Eaton Hail. 54.-7 



Of Palace Residences we have, since our last, seen only two ; 

 Eaton Hall and Lowther Castle. The palace at Eaton Hall, 

 in the exterior, equalled our expectations, and in the interior 

 surpassed them. It is the only palace Avhich we have ever 

 seen where every part of the finishing and furniture was 

 equally excellent, and all in perfect harmony and keeping. 

 With great splendour, there is great chasteness of colouring; 

 and, in consequence, an appearance of comfort and habitable- 

 ness that one does not expect to meet with under such a 

 gorgeous exterior. Having said this, and added that the 

 kitchen-garden is in perfect order and keeping; its character 

 being that of a kitchen-garden, ornamented with flower-bor- 

 ders, we have said all that we can say in favour of Eaton 

 Hall. As to the grounds ; in the first place, the situation for- 

 bids all hope of any natural beauty in the park, beyond that 

 of the grouping of trees, and the excellence of the pasture 

 and roads ; and, in the next place, a totally wrong character 

 has been attempted in laying out the pleasure-grounds about 

 the house. A dreary even surface, every inch of which is 

 seen from the terrace, has been attempted to be varied by 

 three broad parallel walks, and one cross walk, with beds 

 along their margins. The effect is a degree of sameness, 

 tiresome in proportion to the extent of the scene, and with- 

 out a single object that can raise ideas of either grandeur or 

 beauty. We speak of this pleasure-ground as we saw it, the 

 beds for the most part overgrown with large coarse shrubs ; 

 when these beds were first planted, and were covered with 

 flowers, we have no doubt they looked better, because they 

 would then have a brilliant appearance from their colours ; 

 but they are now all sameness, both in colour and form. A 

 much more effective plan of forming a pleasure-ground to 

 such a house, and in such a situation, would have been to 

 have enclosed three or four acres by an architectural Gothic 

 wall, and laid out the interior in a highly enriched geometri- 

 cal style, corresponding to the house. With such a desicrn 

 a complete effect might have been produced ; but, at present, 

 the style adopted being neither an imitation of the natural or 

 free style, nor yet of that which is avowedly artificial or 

 architectural, is unsuccessful with reference to both, without 

 producing any marked character of its own. 



The architectural terrace here is well designed, but so far 

 badly executed that it is gravelled instead of being paved ; 

 and that piers, pedestals, and other situations, evidently 

 intended to be finished by vases or other architectural orna- 

 ments, are left naked, or surmounted by common garden 

 potSj with the most ordinary green-house plants. We could 



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