Alton Towers, TrentJiam Hall, East Comhc. 581 



a magical eflfect on the place. The effect of the tower at one angle, in 

 forming a centre to the general mass, carrying it off, as artists say, or, in artis- 

 tical philosophy, communicating an axis of symmetry (see p. 233.), is most 

 satisfactory. The central tower at Alton Towers is too small for the im- 

 mense pile of buildings that surround it, having been built, no doubt, before 

 it was contemplated to increase them to such an extent; but this at Trentham 

 appears of the proper dimensions, unless, perhaps, it is not sufficiently high. 

 The first or upper flower-garden is laid out in what the French call the 

 English style, with beds of turf, and dug beds edged with box or gravel, 

 and has an excellent effect, the whole forming a raised platform edged with 

 stone. The lower or main garden has the leading walks formed and gravelled, 

 and the slopes turfed ; but, not being yet planted, it has rather a naked 

 appearance. We were shown some Portugal laurels, which were training 

 with clean stems and round heads, to imitate the orange trees of the Con- 

 tinent, as at Chatsworth, to be planted along the main walks at regular 

 distances in stone boxes. If the Portugal laurels were budded standard 

 high with the common laurel, the effect would be still more striking, as the 

 light green of the leaves would render the allusion to the orange tree much 

 more complete. Such imitations of orange trees are not uncommon in the 

 neighbourhood of Paris, where the laurel is grafted standard high on the 

 common cherry, which, however, being a deciduous plant, does not form so 

 good a stock for an evergreen as the Portugal laurel would. The common 

 laurel, to a general observer, is so very like the orange, that, some years ago, 

 a foreign ambassador, who was going round the grounds at Claremont with 

 the gardener, Mr. M'Intosh, took the laurel undergrowths there, with which 

 the woods abound, for dwarf orange trees, and expressed his astonishment at 

 seeing the orange thrive so well in England. 



For the two side walks at Trentham, we would introduce a border of 

 arcades, cones, or pyramids, of clipped yew, box, or variegated holly. As 

 these, however, are of slow growth, ivy trained on wire framework might be 

 substituted ; by which means the arcade might be completed in two seasons; 

 as ivy 6 or 8 feet high may be purchased in pots in quantities, and as soon 

 as it was planted it might be trained over the wire frames, so as to form 

 arcades, pyramids, cones, candelabra, statues of the human figure or of 

 animals, the second season after planting; that is, if the ivy were planted in 

 April, 1841, the framework would be sufficiently covered to show the effect 

 by July, 184'2. In the mean time, the effect might be tried by putting up the 

 wirework and tying shoots of ivy to it ; as indeed might all other con- 

 templated artificial forms. The situation, we understand from the gardener, 

 is a good deal exposed to high winds; but these would not injure the ivy in 

 the slightest degree, as it is one of the hardiest of plants. The common 

 juniper, the red cedar, the arbor vitag, the furze, and the spruce fir, grow 

 rapidly, and may be cut into any shapes. The spruce fir forms most beautiful 

 arcades, hedges, and candelabra, at the Whim, near Edinburgh, engravings 

 from which are given in vol. iv, of our Arhoretinn Britannicum, under the head 

 of ^'bies excelsa. 



It would be a great improvement to the grounds at Trentham, if the whole 

 of the water could be lowered 5 or 6 feet, as at present it has too much the 

 appearance of an overflooded meadow. The islands are also too large, or, at 

 least, too much in the middle. Were the water lowered, the banks might 

 be enriched, in some places, with blocks of stone, to imitate the jutting out 

 of rocks from the subsoil. It did not occur to us, when on the spot, to 

 ask whether the channel of the river, which takes the water from the lake, 

 could be deepened. If it could, even suppose it were necessary to extend 

 the deepening over a distance of 2 or 3 miles, the improvement to the whole 

 place, as it appears to us, would be very great indeed. 



East Combe, near Blackheath ; Doivager Countess of BuclcinghamsMre. — 

 June 16. This is one of the most delightful places in the neighbourhood of 

 London, though but httle known. The house stands only a few yards from 



