121 



GARDENS OLD AND AW. 



disapproving of her affec- 

 tion for Mr. Siddons, a 

 member of the troupe, fell 

 in with the idea, and the 

 girl was received by Lady 

 Mary, with whom she 

 lived for some time. The 

 attachment was not, how- 

 ever, broken off. and the 

 marriage took place at 

 Coventry in 1773, and the 

 famous actress of whom 

 a bust is in the house 

 was afterwards several 

 times a welcome guest at 

 Guy's Cliff. 



The account which 

 has been given of the 

 character of the surround- 

 ings of the house will sug- 

 gest to the reader, having 

 the pictures before him, 

 how very charming are 

 the features of the gardens 

 about Lord Algernon 

 Percy's stately home. The 

 situation, which is remark- 

 ably picturesque, being 

 a noble cliff of sandstone 

 rising by the bank of 

 the Avon, precluded any 

 formal arrangement, if 

 such ha.i been desired. 

 When Evelyn visited 

 "Sir Guy's Grot" 

 from Warwick, he 

 described it as "a 

 squaliJ den made in the 

 rock, crowned yet with 

 venerable oaks, and 

 looking on a go idly 

 stream, so as it were 

 improved as it might be, 



it were capable of being made a most romantic and pleasant 

 place." It may be doubted whether the hand of Evelyn 

 himself could have done better with that marvellous combina- 

 tion of woo.l, \\ater, rock, and meadow. The ancient trees 

 are particularly beautiful, and though some of the grand old 

 firs in the avenue are long past their prime; most judicious 

 planting has gone forward, and the character of the varied 

 foliage invents 

 the grounds with 

 rema rkable 

 charm. So 

 beautiful are the 

 trees growing by 

 the margin of 

 the river that it 

 has the aspect of 

 a romantic water 

 avenue. One 

 cedar is particu- 

 larly noble, and 

 is reputed to be 

 the largest in 

 the county. 



Splendid is 

 the aspect of 

 Guy's Cliff from 

 almost every 

 point in its sur- 

 roundings, and 

 the tynu-e itself 

 is placed in a 

 particular P .,si- Cc/>T; . fM 

 t vantage 



Copyright. 



THE UNDER CLIFF. 



THE FERRY. 



for the enjoyment of the 

 scenery and gardens. 

 From the windows of the 

 drawing-room there is a 

 siucession of enchanting 

 vitws of garden, lawn, 

 wood, and river. The 

 most romantic of these is 

 towards the old mill, 

 across the space of shim- 

 mering water, enframed 

 in the glorious foliage, 

 where it is.-ues from be- 

 neatli the dark arch- 

 stirred by the slowrevolv, 

 ing of the wheel. The 

 sombre shadow of elms 

 and tall firs is relieved 

 by the bright flower-beds 

 and the whole combination 

 of effects would be hard 

 to excel. It is bright anJ 

 beautiful in the sunshine, 

 and full of varied charm. 

 The walks are skilfully 

 contrived to give alternate 

 shade and brightness, and 

 those by the margin of 

 the stream under the wall 

 of rock are singularly 

 beautiful. The garden 

 adornments are both 

 natural and artificial. 

 From the Cave of 

 Despair we emerge to 

 sunlit spaces, where 

 radiant flower-beds glow 

 in the summer. There 

 are expanses of the 

 greenest lawn, shadowed 

 by most handsome trees. 

 Water-lilies add beauty to 

 the lake, and irises and 

 other water-loving plants are thick up;>n the banks. The 

 south garden is particularly attractive, with a wealtn of many 

 flowers, and the Kneeling Slave in lead curiously supports a 

 dial, while a charming vista is opened up through an avenue, 

 with a meadow rising beyond. 



It is not necessary, however, to describe further the garden 

 attractions of romantic Guy's Cliff. Enough has been said to 



indicate that 

 it possesses a 

 special character 

 arising from tha 

 superb situation 

 it occupies. The 

 Avon is a 

 beautiful river 

 w h i c h fl o w s 

 t h r o ugh e n - 

 chanting scenes, 

 of which some 

 have already 

 been depicted in 

 these pages, for 

 S t o n e I e i g h 

 Abbey is almost 

 a neighbour of 

 romantic Guy's 

 Cliff, which 

 itself certainly 

 possesses one 

 of the fairest 

 domains in the 

 whole county of 

 Warwick. 



i r.ift* 



