224 A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND. 



they took "but little room in comparison with "* those belonging 

 to the nursery. 



George London, who was the principal founder of the 

 Brompton Nurseries, was a pupil of John Rose, and at 

 one time gardener to Bishop Compton. He travelled abroad, 

 both before and after he established the nursery, and visited 

 Versailles after the peace of Ryswick, when he went to France 

 with the Earl of Portland. He died 1713. The nursery " was 

 started by him in the reign of James II. in conjunction with 

 Cook, gardener to the Earl of Essex at Cassiobury, Lucre, 

 gardener to the Queen Dowager at Somerset House, and Field, 

 gardener to the Earl of Bedford, at Bedford House, in the 

 Strand." t These partners designed the gardens at Longleat, 

 " The four took it in turns to go down to lay out "J the grounds. 

 Lucre and Field died, then Cook retired, and London took 

 Henry Wise into partnership. Johnson says this occurred in 

 1694, but Gibson in 1691, describes the nursery as " Brompton 

 Park garden, belonging to Mr. London and Mr. Wise." So it 

 does not seem as if the original four were many years together. 

 These two gardeners became very famous, not only for their 

 horticulture at Brompton, but for the gardens they designed all 

 over the kingdom. London was made Superintendent of the 

 Royal Gardens, and a Page of the Backstairs to Queen Mary. 

 Besides the work they did for the King at Kensington, they 

 carried out considerable alterations at Hampton Court. One 

 rather strange piece of work undertaken there, was the trans- 

 planting of one of the rows of lime trees which formed the 

 avenue by the semi-circular canal. The trees on the northern 

 bank were taken up and replanted on the south of what had 

 been the most southern row. " Four hundred and three large 

 lime trees y e dimensions of them from 4 ft 6 iu to 3 ft , the 

 charge of taking up these trees, bringing them to the place, 

 digging holes of 10 or 12 feet diameter, carting 5 loades of earth 

 to each tree one with another, with all charges los. per tree, 



* Gibson, 1691. 



j- Switzer, Ichnographica Rustica, 1718. J Ibid. 



History of English Gardening, 1829, p. 123. 



