244 
ТНЕ 
GARDENERS' 
CHRONICLE. 
{Fenrvary 19, 1887. 
a valley naturally in a high degree romantic, 
with wood, water, and rocks, filled with works of 
the highest degree of art in architecture and | 
gardening.” 
The віть kms Mr. Loudon referred 
n 1812, but besides the 
acres, informs me that the 
cover the heights and fringe the vales. As the 
railway brings you up the valley of the Churnet 
the stream and the road running side by side, 
the woods tell their own tale. * Here is an estate,” 
you say to yourself, “ which some great planter 
must have owned." You alight at Alton 
station in a narrow valley, with a village scat- 
tered about and steep declivities on either side. 
On the edge of one of these, on a wooded cliff, 
is the ruined stronghold of the De Verduns and 
Furnivals, ancestors of the Talbots, with another 
interesting pile designed by Pugin, and forming 
part of 
hospital for decayed priests, and a с 
founder lies now in the chapel with others of his 
name, including Bertram, the last Roman Catholic 
Earl of Shrewsbury, who died in 1856, leaving a 
isp’ succession, which was decided in the 
House of Lords two years later in favour of f Earl 
Talbot of owe founder of the new régime, 
and a Protes 
ing en the estate and its timber and 
, the ascent to Alton Towers commences 
close to ‘the station, and is somewhat steep for 
coach-an 
odge 
the family, which „аге interesting. in heraldry 
quarterings Сапа alliances with noble families, 
you find yourself driving through woods ascend- 
ing to the house a mile distant, or taking a zigzag 
way by a footpath among sandstone rocks, under 
the precarious-looking * Hanging Rock," a black 
walk by night, but still cheerful by daylight, and 
most pleasantly wi Old men still survive 
who -were engaged in planting the trees here- 
abouts, and who remember the present site of the 
woods and the lovely glen itself, which then 
formed part of a poor bare rabbit warren. The 
successors of Earl Charles, as well as a grateful 
and numerous public, who enjoy free admiss- 
sion to iful 
need not longer trouble the critic, since the 
eccentricities of the builder have been at length 
concealed, summer and winter, by the evergreens 
and timber of the planter. The leg that we will 
extended from 1787 to 1827, thoroughly deserves 
the inscription on his bust placed at the head of 
the glen, and sheltered in a “temple” designed 
for the Duke of Sutherland was cut in the plan- 
tations measuring 95 feet in length. The drives 
through the woods and plantations and orna- 
mental part a سا‎ estate measure 28 mile es ra 
len 
through the valley of the Churnet, from Ro- 
cester through Alton and Oakamore, the last 
being another deep-lying station, and the one 
from which the Weaver Hills and the terminal 
point of the ри range are most conveniently 
reached. e great rocks of this picturesque 
: locality are those of the New Red Sandstone, and 
: the house of towers and turrets, 
of wings one 
room deep, and of objectionable modern Gothic 
style—but let us not remember the deformed 
leg—the airy, dreamy house which shows so 
well in the distance, boasting as it well may а 
noble site, was built of excellent enduring stone 
of this formation. EN the best ый foremost 
again, Alton, or Alveto 1 metimes 
written, must be a healthy spot, as one wo 
suppose, from its dryness, and N facilities of 
drainage which a high site must possess, an 
accordingly we find that the people live long. 
Lord and Lady Shrewsbury lately entertained 
seventy-two old folk whose ote ages were 
4950 years, the average age of e 
years. In this hrs age 
the lives of threescore and twelve simple village 
people i in the winter of their old age, we again 
perceive th 
which social entertainments in great towns too 
often exhibit, 
The area of the pleasure ground, gardens, and 
shrubberies, is 150 acres, including about 60 
acres in the glen where the two legs, as already 
explained, are intertwined. 
the course of our walk we ascended Mount 
Etna, a bold prominence above the village, with 
a most pleasing view of the river winding its 
way in the deep [valley below, and of the build- 
ings reared on the opposite cliff, on the edge of 
the M: like a castle on the Rhine. I 
m one of the upper stick to that 
of “the ы b's Ladder 
of a hundred Wap " There is much | that is arti- 
ficial here, including the Dutch garden with an 
imitation of the Druidical circle of Stonehenge 
in its rear, oe a statue of Prometheus in front, 
with a conservatory grouped with this s strange 
mixture of Gothic, classic, and Bata 
mentos. Steps lead up to the compartint con- 
taining these incongruities, and in a border 
below, which forms its fringe, Mr. Rabone had 
тунт long lines of single Dahlias and other 
pian 
Tas are beautiful views from many points in 
ihese high grounds—that from the Prospect 
Tower, which stands in the grounds apart from 
the „house, commanding a very wide, delight- 
ful landscape, the land of the Trent and 
Dove, and many another stream which Isaac 
Walton was familiar with. Around this tower, 
ioo, is spread the rich pastoral district which 
* Derby" cheese, much of which is made i 
Staffordshire, and a good deal of it on pastures 
newly formed, which have carpeted with green 
most of the marls of the New Red Sandstone, 
while the hard rocks of the same formation 
often rise in hills bruptly from the plain. 
The best view of the altered glen and of its 
gardens, fountains, and fantastic buildings, is 
obtained from the end of the terrace on the east 
side of the house, where we are high enough to 
overlook all screens and obstructions so as to 
obtain a clear view of the Weaver Hills beyond. 
It was rather late in the year, at the time of my 
visit, to witness the best effects of geometric 
bedding and bright colouring, but I could not 
шш лы шл сны 
overlook the choice bit of gardening enclosed by 
walls and wings of the house, and known as 
* Her Ladyship’s Garden." The sweet taste for 
flowers prevails here, and perhaps I may venture 
and a private room, which are both exquisitely 
decorated with living plants, especially the ar- 
boreal and the blue-tinted Selaginellas. The 
fairies seemed to have b 
I ought to 
Ly em that the extremely pretty iie on one 
of the upper levels of the glen is known as the 
Harper's Cottage, since it was built for an old 
retainer who played the harp in the entrance 
hall. Н. FE. 
PLANTS NEW OR NOTEWORTHY. 
RESTREPIA PANDURATA, n. sp.* 
elegant Restrepia, imported by Mr. F. 
rial was sent me several times by Herr 
Oberhofrne 11 Wendland, of Herrenhausen, with 
om I saw the plant lately. It had not been 
hieu to get 16 at rest. І have it now again, and 
feel quite persuaded it is what we call an r 
lent species. It may simply be described a fine 
and strong Restrepi a guttulata, with a totally distinct 
wine colour spots. ‘The two orange spots at the 
or foot of column are also found in this elegant 
thing. Н. G. Rchb. f. 
PHALÆNOPSIS FOERSTERMANII, 7. sp.t 
A small, , modest. and yet very elegant species, 4 
discovery of Mr. F ered 
with Mr. F. Sander. It is one of those very few 
species with a tridentate anterior lacinia to the lip. It 
is immediately understood by its great peculiarity, 8 
deep, upright longitudinal keel on the mid-lacinia 
which is fimbriate at its superior m argin. 
Roots even, rounded, and a little ancipitous. 
cuneate obovate, "oy bidentate at the apex. 
triangular-cuneate, 
һа 
i 
keel outside; a yellow id 
of each. Mid-lacinia tridentate at the apex, mid- 
longer, broader, A bidentate 
depressed keel on the disc at the base of the vp sth 
This is a neat novelty, which is dedicated = 
great satisfaction to Mr. Fosterman, wh has i 
riched Mr. F. Sander's, and hence the outside wor 
stores with so many fine things. H. б. Re f. 
pia pandurata, 
n. sp.—Aft. Hestrepie d ner m 
e qus at uor pollices A {н plus duos s latum. 
PT Nae y 
Imp. ex c. Sander. 4 г аст Бл ee 
t Phalenopsis Foer: vs 
lentini : radici bus levibus s rotundato ancipitibus ( ice 
; 
tis; se 
pnt 
e cuneato i ‘labelli pen petitionibus statis, extus 
ibus curvulis li gulati s apice retuso retrosrum à 
tis, 
striotis brunneis transversis, 
apex partitionis anticae flavi, Ж, С. nob. f. ' 
крет етсен онн, 
PENNE 
