CHAPTER VIII 



BRIDGES 



In gardens which contain either a moat or running 

 stream, some form of bridge becomes a necessity — a 

 necessity, that is, if the piece of water is too wide to be 

 crossed by simpler means, such as a slab of stone or short 

 plank. When used purely for ornamental purposes, 

 bridges frequently look ridiculous, and I have often seen 

 tiny streamlets, hardly more than a foot wide, crossed by 

 pretentious structures, which might fittingly be used to 

 span a raging torrent. In Japanese gardens, bridges are 

 frequently used without fulfilling a strictly utilitarian 

 purpose, but the keynote of such gardens is their arti- 

 ficiality, and our aim should be to avoid this as far as 

 possible. The rustic bridge in the Japanese garden at 

 Holland House is extremely picturesque, but this is 

 mainly owing to its being used as a support for purple 

 clematis and other climbers, whilst pendent from it are 

 baskets of growing plants, whose blossoms are mirrored 

 in the pool beneath. The ordinary bridge which serves 

 as a means of crossing from one part of the garden to 

 another, cannot well be covered with decorative climbers, 

 consequently we must rely more upon its structural beauty, 

 in order to make it a successful addition to the garden 

 scene. 



Before considering the style of bridge which will best 

 harmonise with the surroundings, there must be no doubt 

 whatever that a bridge of some kind is a necessity. It is 

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