Home-made Wine. 131 



branch of horticulture, in his beloved retreat 

 or "corner," as he called it, at Sheen. In 

 August, 1667, he tells Lord Lisle, that he is 

 contriving how the riches of Sheen vines may 

 be improved by half a dozen sorts which are 

 not known there, " and which I think much 

 beyond any that are." 



There is a vine of hoar antiquity at 

 Valentines, near Ilford, in Essex, the residence 

 of my late friend Dr. Ingleby; I question 

 whether there be many such in England. 

 That at Hampton Court is venerable enough, 

 but the Ilford one is alleged to be its 

 senior, nay, the very plant to which it owed 

 its being, as sire and son are seen of a 

 like altitude and girth, the one mounted to 

 his prime, the other still undeclined from it. 



But while natural causes have always 

 precluded England, as they always will in 

 human likelihood, from becoming a wine- 

 growing centre, there is no doubt that for a 

 considerable length of time in what may be 

 called the middle period of our history, not 

 to speak of the Anglo-Saxon epoch, the vine 

 was industriously cultivated here, and some 



