FIRST PRINCIPLES 21 



it impossible to shut off the entrance from the 

 pleasure gardens ; but the general rule, which can 

 nearly always be followed with the exercise of a little 

 ingenuity, should be a north entrance with the 

 gardens south, east, and west. If the entrance can 

 be made into a courtyard, with the help of 

 outbuildings, flanking walls, etc., so much the 

 better. A picturesque entrance is a great asset 

 to a house, but its qualities should depend on 

 graceful lines, good planning, and careful associa- 

 tion with one or two well - grown trees, rather 

 than on any attempt to combine it with the 

 gardens themselves. 



Along the, principal garden-front of the house 

 should extend the terrace or paved walk, which 

 . forms the highway between life within and without 

 doors. Considerations of levels, existing trees, etc., 

 will determine its width measured away from the 

 house ; but up to a certain point the greater the width 

 the better the effect. If the gardens are on level 

 ground and tend to be shut in, the space should be 

 extended as far as is practicable in the form of a 

 lawn ; but if they slope away, the stretch of level 

 terrace may be more contracted, though it is advisable 



