270 



GARDENS OLD AND NEW. 



Middleton. His fourth son took the name of Middleton from 

 his mother's family. The hero of the Shannon was thus 

 the ancestor of the lady who now owns Shrubland, and is 

 married to the descendant of another of the most famous of 

 English Naval heroes. The site of Shrubland is the finest of 

 any house in Suffolk, except those on the Orwell River. The 

 valley of the river Gipping, a small deep navigable stream, 

 which runs down from Stowmarket to Ipswich, forms in front 

 of the place, a typical alluvial valley, of the kind which 

 Constable delighted to paint. The side of this valley, on 

 which the house stands, is one of the last pieces of chalk in 

 East Suffolk, with light sandy loam above it. The contour is 

 far steeper than that of the ordinary heavy loams of the 

 county, which lie for miles behind the park. Consequently, it 

 forms a long elevated ridge, all covered with park and woods 

 from foot to crest, where the Italian house and stately garden 

 architecture of Sir Charles Barry had full scope for display. 



The gardens and pleasure grounds are exceptionally large, 

 even as those of the great houses go ; and the gardens and 

 "kept" grounds cover sixty-five acres. There are greater 

 houses in England than Shrubland Park, but probably not 

 another possesses such a very stately example of the 

 ijjrand style of gardening, as the creation of comparatively 

 recent times, and in a situation where a great and truly 

 magnificent descent from level to level could be formed 

 upon so attrnctive a steep. To survey these gardens is, 

 indeed, something of a liberal education in the splendid 

 aspects of the art of gardening. Through the centre runs a 

 magnificent green drive bordered with arbor-vita^ and yew. 

 Green drives are als > cut and kept mown through the 

 parks and woods as additions to the garden views Sir 

 William MidJleton has long joined the majority; but his 

 memory is still kept green, especially among the people 

 on the estate. He held Shrubland during the years when 



A WALK BY THH GREAT STAIRWAY. 



The splendour of the gardens must appeal to ;ill. They are 

 set in a large wild park, full of deer, and planted with trees 

 both new and old. The latter belong probably to the era of 

 the old Hall, the former to that of the present house, which 

 was rebuilt for Sir William Fowle Middleton by Sir Charles 

 Barry in 1830. Sir Charles also designed the elaborate 

 and immensely, costly garden architecture and "lay out," 

 assisted largely by Lady Anne Middleton (a sister of Earl 

 Brownlow) in improving the great additions not the 

 first instance in which a lady has exercised an important 

 influence in the highest developments of garden design. 

 The "Brownlow Terrace" still recalls the memory of her 

 fY.m.ly. The ancient chestnuts, which probably formed the 

 avenue to the old house, were spared where possible. Thirteen 

 still remain, probably among the largest and oldest in England. 

 The measurement of the finest tree is, at the present time, 

 37ft. in circumference at the base. At 3ft. from the ground it 

 measures 22ft. gin., and it is 88ft. 6in. high. What was 

 formerly the largest tree, but now sadly broken by storms, 

 is 4/ft. round on the ground line, and 3oft. at 3ft. from the 

 ground. 



agriculture was in its most flourishing condition and the 

 fine estate was yielding its maximum return, and this, 

 with his other revenues, he spent mainly in keeping up his 

 demesne as well as a place of the kind could be maintained. In 

 the history of the great country houses a prime factor is the 

 revenue spent upon the wages of those who>e hands are busy 

 from year's end to year's end in the upkeep of all this beauty 

 and stateliness. Few persons, except the owners, know what 

 the maintenance of a great place means, or the number of 

 men employed. 



The "lay-out" of the gardens may be gathered 

 largely from the illustrations. The ground lent itself to 

 terracii g, and terraced it was, with the utmost splendour of 

 material, design, and decoration. Two tiers, the first decorated 

 with a Palladia;! archway, adjoin the south front. Below 

 this is the first terrace garden. This is probably as fine 

 as anything of its kind in EnglanJ. What is called the 

 Upper Temple is a splendid piece of garden architecture. It 

 is really a gate-house, through which further flights of steps 

 lead to the lower gardens and the Lower Temple, a less 

 satisfactory piece of work, in which, though the architect 



