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GARDEN'S OLD AND NEW. 



restoring the interior ot the central block been 

 commenced, and the family now reoccupies it. The 

 gardens, retaining all the dignified form and beauty 

 that belong to the style of Le Notre, have always 

 been kept up, and the recent addition, where the 

 design permitted of it, ot herbaceous borders and 

 other flower schemes give them added colour and 

 amenity, so that Bramham once again promises to be 

 one of the most characteristic and interesting houses, 

 from the point of view of architecture and gardening, 

 that we possess, not in Yorkshire only, but in all 

 England. 



The park covers about 2,000 acres, and is very 

 varied in its features and glorious in its noble trees. 

 There is a magnificent avenue, known as Lord Bingley's 

 Walk, of enormous beeches, whose smooth columnar 

 trunks rise like the pillars of some majestic aisle. It 

 brings the delighted wayfarer to an enclosure of some 

 400 acres within the park, known as Blackfen, whence 

 many noble avenues diverge, with most impressive 

 effect. The beautiful foliage of beech predominates, 

 and one of the delights of Bramham is in the long 

 vistas between tall beech hedges and the glory of the 

 beechen shade. The gardens and dressetl grounds 

 cover about 120 acres, and are a beautiful and 

 picturesque example of the old French style, with 

 their well-cut hedges, a/fees Series and cabinets de 

 verdure. There are parallels for them at Versailles 

 and Saint Cloud. The engravings of De Silvestre, 

 Le Pautre, Perelle and Le Blond had made known 

 the design of many French gardens, and through the 

 pictures of Giovanni Battista Falda, and numerous 

 descriptions, the stately charms of Italian pleasaunces 

 had become familiar. Lord Bingley had, therefore, 

 many fine examples of gardenage before him, and 

 the long vistas through his avenues and alleys make 

 this place altogether one of the grandest in Yorkshire. 

 We do not know where else such long, tall and well- 

 kept beech hedges may be seen. Water effects are 



not wanting, and there are noble prospects of great 

 trees and avenues from the obelisk pond, while the 

 T pond, so called from its shape, is delightful. The 

 broad walk is magnificent in its stately character, and 

 affords prospects down long avenues and between the 

 high beech hedges. We illustrate one avenue, which 

 is over 2ott. wide. At the north end of the broad 

 walk stands the chapel, with an Ionic portico crested 

 by a balustrade, having within effigies ot some of the 

 ancestors of the family. 



The stonework is throughout of surpassing 

 merit, and in edgings to terrace walks and water 

 spaces has a beautiful effect, its cool tones contrasting 

 with the rich hue ot the verdure. There are 

 sculptured vases and terminals of the greatest merit, 

 admirably enhancing the stately character of the place. 

 Evidently, much thought and wise planning and 

 planting went to the making of this garden. There 

 was required, also, the sustained care of the experi- 

 enced garden-lover to keep the whole in perfection, 

 to cut what was redundant, and to plant where the 

 need arose. Nothing is wanting to the perfection 

 of the place, and the hedges are cut and the edges 

 trimmed with all the precision that the old gardener 

 loved. All that we see in the green surroundings is 

 in harmony with the house which they adorn. " What 

 sort of works distinguish a garden well, do also 

 greatly contribute to the rendering of it magnificent," 

 wrote Philip Miller, " Hortulanorum Princeps," in 

 his "Gardener's Dictionary," 1724, and he was 

 surely thinking of such a place as Bramham Park 

 when he spoke of the parterres, tall groves, close 

 walks, quincunxes, galleries, halls of verdure, green 

 arbours, labyrinths, bowling greens and amphitheatres, 

 adorned with fountains, canals, figures, etc., which 

 were found in the stately gardens of the time. Almost 

 all these things may be seen at Bramham Park to-day, 

 and now, in addition to all this, the glory of the new 

 flower-growths adds the final charm to the place. 



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