LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



537 



-. style to a more open and irregular design, are still in 

 - -~" nee. Kent was employed a few years afterwards, 



first to paint the ball, and afterwards in the double ca- 

 pacity of architect and landscape gardener ; and the 

 finest buildings and scenes there are his creation. The 

 character of Stowe is well known : Nature has done lit- 

 tle ; but art has created a number of magnificent build- 

 ings, by which it has been attempted to give a sort of 

 emblematic character to scenes of little or no natural 

 expression. The result is unique; but more, a* ex- 

 pressed by Pope, " a work to wonder at," than one to 

 charm the imagination. The friends of Lord Cobham 

 (seem to have considered Kent as the first who exhibited 

 the new style to his country, if we may judge from the 

 concluding lines of an epitaph to his memory, placed 

 in the garden, 



KT ELIOAMTIORI MORTORCM CULTU 



HIS I-HIMCV IN AGRIS ILLl'STRATO 



PATRIAM ORNATIT 



1747. 



jMMhcate. Soutbcote is supposed to have been one of the first to 

 follow the new system struck out by Kent, by improv- 

 ing hi* own domain at Woburn, in Surrey. He possess- 

 ed a genius, in many respects well suited to the pur- 

 paw, says Mr. G. Mason ; but was rather too lavish of 

 decorations. The extent of the grounds 



was one hundred and fifty acres ; thirty-five of which 

 were ornamented to the highest degree, two-thirds of 

 the remainder were in pasture on rising grounds, and 

 the rest in tillage. The decorations consisted in having 

 a broad margin of shrubbery, and gravel walk, to al- 

 most every fence, but varied by difference of style, 

 views, buildingi, &c. It is minutely described in 

 Wheatliy'* Obtmatinni, a* an example of an ornament- 

 ed farm. Mr. G. Mason thinks the decorated strip of- 

 ten too narrow, and sometimes offensive, from the im- 

 possibility of concealing the fence. To this bordering 

 walk, he think-, may probably be attributed the intro- 

 duction of the belt. His remarks refer to the year 

 1768. In 1803, it had repeatedly changed proprietors, 

 and scarcely a vestige remained, to distinguish it from 

 a common farm. 



Pains Hill, the creation of Hamilton, is supposed to 

 have been one of the next specimens exhibited of the 

 modern style. Hamilton was originally a gardener; 

 but is laid to have studied pictures, with a view to the 

 improvement of scenery. He purchased seats, and im- 

 proved them for public sale. Pains Hill, which was his 

 own residence, is a small park, surrounded on three sides 

 by garden and picturesque scenery. Excepting from the 

 house, there is no distant prospect ; but the grounds 

 being considerably undulated, the views from the walks 

 across the park have some variety, and are always 

 agreeable. This place is one of the few, described by 

 itley, which it still in perfect preservation. 



Hagfar seem* to have been improved about the same 

 time a* rains Hill, in effecting which, Lord I.yttleton 

 might prolubly receive some hints from the jxet Thom- 

 son, who was then hi* guest. The ground* are much va- 

 nid the distant prospect* picturesque. A very small 

 rill, which pasted through the grounds in a sort of dell, 

 was surrounded with shrubbery and walks, from which 

 the park scenery formed a sort of fore ground, and some- 

 times a middle distance to the offscape ; thus, in the 

 language of H beatley, " blending the excellencies of 

 the park and a garden." The fine trees, the distant 

 prospect*, and the principal buildings, still remain ; but 



VOL. XII. PART II. 



the garden scenery has been long since choked by the History, 

 growth of the forest trees ; and at last the fence was re- ^ "V""' 

 moved, and the whole thrown into the park. 



Soon after the improvements of Hamilton andLyttle- pi tt , 

 ton, " the great Pitt," Mr. G. Mason informs us, "turn- 

 ed his mind to the embellishment of rural nature," and 

 exercised his talent at the South Lodge upon Enfield 

 Chace. " The first ground surrounding the enclosure, 

 was then wild and woody, and is diversified with hill 

 and dale. He entertained the idea (and admirably re- 

 alized it) of making the interior correspond with the 

 exterior scenery. His temple of Pan is mentioned in 

 Observations. But the singular effort of his genius, was 

 a successful imitation of the picturesque appearance of 

 a bye-lane, on the very principles Mr. Price supposes 

 it might be practicable." 



The Leasowes were improved about the same time. Shcnstonc. 

 It was literally a grazing farm, with a walk, in imita- 

 tion of a common field, conducted through the several 

 enclosures. Much taste and ingenuity was displayed, 

 in forming so many points of view in so confined an 

 extent, and with so few advantages in point of distance. 

 But root houses, seats, urns, and inscriptions, were too 

 frequent for the whole to be classed with a common, or 

 even an improved' or ornamented English farm. It was 

 in fact intended as an emblematical scene, in which con- 

 stant allusion was made to pastoral poetry ; and if we 

 consider it in this light in that of a sentimental farm, 

 it was just what it ought to have been. We regret to 

 find that Mr. Repton should attack the taste of this 

 amiable man, from a misconception, as we presume, of 

 his intentions, by blaming him for not " surrounding 

 his house with such a quantity of ornamental lawn or 

 park only, as might be consistent with the size of the 

 mansion, or the extent of the property." We fear 

 that if Shenstone had adopted this mode of improve- 

 ment, the Leasowes had never been distinguished from 

 places got up by the common routine of professorship. 

 Shenstone broke his heart, through the infamous con- 

 duct of a Birmingham attorney, in whose hand he had 

 placet! the title-deeds of his estate. The farm is now 

 much neglected, though the paths, and many of the 

 urns, seats, and root houses still remain. 



Persfield was laid out so late as 1750. It is a small Morris. 

 park, with an interesting walk, carried along the brow 

 of a romantic rocky bank of the river Wye, perhaps as 

 faultless as the nature of the place admits of. " I can- 

 not recollect," says Mr. G. Mason, writing of this place 

 in 17C8, " that any of the scenes on the Wye are the 

 least adulterated by the introduction of any puerile ap- 

 pendage whatever. 



As Pope and Kent introduced English gardening, Authors. 

 so these are the principal voluntary artists, whose 

 works exhibited and established its character. We shall 

 now enumerate the principal authors. 



Pope's Epittle to Lorfl Burlington has been already Pope, 

 referred to, as well as Shenstone'* Unconnected Thoughts ; Shenstont. 

 the former published in 1716, the latter in nG*. Mr. 

 George Mason's Essay on Detign in Gardening, from G. Mason. 

 which we have ?o frequently quoted, was first publish- 

 ed in 1768, and afterwards greatly enlarged in 1795. 

 It is more a historical and critical work than a didac- 

 tic performance. 



The grand fundamental and standard work on Eng- 

 lish gardening, is the well known " Observations on 

 Modern Gardening; published in 1770, by Wheatley. Wheatlty. 

 It is entirely analytical, treating, first, of the materials, 

 then of the scenes, and lastly, of the subjects of garden- 

 ing. Its style has been pronounced by Ensor, inimita- 

 3 Y 



