188 A BOOK OF ENGLISH GARDENS 



as I am persuaded the climate of a country and its 

 productions are suited to each other." 



The meadow by the river front is separated from 

 the Avenue by a sunk wall, or Ha- Ha, showing 

 that at one time or another some ideas of the 

 Landscape school found their way into this Garden. 

 Walpole always claims this as the first move to- 

 wards the new school of Gardening ; he says : " The 

 leading step to all that has followed was (I believe 

 the first thought was Bridgeman's) the destruction 

 of walls for boundaries, and the invention of fosses 

 an attempt then deemed so astonishing that the 

 common people called them Ha ! Has ! to express 

 their surprise at finding a sudden and unexpected 

 check to their walk." Neither Bridgemann or Kent 

 really invented the Ha- Ha ; it was thought of and 

 invented long before by French Garden designers. 

 The great Gates lead into the Forecourt, which still 

 possesses an old circular stone-flagged drive, and 

 is enclosed at the sides by brick walls. An unique 

 appearance is given to them by a row of niches 

 containing lead busts, similar to those above the 

 ground-floor windows on the north side of the House. 



It is amusing to know that an enterprising but 

 dishonest person once attempted to remove these 

 busts from the walls, but not having calculated on 

 the weight of the material hidden under the disguise 

 of paint, was compelled to drop them and the busts 

 were afterwards replaced in their respective niches. 



