Lowther Hall, Mansion Residences. 54-9 



low, on which account it is totally deficient in dignity ; and, 

 though in the castle style of architecture, it has nothing of 

 the air of a castle. At present all the beauties of the park 

 are seen in approaching to the house, and the pleasure-ground 

 contains only one feature, certainly well worth remembering, 

 a grassy terrace, not connected with the house, but one of 

 the finest things of the kind in Britain. The surface of the 

 ground on the garden front is peculiarly unfortunate in slop- 

 ing towards the house, instead of from it ; and yet no pains 

 have been taken to counteract this misfortune, by creating a 

 perfect level, and, beyond, a natural-looking bank of lawn and 

 trees. Something towards a level has been done, but not 

 enough ; and it is singular that the space cleared has not 

 been ornamented wdth flower-beds. An ash tree and a thorn, 

 however, neither of them possessing the least beauty, are 

 left upon it, perched on conical heaps of earth ; at once 

 actual deformities, and standing monuments of the diseased 

 feehng, as to trees, of whoever ordered them to be retained. 

 There is a small flower-garden, in a hollow, shaded by high 

 trees, where fine flowers can never grow ; and a very bad 

 kitchen-garden, a mile or more from the house. By great 

 skill, however, good crops are produced in it, though the 

 difficulties to be contended with are enough to break the 

 heart of a gardener. To those who do not object to entering a 

 house from the front which has the best view, Lowther Castle 

 may still be made something of by reducing the lawn on the 

 garden front to an apparently perfect level ; that is, to a slope 

 from the house of about one foot in a hundred; and then 

 enriching it highly with flower-beds ; the warts and their 

 trees being removed, and the ground beyond the sunk fence 

 properly varied. The elevation of the house might be raised 

 by a real or a mock story. We are much gratified in being 

 able to state that here, and at Eaton Hall, the chimney- tops 

 are not disfigured by pots, as at Chatsworth. 



Mansion Residences. The house at Tatton Park is finely 

 situated ; but the park, though naturally much varied. Aid 

 containing a fine piece of water seen in the middle of the 

 picture from the garden front, has too many single trees. It 

 is injured, because by this means a sameness of appearance 

 is produced, and there is everywhere a thin sprinkling of 

 trees, instead of broad masses of wood and lawn, broken at 

 their margins, and entering into each other. In short, what 

 landscape-painters call breadth of feature is wanting. In the 

 pleasure-ground the edgings of many of the walks and beds 

 are entirely to our mind ; and Mr. Edgerley has followed 

 our suggestions in this Magazine, of confining some of his 



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