THE 



GARDENER'S MAGAZINE, 



FEBRUARY, 1839. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I. Descriptive Notices of select Suburban Residences, txiith 

 Remarks on each ; hitended to illustrate the Principles and Practice 

 of Landscape-Gardening. By the Conductor. 



No. 11. The Rock Garden of Thomas Millie, Esq., in St. Clair- 

 town, near Kirkaldy, Fifeshire. 



[The Rock Garden at St. Clairtown, a vertical profile, and two 

 views of which have been kindly sent to us by the proprietor, 

 Thomas Millie, Esq., shows what may be done in the way of 

 garden scenery in a very confined space, surrounded by houses. 

 We have not given a plan of any part of the grounds, except 

 the Rock Garden, because the rest of what is necessary to 

 constitute a comfortable suburban residence may be easily con- 

 ceived; and, in this case, the kitchen-garden and fields are so 

 completely detached from the rock garden as to be quite uncon- 

 nected with them, as far as pictorial effect is concerned. 



The vertical profile (Jig. 13.) shows a piece of water in the 

 middle of ground which rises from it on every side towards the 

 houses, the roofs of which are shown ; and the area is intersected 

 by walks, chiefly open to the day, but partly subterraneous, as 

 indicated by dots in the plan. One walk crosses the piece of 

 water on a bridge; and, judging from the plan without having 

 seen the premises, the only fault we have to find with it is, that 

 this bridge appears to cross the water in one of the wide parts, 

 while a narrow part is close at hand, which it might have crossed 

 with greater ease. This is not according to nature and reason ; 

 nevertheless, in the reality it may be excusable, and rendered 

 inoffensive to the critical eye, by the rising up of rocks through 

 the water, which may have served in part as piers to the arches 

 of the bridge. We do not, therefore, say that the bridge cross- 

 ing the lake at a wide part is a fault in reality, but merely that it 

 is a fault in the appearance of the plan. The contrivance of 

 the walks crossing one another is admirable ; and we are informed, 

 by a gentleman who has been in the garden, that the effect is 

 even far beyond what might have been anticipated. 



The two views, fig. 1 4. and Jig. 1 5., are engraved from oil 

 Vol. XV. — No. 107. e 



