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the public road it will be found to be a matter of much nicety to drive 

 a carriage through the gateway without either coining in contact with 

 the post or allowing the horses to walk on the grass or road edging. 

 Examples of this may be seen in most suburban districts. 



The greater the inequality of the respective distances between the 

 posts and the line of the outside or public road the more difference will 

 there be in the length of the curved lines connecting them with the 

 fence. One will be much shorter and have a different radius from the 

 other; but this will not destroy the symmetry of composition which a 

 gateway should possess, since the apparent utility of the arrangement 

 will convey a strong reason for its adoption, which can be further in- 

 creased by the judicious planting of trees ; besides, it should be remem- 

 bered that an expression of symmetry can be obtained without having 

 a strict adherence to uniformity in detail. 



A space sufficiently large to allow a carriage to turn is a necessary 

 convenience to a house, and should be as near the main entrance as 

 practicable. In the front of very large buildings a gravel space wide 

 enough for this purpose is sometimes provided ; but when the house is one 

 of ordinary dimensions, and the grounds of only moderate extent, a large 

 gravel space will very materially abridge the breadth of the front. The 

 reflection of heat from gravel is not pleasant, neither is it so agreeable 

 to the eye as the grassy lawn. Some of the objections to an open gravel 

 space are removed by forming a circular carriage-way directly in front 

 of the house, inclosing a bed for shrubbery or a grass plot. The amount 

 of roadway is, by this mode, somewhat reduced, but the evil of break- 

 ing up the front still exists ; nor does it provide all the requirements 

 of a carriage turn, as there is no alternative but to perambulate the 

 circle when retiring ; and the annoyance of having vehicles and animals 

 obstructing the view from the principal windows of the house is also a 

 great objection to this arrangement. The best position for a carriage- 

 turn is beyond the house, so that a vehicle, after approaching the main 

 entrance can proceed on ward, turn, and approach the house again in the 

 opposite direction. The turn in this case can be partially screened from 

 the house by planting shrubbery ; and arrangements for tying horses 

 can be made in unobjectionable positions where they will not present 

 annoying features as seen from the house. This allows the grass or 

 lawn to be carried closer to the building, the roadway only intervening, 

 and the side grouping of plants can be executed much more effectively. 

 The curve of the road, entering into the grounds on one side, will be 

 balanced by a similar curve on the other side towards the turn. In this 

 proximity to a building, the walks, as well as artificial plantings, should 

 be symmetrical in their tendencies and in keeping with the formal style 

 of treatment which such a position demands. The central view from 

 the building will be open, and impart an expression of freedom and 

 apparent extent of lawn, which is always pleasing, particularly in lim- 

 ited areas. 



