33 



GARDENS OLD AND NEW. 



Copyright. 



THE ANCIENT ABBEY GATEHOUSE. 



Cvuntiy Life." 



elevations," as against the vases and statuary that adorned 

 them, but here at least he would have been content to see no 

 canal " measured by the line," but the mirror-like expanse of 

 the river leading the eye to the "subjacent flats," where the 

 garden melts into the landscape. Here is no featureless 

 garden, no mere landscape conception, but such a picture as 

 we might find in a painting by Claude. The strong points in 

 the foreground, both of form and colour, make by their 

 emphasis a fine contrast with what lies beyond, and the effect 

 is enhanced by the arrangement. The outlook from the 

 terrace is, indeed, wholly satisfying to the eye, for beyond the 







THE WEST GARDEN. 



river is a broad prospect of the well-wooded park, the trees 

 diversifying the slopes, and forming a rich feast of changing 

 colour in the seasons' ch inge. 



And the foreground is radiant with garden beauty, for the 

 terrace itself is beautifully laid out in its "Italian" and 

 "Greek" gardens. These are merely designations, but the 

 character is formal, with quaint box edgings outlining the 

 designs, and the treasures of the flower world are here in much 

 splendour, with effect markedly beautiful. It is not only the 

 tender summer exotics that make this brave display, but the 

 old-fashioned perennials, too, flourishing in abundance, and the 



homely flowers of the border 

 adding to the charm, while the 

 fragrant rose is cultivated in 

 great profusion. Dark yews form 

 points of interest to enforce 

 character ; there is a fine old 

 hawthorn planted in 1818; and 

 the vases and garden accessories 

 are charming and excellent in 

 form. Particularly interesting 

 trees are pointed out, as, for 

 example, a Wellingtonia and an 

 oak planted by the Queen and 

 the Prince Consort when they 

 visited Stoneleigh in 1858. Very 

 charming features, again, are the 

 ivy-covered walks, bowers, or 

 arbours, which are of great extent, 

 each being not less than 2Ooft. in 

 length, 8ft. in height, and loft, in 

 width. These were planted in 

 1818, a period when much was 

 done to improve the garden, and 

 lead away from the summer- 

 house, which has open sides, and 

 commands a lovely view of the 

 river and park. On the other 

 bide of the mansion, and between 



Country Life." 



