568 



LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



Formation 

 of Country 

 Hcsiilciioc". 



CHAP. V. 



Or THE UNION OF THE CONSTITUENT SCENES IN FORM- 

 ING RESIDENCES OF PARTICULAR CHARACTERS. 



IN die preceding chapter we have given a general 

 idea of the parts or scenes, and their connection, which 

 enter into a palace or a complete residence of the first 

 order. We have now to notice their arrangements in 

 different gradations of style, and these we must pre- 

 viously acknowledge are so intimately blended, that we 

 hardly know how to separate them, and give a distinc- 

 tive character to each ; every country gentleman, from 

 the occupier of the mansion to the cottage, adopting 

 such luxuriant scenes as suits his particular taste, with- 

 out reference to any thing but his, own desires ; and 

 this happy circumstance contributes, perhaps as much 

 as the ditference of situations, to the variety in the beau- 

 ty and style of country residences. Mansions, villas, or- 

 namented cottages, temporary residences, and public 

 gardens, may be said to include the leading distinctions. 

 Mansions. 1. Mansions. As a specimen of this style, we shall 

 give the arrangement at Michel Grove in Sussex, the 

 residence of R. Walker, Esq. from the works of Mr. 

 Repton. 



" In determining the situation for a large house in 

 the country, there are other circumstances to be con- 

 sidered besides the fences and appendages immediately 

 contiguous. These have so often occurred, that I have 

 established in imagination certain positions for each, 

 which I have never found so capable of being realised 

 as at Michel Grove. 



" I would place the house, with the principal front, 

 towards the south-east. 



" I would place the offices behind die house ; but as 

 they occupy much more space, they will of course 

 spread wider than the front. I would place the stables 

 near the offices. I would place the kitchen-garden near 

 the stables. I would put the home farm buildings at 

 rather a greater distance from the house; but these se- 

 veral objects should be so connected by back roads as 

 to be easily accessible. 



" I would bring the park to the very front of die 

 house. 



" I would keep the farm or land in tillage, whether 

 for use or for experiment, behind the house; I would 

 make the dressed pleasure-grounds to the right and left 

 of the house, in places which would screen the un- 

 sightly appendages, and form a natural division between 

 the park and the farm, with walks communicating to 

 the garden and the farm." 



Villas. 2. A Villa, being originally a farm house, we think that 



the Roman arrangement, in which the farm offices 

 were joined to, or at least so near, as to form with it and 

 the domestic offices one group of buildings, might be 

 adopted as a characteristic distinction of this class of 

 residences. The farm buildings should, in this case, be 

 dignified with more architectural design than when 

 placed at a distance ; but still in due subordination to 

 the mansion. Instead of deer, sheep may graze the 

 park on the garden front, separated from the house by 

 an architectural barrier, or in some situations, with a 

 platform of gravel, and walks and knots of flowers. A 

 glacis of turf, with a light fence below the slope, will 

 be sufficient protection from sheep or cattle, and not 

 impede the view of die lawn from the windows. The 

 entrance-front may be approached through grass fields, 

 not separated with common, but with picturesque fen. 



res in the modern, mid double hedges and slips of plant- Artoflay, 

 ing in the geometric style. ing out 



If a torn field is seen from the appr&ach, it will Groun<i - 

 heighten the expression of a villa or gentleman's farm. "~Y~* 



All or any pail of die odier constituent parts of a 

 mansion, such as hot-houses, gardens, orchards, plea- 

 sure-grounds, c. may or may not be added, according 

 to its extent, and the particular taste of the proprietor. 



But the great number of villas adjoining large towns 

 cannot have this characteristic distinction of a villa; 

 they may therefore be designated citizens villas, as a 

 variety of the species. 



3. An ornamented Cottage, we diink, might be charac- Ornamented 

 terised by the garden front opening into a, picturesque cottages, 

 orchard ; or a lawn, varied by groups of fruit trees, in- 

 stead of a lawn or park planted with forest trees. It 

 may contain any part of die scenes of die villa, at the 

 will of die owner. . 



If the situation of the house is elevated, so as to give 

 a view from the principal rooms of a great part of the 

 farm, it will be the more desirable. A desirable founda- 

 tion for this improvement is an old English farm-house ; 

 by adding to which one or two principal rooms, a very 

 interesting group may be formed at little expence. 



4>. Temporary residences, as marine villas, sporting or Temporary 

 shooting boxes, seldom contain much land attached, residences. 

 No hot-houses, and but little pleasure-ground is here re- 

 quired. What land there may be, should be applied 

 to use rather dian to beauty. Speaking of hunting 

 boxes, Mr. Mai-shall observes, " a suit of paddocks 

 should be seen from the house ; and if a view of dis- 

 tant covers can be caught, the back ground will be 

 complete. The stable, the kennel, the leaping-bar, are 

 the appendages, in the construction of which simplicity, 

 substantialness, and conveniency should prevail." 



5. Public gardens. These, with very few exceptions, Public gar- 

 have been in all ages and countries laid out in the geo- rtuis. 

 metric style. The Academus at Adiens, is an ancient 

 example. The summer garden at Petersburg)!, a mo- 

 dern one. Even in China, where irregularity in gar- 

 dening is so much desired in general, Mr. Ellis (Journal 

 of the Embassy of 1816) informs us, that " die Fatee 

 gardens at Canton, the resort of the fashionables, con- 

 sists of straight walks ;" and however much our gar- 

 dening has been praised and copied by private persons 

 on the continent of Europe, yet, with the exception of 

 Count Rumford's walk at Munich, and the late Earl of 

 Findlater's at Carlsbad, almost all the odiers are very 

 properly in straight lines. 



The object of public gardens is less to display beau- 

 tiful scenery than to afforda free wholesome air, and an 

 ample uninterrupted promenade, cool and shaded in, 

 summer, and warm and sheltered in spring and winter. 

 In a limited extent, these must be attempted in one 

 principal walk, which, for that purpose, should as much 

 as possible be laid out in a north and south direction. 

 In more extensive scenes, certain covered walks may 

 be devoted to summer, and certain east and west open 

 walks, to spring and winter. The broad, open, and 

 narrow covered avenues of the ancient style, are valu- 

 able resources on a large scale ; these conjoined, and 

 laid out in a south and north direction, give in die cen- 

 tre an opened sheltered sunshine walk in mid- winter ; 

 and a close or covered avenue being lined out along 

 each side of the open central one, will afford shady 

 walks for summer, and occasional places of retreat from, 

 casual showers in spring. Oxford and Cambridge af- 

 ford some fine, open, and covered avenues, diough far 

 inferior to many on the continent. Public 



Public squares, of such magnitude as to admit of be- j uares . 



* 



