* GARDENS 

 L OLD'&NEW 



PRIOR PARK, 

 BATH 



THK stately mansion and the beautiful gardens we depict 

 constitute one of the most interesting don 

 places of comparatively recent date in hngland. 

 The house was the creation of .1 very remarkable 

 mtn, w I. nality impressed itself upon the City of Ball), 



and the plea->rre gardens in general Jate from his time. 

 Kalph Allen died in 1764, and the mansion which he -" 

 highly valued is no longer devoted to the purely domestic 

 purposes for which it was built. It has now tor .1 Imi^ 

 time Km a Roman Catholic College, and nowhere in 





THE GREAT MAik\\AV. 



: students more m.i.nin'cently IvuiM-d. though 



there may K- build ngs tli.it seem more adapted to student 

 lite, perhaps, and Prior Park his ii.,th m ^ t. remind U! 

 the hills and qiudr in^le-i ot <)\:..i.l. .. r .,( p|.u,-s like \:\ -n 

 <>r Winchester. Architecturallx . tl.is is .1 palace, with the 

 j;reat and imposing aspect which we tind in such plu.- 

 Blenheim and other creations of Vanbru^h. T- iles t nlv it at 

 length is. however, unnecessary. I he IH.ISSIM- central bl.K'k. 

 with its vast Corinthian he\ast\ le portico and pediment. 

 anJ th. balustiale with which the structure is crested, is 



striking enough, and is in. 

 nected by arcades with 

 outlying pavilions or win^s, 

 now vonverted into the l'.\- 

 le-esof St. IVterand St. Paul. 

 The situation is su|vrb, 

 .in I has dktated both the 

 iharacter ot th h-uise and the 

 disposition .1) its glorious park. 

 It stands at the head ot the 

 Vale ot Widcomlv. loolt. 

 below the level of ComK- 

 iJown. and 4O.MI. ab '\'e the 

 (.t\ oi Hath. o\er which 

 there is an imposing prosj 

 ilisi-d hy tlu- d.stanl height 

 ot l.ansdown. Bemy thus 

 upon a slojv, a terraced 

 ! r rnation became n<\es^ary, 

 and nothing could surpass the 

 i .\cellence o) the arrangement. 

 which will be seen in the 

 p;. lures. The ^reat curved 

 A.HS. with their statuary 

 adornments and urns, and 

 their exquisite balu-tra 

 are temarkably ^'d. Tile 

 place commands the whole 

 ran^e of the Ix-autifully 

 wo >ded park below, w th tht- 

 exquisite Palladiin 1-r 

 crossing the lake as a primi- 

 nent note in tlie landscape, 

 and the gardens are \ 

 beautiful, though extremely 

 simple, and the whole estate 

 is preserved with traditional 

 care. It may be said here 

 that the house itselt is the 



lence of the Pnsiden 

 the College, while the wing 

 pavili -ns ot Mr. Allen's man- 

 sion are drvott-d one to junior 

 students, and the other to 

 those more adxanced. andthat 

 such as desire to embrace the 

 clerical state p.i the 



St. Paul's ' the 



-<... President's S.h -A ot Theology 



and Phitosopliy. 



