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to.itt.uk Pitt and Dundu. On the title page 

 of the pamphlet there is a humorous achievement of 

 .irms for the popular landowner of Devon : "On a 

 field argent, three l-rcruh rolls, or, between two rolls 

 -I parchment, proper, placed chevron wise ; crest 

 a half-length figure of the Master of the Rolls, like 

 a demi-lion rampant, with a roll of parchment 

 between his paws, and the motto ' Joue/. bien 

 \otre role.' ' 



-....I- nt (Ml. linn IK .IIIIII|II.III.IM- IMIM- . 

 ItlS Hi-nil. I) Kulll. .iH'i.lil- .1 n< llrl -loir! 



I .on! Rolle lived to the age of eighty six, aiul, 

 having In-cn a liberal landlord and a true friend to 

 many, his loss was greatly deplored. In his time a 

 urcat many improvements were effected at Bicton, 

 and the work has been carried on by his successors 

 with enlightened taste and judgment. His widow, 

 who raised the new church at Bicton in his memory, 

 died at Bicton in 1885, at the advanced age of 

 eighty-eight. She left all her real estate, and a large- 

 sum of money, to her nephew, Walter Randolp . 

 Trefusis, who survived her only a few days, when 

 Bicton passed to his brother, who adopted the name 

 of Rolle instead of his patronymic of Trefusis. The 

 estates consisted in 1883 of 555<>- acres in Devon, 

 worth annually 47,170, while in 1797 the rent roll 

 is said to have k-en /.4O,OOO. 



Mr. Rolle did much to improve and beautify 

 his charming estate, and enriched it in many 

 ways. Our illustrations show much of its sober 

 stateliness, and will suggest to our readers its 

 enchanting character. We give a picture of the 

 orangery, with its Ionic pillars. I-rom that point a 

 lovely emerald lawn slopes to another terrace, whence 

 there is a descent by two flights of rather steep steps 

 to the lower lawn, which is beautifully hedged, 

 flanked by glorious trees, and adorned with delightful 

 amorini, standing upon pedestals, and with a very 

 unusual vase supported by three cherubs. It is a 

 region of delights, sequestered and beautiful ; but 

 there is a further descent to the great rectangular 

 water, which is seen in several of our illustrations. 



Mere will IK dis.ie.-ned the character which we spoke 

 of in the beginning. All i- simple and st.itely, and 

 flowers have no place in the competition. (treat 

 banks of evergreen trees .ire the background, and are 

 reflected in the pellucid waters, .ibout which -t.md 

 monumental yews, and at each corner a beautiful 

 figure in lead. At one end the I-idy and her Beau 

 look at one another across the yews, and, .it the other, 

 there is a Shepherdess with her irook, and an 

 extremely tine statue of the ReajHT, sharpening his 

 s^\'he. These are admirable examples of leadwork, 

 and are peculiarly appropriitc to their surroundings. 

 In the centre is a fountain, and beyond the basin is a 

 long, still canal reflating the conifers, and margined 

 by beautiful turf. Then we reach another lawn 

 fringed with yews and with the opening of a vista 

 between fine toli.ige. 



Wonderful quiet and charm pervade the plan-, 

 resulting' from the lovely greensward ::r.d the varied 

 tints ot the trees, all reflected in the glassy mirrors 

 of the rectangular water aiul the long (.anal. In the 

 p.irk is a magnificent avenue of Chili pine or 

 Araucaria imbricata, planted about 1X4-, in which 

 year the last Lord Rolle died. Some of these trees 

 have produced cones tor many years, aiul the avenue 

 is one of the finest of its kind in the kingdom. 

 There are others of beech and oak, scarcely less 

 notable, the trees being veritable giants. Bicton is a 

 terrestrial paradise, and hours m iv be spent in the 

 famous arboretum, in which is represented nearly 

 every hardy family of trees and shrubs, selected for 

 si/e and beauM and systematically arranged. But it 

 is as a formal water garden that Bicton excels of that 

 type which multiplied rapidly under Charles II. and 

 William III., but was anathema to Capability Brown, 

 who turned canals into serpentines and abolished 

 pools. Wrest (page 251) and Bramham (page 232) 

 are survivals on a great scale and Westbuf) 

 (page xvi.) on a small one. Bicton comes in between 

 as to si/.e, but is second to none in l>eauty and 

 interest. On the death of Mr. Rolle in 1907 it 

 came to his nephew, Ixird Clinton. 



THk ORANGERY. 



