THE 



GARDENER'S MAGAZINE, 



MAY, 1840. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



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

 Remarks on each; intended to illustrate the Principles and Practice 

 of Landscape-Gardening. By the Conductor. 



No. 15. Kingsbury, the Residence of Thomas Harris, Esq. 



Kingsbury^ which is situated on the Edgeware Road, near the 

 village of that name, may be described as a grass farm, the 

 grounds of which have been ornamented by plantations of select 

 trees and shrubs, and the house enlarged by additional rooms. 

 To one of these rooms a large conservatory is attached, and 

 with this conservatory is connected a series of green-houses and 

 hot-houses, containing, as is well known, one of the finest col- 

 lections of plants in this country, managed by Mr. Beaton, one 

 of our first botanical gardeners. To a person accustomed to 

 live in the confined limits of a London street house, it is a great 

 luxury to get possession of a group of farm buildings, where 

 there is ample room to make additions on every side. The 

 secret of enjoying this luxury consists, in a great measure, in 

 adding, rather than in altering ; because it may be laid down as 

 a fundamental principle, that it is quite impossible to get all the 

 advantages of a new house by altering an old one. Any old 

 house, however, that is not in a state of decay, may be rendered 

 comfortable and commodious (though not well arranged) by ad- 

 ditions. When these additions are made under the direction 

 of an architect of taste, very picturesque effects may frequently 

 be produced : but there are not many architects, of the old 

 school, at least, who understand how this is to be managed ; in 

 short, how the additions to an inelegant house may be made 

 elegant, and the effect of the whole group, however irregular, ren- 

 dered symmetrical. This is not the place for going into details, 

 but we shall do this so far as to observe, in order to give an idea 

 of the data on which we found our opinion, — 1. that no object, 

 either in nature or art, can be truly beautiful that is not sym- 

 metrical ; 2. that there is a regular symmetry, and an irregular 

 symmetry, and that all picturesque assemblages belong to the 

 latter class ; 3. that every symmetrical object consists of three 

 parts, the centre or axis, and the sides ; and, 4. that in assem- 

 1840. May. r 



