PRIVATE GARDENS 353 



all the garden altered, as well as the house rebuilt by 

 Nash. The whole of the parterres, terraces and 

 fountains and canal were swept away, and most of the 

 lime-trees cut down. A wide lawn and five acres of 

 ornamental water, glades, walks and thickets took their 

 place. When first made the water was severely criti- 

 cised by a writer of the landscape school, the chief 

 fault he found being that too much was visible at once 

 from the path which encircled it, so that the limits were 

 not well concealed. This seems to have been altered 

 to the satisfaction of later critics. Dennis, writing in 

 1835, gives a plan in which the path has been made 

 a little distance from the water's edge, and the outline 

 broken by clumps of trees and a promontory, which 

 later on was turned into an island, on which a willow 

 from Napoleon's tomb at St. Helena is said to have 

 been planted, though no old willow now exists. This 

 writer gives great praise to Alton, who superintended all 

 the execution of the plans. The pavilion in the grounds 

 was added in 1844, and decorated with paintings of 

 scenes from Milton's Comus by Eastlake, Maclise, Land- 

 seer and other artists, with borders and gilt ornaments 

 by Gruner. 



During the last four years his Majesty has had a 

 great deal done to improve the grounds. His apprecia- 

 tion of what is beautiful in gardening has led him to 

 effect several changes, which, while keeping the park- 

 like character of the gardens, have added immensely 

 to their scenic beauty and horticultural interest. The 

 dead and dying trees and others of poor and stunted 

 growth have been removed, giving air and light to 

 those remaining. Several good specimens of plane, lime, 

 elm, beech, ash, ailanthus and hawthorn have thus secured 



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