362 Select Suburban Residences. 



scene, to its picturesque beauty and unity of expression as a 

 whole. In analysing the beauties or defects of every place, it 

 is always instructive to be able to separate what is peculiar to 

 the situation, or the taste of the individual, from what is general, 

 or founded on universal principles. 



The garden scenery at Redleaf consists of a kitchen-garden, 

 an orchard, an English flower-garden, a Dutch flower-garden, 

 and an anomalous description of flower-garden, which may be 

 called the rock-garden. This last garden constitutes by far 

 the most singular feature of the artificial scenery of the place, 

 and is totally different from anything else of the kind in England. 

 The idea of forming it seems to have arisen from the existence 

 of a ledge of rocks in another part of the grounds, and from 

 the abundance of rock, of a kind easily quarried (red sandstone), 

 under most parts of the surface. This part of the grounds at 

 Redleaf is so original in character, that it is difficult to convey 

 a correct idea of it without larger engravings than this work 

 admits of; but we shall nevertheless make the attempt. 



Before proceeding to describe the ground plans and views, 

 we consider it useful to observe that the whole of the improve- 

 ments at Redleaf, whether in altering the grounds, or in the 

 construction of the buildings, were not only solely contrived by 

 Mr. Wells, but all the working-drawings were made by him. 

 The working-drawings, also, for some very picturesque cottages, 

 and for a rustic conservatory, a rustic billiard-room, and various 

 rustic seats, open and covered, were made by Mr. Wells, and 

 have formed a source of amusement to him for many years, 

 which was greatly heightened by the adaptation of the crooked 

 branches and roots of trees to the architectural forms proposed. 

 Recreations and amusements of this kind are, in our opinion, 

 particularly suitable both for gentlemen and ladies who live on 

 their country seats. We would have the ladies, like Lady 

 Grenville, design all the garden structures, and the gentlemen 

 study the improvement of the farm and other buildings neces- 

 sary for the general business of the estate. 



Fig. 76., in p. 358, 359., is a plan of the grounds at Red- 

 leaf as they now exist, exhibiting Mr. Wells's improvements. 

 On comparing this plan with Jig. 75. in p. 356, 357., the 

 principal alterations made by Mr. Wells appear obvious at 

 first sight. One of these, essential to the beauty of the place, 

 is the plantation made in the direction of a b c, in Jig. 75., 

 parallel to the approach from Penshurst. Without this plant- 

 ation, which is chiefly of evergreens, the eye of the stranger 

 arriving from Penshurst would have seen all the natural 

 beauties of the grounds before entering the house; because 

 the ground slopes from that line of approach on the left to- 

 wards the valley, and rises on the right towards the public 

 road. The same thing would happen to a stranger arriving by 



