258 A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND 



hedges, he did not interfere with. Much as he disUked avenues, 

 as being " utterly inconsistent \\ith Natural scenery,"^ he 

 occasionally respected " such marks of ancient dignit3^" At 

 Finedon, although he thought the view " encumbered " by the 

 vicarage and church, and said the garden wall, malt-house, 

 pigeon-house, and even part of the village " must be removed," 

 he spared the avenue called the " Holly Walk." 



When asked to make suggestions for the improvement of 

 a place, Repton prepared what he called his " Red Book," 

 with plans and pictures of the garden as it was, and as he pro- 

 posed to make it. He published a collection of these "Red 

 Books," amplifying it with expositions of his own views on 

 landscape gardens. The best way to understand what these 

 views were, is by a study of these " Red Books." A volume of 

 these appeared in Repton's lifetime, but those quoted here and 

 many others are still unpublished. The illustrations in his MS. 

 " Red Book," of Woodford, in Essex,^ are typical of his methods. 

 The first sketch in the book represents the house as it was, 

 seen 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 prospect 

 from the house, by the planting and turfing of a ploughed 

 field, and the " floating the bottom of the la.wn. with water." 



His " Red Book " of Burley-on-the-Hill, in Rutland, is 

 another unpublished volume of great interest, containing 

 thirteen water-colour sketches and plans. ^ Burley was bought 

 by George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, and James I. stayed 

 there with him. During the Civil Wars the Parliamentary 

 soldiers burned all the buildings except the stables, and the 

 place was left in ruins, until Daniel, Earl of Nottingham, 



^ MS. " Red Book " by Repton, 1793, belonging to Miss Mackworth 

 Dolben, Finedon, Northamptonshire. 



^ Reproduced from the original manuscript belonging to Courtenay 

 Warner, Esq. 



^ Belonging to Alan George Finch, Esq. 



