104 



GARDENS OLD AND NEW. 



Parliamentary cause had cooled somewhat, and his castle was 

 garrisoned for the Parliament in 1651 until he gave security to 

 the extent of 20,000 for his good behaviour. He declared 

 for Charles II., but in 1651 was besieged in his castle by 

 Lambert, and compelled to surrender. At this time it was 

 intended to demolish the castle, as appears by an order of 

 Parliament, August 27th, 1659. Lambert was to have seen the 

 order executed, but for some unknown reason it was never 

 carried out. It was a disastrous time for Sir Thomas Myddelton. 

 In four years he lost .45,030, and when Lambert came all his 

 personal estates were swept away, the damage done to the 

 building alone being estimated at ,30,000. He died, however, 

 in his castle in i656, and was succeeded in his estates by his 

 eldest son, Sir Thomas Myddelton, who had been created a 

 baronet in 1660 as a reward for his services to the exiled 

 King. The title ended with Sir William Myddelton, who died 

 early in the eighteenth century, and the estate then passed to 



" I entered first, at Chirkc, right ore a hrooke. 



Where staying still, on countrey well to looke, 



A castle fayre appeered to sight of eye, 



Whose walles were great, and towers both large and live. 

 "Full underneath the same does Keeryock run. 



A raging brooke, when rayne or snowe is greate : 



It was some prince that first this house begun, 

 It shewes farre of, to be so brave a seate. 



Oil side of hill it stands most trim to viewe, 



An old strong place, a castle nothing newe, 



A goodly thing, a princely pallace yet 



If all within were throughly furnist fit." 



The changes at Chirk Castle have been effected in 

 excellent taste, and now, not only in the general character, 

 but in the details of windows and chimneys, the hand of the 

 architect is seen to have done excellent work, and whatever 

 time had spared is retained. .The entrance gateway, with the 

 two fl.inking round towers, is imposing in character, and the 

 courtyard within is extremely fine. 



THE SEQUESTERED GARDEN. 



a cousin, Robert Myddelton, and from him to ths descendants 

 of John Myddelton. On the death of Richard Myddelton in 

 1790, Chirk Castle passed with his daughter Charlotte, one 

 of three co-heiresses, to Robert Biddtilph, Esq., whose grand- 

 < in, the present possessor of Chirk Castle, adopted in 1899 

 the old nam-- of Myddelton for himself and his two sons. 



Chirk Castle bears in its frowning height much of the 

 aspect of tiie days when it was fitted to stand a siege. 

 Nowhere are the walls less than 6ft. thick, and in some places 

 there are from i6ft. to i8ft. of s-ili.l masonry. The castle 

 belongs mainly to one period, and has been little altered, and 

 is still a very line remain of old military architecture adapted 

 t ) modern dome>tic uses. A quaint traveller, named Thomas 

 Churchyard, who wrote a versified account of his tour in 

 Wales, paid a visit to Chirk Castle, and describes what he 

 saw there in 1587. He appears to have been a keen observer 

 of things. 



We shall leave the pictures which accompany this article 

 to suggest the character of the gardens of Chirk Castle. In 

 their general aspect they are simple, and very beautiful in iheir 

 simplicity. Fine trees, broad expanses of turf, gay flower- 

 beds, handsome bushes, and, above all, splendid yew hedges, 

 are the things which goto the making up of the delightful garden 

 pictures. Mark that wall-iike hedge, cut like a bastion in the 

 sunny garden. Observe, again, the long hedge upon the great 

 terrace, with its background of trees. There is witchery in 

 such things, and these are noble features of Chirk Cattle, from 

 whose conspicuous eminence it is delightful indeed to survey 

 the beautiful country that is near, with so attractive a garden 

 for the foreground. The splendid iron gateways and the 

 grille, which we illustrate, will show that nothing has beer 

 spared to make the gardens what such gardens should be. 

 Chirk Castle is a place of very great historic interest, and it 

 is fittingly neighboured by the beautiful gardens we depict. 



