May 9, 1873. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



387 



the evening oul.y. This is erroneous. Tliey will be exhibitetl 

 in the claytime iu a tent specially constructed so as to exclude 

 the dayliglit, and which wDl be lighted with ga?, the object being 

 to show what plants and flowers are best adapted for decoration 

 by artificial light, the kind of light by means of which such 

 decorations are usually seen iu this country. The regulations 

 for this class will be found on pages 7 and 8 of the schedule, 

 copies of which I shall be happy to send on application. JIuch 

 iutercst has been excited respecting this class, and I have no 

 doubt but that it will prove one of the most interesting iu the 

 Exliiliitiou. Entries close for it on Wednesday the 28th inst. 

 — EiiwAriD W. B.vdgeh, Local Hon. Sec, midland Counties 

 Herald Office, Virminghan:. 



BEAUDESERT. 



The Seat of the Marqcis op Anglesey. 



Ne.vr the centre of the county of Stafford is a large tract of 

 upland moor called Cannock Chase, consisting principally of a 

 succession of bill s and valleys, the former mostly covered with 

 Heath, and the latter with coarse herb.age. Few trees occur ; 

 here and there a few stunted Scotch Fu-s, Birches, and Oaks 

 grow on the dry ground, and there is a scattering of WOlow 

 and Alder in some of the damp valleys. There is no great 

 amount of naked rock, and although the soil is in places of 

 a black peaty character, much of it is a hungry yellow gravel. 

 The liills are not so precipitous as many iu Derbyshire and 

 Scotland, but the elevation is great. AVhortleberries grow 

 vei-y exteusivelj' in the dry black peaty districts, but less 

 plentifuUy where the soil approaches a yellowish gravel. 

 Heath is more widely spread, and I beheve the Foxglove also 

 abounds in places, but the Bog Myrtle or Sweet Gale of 

 the Scottish morasses is not so plentiful as in the far north. 

 Sueli is Cannock Chase, a district which seems to bid defiance 

 to the plough or spade, but the districts adjoining it have 

 doubtless been all reclaimed from it at some time ; the gravel- 

 covered fields that now produce fair returns of Oats and green 

 crops were no doubt little less in\iting than the waste now 

 before us. On the south-eastern side of Cannock Chase is 

 the noble mansion of Beaudesert with its park and grounds. 



We can readily believe that Beaudesert, " The beautiful 

 Wilderness," deserved that name when bestowed, for it is 

 well situated, and was part of the forest of Caimoek when 

 Henry II., seven centuries since, bestowed it on the church of 

 St. Chad. Walter, Bishop of Lichfield, and his successors, 

 made it their residence, but it seems to have been resumed 

 by the Crown in the reign of Henry VIII. , and given Ijy Imn 

 to one of the most deserving of his ollicials, William Paget, 

 created " Baron Paget of Beaudesert" by Edward VI., and it 

 has remained the property of his descendants. The present 

 occup.ant is Sir Thomas Abdy, but it is thought probable that 

 the Marquis of Anglesey will return to it at a period not very 

 distant. 



The mansion occuiiies an elevated i)osition in a park of great 

 size aiid beauty. The approach from Itugeley is on the 

 ascent, until the park is entered at an elevated point, from 

 whence the mansion is just seen. The ro.ad leads through the park 

 by a series of easy cuives, passing up and down hill until, after 

 a mile and a half, it reaches the carriage front. The road, 

 .ilthongh much improved by cutting and levelling, is neverthe- 

 less wliat postboys would call " a heavy one," but for those 

 wlio .admire the works of Nature, a walldng pace would not 

 be too slow, as each summit or vallej' reveals fresh beauties. 

 Oak trees of several centuries old are growing in all directions, 

 occasionally crowning an eminence, but more generally occupy- 

 ing a position midway up the sides of a hill. On one side we 

 find a breadth of short mvitmg-lookiug turf, while Fern G feet 

 high is waving in the wind on the other, and the deep green 

 of the valleys indicates there is no lack of moisture there. The 

 park is well watered ; owing to its elevated position there is no 

 large stream, but plentj- of springs, and now and then a brook. 

 The hUls, which are all rounded and cut into eveiy form by 

 valleys or ravines, get higher and higher as you advance beyond 

 the mansion, the highest ground or summit being a spot called 

 the Castle Hill, where a Koman encampment had once been. 

 This spot is upwai-ds of 1000 feet above the sea level, and it 

 is said that from it one can see into nine counties. It is like 

 wise interesting to the antiquarian, for a sort of dry ditch or 

 earthwork fortification surrounds it, enclosuig some sixty acres 

 or more in the form of an irregular oval. There are few or no 

 trees upon it, but there are the foundations and some other re- 

 mains of a buUding which was probably a religious house. 



The mansion has but little claim to external beauty, having, 

 I beUeve, been added to and altered at vai'ious times ; its large 

 size gives it a commanding appearance, wliile the magnificent 

 suites of rooms inside are not often equalled. One room was up- 

 wards of 100 feet long, and of proportionate width. Amongst 

 other things which the visitor is shown are some relics of the 

 celebrated mUitary marquis ; the boots he wore at Waterloo 

 when he received the wound which deprived him of a leg, and 

 other mementoes have all an interest, as well as the elaborate 

 works of art collected here. 



Passing out of the front door which opens into the park, 

 we find a piece of moderately level gi-ound immediately in front, 

 which, however, speedily descends into a narrow valley to rise 

 again to a less elevation. At a short distance from the house, 

 on the brow of the first descent, is a fine spring of water 

 issuing from a piece of rudely carve.d stonework called the 

 Lion's Mouth. I believe there is some legend in connection 

 with this copious stream, but I cannot narrate it. The water I 

 found was colder than spring water usually is. Eeturning to 

 the mansion, to which the offices and stabling are united on 

 the western side (the carriage entrance being to the north), I 

 entered from that side the pleasm-e grounds proper, and foimd 

 that I had undertaken a very difficult task to explain to the 

 general readers of a gardening Journal the pecaUarities of 

 this fine place. 



The pleasm-e grounds extend to the east, south, and west of 

 the mansion — the north, as has been explained, is open to the 

 park — and present a greater diversity of surface than most 

 places, so much so that there is 150 feet difference in elevation 

 between the high ground and the low. In general the ground 

 may be said to rise to the south, but at the south-west a deep 

 decHvity ends in a piece of ornamental water very well intro- 

 duced, whUe on the opposite side the ground rises again ab- 

 ruptly. Immediately adjoining the house were some terraces 

 with flights of steps. Yew hedges, and an embroidered Box 

 garden, with some glass corridors and an elevated balcony ex- 

 tendmg eastward from the mansion. The rest of the ground 

 assumes a more natural condition, a retaining wall or ha-ha 

 bounding it on the east and pai't of the south sides, but by 

 skilfully planted shi-nbs this boundary was not seen, and 

 appeared either to unite with the park or adjoining wood. A 

 straight walk leading through the grounds at a place clear of 

 trees and shi-ubs had a set of flower-beds on each side of it. 

 The beds were circles and oblongs alternately, and at the time 

 of my visit (August) were gay with bodding plants, all- doing 

 well excepting Calceolarias, wliich here, as in several other 

 places, were not as they ought to be. The shrubs consisted 

 mostly of Rhododendrons, of which there were some noble 

 gi-oups of the older kinds, wlule the more choice sorts of later 

 years had also lately been planted in suitable places and were 

 doing well. On the lawn there were also some good specimen 

 Conifers, while noble Elms, Sycamores, Beeches, and Oaks 

 occurred at every turning, but more especially at the outside 

 of the dressed grounds, where some excellent timber occupied 

 a portion of the park almost sufficiently close together to be 

 called a wood, but cattle had access to it. Azaleas, Hollies, and 

 other shrubs were also abundant in the dressed grounds. The 

 common Laurel had suffered much the iireeeding winter ; the 

 Portugal L.aurel proved itself much hardier. 



On leaving the dressed grounds, and passing through a wood 

 of fine old trees standing rather thinly on the gi'ound, I found 

 that the Ehododendron is very extensively gromi, in places en- 

 croaching on the neatly formed paths that intersect this 

 wood. Azaleas and HoUies were also plentiful, and the former 

 apipeared to have flowered well. This path leads to the farm, 

 also to the private chapel. Returning by another route I 

 passed the quarries whence the stone used ui buildmg the 

 house was most likely obtained. It is of a pale brown colour 

 with a tinge of red, and it appears to be a good and enduring 

 sandstone. Taking another glance at the pleasure grounds I 

 discovered that what appeared to be glass corridors are glass- 

 roofed plant houses, one or more being heated to act as a stove. 

 The others were filled with the usual plants of the season, the 

 whole looking well. A considerable part of the mansion is 

 covered' with Ivy. The stable-yard, containing an extensive 

 block of buildings in the form of a half-circle, is well screened 

 from view by trees and the ever-recurring Rhododendrons, 

 some of the latter on the precipitous sides of a hill completely 

 filhng in a chasm. 



The kitchen garden is nearly a mUe from the mansion, and 

 in one of the lowest vaUeys iu the middle of the park. An 

 excellent wall surrounds it, enclosing rather more than four 



