GARDEN CRAFT IN EUROPE 



At Marquette, near Haarlem, many of the old avenues remain ; the 

 chateau was placed upon an island with a broad surrounding moat. At 

 Merestein the house is protected by no less than three moats. The Dutch 

 always had a predilection for avenues, and almost every house was approached 

 from the high road by an avenue of limes, sometimes, as at Watervleit, so 

 closely planted as to form a dense tunnel of verdure. At Waterland, near 

 Velsen, there is little or no parterre, and the whole effect is concentrated 



upon a magnificent central 

 water piece from which a 

 series of lime avenues radiate, 

 each terminating in a sum- 

 mer house or temple. 



The neighbouring house 

 of " Velsenbeck " had for- 

 merly one of the most in- 

 teresting garden schemes in 

 the neighbourhood, but all 

 was unfortunately changed in 

 the early nineteenth century. 

 The house was of quite 

 small dimensions, but was 

 approached by several superb 

 lime avenues. Here, as at 

 Waterland, the parterre was 

 small, for the frugal Dutch- 

 man never favoured the large 

 and expensive French par- 

 terre, preferring rather to 

 lay out his bosquets in posi- 

 tions where they could always be turned to good account in affording an 

 occasional day's shooting. The old orangery is still in perfect condition, and 

 scattered about the grounds are many little buildings, including a hermitage 

 upon an island, an inn and a children's play-house, completely furnished. 



Garden theatres were frequently to be met with. That at Westerwyk 

 was quite elaborate with a proscenium of hornbeam arranged as a big 

 arch, behind which the orchestra sat in a sunken oval arena adjoining the 



EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY SEAT IN A GARDEN AT VELSEN. 



