200 



GARDENS OLD AND NEW. 



held Sir Thomns 



Gent in high 



esteem for his 



learning and 



virtues, and, as 



a special mark 



of her favour, 



granted him a 



licence to be 



Judge of Assize 



in his o \v n 



county. He is 



celebrated by 



Thomas Newton 



in his ' ' E n- 



comia " for his 



religion, virtue, 



piety, modesty, 



and truth. The 



knight married 



an heiress in the 



person of the 



daughter of Sir 



John Swallow of 



Bocking, and had 



seven sons and 



six daughters. The name of Baron Gent deserves to be 



remembered in East Anglia as the builder of the main frontage 



of Moyns Park. Behind it remain portions of the older house, 



and the dairy is said to be of the fourteenth century. The place 



was moated, like most other great houses on the level ground, 



as a measure of pio'ection, and one portion of the moat still 



remains, spanned by a modern bridge. The west front, 



which is the finest architectural feature, is symmetrical. 



There are four gables, the inner ones being smaller and 



stilted, and in each inter-space is a magnificent semi-hexagonal 



bay. That in the centre forms a porch, and has the arms 



over the door, while above is a noble window. Each window 



in these splendid bays has eighteen lights, formed by finely 



moulded mullions and transoms, and all the other windows are 



THE BOWLING GREEN. 



of the same 

 character. The 

 chimneys rise in 

 very bold stack's, 

 and add much 

 to the dis- 

 tinction of 

 the outline. The 

 older features 

 behind have a 

 picturesqueness 

 that is quite their 

 ovv.i, and it is 

 delightful, from 

 the west front, 

 to traverse the 

 south walk along 

 the grass beneath 

 the pergola, and 

 to pass back- 

 wards as it were 

 from Elizabethan 

 times to still 

 earlier days. 

 The \v h o le 

 appearance of 



the place is most picturesque from every point of view, and 

 the varied colour assumed by the old brick adds a great 

 deal to the charm of the pictures it presents. Ivy loves 

 to vest such structures, and it is needful to be watchful lest it 

 cling too closely. The growth at Moyns Park, where the 

 vigorous climber shows a tendency to become rampant, is at 

 least 3ft. thick on the walls. It completely vests the great 

 gate-posts topped by the eag'es, and conceals their architectural 

 character. The extent to which ivy should be allowed to grow 

 must, of course, rest with those who possess the places to 

 which it clings. Its further growth is checked at Moyns Park, 

 but it might be pleasant to discover the architectural merits of 

 those tall gate-posts. Within, the house is spacious and dignified, 

 and is well plenished and adorned in accordance with its style. 



LUPINES AND POPHES. 



