196 RIVERSIDE LETTERS XXV 



The original house when Landseer first 

 came to live in St. John's Wood was quite a 

 small cottage, rustic in character ; I have seen 

 a sketch in water-colours of it done by Miss 

 Jessy. St. John's Wood Road in those days 

 was quite in the country ; on the other side of 

 the way, to the east where now is Lord's 

 Cricket Ground, was a sort of dairy-farm with 

 barns, haystacks, and pigstyes ; in this place 

 Landseer made many studies of cows, horses, 

 pigs, &c. 



Landseer, after living in the cottage for 

 some time, at last pulled it down and built the 

 house which was the one I remember. It 

 was small but rather aristocratic and dignified 

 in aspect ; it had two large rooms which 

 served for studios, a billiard-room, a drawing- 

 room, and a tiny dining-room, this last small 

 room was lit by a skylight and the walls were 

 decorated with masterly sketches in charcoal 

 by Sir Edwin's own hand. 



Landseer used only one of the large studios, 

 the other being generally filled with lumber ; 



