274 A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND. 



on landscape gardens. The best way to understand what 



these views were, is b)^ a study of these " Red Books," 



many of which are still unpublished. The above illustrations 



are taken from his MS. " Red Book," of Woodford, in 



Essex.* The first sketch in the book represents the house 



as it was, viewed from the grounds, "with the kitchen-garden 



on the one side, and the naked village on the other. That 



the former ought to be removed, and the latter planted out, 



are such obvious improvements that I do not take upon 



myself the merit of suggesting them." The second view 



shows the place as it would be when these designs were carried 



out. The further alterations were chiefly made to gain a more 



pleasing view from the house, the planting and turfing of a 



ploughed field, and the " floating the bottom of the lawn with 



water." Repton was not the last of this school to admire and 



extol Brown, some few still spoke of him in glowing terms : — 



" Born to grace Nature, and her works complete 

 With all that's beautiful, sublime and great, 

 For him each Muse enwreathes the laurel crown, 

 And consecrates to Fame immortal Brown." j 



As late as 1835 Dennis refers to him as a great "improver 

 of English taste." J This author also bestows praise on some 

 changes that Brown himself might have been proud of, if his 

 achievements were measured by the amount he swept away. 

 He speaks of the alterations in St. James's Park as " the 

 best obliteration of avenues" that "has been effected . . . 

 but it has involved a tremendous destruction of fine elms. 

 Certainly considerable credit redounds to the projector of 

 these improvements for astounding ingenuity in converting 

 a Dutch Canal into a fine flowing river, with incurvated 

 banks, terminated at one end by a planted island, and at 

 the other by a peninsula." This was "planned and executed" 

 by Eyton. The grounds of Buckingham Palace were about 

 this time laid out by William Alton the younger, son of the 

 author of Hortiis Kewensis, the ro3-al gardener at Kensington 



* Reproduced from the original MS. belonging to Courtena\- Warner, Esq. 

 t "The Rise and Progress of the Present Taste of Planting," an epistle 

 to Charles Lord Viscount Irwin — 1767. MS. in Guildhall Library. 

 J T/ie Landscape Gardener. By J. Dennis, 1835. 



