302 



IMPRESSIONS OF CHATSWORTH. 



Tallcinc^ of a village, brings me to Eden- 

 sor. This, at once, entirely captivated me. 

 How shall I describe it to you 1 It is just 

 such a village as magicians would build, if 

 magicians were poets, landscape gardeners, 

 and architects, as well as magicians ! Be- 

 lieve me, it left an impression on my imagi- 

 nation, which the Duke's palace, fountains, 

 great conservatory, and miles of park, could 

 not make. I must try to give you a peep 

 of it through my eyes. 



The entrance to the park at Chatsworth 

 on one side, is called the Edensor gate. 

 Formerly there was a dingy, forlorn village 

 here — dirty, uncouth, repulsive, at all events 

 below common-place. Very well, or very 

 ill I you will say, and so thought the Duke, 

 and his ingenious architect. Sir Jeffrey 



V/VATTVILLE. 



The place where the old village stood, is 

 now a smooth glade of green turf. A short 

 distance from its locale^ is a sweet little 

 vale, or dell, only separated from the park 

 on its widest side by belts of trees. Most 

 beautifully and strikingly scattered through 

 this vale, is the present village of Edensor. 

 And such a village ! Every house — and there 

 are houses too of a great many sizes, from 

 the smallest cottage up to the large comfort- 

 able farm-houses — every house is a gem of 

 architectural beauty — quite a picture by it- 

 self. The greatest variety of style is to be 

 found too — many in the Rural Gothic, al- 

 ways so pretty and becoming in the coun- 

 try — some in the heavier Old English — 

 some in the pleasant Tuscan, or modern 

 Italian. They are all most carefully built, 

 many of stone, with every thing about them, 

 gates, enclosures, &c., in perfect keeping. 

 Then they are disposed so charmingly — 

 here, a group in the smooth level, lower part 

 of the vale — there, several with little hang- 



f ing terraces on the sides of the valley, and 

 several of more picturesque character, oc- 

 cupying a bold rocky position on the back- 

 ground of the hill itself. 



The cottages themselves, and I examin- 

 ed several, are fitted up with an attention 

 to domestic comforts which would grace our 

 best houses; nearly all have back-kitchens, 

 pantries, and dairies. Behind these are 

 large meadows, where each cottager has an 

 enclosure for pasturing his cow or cows. 

 Then there are certain goods which are 

 provided for the village in common. First 

 a complete village -school — then a village 

 play-ground — then a village drying-ground, 

 and lastly, a village fountain. The fountain, 

 in point of beauty, entirely captivated me. 

 It is useful, poetical, beautiful, in the high- 

 est degree, and I am sorry that I cannot 

 send you a sketch of it. Besides this, the 

 houses are well supplied with water, brought 

 in pipes from the adjacent hill. Is not this 

 a picture of care and interest manifested in 

 fellow creatures dependant on another, 

 which it does one good to contemplate? 

 Since it is impossible for even the Duke of 

 Devonshire to break down the fearful bar. 

 rier of caste, which long custom, long ac- 

 cumulation, and long descent of propert}'', 

 have made fearfully imperative in England, 

 he at least deserves hearty praise for the 

 efforts he makes to add to the comforts and 

 improve the condition of the many fellow 

 beings who derive their daily support at his 

 hands. 



And now having got you out of the park 

 gates, and having, as I find on looking over 

 this, shown you not a tenth part of the 

 thousand details that would interest you, 

 because I fear your time and patience are 

 as nearly exhausted as my space, I bid you 

 again adieu. A . 



