344- Notice of a Visit to Whitjield. 



J Art. II. Notice of a Visit to Whitfield. By J. B. W. 



Whitfield, the seat of E. B. Clive, Esq., M. P., is about seven 

 miles south-west of Hereford, on the skirt of the rich valley 

 through which the beautiful river Wye flows. Although 

 standing on elevated ground, the views from the house towards 

 the east and west are limited by intervening hills, but in a 

 northern direction the fine valley of the Wye is partially seen ; 

 towards the south, also, a pretty peep is obtained along the park, 

 which on one side is bounded by a beautiful oak wood that 

 covers a long ridge, and has an exceedingly good effect when 

 viewed from any part of the grounds. The house is of brick, 

 small, but very neat, and apparently kept in the best order. 

 There are rather extensive grounds, thi'ough which the ap- 

 proach road descends to the house, a defect which in this case 

 could not be remedied without altering the whole arrangement. 

 Another fault in these grounds is the tasteless disposition of the 

 trees and shrubs, which have evidently been stuck about without 

 any consideration of their future effect. At the entrance to the 

 grounds, the road passes through a grove of lanky forest trees, 

 of the commonest kinds ; which, on the one side of the road, serve 

 no purpose except a partial concealment of the house and lawn, 

 and are in themselves extremely unsightly. On the south front, 

 a portion is separated from the lawn by an iron fence : this part 

 contains a few beds for flowers, and some ornamental shrubs ; and 

 being several feet higher than the park, it forms a sort of terrace 

 on that side. Unfortunately, however, a farm road passes close 

 beneath the boundary, in full view of the windows of the living- 

 rooms. A pond on the north front, partially hidden by trees 

 and shrubs, has probably a pretty effect from the upper windows. 

 The kitchen-garden is a short distance from the house; it is 

 situated in a sheltered spot, and has the advantage of sloping 

 gently to the south ; but the soil is a very strong clay, and con- 

 sequently not well adapted for a garden. On entering from the 

 pleasure-ground, through the north wall of the kitchen-garden, 

 there are three plant-houses; the central one an upright-fronted 

 greenhouse in the old style, and the two wings neat and well 

 contrived structures, lately built under the direction of Mr. 

 Wood, the gardener. In one of these there is a stage, in the 

 other a bark-bed for forcing flowers. In front of these houses 

 an uncommonly large maiden-hair tree is growing, which I 

 judged to be upwards of 20 ft. high, and nearly 4 ft. in circum- 

 ference at the largest part of the trunk. A broad walk goes 

 down the middle of the garden, with a flower border on each 

 side, backed by an iron espalier rail, much of the same plan as 

 that figured and described by Mr. Booth in this Magazine. 



