APRIL. 99 



TRENTHAM HALL, STAFFORDSHIRE. 



The attention of the horticultural world having of late years been 

 so much directed to this place, OAving to the improvements in al- 

 most every department of gardening which have been eifected in it 

 by Mr. Fleming, we feel sure that a short notice of what we saw, 

 during a hasty visit the other day, will be acceptable to those of our 

 readers who may know Trentham only through seeing the results of 

 Mr. Fleming's management in the beautiful fruit which is constantly 

 being exhibited at the great London shows, and which has obtained for 

 Trentham a celebrity of which few other private gardens can boast. 



Trentham has but few natural advantages to recommend it, being 

 situated in a low valley close to the river Trent,— a position unfa- 

 vourable, both as regards the dampness of the soil and humidity of 

 atmosphere inseparable from all low-lying localities. The natural 

 soil of the district, which belongs to the new red sandstone forma- 

 tion, appears to be a deep red loam ; but the lower level of the valley 

 (on which the gardens are situated) contains a considerable mixture 

 of drift, transported from higher lands, and deposited there before 

 the Trent had subsided to its present level. 



In addition to drawbacks in the shape of situation and climate, 

 our readers must consider that only a very few miles to the north is 

 the great pottery district, with its hundreds of furnaces, &c. ; which, 

 when the wind comes from that point, load the atmosjDhere with par- 

 ticles of sooty matter and other impurities, rendering it, as gardeners 

 well know, inimical to the culture of all delicate plants. 



NotAvithstanding these disadvantages, however, Trentham ex- 

 hibits, to a greater degree perhaps than any place we remember to 

 have seen, what art can effect when skilfully carried out. Not only 

 has the mansion been entirely remodelled within these few years 

 from designs by Sir Charles Barry, but additions have been made 

 which give the house a character of grandeur and magnificence, 

 suitable to the position of the noble family who own it ; and on 

 looking from the south front over nearly ten acres below, laid out in 

 the Italian style, with terraces, parterres, &c., and terminating with 

 a lake, we feel conscious how completely art has triumphed over mere 

 situation, and stamped it with a character of its own creation. 



Of course, February is not a very suitable time of the year for 

 visiting a flower-garden, which long before this shall have been in 

 the hands of our readers will be gay with spring bulbs, plants, and 

 flowering shrubs ; but it favoured an accurate examination of the 

 outline and design, which can be much better studied when the 

 beds are empty than when they are ornamented with flowers. Thus 

 the lines of Portugal Laurels (planted in square boxes so as to re- 

 present Orange-trees) which decorated the sides of the principal 

 walks, showed how well they answer the purpose of an avenue 

 plant for the geometric style of gardening, and for apparently in- 

 creasing the length of straight walks. To our minds, few finer 



