332 Notes o?i Gardensi and Country Seats : — 



at Wimborne would afford a fine study for the antiquary, as 

 would many of the chimney tops of the houses in the town to 

 the modern architect. In some of the streets, vines, climbing 

 roses, honeysuckles, and even herbaceous flowers, are planted in 

 the crevices of the pavement, and trained up against the houses. 

 These flowers, some small flower-gardens hardly fenced, and the 

 lead hanging from the eaves of the church, speak favourably of 

 the manners and morals of the people. 



Auo-ust27. — From Wimborne^ through Blandford, to Shaftesbury. 

 The o-reater part of the road to Blandford is over naised downs, 

 steep chalky hills succeeding to valleys all the way. The country 

 on both sides is most fatiguing to the eye of every one but a fox- 

 hunter. /Vis foetidissima is abundant by the road side. The 

 road from Blandford to Shaftesbury is thi'ough a fine country, 

 but it is extremely hilly. 



Kingston Hall, James BanJces, Esq. — This place is close to 

 Wimborne, and is distinguished on approaching it by cedar 

 trees planted in the waste on the sides of the road, and by 

 an elegant entrance gate and paling to the approach road. 

 The park is varied by single trees of good kinds, and in par- 

 ticular by a number of cedars. The house is an old cubical 

 building, and no attention, we were told, was at that time paid to 

 the gardens. 



Langton House, J. B. Farquharson, Esq. — The house is in 

 a bottom, with a meadow and the river Stour in front, and a 

 gently elevated country beyond. The first impression on a 

 stranger is surprise, that a new house should be placed in 

 so tame and featureless a situation ; its architecture is simple, 

 and in the Roman style ; we only object to the unarchitectural 

 iron railings to the balcony, and some huge projecting, flowers, 

 carved in stone, the meaning of which is not obvious. Time, 

 however, will consecrate them ; but we question much whether 

 this ever will take place with the festooned fender-like iron 

 railings. The grounds are laid out by Mr. Page ; but being 

 little more than commenced, we can hardly give an opinion 

 upon them, farther than commending the gravel walks, which 

 are brimful, with the grass edgings not cut. Excellent hints 

 for planting the shrubs might be taken from Bear Wood (IX. 

 679.). We would not, however, introduce many flowers, if any, 

 in such shrubberies as those here forming, because they never 

 can acquire sufficient nourishment from the soil, or room among 

 the shrubs, to grow vigorously and look thriving. We would 

 have the turf in all such shrubberies lose itself among the shrubs, 

 which would at the same time greatly reduce the labour of the 

 gardener, and yet improve the beauty of the scenery under his 

 care. The kitchen-garden is well laid out, with a small but 

 complete range of hot-houses and sheds ; and a very neat and 



