Baldon House, Blenheim. 99 



trees. The plantations are much in want of thinning. By judi- 

 ciously managing the fences of both parks which border the road, 

 the one park might be made to lend great effect to the other. 



Blenheim. — August 11. On the evening of our arrival, we 

 went to the great gates of the approach from Woodstock, and 

 entered, hoping to catch the last rays of the setting sun lingering 

 on the towers of the palace, and to see the deep broad shade 

 thrown on the surface of the lake by the colossal bridge, and 

 the massive oak woods beyond ; a spectacle which we had often 

 enjoyed with delight in former times. The view altogether 

 disappointed us ; for, looking down on the lake, the surface of 

 which is more than 100 ft. below the eye, half of it appeared 

 quite green with aquatic weeds. Next morning we proceeded 

 to the same gates with greater deliberation ; but, previously to 

 describing what we saw, it may be necessary to state that such 

 were the care and study of the architect to connect his work with 

 what surrounded it, and to give note of preparation of what 

 was to follow, that he commenced his grand entrance by an outer 

 entrance of ordinary width, between four piers connected by short 

 walls. This narrow entrance leads to a square area about 100 ft. 

 on the side, which forms the outer court to the triumphal arch 

 of the gateway. The outer piers of the narrow entrance are be- 

 ginning to decay ; and out of one of them is growing a young 

 ash tree, 5 ft. or 6 ft. in height, and out of the other a sycamore 

 of about the same size. This affords a suitable note of pre- 

 paration for the state of the lake, the bridge, and the exterior of 

 the palace. The head, or dam, of the lake is so much out of 

 repair, that it does not retain the water so high as it ought to do 

 by several feet ; and the water of the stream, instead of falling 

 over the cascade as it used to do, finds its way under ground, 

 and rises up like springs in the bed of the river and in the flat 

 ground below. The joints of the masonry of the bridge are 

 becoming the nidus of plants, and in a year or two this building 

 alone will produce a tolerable flora. The side entrance, through 

 which strangers are admitted to see the house, is beginning to 

 be dilapidated, and 3, large portion of stone from the architrave 

 over the gateway has lately splintered off and fallen down. The 

 grand court of honour seems in better repair than any other 

 part. The side courts require jointing, and protection by the 

 repair of the roofs and copings. On first appearing before the 

 entrance-gate of the outer court, one of the striking effects used 

 to be the long architectural vista, seen through the first court, 

 across the court of honour and across the third court; but this 

 is now destroyed, in consequence of a hot-house having been put 

 up in the third or stable court, which obtrudes its end across 

 the line of archways. The duke has turned that court into a 

 kind of melon, hot-house, or rubbish ground ; and a strange 



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