from the nvi-e (vacetul conditions ot the times. The m ..it u is no Linger called for as a barrier, the strong to-A r had lost its office, and it was possible for the m-antry gentleman, instead of looking in upon his courtvard as his ancestors ha I done, to survey the world around, and in particular to look out up m the gardens with which he beautified his home and to rejoice in the pleasant prospect of his delectable surroundings. It was not a new but a new opportunity. THE OLD SOUTH W*t L 276 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. Cofy light. THE HORNBEAM WALK. 1 Com • Life.' Now Hardwick Hall was manifestly inhabited by those \vho loved the luxury of light and were not afraid to admit it. " Hardwick Hall More "lass than wall." So runs the rhyming couplet of the Derbyshire people, who perhaps shared the dislike of earlier Bacon to houses "so full of glass that one cannot tell where to come to be out of the sun." But, in addition to the wealth of glass, we are impressed with another peculiarity of Hardwick. The place is very distinctly aggressive. There, lifted aloft upon every tower, are the initials " E. S.," to challenge all comers and to remind them of that very masterful woman, " Bess of Hardwick," the famous Countess of Shrewsbury, who built, not this house alone, but old Chatsworth as well, if the inscription on her monument in All Hallows, Derby, may be believed, and also Bolsover Castle and the manor house of Oldcotes. It is not to be gainsaid that there is something of dreary vastness about the great chambers of Hardwick. From the huge windows you survey the forecourt, where planted large in the grass in glowing carpet beds are the inevitable initials, and, beyond them, the gatehouse, and the wall with its pinnacles, and outside again the old hall of Hardwick mouldering to pic- turesque decay, for it was not good enough for Elizabeth Countess of Shrewsbury to dwell in. We have so often in these pages enforced the necessity of carrying the spirit of the house into its garden, that it would ill beseem us to question the good taste of those who cultivate these gigantic initials, since they appear so prominently in the structure itself. On the contrary, we shall maintain that they have their right place in the garden of a house THE GREEN WALK FROM THE SOUTH. "Country Life.' n-iH-nn K:K H in.. THh SOUTH WALK. 278 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. THE GATEHOUSE AND THE OLD HALL. which seems in a manner consecrated to the glorification of "Bess of Hardwick." W;ilpole was displeased with the house, and found the chambers uncomfortably grand. " Pictures, had they had good ones, would be lost in chambers of such houses. Tapestry, their chief movable, was not commonly perfect enough to be real magnificence. Fretted ceilings, graceful mouldings, and painted glass, the ornaments of the preceding age, were fallen into disuse. Immense lights, composed of bad glass, in diamond panes, cast an air of poverty on their costly apartments." But we are is more to say story runs that belief that when " Country Li't." anticipating. I'lace a~ix (tames! Tli^re about the builder of Hardwick. The her restless activity grew out of the her masons laid down the chisel and Co ft right. THE ENTRANCE LOGGIA. the hammer Time would exact his due. Certain it is that she went on building up to the end of her life, in 1607, and it is believed that she died when frost stayed the work of the mason's haul. When quite a girl, Elizabeth Hardwick had married a Derbyshire squire — Robert Barlow of Barlow. To him succeeded Sir William Cavendish, who, through her persuasion, if not through lu-r actual initiative, began the building of old Chatsworth. Presently Sir William died, and his widow married Sir William St. Lo, Captain of Elizabeth's Guard ; but the good captain, in his turn, departed, an.l then the wit and beauty of Elizabeth sufficed to captivate the fancy of that great nobleman, George, Earl of Shrewsbury. It is a matter of history that Mary, Queen of S-'ots was for some seventeen years in his charge, being mostly detained at Sheffield Castle and at Chatsworth, which the Earl occupied in right of his wife, but there can be little doubt that she also visited Hard- wick, where her room is still shown, looking over the wood* and garden at the rear of the house. The Countess was continually bickering with her last husband, and it is said that jealousy of the fair captive was at the root of the quarrel. Country Life.'1 iniK.h ii- in At length <.' mt< " H. • \' I' v Ins brother John V at Haddon. "hath bin !ry tymes m hand with him for In- but he -.vill now a is jgr. .ept her"; and again, "Your st I: fie i- M •'. v well. sa\ le th it he is more stmite agenst than ever he was." I here is m> ci-rt.iinU ::ie hand that designed Hidwick, but it has been I that the hou»e was v\«irk possibly of Gerard Christmas, or Thorp, or one of the Smithsons, though r.»d ubtthe characl. r of the f lace was dictated by " h of Hardw ick." What manner of gardens surrounded the mansion in her time we only surmise. There weie 'doubt'ess the yew alleys and other features of the p» ri«>d ; and the ure.it t'>recourt. with the characteristic u-"t-ll"lis<> and the pinnacled wall, st.ll remains to give distinction of character. But we shall probably K- right if we surmise that the lady who s<> completely rejected much that was characteristic in the d"mestic buildings of her ancestors did not greatly cherish that spirit of enclosure which often ruled in the gardens of the period. Her \vind-A\s, giving a suj'erb view over the country, seem t > •r L- t-" THE V, \l K. su^^est that tlu-re wmil.l be somethiiv.' new also in tne character <>\ the vn rounding. The gardens have underline many changes, but they still retain a ^nod deal "I qu.iiutess and individuality', and the stone walls with their omamt-t t.il cresting brin^ the spirit of tli • mansion into them. The line U-.iden li-.irc-s which fall admirably into the picture ar<- ol a later date. .1:1. 1 ivt even at Melbourne in the same county do.'s liner garden lead.' "Catnl'r Lt/i~ IHt FORfcCULHr. 280 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. exist. The long green walks enframed with tall and dense hedges are a very distinctive feature of the place. The same may be said of the manner in which the fore- court is laid out, though that is comparatively modern. The approach is particularly fine. The visitor leaves th« older hall, and entering through the striking Eliza- bethan gatehouse, finds before him a broad flagged pathway, leading up to the noble loggia or entrance corridor before the house, which was a feature characteristic of the time found at Hatfield and other great mansions. The flagged approach is margined by turf, in which are set the decorative ribbon beds. The fine trees are very noticeable, and the woodland surroundings are superb. What may be par- ticularly remarked of the garden front is that it pleases, as the visitor looks round him, by its delightful contrasts of architecture, garden, and land- scape, the cool grey stone of the Hall enhancing the effect of its green and floral surroundings, and these again adding much to its stately and dignified aspect. Then, again, the noble flower border along the old south wall and similar borders in other parts of the gardens are extremely beautiful, and they also add richness and colour to the green lawns and the grey stonework. For the rest, little description is needed. The Duke of Devonshire maintains the gardens in truly beautiful order, and the park and surroundings are very attractive. Wood and pasture form that foil and contrast to the house and Copynght. THE GREEN WALK OF YEWS. "Counlt-v Lift.' its pleasaunce, which are so marked a note in the character of Hardwick and its surroundings, and, as at Chatsworth, all is freely thrown open for the public to visit and enjoy. They have the opportunity " of understanding a mansion which speaks loudly of a changing time in our history, and that is still the exemplar and representative, in its masterful and distinctive form, of the ideas which inspired our ancestors more than 300 years ago. The pictures of Hardwick which accompany this article illustrate better than words can tell what are the features of the place, and it will be seen that they are rich, attractive, and very varied. Derbyshire possesses many great mansions, but scarcely any so famous as this. Lof) right. THE MOUNTING-BLOCK AND GATEHOUSE "Coun'.ry Life." [ 381 ] HESLINGTON HALL, YORK, .... THE SEAT OP ... LORD DERAMORE. GARDENS OLD-&NEW T> HOSE who have examined the long scnes ot pictures of our must famous country homes which these ••ntain, will I'm I no difficulty in assigning the Yorkshire hmis.- of Heslington to the age to which it belongs. They will know that it coul.1 have Iven built in no other perio.1 than the spaci.ui- ti:n • ot lih/abeth and James. The lofty frontage and glorious wmJows. the plan upon which the house is built, and the gardens that neighbour it. all bespeak the century which saw a change so vast ight in tlu- structure of our domestic life. The increase nf wealth, of refinement, and of leisure, which marked the advance of the time, brought with it a striking transformation, proclaimed in the extinction of the feudal character of the nobles. The buttressed walls and frowning battlements disappeared, and were replaced by th • pomp and I'ghter grace ;Ji places as Knole and Longleat. Burleigh and Hatfield, Oiarlecote and Audley bnd. As (ireen s.iys, we still ga/e with pleasure on their picturesque gables, their fretted fronts, their turrets and fanciful vanes, their castellated gateways, the jutting oriels from which the great noble looked on the new Italian garden, on its stately terraces and broad flights of steps, its vases and fountains, its quaint mazes, its formal walks, its lines of yews cut into grotesque shapes in rivalry of the cypress avenues of the South. In the bold and characteristic front of Heslington Hall we discern the tenures that mark the clunge. The many windo.vs suggest that prodigal enjoyment it li^lit an.! >uiislnne which was a m.irk .if the temp.-r of the .ige, but th.- I ills oiiel winjow throws a flooj of light into a gieat hall — legitimUe descendant "t those huge structures in which the eaiher nobles had kept house with their dependents. The l.li/abethan gentleman and his family had retired to their withdrawing- room, but the hall still remained, as l.ord H.ICOII s.nd, " so full of gla>s that we cannot tell where to cmne to Iv out ot the sun or the cold." Such halls .is this exist at Main) ton Court and Haddon, and in mans1 another house ,<\ the tune. The plan of Heslington is that of the letter I:, rightly <-i wr-nigh- asvrilvd to adulation of Ouern l:li/abeth. although its porch has not tlu- b ild projection which is found in most of the great dwellings of the time. The proud distinction of country gentle- men was to recei\e Her Majesty in their h- uses when she made her many progresses through the kn gdom, and aim pst beyond number are the mansions in wlrth she s. .joined. Heslington is associated with her in a singu'.ar and unfamiliar way, a way so unusual, indeed, that wv know n >t what measure of credence to give to the asM-itions ot the chroni 1 r. The story runs that it was intended in some manner as .1 thank-offering of accommodation for her glory, and that its suites of rooms were specially designed for her reception. However this may have been, we may certainly aver that - THE YEWS FROM GARDEN-HOUSE. GARDENS OLD AND 1\EW. • : KPH '( H n p :,!T-« CoMtry Life." THE GARDEN SEAT ON THE BOWLING GREEN. the great hall, the long gallery, and the other chambers of Heshngton were well fitted to receive a royal guest. We have anticipated a little the history of the home. Lying within a couple of miles of the famous city of York, Heslington was necessarily a place of some importance. Tlnse who have gone far hack into its history bring it into relation with the operations of the Angles against Imperial Rome. They say that it was " the residence of the folk at the water hall," since in its name the ro >t words of Old English are found — ea, water; sa-l, a hall or guard-house of justice; ing, a tribal indication ; and ton, an enclosed residence. Such is THE SUNDIAL. the ingenious and fanciful verbal patchwork out of which they would have us believe Heslington sprang. We are on much surer ground when we re.ich one Thomas Eymes, a member of the fain KIS Council of the North, who was the builder, and evidently the owner of Heslington Ha'l in Elizabeth's days. He was succeeded in possession by the Heskeths, belonging to a great Lancashire family, and they by the Yarburghs of Yarburgh, an old Lincolnshire family. Sir I'homas Yarburgh had married one Mary Blague, a laJy of the Court of Charles II. The fair dame, according to Gram- mont, had fallen in love with a French gallant of the Court, but as she had not inspired the like passion in him, she married Sir Thomas Yarburgh instead. Grammont, who does not give a very attractive picture of the lady, describes her as the wife of " a great country bumpkin," who, the very week after their mar- riage, had bidden her take farewell of the town for ever, in consequence of the five or six thousand a year which he wished to enjoy in the country. " Alas ! poor Miss Blague. I saw her go away about this time twelve months in a coach with four such lean horses that 1 cannot believe she is yet halfway to her miserable little castle." The castle in question was Snaith Hall, in t.ie West Riding of Yorkshire, and the lady's son, James Yarburgh — a godson of James II., a page of honour, and an officer of the Foot 1 gauntry Lift." Guards — married the daughter . x O 0 5 JU H •Ji. O t- O O M SL O u. GARDENS OLD AND NEW. and heiress of Thomas Hesketh of Heslington, and thus brought the Hall into the hands of a family with whose representatives it has ever since remained. One of Yarburgh's daughters married the famous Sir John Vanbrugh. But Heslington was to pass through heiresses to other families which assumed the name of Yarburgh. Mr. John Graeme married one of the Yarburgh heiresses, and his son, Mr. Yarburgh Graeme, adopted the new surname, but he died, leaving no son, and the estate passed to his sister's son, Mr. George John Lloyd, afterwards Yarburgh, who died in 1875, and was succeeded by his eldest conns'.! daughter, who married the second Lord Deramore. The principal front remains scarcely altered since the time in which it was built, though an unfamiliar Diana now hunts in the forecourt. In other parts, however, alterations have been made, for the house was restored and enlarged in 1854. Yet its distinction is that it retains the features of the time in which it was raised. The gardens occupy a notable place in the history of English gardening. Their strange, quaint, and fantastic yews, unlike anything else ever seen on sea or land, are own brothers to the better-known curious creations of Levens. There are no judges' wigs nor royal courtiers shaped out of the ductile yew at Heslington, but only cylinders, globes, and adaptations of beehive forms, with some other odd imaginings carefully kept with the picturesque aspect of the eld. It is a garden world of strange character, such as we like to linger in, but with marked features of a kind that would THE HOUSE FRO.M THE LAKE. Country Li't." not bear too frequent repetition. The old skill of the pleacher and the topiary gardener gave great distinction to the gardens of Elizabeth's reign, and it is something to be thankful for that still at Levens and Heslington garden features exist which belong to a not much later date. The yew hedges are also remarkable, and afford curious vistas through which fine architecture and an old sundial or other such features may be viewed. You may look between these hedges, too, to the more natural charms that lie beyond, to radiant masses of flowers, and to a green park in which are many groups of splendid trees. The old bowling green is still used, and it neighbours a silvery lake, which is an attractive feature in these grounds. The gardens are not given up to their sombre and curious yews. Embodying much of the rich floral charm which THE QUAINT PLF.ASAUNCE WITH US WORLD OF YEWS. ' Country Life.' - f- s Z ac. < - : (S) _ I I- GARDENS OLD AND has been the gift of modern times, bright- ness is mingled with their quaint old garden imagery. Then, away from the house itself we enter the land- scape world, of w h i c h there have been many glimpses from the more formal pleasaunce. Here the foliage is fine and the character attrac- tive, wood and water uniting in the effect. And from sundry points of view the Hall, with its many pinnacles, gables and chimneys, is the gem of the garden picture — a simple, beautiful, and delightful composition. For the rest, there is not much to say. A quaint old garden, with the added charms which belong to modern times, a placid lake, and a splendid park, must needs be famous even among the great domain:-; and fair gardens in which Yorkshire is so lich. There have been, and there still are, many fine gardens in the level country that surrounds the city of York. Thus at Bishopthorpe, where has been the palace of the Archbishops ever since the time of Walter de Gray (1216-1255), the gardens are large and fine, and the same is the case at Escrick Park, and at many more great places — the "ancient homes of lord and lady" — in the vicinity of York. Andrew Mar veil, the poet, who was resident as a tutor at Nun Cofyright. A VISTA THROUGH THE YEWS. Appleton when Thomas, the first Lord Fairfax, kept "noble hospitality" there, says that thegardenswere laid out in the figure of a fort, doubtless being well terraced for the outlook. " The sight do.-s from their bas- tions ply The invisible artillery ; And at proud Ca-.voo:l Castle si-ems To point the battery of its beams, Asifit quarrelled in the seat The ambition of its prelate great." The gardens nt Heslington H.dl belong, perhaps, to the same period, though evidently they have undergone changes, and now are very interesting to the garden historian. Such a house could scarcely be without those features which are a distinction of English country houses. The hall is lined with armorial adornments, and there are portraits of Elizabeth, the four Stuart kings, Prince Charles Edward, the Duchess of Orleans, the Duchess of Grafton, and other famous nobles and fair ladies from the hand of Kneller, Lely, and other well-known aitists. The collection includes a considerable series of family portraits also, and Lord Deramore may weli be proud of the noble mansion which has descended to his hand, and which is preserved with stately, quaint, and original charm. Copyright. ' Coititry Li'c ' THE BOWLING GREEN ANU LAKE. GARDENS OLD-&NEW WOLLATON HALL, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, THE SEAT OP ... LORD MIDDLETON. s 'tis house of Francis Willwi-.:hby, built with rare and left for tin- Willouuhbys. Bej-un in 1580. ' -ipleted in 1588." Siuh is tin- dedication, in Latin. here done into English, of what a local historian •.lie Jay justly called "a wonderful house t» be built by a commoner." It stands two miles west ot Nottingham, mi .1 nentle rise, amonji line trees which do n<>t shut it in. It IN e\en now one of the most marked features in tin- landscape round the "fair citv " <>f Sluru....! Forest and the Trent. The builder was Sir Francis Wil'.ou^hby. Knight. i in those days line houses could not be built without < r>, A SUIKWAY TO THE LAWNS. heavy expenditure, and the sources of his wealth at th.it ea-Iy perii>.l were uncommon. Highly di->,, n li-.l though he \\.i-, lie appears to have been one of the eaihest v,,.i| kinjs. " Wollaton." savs Camden. " is rich in seam-- oi coil, \\li.-ie Sir Francis Willou^hbv. knight, noblv descended Horn the . Marquises ut |)orset. m our days built out ot the ground with treat . ha-^es (\(-t tor the most part le\ied out ••! the coal-pits) a st.it. -!\ h «u>e \\ith artificial workmanship, standing ble.ikly, but offering a UIKK! pios;-,-it to Ix- beholden t.ii and \vide." Another ace > in! says; "The ston- c une from Aiu-aster in e.\<.haiue toi pit c >al." The dedication ot the place to future Willou^hbys A. is b.isi-vl on a just beliet in the merits and hi^h char.uter ot that ^ri-at and -j'-od family, of which the pn-M-nt Lord S\id lleton. owner ot Wollaton. i- the head. Sir I I.I;KIS left only a daughter. BiuLet. who married Sir IYruv.il Wil- lou^hby. who lived .it Wollaton an I had five sons. < >ne, Sir I i.incis, \\ .is lather ot the Francis Willoti^hhy \\howrote the liist ^o ,d and lehabk* history of birds, which is still quoted, and from which many ot the Latin names tor scien- tific purposes \\ere l>rj usi-d to denote particular species. He- wiote tliis splendid work- in Latin, but it was not pub- lished until after his death in 1676. He als i wrote a "History of Fishes," in four volumes and thus ha- a double claim to th.- ie-at.1 ot Invels ot <.' untlV lite. Another, perhaps the known it tne race, was Sir Hugh Willou^hby, who perished in the search for a North- Wert I'a- America to InJia and Cathay. There is a fine p • t .ut of the lost captain at Woll.it m, whose- death and that ot Ins crew was due to \\an; provisions lor lasting out the Arctic winter. It is strange that the adventurers who had the experience of the Icel ind cod fishers for at It-ast a hun- dred years to draw upon, had not realised the ch.rui •- having to winter in the region of ice. The first of the family to be ennobled was Sir Th<*mas Willouj«hby, who was created Baron Middleton of M:ddlrton in Warwickshire, and w ! descendant, the ninth Baron, , ( . now holds it. Tlk' appearance of the house h.i> b •• ruriticised, 286 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. CapyrinU. THE ROSERY. 'Country Life." as being too much of a stringing together of ornament, without solidity of design. Our readers will form their own conclusions from the appearance of the front presented in these pages, but it is certain that there is no over-elaborate ornament. The pilasters are severe and good, the windows in just proportion to the wall spacing, and the wings so lofty that the florid decoration of the gables is not overdone. The finest feature of the house is the great hall ; it is this which occupies the greater part of the square turreted mass in the centre, which dominates the whole. The view of the interior here given >ho\vs what was the idea of the builder, and how it fits into the uses of modern occupation. The beauty of the carving on the gallery of stone and the lighting from the windows above, THE CONSERVATORY GARDEN. whose lofly bases are 3;ft. from the ground, are al,so seen. The terrace on which the house stands is reached from the gardens by flights of stairs rounded at the base, and thence mounting straight to the terrace above. The view across the flower garden shows better than words could describe what is that "good prospect to be beholden far and wide" which Camden noted. It is characteristic of the richness of the land round "fair Nottingham," the queen of the Midlands and of Midland shires. The lake and the long avenue make two points of beauty to which the eye is led. If what was anciently called "grace of congruity " can be obtained by art in making landscape on a large scale, this lake is worth remembrance. It forms a curve away from the house at such a distance that it makes a centre of light far beyond the foreground, but instead of stretching out as far as possible parallel with the house front, it curves until it runs directly from it, giving a vista like the bend of a river. From the evidence of the gardens themselves, and the records of books and pictures, there is reason to believe that they were for- merly even more extensive than at present. Before they were laid out in their present form they were designed to satisfy an exacting taste for regularity and geometrical proportion. The date was very early, for the design and plan are shown in a picture in the hall dated 1695. This picture, painted by Liebrichts, is exceedingly interesting and valuable for purposes of com- parison, and enables us to see "Country r.ife." r> Z _ 0 — I f 290 GARDENS OLD AND NEW. how the formal character of the old garden at Wollnton has given place to the open features of Ihe present landscape surroundings. The taste for the enclosure of gardens was still partly manifest. In this early design the upper terraces were cut up into squares of turf. In the centre of each square stood a statue, and at the corners oranges in tubs. At the east was that indispensable adjunct of the good garden of the Elizabethan time, a bowling green, connected with the park by a succession of terraces. A contemplative game like bowls was probably more enjoyable played on a green commanding a fine view over the country than if pursued in a space enclosed by the high hedges which were generally planted round the greens, perhaps to screen the players from the wind. In this the layer-out cf the old gardens showed originality. There is every reason to believe that in other matters of garden design or architecture Wollaton Hall gave a lead to current ideas. South of the bowling green stood a building with a glazed roof, in which the oranges were evidently wintered, the tubs being moved there in the autumn. In "Breton's Garden Management" it is said that Wollaton was the first place in which a glass structure was used for the protection of plants. The date mentioned is 1695, the same as that of the picture, which may have been painted to show the completion of these new and successful efforts at gardening on the princely scale. Next to Chatsworth it is said to have been the finest garden THE GARLlbN AT WOLLATON IN 1695. in the country, though who were the designers then, and whether Kent or Brown or any of the famous garden designers lent their aid later, does not appear. The lower terrace was at first devoted to growing fruit, herbs, and vegetables, but after the present kitchen garden was built this terrace was converted into a wilderness garden, and planted with shrubs and rare trees. The cedars, the copper beeches, and the ilexes are among the splendours of Wollaton ; the ilex standing at the west end of the upper terrace is said to 1H I: FLOWER GARDEN. 'Country Life. HC//-I/HN //•///. / < UJ ;ij X f- ? 0 3 ! GARLENS OLD AND have been planted at the tim; the hall was built. This would give it an age of about 320 years. The ilex is a native of Italy, and if the hall was built by an architect trained in Italy and Italian workmen — Join of Padua is credited vith its design — it is more than probable that this is the oldest ilex tr.>e in Britain. The date at which this species of tree was introduced was 1588, which coincides with the completion of Wollato.i Hall. Another venerable relic of the ancient, ornamental timber of Wollaton is the trunk of a Pinus maritima, once considered to be among the largest, if not the largest, in England. It died some years ago, and the head was taken off, as it endangered a summer-h >use near. A boundary oak on the edge of the parish, which coincides with the sunk fence, is 2oft. in girth, but is now failing. Adjoining the terrace is the camellia house, which is one of the most wonderful out-of-date relics of the first efforts at making a winter garden. With the heating apparatus, which also supplied the house with hot water, it is said to have cost £10,000 ; of this, .£1,400 was given for the camellias, then most costly exotics. It was in 1823 that this broken with the pretty art that hides art. To every other pole is wedded not a rose, but a climbing bine of hop, so that the leaves of the hops and their grape-like green flowers may contrast in colour with the masses of Crimson Rambler. It is a beautiful and artistic effect of studied colour and form. Certain beds arj also devoted to the old-fashioned cabbage rose, damask and moss roses, the whole being sheltered from cutting winds by clumps of choice rhododendrons. The flower garden has a glorious southern aspect, with a fine prospect over the park, the lake being in the mid.lle distance, and a background of hills and timber extending far out into the surrounding country. It is laid out with fanciful beds and planted in the freehand style of bedding. Summer annuals and herbaceous plants find a place there as well as the imre formal beJding plants. Roses and carnations are always very much in evidence, as these, with sweet peas and lilies, are Lady Middleton's favourite flowers. Among the notable trees surviving is one we have not so far mentioned, viz., the Lencombe oak, a very fine specimen THE FIR-TKEE WALK. ntry Life." house was raised. It is built mainly of copper, brass, and glass, with iron pillars ; the glass was embedded in copper sash-bars, and the domi and gratings were of brass. The price of thick glass and of copper at that date will account for the prodigious cost of the building. The camellias, some of which are seventy years old, are still planted as they originally stood, in four open beds. One plant has a g rth of 24in. They naturally show signs of age. At the south- east end of the camellia house is the roseiy, the entrance to which is through a rustic arch of peeled oak, completely covered with climbing roses. The design of this exquisite rosery will be gathered from the picture here shown. The roses are planted in curved beds, circling round an ornamental iron standard covered with a White Rambler, whilst the outer circle of beds holds chiefly tea roses, with white Madonna lilies planted between them Round the outer edges of the beds stand poles of larch, Irom each of which, looping top to top together, runs a thick rope drooping in curves, .md along this simple a:id rustic tracery the roses run joyfully, showering blossoms over all ; but the effect is of which is to be seen on the lower terrace. It is a hybrid oak raised from a cross between an evergreen and a deciduous variety. The first tree of its kind was planted in the nursery of its propagator, where it grew to be a fine tree, but from some cause died, was cut down, the timber saved, and when dry made into boards. At the death of its planter the boards were employed to make his coffin, but the tree left survivors to bear his name. Of the kitchen garden, suffice it to say that it contains everything necessary for a house like Wollaton Hall. Some very fine ornamental iron gates mark what was the entrance to the herbaceous garden and American shrubberies. For this kind of work Nottingham has always borne the palm. It was there that the magnificent gates of Hampton Court were made, which were taken to South Kensington Museum, but may now be restored to their proper place at the ancient palace by the Thames. Our readers will gather that Wollaton js among the very first places of interest in central Hngland, that favoured area in which are concentrated the majority of the greatest and finest examples of the great country homes and gardens of this country. LYPIATT PARK, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, THE SEAT OF ... SIR ). E. DORINGTON, Bart. S\\> .!. E. nORINGTO.VS hmse i.i the Cotswlds is one o! the finest purely media-val houses in tilmu> shire. It is not a feudal castle, like Berkeley Castle, ur reC'-nsmuteJ on Tudor-Italian lines like Stanwav . Hit a house <>f the sixteenth Century in p •vatmn. The emKittleJ porch and other features have been added "-.^ tshire. There is the same unity »t design, the N.uue half-Collegiate look, the same letention of the dwelling-rooms and apartnieirs for their original purpose. The i;reat hall is a feature in both. But at Lypiatt it is in the centre of the building, and is lighted by a graceful and \vell-propoi tn>ne.l bay \vindo\v, f.imin- a shall' AV rece-s from the ground up \> tin- spring of I here is no evidence that l.ypatt was ever a reh-ious foundation. n- Uv ithst.nulin^ the • onsp;ai-us ih.ira. t.-r -.1 its chapel. It has remained in laymen's hands m , ,uiry Horn the year 151$- Possibly some of the buildings are even • it earlier date. It is extremely interesting to know that "Dick" Wh:ttin-ton, atteivvauN Lord Mayor of London, lent to his uncle Philip Mans;-l, the owner ot l.ypiatt in n«>. a sum "I /.'sOO. probably equal to /^,o:X3 of our money, on the • : l.ypiatt. The Whittm-tons, pio'.-ablv osvin^ t. this tians.iction, wee the owii' rs ,.) the pb>e in 1.17*. an.l weie lolln'\e.l in possession by the ta:ral;es ol Wye, Tlinik- mortoii, and Stephens. The situat. on ot the house is loitv. The Cotswolds here make a I ,i>-h continuous rid^e, with precipitous valleys .uttm- them obliquely. ( >ne • f the lushest and steepest of the bastions forms the pai'k, studded with line elms and other timber, full ot s-.M-rt hill pasture, and little bays and curves in tiie unbosoming hill. On the summit, Soott. above the MM, and almo-t at the holiest point in (il-ucestershire, st.in.ls the .few -t<»- THE DOVECOTt AND GRANARY. 291 G.-1RDHNS OLD AND NkW. Copyright. RASE OF THE l . 2?? . /5 . XIII. . XIV. . 107 Frontispiece, 1 17 . vxiv., / . xiv., /3j . XVI. • 03 . 795 20 . 161 XVII. . 63 . 118 . VIII. . 311 . XXI. XV.. 790 . 38l X . 2iy Mote. Kent In Time of War Ki-llv //IIMV. Tjiistttrk . King's Weston. <;/.*;/« VS/«T Kingston l.ai'v, Dorsetshire L-vns H.ill. Westmoreland . /.///<•>/;.;//, Slirupsliir? hmyturd (^i->tle. Wiltshire Loseley Park. Surrfv Ivpiatt Park, (ilf\t<-r\hire . Melbourne Hall. >l\-rbv . M»ntofute. Somerset t,:U .Jbbey, U^ottinglum Norton (jiniyfrs. Yorkshire (V.I Pl.i,f. LindncU P.mnhanger. Hertfordshire Pt-iisliiir*t. Kent I'll"! l'.trk. -Hath . Ratify Hall, tt'aru-itk'iliire Rftiishaw Hall, Chesterfield . 750 \i. \n. 184 Rons Lenfh Court. U^i ir,,-\t,-r \lnn- S/. Cithfhn.-\ C-nirt. Hjth . Shiptun Court. Oxford . St»neleigh Abbn-. Warwickshire Studley Koval. Yorkshire Sutton Place. Guildlord . Svdcnham house. Dr.