WOODFORD. I7S 



The 8th May, 1748. 



My Lord Tilney's Magnificent House. 



In the afternoon Mr. Warner took me and several of 

 his Swedish friends with him to show us My Lord 

 Tilney's magnificent Palais, which lies between Woodford 

 and London, about six miles from the last-named 

 place. We had here a clear example of how disadvan- 

 tageous it is not to observe moderation in what one is 

 about to undertake. The following was narrated to me 

 about this house : — It was about twenty years ago, or a 

 little more, that My Lord Tilney, an Irish earl, was 

 pleased to erect here a new and magnificent house with 

 a large and beautiful garden round it, because the site 

 lay uncommonly well, and the view from it was very 

 delightful on all sides. My Lord Tilney was then a lord 

 possessed of much money, which he had inherited from 

 his forefathers. The difficulty met him at the place 

 where the house should be built, that there was no water ; 

 but money could cure all such things. Where, previous to 

 that time there was scarcely anything but a ditch with a 

 little water in it, we now saw a large flowing river, all 

 made with art and human labour. He had had dug 

 about the whole place many ponds, dammar, of which 

 one and another resembled a little lake, so that the one 

 which lies in front of the windows of the mansion, and is 

 all artificially made, is so large that they can sail to and 

 fro [T. I. p. 392] on it with large boats. Around the 

 house there is on one side a large and beautiful garden 

 with manifold allies, Alleer, promenades, trees clipped 

 and hewn in all sorts of ways, several summer-houses, 

 orangeries, forcing-houses, dref-llXLS, ruins, and arches 

 of bent trees. In a word, all that can be required and 

 produced by art in a garden. For a long distance, 

 towards all sides, there were planted in allees, rows, and 



