124 



GARDENS OLD AND NEW. 



ACROSS THE MOAT. 



part of the moat which remains reflects, indeed, scenes 

 that would be hard to beat, but which the imagination of 

 those who see our pictures will readily conceive. There is 

 the beautiful feature of a pergola to give shade in the heat of 

 the day. 



Peace and repose, above all things else, invest the ancient 

 abode. Its a r is that of sequestered calm, as it lies in the 

 hollow in the green cup of the wood-encircled dale. The lights 

 in the picture are in the sky-reflecting moat and the gay 

 splendour of the flowers. The verdant slopes and the fine 

 woodland supply the fitting frame. Compton Wynyates has 

 attracted the skill of many artists, and it is truly rich in 

 all that is architecturally pictorial a wonderful grouping of 

 effects in the varied outline of the structure and in its quaint 

 features, set in the sweetness of its gardens and grounds. 



THE SUNDIAL. 



It owes much of its glory to the present Marquess of 

 Northampton. 



The pathway by the dovecote, which has been alluded to, 

 leads to the church. Th. j old edifice suffered much in the 

 Civil War, when the monuments were wasted, but it was 

 rebuilt by James, third Earl of Northampton, in 1663. Some 

 of the" memorials had been thrown into the moat, but they 

 were recovered and placed in the new edifice. Among them 

 is the effigy of Sir William Compton, who built Compton 

 Wynyates. He wears a collar of SS. with the Tudor rose. 

 Another figure is that of his grandson, Henry, first Baron 

 Compton, and there are several effigies of ladies and 

 others of the family. Spencer, eighth Earl, was the last to 

 be buried at Compton Wynyates. He died in 1796, and his 

 wife and successors lie at Castle Ashby. Memorial banners 



and hatchments are also in 

 the church, which form a 

 long and practically complete 

 record of the family of 

 Compton. 



Whether we regard 

 Compton Wynyates from the 

 point of view of the architect 

 seeking that which is beautiful 

 in brick and stone, or the 

 lover of natural beauty look- 

 ing for the charms of a 

 superb English landscape, or 

 of one who finds his joy in 

 the ravishing sweetness of a 

 lovely garden, we recognise 

 that the place deserves 

 to rank very high among 

 the glorious old houses of 

 England. 



"Compton Pike" stands 

 above it on the hill, placed 

 there in earlier times, as a 

 guide to those who sought the 

 house which is below in the 

 hollow, and is now a fine 

 standpo.nt for a survey of the 

 country. 



