32 GARDENS IN THE MAKING 



house. The skyline and general grouping should 

 have in themselves the elements of beauty, and an 

 entrance should seldom require the help of flower- 

 beds or borders. Its own lines and disposition 

 should possess an attraction which is permanent and 

 always suitable to its special function. The southern, 

 western, and eastern sides of the house are thus left 

 in complete possession of the gardens, which are 

 effectively screened and sheltered from the drive. 

 The principle is illustrated further in the plans of 

 Stansted (fig. 59), Coombe Warren (fig. 60), and 

 Henley Hall (fig. 61). 



It often happens that an old house will have its 

 principal entrance on the south side, and the gardens 

 will be hopelessly cut up and exposed to view. 

 This vital defect must always be remedied by divert- 

 ing the approach, an operation that will not be 

 found as difficult as it may appear. Pitchford Hall, 

 near Shrewsbury (fig. 2), a beautiful half-timbered 

 house of the sixteenth century, was sadly spoilt in 

 this way. The main building, with two long wings 

 stretching to the south, enclosed three sides of a 

 quadrangle, and a fourth side had been added in the 

 late eighteenth century. In the centre of this was 



