176 



THE HOUSE AND ITS EQUIPMENT. 



So, it is necessary that any structure in wood, erected for the adornment of a garden, should agree 

 in character and manner of construction with the character of the garden in which it is placed, and should 

 be arranged in such a way that its specific architectural qualities cannot be destroyed by any over-growth 

 of the creeping plants which this structure may be called upon to support. How admirably the adaptation 



198. AT EASTOX LODGE 1 DESIGNED BY MR. PETO. 



of wooden constructions to their surroundings can be managed is proved by the many important examples 

 which can be referred to in the older French gardens, the designers of which appreciated fully the 

 advantage of such additions to enhance the charm of the effects which they sought to produce. In 

 France, indeed, the value of this type of erection, its suitability for its special purposes, its convenience and 

 its many possibilities of picturesqueness have been full}? understood and as fully demonstrated ; and the 

 fashion which was established there so many years ago has found many followers in other countries. 



Decidedly, our own garden designers have learned from their French predecessors a good deal worth 

 knowing in this matter of constructing varieties of woodwork, and, what is more important, they have 

 learned thoroughly how to adapt them to the requirements of British gardens. An excellent example 

 of this judicious management of accessory details in garden design is afforded in what has been accom 

 plished by Mr. H A. Peto at Easton Eoclge in Essex. The grounds of this house he has adorned with 

 many architectural features ; some of these are in stone, but the rest are in wood, and are carried out with 

 an amount of inventiveness and sincerity that would delight the most earnest of the older garden artists. 

 Mr. Peto has fully appreciated the special advantages of wood construction in garden decoration and 

 the way in which it can be introduced congruously among masses of trees and shrubs, and he has 

 succeeded perfectly in bringing the forms of the erections he has designed into agreement with their 

 surroundings. The most conspicuous feature of his design is the series of finely-proportioned pergolas 

 which stretch along each side of the croquet lawn. These pergolas, with arched roofs carried on slender 

 pillars, and with a central dome to break the great length of roof-line, are admirable illustrations of what 



