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in November of that year a fire broke out in the west wing, which 
was burnt to the ground. In the conflagration, the Dowager 
Marchioness of Salisbury, the grandmother of the present Marquis, 
was burnt to death—the fire having originated in her bedroom. The 
wing was rebuilt according to the original design, and to keep it from 
having a new look, the last marquis caused the foundation of the 
_west wing to be dug up and the old bricks used for the new super- 
structure. The south front, which takes the form of three sides of 
a square, and of which the engraving gives a capital illustration, 
is the principal elevation of the mansion-house. It has many 
pleasing architectural features, and is greatly enhanced by the fine 
Magnolias and other beautiful climbing plants, which now cover a 
considerable area of the walls. Such is a short sketch of the 
history of this princely residence. 
Tue New Drive. 
At Hatfield Station the party were received by Mr Miller, estate 
agent, and by Mr Barton, chief forester. They entered the grounds 
by the richly designed wrought-iron gates, with handsome carved 
stone pillars, facing the station, and proceeded along the new avenue, 
which was made by the present Marquis in 1877. ‘The old road to 
the mansion-house was through the village of Hatfield, up the steep 
eminence on which the church stands, and through the old gateway 
already referred to. The new drive, which is carried a part of the 
way over a deep hollow in which a portion of the village lies, is a 
splendid piece of work, and for one thing it gives the visitor an 
opportunity of seeing the stately mansion-house and its surroundings 
long before he reaches it—an advantage to which the old roadway 
could not lay claim. These first impressions are admirable. On 
the left is a beautiful broad stretch of green sward, bounded by a 
splendid avenue of limes; on the right of the avenue are shrubberies 
and plantations which screen the boundary wall, and right ahead is 
the mansion-house, the north front of which, though differing in 
its arrangement from that of the south, has likewise a dignified 
and reposeful aspect. 
THe Lion Oak. 
The first interesting tree seen on the walk towards the 
mansion-house was the ‘“ Lion Oak,” a grand old tree with a short 
massive stem, as shown in the illustration, which stands near the 
