154 A BOOK OF ENGLISH GARDENS 



when he has never ceased to improve, beautify, and 

 add interest to it in every way. 



Truly an Island of enchantment, the glamour of 

 its beauty carries the beholder, in memory, not to 

 one but many a lovely spot. For near the front of 

 the house, looking through the Ilex trees on a 

 sunny day, the white towers of the pier-house and 

 the long stone steps leading down to the clear, 

 green water, appear like a little glimpse of the 

 Riviera. Then looking towards Corfe Castle, 

 standing rugged and grand across a stretch of 

 water, which suggests a still, dark Scotch loch, 

 with Heather growing down to the water's edge, 

 between the Firs can be seen the Heather- 

 covered islets and far-away hills fading into a 

 blue mist. 



To be in Holland it is only necessary to visit 

 what is called the Marsh, with its windmill (used for 

 pumping the water) and long, low sand dunes, 

 stretching away into the distance. Even Venice, 

 that peeress of cities, is often suggested when 

 looking across the harbour towards Poole, which 

 lies very low, the wooden posts which mark the 

 sand-banks rising out of the water, and making long, 

 green shadows on the still, opalescent surface. 



