Descriptive Notice of Blair- Adam. 359 



The garden is divided into two parts by a burn, or small rill, 

 running from west to east. From the north wall to the burn, 

 the ground has a gentle declivity. This part of the garden is 

 devoted to fruit, flowers, and vegetables ; while the south part, 

 which has some slight undulations and natural inequalities, is all 

 kept in short grass, and is covered with silver firs, forest, and 

 ornamental trees, placed at irregular distances from each other. 

 The south wall is hid by the large and ornamental shrubbery 

 above mentioned. The north wall is about 20 ft. in height, and 

 426 ft. in length. It is constructed with flues, which are kept in 

 constant use. At regular distances under the coping are placed 

 brackets, which render it highly ornamental. The gardener's 

 house is in the centre of the north wall. In the south front is a 

 large Venetian window, which is kept uncovered and open to 

 view ; the other part is entirely covered with jessamine and China 

 roses entwined. The walk which runs parallel with the north 

 wall is 12 ft. in width. At the east end of this walk thei-e is a 

 door of handsome Doric architecture, entering on a small space 

 intended for a temple. 



On the west end there is likewise a door of Doric architecture, 

 chaste in style, which opens upon a small shrubbery ; beyond 

 which is verdant pasture ground, well clothed with trees of 

 considerable size. On each side, and on the top of these doors, 

 are placed handsome vases of stone ; and also on the south side 

 of the walk are placed Maltese vases on stone pedestals, opposite 

 to each of the brackets on the high wall. The two side walls 

 are 12 ft. in height, and 240 ft. in length, with parallel walks 7 ft. 

 in width. In the centre of the garden, from the gardener's house 

 southward, is a grass walk 16 ft. in width, and joining the lawn 

 on the south side of the garden. On each side are flower-borders 

 10 ft. wide. The borders on each side of all the walks in the 

 garden are adapted for flowers. The borders next the wall are 

 laid out in beds, and the south border is filled with greenhouse 

 plants, stocks, &c. The length of the flower-borders is 1054 

 yards, more than half a mile; and the ground so occupied in all 

 makes a flower-garden of nearly one acre. As the vegetables 

 are all hid by the espaliers covered with fruit trees, the enjoy- 

 ment of the flowers thus united with the kitchen-garden is not 

 broken in upon by the sight of the vegetables. There is an ar- 

 rangement of herbaceous plants collected and systematically 

 arranged by the late gardener, Mr. Henderson. 



The author of Waverley, in the Abbot, has immortalised a 

 spot on the grounds of Blair-Adam, " A romantic dell well 

 known by the name of Kiery Craigs." When speaking of car- 

 riers stopping at certain houses on the road, a long established 

 custom, he says : " Attractions of a kind very different from 

 those which arrested the progress of John Auchtermuchty and 



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