442 Notes on Gardens and Country Seats : — 



mountainous regions of Catholic countries on the Continent. 

 The chief object of Mr. Beckford seems to have been to impress 

 this character on all the great leading features of Fonthill, and 

 only to have modern artificial scenes, as occasional episodes. 

 Hence there is not a single gravel walk or made road about the 

 place ; nor in the immediate vicinity of the house is there an 

 exotic tree, shrub, or flower, save an apricot and a fig tree, 

 planted against the south side of the grand entrance, as we may 

 suppose by some monk who had brought the seeds of these fruits 

 from some Italian or Swiss monastery. 



To receive the full impression which the abbey and the scenery 

 immediately around it are calculated to make, it is necessary to 

 enter by what is called the Stone gate, which is situated at the 

 end of a straight avenue, nearly a mile long, while the front of 

 the abbey is at the opposite end. The elevated region in which 

 the spectator finds himself, and the solemn solitary grandeur of 

 this scene, recall the associations which we have formed of mo- 

 nasteries in alpine countries. The avenue forms the top of a 

 high wooded ridge, which declines on the right and left to deep 

 valleys, the sides of which appear to be covered with natural 

 wood, through which are occasionally seen glimpses of water 

 forming lakes. The trees, for the greater part, are of the spiry- 

 topped kind, which adds to the prevailing expression of alpine 

 scenery. This avenue is naturally of that fine close turf pecu- 

 liar to elevated regions and chalky soils ; and, in Mr. Beckford's 

 time, it was kept smoothly shaven : the work being always per- 

 formed during the night, in order that the prevailing character 

 of solitariness might not be interrupted during the day. The 

 breadth of the greater part of the avenue is about 100 ft. from 

 tree to tree. There is a depression in it about half way from 

 the gate to the abbey, which adds much to its effect, by giving a 

 natural air, as compared with the broad stately avenues on level 

 ground, which led to ancient baronial mansions ; but that which 

 completes this natural efi'ect, and prevents us from thinking for a 

 moment that it is a planted avenue, is, that its sides are bounded 

 by trees and undergrowths of different sorts, not at regular dis- 

 tances, but just as we may suppose they would have been if the 

 avenue had been cut out of a natural wood. The presence of 

 undergrowth among these trees decides this question at once in 

 the eye of the stranger. A planted avenue, with trees of the 

 same sort at regular distances, would have spoiled the character 

 of Fonthill. The depression in the surface of the ground adds 

 greatly to the dignity of the abbej', by elevating its site, while 

 it adds variety to the avenue, and preserves its natural appear- 

 ance, by varying the direction of its perspective lines. Near the 

 abbey the avenue widens so as to leave a broad area in front ; 

 and this area is so admirably broken by scattered native trees 



