GARDENS OLD AND 



sprite, the amorini on their pedestals, and the flowering 

 standard trees in their quaint pots along the way, with the 

 bushes of yew trimmed to shape by the deft hand of the 

 topiary gardener, are a right introduction to the double flight 

 of steps beyond. At every corner and break there is a vase 

 or urn richly carved, each of these something of a masterpiece 

 in its way, while all about are the coniferous trees so 

 characteristic of Hampshire, and an abundance of flowers to 

 kindle a new charm in the shadows. 



The double ascent at the end of the canal is worthy to 

 compare with that beautiful flight at Clilton Hall, Nottingham, 



A SIDE WALK. 



which has been noted as a marvel of garden architecture, and 

 it leads to that upper court where the busts of Julius and 

 Augustus look upon " regions Czesar never knew," fair as 

 were the gardens of ancient Rome. Here again is a beautiful 

 b.isin, reflecting the enchanting scene, with other amorini by 

 the fountain, and vases filled with flowers at the margin. 

 Then, each in his arch, stands the bust of a Caesar enframed 

 in the greenery, and each one upon a sculptured pedestal. It 

 is an arcade topped with globes of green, forming a wall and 

 background to as fair a garden picture as you would wi-h to 

 behold. It may be said, indeed, that here is a final expression 

 ot the gardener's art working in the classic style. The 



cii'ining hand of the craftsmm has shaped these hedges to the 

 garden-maker's need, and many as are the splendid hedges in 

 England, there are few quite so characteristic as those at 

 Brokenhurst. Two great uses may be marked in a dark- 

 hedge of yew or ilex : it gives that character of enclosure that 

 is necessity, as most people think, in every good garden, and 

 it affords shelter from the biting wind, thus nurturing the 

 flowers, to whose radiance it is a foil and background. 



'1 he pictures are a better description of the Brokenhurst 

 garden than any words can be. They disclose a pleasaunce 

 such as few can create tor themselves. Not everyone can 



- emulate the hand that formed such a 



masterpiece. Not everyone can pro- 

 vide sculpture in vases and figures so 

 rich and good. Never have we seen 

 statuary better disposed. There is 

 a completeness and harmonious 

 character in the garden which could 

 not be excelled. Let us note, as ex- 

 amples of richness, the cistern-heads 

 or capitals used as pedestals in the 

 fountain court. There are many of 

 the kind in England which had their 

 origin in Italy. The true cistern-heads 

 belong, many of them, to the best 

 period of the Renaissance, like the 

 famous one by Sansovino at San 

 Sebastiano ; but in many parts of 

 Italy the capitals of ancient columns 

 have been converted into flower-pots 

 or pedestals for statues or sundials, 

 and ruined temples and monuments 

 have furnished the materials for 

 attractive garden features. Thus 

 we find at Brokenhurst rich Corin- 

 thian capitals well employed. Mag- 

 nificent specimens used to be in the 

 famous Ludovisi garden in Rome, 

 which was the very garden of 

 Sallust ; but these have been scat- 

 tered or destroyed. Diverted from 

 their original purpose, such objects 

 have found another use, and it is 

 very pleasant to find them as 

 fea'ures in such gardens as those of 

 Brokenhurst. 



What is the presiding character 

 to be discovered in this Hampshire 

 garden ? It is an air of equal dignity 

 and repose. Design rules the whole, 

 and the directing hand has done all 

 things well. Where quaintness has 

 been sought, it nowhere tends to exag- 

 geration, and the picturesqueness re- 

 sulting from the presence of curiously 

 cut trees in columns and balls, of trim 

 hedges flanking paths and stairways, 

 is but one part of a picture, and 

 belongs to the composition of the whole. 

 There is variety in the contrast of 

 ilex with yew, and of both with the 

 ivy-covered wall. The glossy ilex is 

 less sombre than the yew, but where 

 the two are found together the effect 

 is all that one would wish. The orna- 

 mental trees are admirably placed, and there is never-failing 

 pleasure in the constant variety of their unfading green. Note, 

 for example, how attractive is Cecil's Walk, with the verdant 

 archway at the end. Again, 1 cw sequestered is the path by 

 the bowling green, with its yews and its grass border, bringing 

 us through an archway into the garden beyond. But it is 

 unnecessary to describe further what is illustrated so well. Let 

 us, then, conclude by rendering a tribute of praise to those who 

 have created one ot the best of the classic gardens of England 

 The soil was pr< piticus and the site was of the best, but there 

 was needed a master mind and a master hand, and unstinted 

 care as well. 



