4.24 Gardens and Country Residences 



Carleton Curlieiso, ilie seat of the Bev. Henry Palmer. — A 

 curious old Elizabethan mansion. In the front are three 

 projections, with three tiers or stories of windows, and ter- 

 minated at the top with escaloped pediments, similar to the 

 street front of the University College, Oxford. The gardens 

 small, but very neatly kept, and a very good collection of 

 Geraniacese and herbaceous plants. 



Wistow Hall; Sir Henry Halford, Bart. — About two miles 

 north-west of Kibworth Beauchamp. The mansion is built 

 of brick, encased with stucco, and has, in the principal front, 

 fine gable pediments. The principal room is a large lofty 

 hall, extending nearly the whole length of the building. 

 Attached to the mansion is a new conservatory, the archi- 

 tecture of which corresponds with the house, forming a ter- 

 mination to a numerous suite of apartments. As a con- 

 tinuation to the conservatory there is an admirable telescopic 

 vista of about 300 yards in length, and 12 ft. wide, formed by 

 most luxuriant common and Portugal laurels, &c. : at its 

 greatest extreme from the house there is a beautiful weeping 

 ash, 130 ft. in circumference, under which there is a very good 

 seat. The grounds are level, and consequently devoid of that 

 interest which a varied and undulating surface in general pos- 

 sesses : but art has done much, and, as a whole, Wistow is a 

 very attractive place. The flower-garden is extensive, and 

 well stocked with choice plants, among which there are several 

 of the most choice and valuable recent introductions. The 

 kitchen-garden has one very great fault; it inclines to the 

 north, but the crops were good, and the trees healthy. 

 There are several good houses, and the crops of grapes were 

 excellent when I saw them last (April 25.) ; the peaches the 

 same. There is a very good collection of stove plants, in a 

 very clean, healthy, growing state. The whole concern does 

 great credit to Mr, Dott, the gardener, who has had the 

 management of it for fourteen or fifteen years. Lady Halford 

 is very partial to rare birds and animals, of which she has a 

 very good collection ; gold and silver pheasants, the finest I 

 had ever seen ; a very fine emu, and several kangaroos. 



From Wistow I went to Stoughton Hall, the seat of G. L. 

 A. Keck, Esq., late M.P. for the county. Stoughton is situ- 

 ated about three miles S.S.E. of Leicester. On my way here 

 from Wistow I was gratified to see several poor people busily 

 employed in planting potatoes, &c., on portions of ground 

 which had been for some time allotted them by Mr. Halford, 

 son to Sir Henry. I entered into conversation with them, and 

 I feel great pleasure in stating they were fully convinced of 

 the benefits they enjoyed, and felt truly grateful for Mr. Hal- 



