IRISH GARDENING 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE 

 VOLUME XI ADVANCEMENT OF HORTICULTURE AND October 



No. 1 28 1916 



ARBORICULTURE IN IRELAND 



Editor J. W. Besant 



The Moats at Aldenham. 



The illustration represents a part of one of the 

 moats which surrounded a small manor house 

 called Penn's Place, about 400 j^ards from the 

 present Aldenham House, and which was de- 

 moHshed during the reign of Henry VIII. 

 There were two rows of moats round the house, 

 not for defensive purposes, but for the jn-eserva- 

 tion of fish, 

 which was 

 specially re- 

 q u i r e d in 

 olden days , 

 owing to the 

 strict ob- 

 servance of 

 Friday an d 

 Lent fasting 

 from meat , 

 and to th e 

 fact that 

 fresh meat 

 was not ob- 

 tainable in 

 the winter as 

 cattle were 

 slaughtered 

 a n (1 salted 

 down in au- 

 tumn. These 

 moats were 

 k n o w n a s 

 Fish 8tews. 



After the 

 house was 

 taken down 



no attention ai:ipears to have been paid to the 

 moats, which were allowed to run dry, and they 

 became filled up from one cause or another 

 with trees and scrub whic;h grew in and around 

 them, giving the appearance of a small wood. 



About 20 years since the late Lord Aldenham 

 decided to have these cleared out, and the 

 grounds romid and about made attractive, and, 



A M( 



at the time of writing, this part of the grounds 

 is amongst the most beautiful at Aldenham. 



Two rows of Cech'us Atlantica were planted to 

 commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of the late 

 Queen Victoria, and these have now developed 

 into fine specimens. Round the banks of the 

 moats are a fine and rare collection of 



Alnus, com- 

 prising near- 

 ly 30 differ- 

 ent species 

 a n d varie- 

 ties. The 

 banks are all 

 suitably ed- 

 ged with 

 water-loving 

 plants such 

 as Phragmi- 

 tes, Carex, 

 C' y jD e r u s , 

 Bullrushes, 

 G unneras, 

 and hosts of 

 other things 

 of m u c h 

 beauty. Here 

 and there 

 are fuie spe- 

 timens of 

 Arundinarias 

 Be r be rises. 

 E u 1 a 1 i a s , 

 S ]i i r ff! a s . 

 P3TUS japon- 

 icus, &c., and in the water a very fine collection 

 of Nymi)hJBas are flowering, as Avell as A])ono- 

 geton distaehyon. Calla ])alustris. Orontium 

 aquaticum, Pontederia cordata. Sagittarias, &c. 

 The font was l)rought from Venice about 15 

 years ago by Mi'. \'icary Gibbs. 



E. Beckett, 

 Aldenham House Gardens. 



AT Aj.hKMIAM. 



