Gardetis of Herefordshire. 213 



small reserve-house standing near. A raised walk, passing along 

 the back of the conservatory, communicates with Lady Harriet 

 Clive's museum, and forms an agreeable promenade in bad wea- 

 ther. In front of this structure, and connected with the flower- 

 garden, but several feet below its level, there is a square plot, 

 laid out in the geometrical style, and having an elegant marble 

 fountain in the centre ; the basin, however, which receives the 

 water is only common ware painted in imitation of marble, and 

 affords a striking example of the inferiority of art to nature. In 

 front of the reserve green-house before mentioned, and adjoining 

 the fountain parterre, there is a small rosarium, bounded, as 

 well as the parterre, on the south by a slightly raised bank, which 

 is planted with low-growing shrubs. This shrub-covered bank 

 is continued in an irregular manner along one side of the main 

 flower-garden ; and its object is to shut out from view a small 

 rocky glen, which, as an imitation of nature, is very much su- 

 perior to all the artificial rockwork I had previously seen. The 

 sloping banks that form the diversified sides of the glen ore co- 

 vered with large masses of stone, among which ferns, and various 

 alpine plants, flourish luxuriantly : there is also a small stream 

 of water issuing from a shell, and, in a nook, a pretty little grotto 

 of shells, made by Lady H. Clive. A gravelled bridge, bowered 

 over with ivy, to hide the view of the back premises, is thrown 

 across a sunk road leading to the house : this brido^e connects 

 the flower-garden with another portion of pleasure-ground, 

 through which, along the river's bank, judiciously contrived 

 walks lead to the kitchen-garden. The surface of this piece of 

 ground is very unlevel, falling irregularly to the edge of the river, 

 which it skirts ; and being, moreover, adorned with many fine 

 trees, a pleasanter place for a summer evening's walk could 

 hardly be found. Among these trees there are several majestic 

 oaks, fully equal, if not superior, in size to those in the park at 

 Studley. One, now a divided and almost lifeless shell, " stretch- 

 ing its naked whitened limbs tow'rds heaven," must have been 

 at least 40 ft. in circumference when perfect. If the calculations 

 of physiologists are to be depended upon, those trees have 

 " braved the breeze " for more than a thousand years, and, pos- 

 sibly, may have borne witness to the mystical rites of Druidism. 



I had not time to go over the kitchen-garden, which, however, 

 appeai'ed to be large and in good order. There is a considerable 

 extent of glass against the north wall, chiefly peach-houses and 

 vineries : in the latter there were some good grapes, but the 

 peach-houses were, of course, cleared of fruit. 



Mr. Spare, the gardener, has a dwelling-house, conveniently 

 situated, in the kitchen-garden. 



Shobdon Court, the seat of Lord Bateman, is near the pretty 

 little village of Shobdon, in Herefordshire. The house is of 



P 3 



