Harringay House, Amos Grove, Bradley House, Sj-c. 5^5 



we last saw it in 1831, both in population and in the extent of ground covered 

 by streets and buildings. There are a number of suburban and town villas, 

 many commonplace, others ambitious and showy, some rich in decoration, 

 and a few elegant and correct. There is a piece of ground containing about 

 14 acres, which is intended to be laid out as a public garden, and for which 

 we have made a plan. On a few of the villas, of which we took a rapid 

 glance, we shall say a word or two from recollection. 



Bradley House, H. Bradley, Esq., is a town or street garden, the house 

 being part of a row. The ground behind consists of about a quarter of an 

 acre, and includes green-houses, vineries, peach-houses, and various archi- 

 tectural and sculptural ornaments. There is a wall with fruit trees like that 

 of a kitchen-garden, and a lawn varied by flower beds, a basin and fountain, 

 some trelliswork, and a terrace with steps. In point of design, the merit is 

 not great, but the whole is very highly kept. That we may not find fault 

 without assigning a reason, we may observe that the great art in making a 

 small garden appear large, is to prevent the spectator from walking in the 

 middle, so as to see the whole at once ; and, in the case of a town garden 

 surrounded by walls, it is mostly desirable to- conduct the spectator from the 

 house under a boundary colonnade, or other architectural walk for warm 

 weather, having at the same time open winter walks. The flower beds here 

 are also of too fanciful and angular shapes for the manner in which they 

 are planted, and too large for the situation. Wherever flowers or roses are 

 allowed to grow to the height of 2 or 3 feet, groups of small circular beds 

 will generally be found preferable to other shapes ; but where plants are not 

 to rise higher than 6 in., irregular or composite forms may be adopted ; because, 

 in consequence of the lowness of the plants, the shapes of the figures may 

 be recognised by the eye. The commonplace character of the surrounding 

 wall and of the hot-houses, and the want of unity of system among the 

 flower beds, are the positive faults of this place ; and the negative fault, or 

 omission, is, the want of a surrounding architectural walk, somewhat in 

 the manner of the mural colonnades in the town gardens of Pompeii. A 

 garden of this kind is much more difficult to manage than one round a detached 

 building, because it demands not only an artistical but an architectural eye. 



Beech Lawn, Dr. Jephson, is a suburban villa, of several acres, with an 

 excellent square house, and grounds sloping down from it on three sides. On 

 the entrance front, the lawn is separated from the gravelled area on which 

 carriages turn, by a ridge of rockwork 3 or 4 feet high, richly planted with 

 flowers. This is intended to keep off dogs from the lawn, and appears to be 

 a good idea for similar situations. Besides a pleasure-ground planted with a 

 considerable variety of trees and shrubs, there is a small fruit-garden, and an 

 excellent kitchen-garden, with a vinery, peach-house, pine-pits, &c. ; the 

 whole, with the exception of the turf edgings of the walks (which are too 

 narrow, and pared with the spade instead of being cut with the shears), well 

 kept. A great improvement to this place would be, a terrace and Italian 

 flower-garden to connect the house with the lawn. The magnitude of the 

 house, its architecture, and the elevated situation on which it stands, parti- 

 cularly point out this style of decoration ; besides, it would have been some- 

 thing new in Leamington, where all the gardens are formed on one type. 

 Among the trees planted are some beautiful specimens of Turkey and Lu- 

 combe oaks of several varieties. 



The Priory, the Rev. John Craigs, is a small town villa, bordering the 

 river Learn, now being laid out and planted by Mr. Cullis, who has very greatly 

 improved the situation, by raising the surface above the level of the river. 

 There is a descent from the principal floor of the house to the garden, by a 

 flight of steps through a mass of rockwork ; a good idea, but not carried out 

 in the best manner, partly from want of proper materials. To have managed 

 this rockwork artistically would have required larger blocks of stone than 

 have been used, and the total omission of scoria, vitrified bricks, and indeed 

 of every species of stone except one. There is not a point in the whole 



1840. Nov. Q Q 



