October ly, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTDEE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



301 



snrronndingg, is higUy characteristic, and cannot fail to interest all 

 Tvho look npon snch a thing. Into the planting of the beds it is need- 

 less to enter, as this is a transitory affair compared with the antiquity 

 of the garden ; bnt I shonld certainly lite Mr. Record to give us a 

 plan of this garden at some fitting opportunity, as it could, not fail to 

 be highly interesting to all, more especially to those who think that 

 heauty of design only dates its origin from the latter half of the 

 nineteenth century. 



On the northern side of the above garden, throngh the Lime arcade, 

 bat at a lower level, is what is called the Palace Garden, so named 

 from its being the spot on which Hatfield Palace once stood. The 

 size and form of the old building, with its entrance door, shape and 

 number of square towers, is distinctly shown by a narrow wall of stone 

 pnt there for the purpose. A part of the building on the western side, 

 with two of its towers, still remains. The interior formed one large 

 room or hall, was the banquetting-hall of the palace, and was used by 

 Qneen Elizabeth when at Hatfield. The garden is enclosed by the 

 boundary wall of the building above described, and was formerly used 

 as a nursery for odd plants, but Mr. Record has lately turfed the 

 ground over, and laid out a neat design of small beds, in which flowers 

 of all sorts are to be grown for cuttings and other purposes instead of 

 mutilating the beds in the best gardens. 



Retracing our steps, and going towards the western side of the 

 Elizabethan garden, and also at a lower level, reached by handsome 

 flights of steps, we come upon a large and beautiful Rose garden, half 

 an acre in extent ; it is oblong in shape, and is cut in two by a walk 

 across the centre. Each division has a large circular wire trellis on 

 which to train Roses. TKe design is very neat ; the beds are cut out 

 of the turf, and contain some hundreds of the choicest Hybrid Per- 

 petual and other Roses. By the sides of the walks standard Roses 

 of equal height are planted, giving the whole a most inviting appear- 



ance. This garden also joins the arboretum, a space of several acres, 

 in which are growing some fine specimens of Purple Beech. Cedar of 

 Lebanon, Acacias, and that noble-looking tree AUanthus glandulosa, 

 besides many choice trees and shrubs of lower growth. The whole of 

 the western side of the Rose garden and part of the arboretum it 

 bounded by a long and wide terrace walk, which leads in a straight 

 line to the conservatory, and gives a very suitable finish to this part 

 of the grounds. 



Retracing our dteps we now come round to the eastern side of th& 

 mansion, and find there a broad gravelled terrace, bounded by a balus- 

 trading resting on a retaining wall, which forms the boundary of the 

 promenade, and from which the flower garden in the basement below 

 can be seen to the best possible advantage, for, let it be observed, here 

 most things are planted in lines at right angles. The two gardens 

 I have described on the south and western sides are each upwards of 

 200 feet square ; this on the eastern side is of about the same size, 

 and is reached by a broad flight of steps from the upper terrace. It 

 consists of a series of figures in the usual formal Italian style, and 

 each bed at the time of my visit was a picture of floral beauty, the- 

 only drawback being some edgings of Lobelia that were past their 

 best. These beds, let it be observed, were not crowded, abundance of 

 space was accorded them, and the mixture of turf and gravel walks- 

 presented a pleasing appearance, which was further enlivened by the 

 bright colours of the occupants of the beds. Beyond this garden, and- 

 in a line with it, bnt on a lower level (for the ground declined in this 

 direction), was another square of about the same size as the flower- 

 garden described. This is the croquet ground, most likely originally 

 intended as a bowling-green, and which, like the garden above, was 

 level and enclosed with a fancy balustrading, and reached by flights of 

 steps. Beyond this croquet ground was one of those antique adjuncta 

 to some of the noblest residences of the kingdom, the maze. Th& 



Elizabethan Garden at Hatfield. 



ground occupied by this has not been so completely levelled as the 

 parts already noticed, but declines gently to the east, whUe the maze is 

 composed of Yew hedges in a high state of preservation and keeping. 

 Although I did not examine the extent closely, I should think it greater 

 than that of the flower gardens. In form, I may remark, it was, like 

 them, a square or oblong, the hedges were disposed in straight lines, 

 and I believe vrith as much ingenuity and intricacy as in most devices 

 of the kind. 



Passing from the maze on the right and turning to the left hand we 

 come upon a Rose walk or arcade, for the Roses are trained in a 

 manner very similar to the Limes in the Elizabethan garden, over a 

 treUis of ironwork, and comprise most of the best sorts of climbing 

 Roses. When in bloom they are a magnificent sight. Passing along 

 this walk, which is about 200 feet in length, and turning to the right 

 hand, we see in course of formation a large lake of about 4 acres or 

 more in extent ; it is intended for a boating and skating pond. It is 

 most delightfully situated in the valley eastward of the mansion below 

 the maze. I believe there had previously been something of the kind, 



bnt it was situated outside of the garden proper and much less ex- 

 tensive, but the present lake is taken into the gardens, and it is in- 

 tended to keep it as ornamental water. The ground has a pretty 

 and natural elevation on every side. Already there is a walk running 

 round the whole, and a good deal of planting has also been donCy 

 including lots of Gold and Silver Hollies, scarlet Oaks, Acacias, 

 purple Sycamores, Yews, the Purple Beech, variegated Acer, purple, 

 yellow, and plain Willows, Aucubas, choice and common Rhododen- 

 drons, Box trees, and many other ornamental things. These were all 

 supplied by Mr. W. Paul, of the Waltham Cross Nurseries, and a 

 very fine lot of shrubs they are. A work of such magnitude, and the 

 arrangement of the groups of shrubs, so far as the work has been 

 done — for there is yet much to be done — naturally requires time to 

 brine; out its beauties, but so far as it has gone it strikes the visito? 

 with the beb'ef that it is the most desirable and important improve- 

 ment in this fine place ; and when all is completed that is contemplated 

 a separate description of this fine feature should be given in detail, as 

 the arrangement of the shrubs has been anything but an easy matter 



