NOTES ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS 



the temple beyond, and, beyond that again, to the expanse of the park, 

 is singularly impressive. As a piece of construction the stairway is 

 much to be commended ; its fine lines and massive proportions, its 

 elegance and variety of form, its decorative completeness, and its 

 ingenuity of planning, all combine to make it memorable as one of 

 the greater achievements of the garden-maker. Palatial gardening 

 like that at Shrubland Park is, of course, possible only in exceptional 

 cases ; it is too costly to undertake and maintain for it to be within 

 the reach of the average owner of even a large estate. But it has 

 its position of honour among the many forms of garden-making, 

 and where it is done, as in this case, with right aesthetic judgment 

 it carries absolute conviction. 



Stone Hall, where stands the characteristic sundial illustrated in 

 Plate CVII., is a smaller house on the Easton Lodge estate in Essex. 

 This kind of dial is a not uncommon device with formal gardeners 

 a good example of the same type exists at Inwood, Lady Theodora 

 Guest's House in Dorsetshire ; it was reproduced in the previous 

 volume of "The Gardens of England." Sudbrooke Holme (Plates 

 CVIII. to CXIII.) provides an excellent exposition of the principles 

 of graceful formality of gardening which aims pre-eminently at 

 elegance of arrangement and perfection of finish. The Italian garden 

 is a brilliant example of suavity and delicacy of line composition and 

 shows a thoroughly intelligent perception of the better qualities of 

 a style which can easily be debased into empty artificiality by want 

 of discretion. The result at which the designer has arrived is per- 

 fectly correct according to precedent, but has also a degree of vitality 

 which could not have been secured without the exercise of indi- 

 vidual taste. The terrace on the east front is in itself a good feature 

 though it seems a little too ornate against the plain and practical 

 house built evidently more for comfort than display ; but the 

 relation of the terrace to the lawn and path below it is well adjusted. 

 The rose garden and the flower walk, and the quiet, shaded lake, 

 are fortunate additions to the beauties of a very charming place. 

 These gardens, it may be noted, were enlarged in 1903, and the 

 terrace was built from a design by M. Rudolph Thumann. 

 Sudeley Castle (Plates CXIV. to CXVI.) has the advantage of 

 antiquity ; its great yew hedges have arrived at that splendid 

 richness of growth and dignity of proportion which only age can 

 give, and they show in their perfect condition what prolonged 

 care has been bestowed upon them. The hedge in Plate CXIV., 

 and those on the terrace, are triumphs of systematic and scientific 

 pleaching, and well repay the labour that has been expended in 

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