History and proposed Management, 



537 



Design for a Statue and Stu le Seats for the radiating Centre of the Derby Arboretum. 



of drainage foE^?uch hollows, as well as the very limited space, and the necessity 

 of having a broad, straight, nearly level walk down the centre, rendered this 

 impracticable. 



In moving the ground, care has been taken to preserve some of the old 

 surface soil to form the new surface j and this new surface has also been drained 

 where necessary, and every where rendered perfectly smooth and even, by 

 raking and rolling, before sowing the grass seeds. 



The seats have been designed and placed, chiefly by Mr. Strutt himself, re- 

 ference being had to the following rules : — To make choice of situations under 

 the shade of trees already existing in the belts, or of situations where some 

 kind of view or feature is obtained ; to place some in gravelled recesses along 

 the sides of the walks, and others on the turf; some open to the sun for 

 winter use ; but the most part looking to the east, west, or north, for summer 

 use. Those seats which are placed in recesses ought to be 1 ft. back from 

 the edge of the walk, in order that the feet of persons sitting on them may 

 not be in the way of passers by ; and the gravelled recess should extend 

 6 in. beyond the seat behind and at each end, for the sake of distinctness, and 

 to prevent any difficulty in weeding the gravel or mowing the grass. No seat 

 should be put down, along the walks, in such a situation as to allow persons 

 approaching it to see the back of the seat before they see the front of it ; and, 

 hence, the seats should generally be placed in the concavities of the turns of 

 walks rather than in the convexities of bends. No seat to be put down where 

 there is not either a considerable space directly in front, or at an angle of 45°, or 

 some other equal and large angle on each side. No seat to be put down where 

 there will be any temptation to the persons sitting on it to strain the eye looking 

 to the extreme right or left. None to be put down y/here more than one point 

 of the boundary of the garden can be seen from the seat. None to be put down 

 on the tops of the mounds, by which a person sitting would, at least before 

 the trees and shrubs grow up, get a panoramic view of the entire garden, and 

 thus defeat the main object of the mounds, and of the finding direction of 

 the side walks. No seat to be put down, noi* any device contrived, by which 

 both the lodges can be seen at once from the same point of view ; or even 

 where one of the lodges and one of the pavilions can be seen from the 

 same seat. Seats which are placed on the lawn always to be backed by 

 some of the trees or shrubs there, so that no person may ever come close up 

 to a seat from behind ; or, if seats are placed in the open lawn without trees 

 or shrubs near them on either side, then such seats must be made double, 

 with a common back in the centre, or they may be benches without backs, or 

 single seats, such as chairs or stools. All fixed seats, whether on the lawn or 

 on gravel, to have foot -boards for the sake of aged persons and invalids. Round 

 the central circle the seats should have stone backs, and a more architectural 

 character than in any other part of the garden, as shown in^g. 56. 



1840. Oct. n n 



