12 The Art of Landscape Gardening 



object of improvement is to point out those beautiful 

 shapes in the ground which so copiously prevail in sev- 

 eral parts of this park ; the second, is to change its 

 character of gloom and sombre dampness to a more 

 cheerful shade ; and the third, is to mark the whole 

 with that degree of importance and extent which the 

 size of the house and the surrounding territory demand. 



CuLFORD. The house stands on the side of a hill, 

 gently sloping towards the south ; but nearly one half 

 of the natural depth of the valley has been destroyed 

 to obtain an expanse of water, which, in so flat a situa- 

 tion, I think ought not to have been attempted ; and 

 I am certain, by proper management of the water, the 

 house would appear to stand on a sufficient eminence 

 above it, and not so low as the present surface of the 

 water seems to indicate ; since the eye is always dis- 

 posed to measure from the surface of neighbouring 

 water, in forming a judgement of the height of any 

 situation. 



Crewe Hall. In judging the character of any place 

 to which I am a stranger, I very minutely observe the 

 first impression it makes upon my mind, and, compar- 

 ing it with subsequent impressions, I inquire into the 

 causes which may have rendered my first judgement 

 erroneous. I confess there has hardly occurred to me 

 an instance where I have experienced so great a fluc- 

 tuation of opinion as in this place. I was led, from 

 a consideration of the antiquity of the Crewe family in 

 Cheshire, to expect a certain degree of magnificence ; 

 but my first view of the house being from an unfavour- 

 able point, and at too great a distance to judge of its 

 real magnitude, I conceived it to be very small ; and, 

 measuring the surrounding objects by this false stand- 

 ard, the whole place lost that importance which I after- 



