THE 



GARDENER'S MAGAZINE, 



MARCFI, 1840. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I. Notice of a Visit to Worthy Hall. By J. B. W. 



^VoRTLEY Hall, the seat of Lord WharnclifF, is about eight 

 miles north-west of Sheffield, on the Penistone road. The 

 country thereabout is beautifully diversified with hill, dale, and 

 wood ; and the soil, although apparently not of the best quality, 

 is well adapted for forest trees, oak especially, which in some of 

 the neighbouring woods is very fine timber. The house at 

 Wortley Hall stands on the side of some rising ground at the 

 verge of the park; and, from its elevated position, overlooks 

 nearly the whole of the park, as well as an extensive tract of 

 country towards the east and south-east; in other directions 

 the view is very limited. The mansion is a handsome stone 

 building, of modern construction ; having, I believe, been built 

 within the last half century. In the disposition of the approach 

 road some of the errors deprecated in former parts of this 

 Magazine are observable. A high ridge of ground rises con- 

 siderably above the house, in the direction from which carriages 

 approach it ; the road, therefore, descends abruptly instead of 

 ascending to the mansion, whereby its apparent height, and conse- 

 quently its dignity, are lowered. Perhaps, however, this defective 

 arrangement is rather attributable to the situation and plan of 

 the house. A low and narrow stone terrace immediately con- 

 nects the house with the pleasure-grounds, which extend round 

 three sides of the house ; on the other side the various offices 

 are placed. In general arrangement, and also in many minor 

 details, these grounds might be greatly altered for the better : 

 one obvious improvement would be, the removal of a heavy 

 mass of laurels that disfigures the lawn on the south front of the 

 house. There is no regular flower-garden, but small plots, 

 widely separated, are interspersed through the pleasure-ground; 

 one in the geometrical style, in which the beds are very properly 

 edged with stone, in preference to box or flowering plants, has 

 been recently formed. The green-house, which stands in a shel- 

 tered corner of the pleasure-ground, is of a style by no means 

 1840. March. i 



