SITUATION. 



23 



one another, and so as not to repeat any 

 genus twice, except those including fruit 

 trees, American evergreens, and bulbous- 

 rooted plants. These are distributed 

 generally, in order to harmonise with the 

 whole. In the melon ground the frames 

 are supported on brickwork, in an im- 

 provement on M'Phail's manner, with 

 narrow paths of brick between each 

 range of frames, and with the dung-lin- 

 ings covered with boards, so that the 

 whole is as clean, orderly, and neat, as a 

 flower garden, at all seasons of the year." 



So highly did Mr Loudon estimate the 

 merits of this suburban garden that he 

 says — " Considering the size of this villa, 

 its completeness, and the extent of its 

 accommodation, conveniencies, and luxu- 

 ries, exceed any thing of the kind we have 

 ever before met with." And further, he 

 observes, " We shall, however, sum up 

 our opinion in one sentence, which is, — 

 that, taking the place altogether, we do 

 not. believe there is such another in the 

 neighbourhood of London." 



No one has studied the subject of 

 suburban gardening more fully than 

 did our lamented friend, the late Mr 

 Loudon ; and as we hold his opinions on 

 these matters in high estimation, we shall 

 here transcribe a brief critique by him 

 on the villa in question. "Notwith- 

 standing these encomiums," he says, " we 

 are aware of some objections which may 

 be made to the laying out of the grounds 

 as shown in the plan, Plate I. It may 

 be objected to the plan that the lines are 

 too formal and unbroken ; but it must 

 be recollected that scarcely any of these 

 lines, except those of the walks, can be 

 recognised as lines in reality. The plan 

 is in short a working plan, calculated to 

 show the gardener what ground is to be 

 dug and planted, and what is to be laid 

 down in grass, together with the direc- 

 tion of the gravel walks. The single 

 trees and small shrubs, which are indi- 

 cated in the plan by crosses x x, will 

 break all the lines, both of the dug groups 

 and the water, and produce an effect 

 altogether different from that shown in 

 the plan. Even the spreading of the 

 shrubs over the margins of the dug 

 groups will totally destroy that appear- 

 ance of lines, which forms the promi- 

 nent features of the plan as it appears 

 on paper. However, independently 



altogether of the breaking of these lines 

 by vegetation, there is a certain degree 

 of beauty which belongs to lines and 

 forms simply considered, and without 

 any reference to the substance of which 

 the forms are composed. Now, the 

 question is, how far our architect has 

 succeeded in this kind of beauty. In 

 most parts of the plan we think his suc- 

 cess perfect ; but in others we should 

 perhaps have made some variation j and 

 the principle by which we should have 

 been guided in so doing would have been 

 that of adopting the forms to their local 

 situation alongside of the walks. The 

 extent, however, to which we should have 

 done this is not great. The effect which 

 we should desire from such a plan as that 

 before us we have endeavoured to show 

 in Plate II. ; and this is, as nearly as pos- 

 sible, the actual effect on the grounds. 

 The great beauty which in Plate II. is 

 added to Plate I., is that of intricacy ; 

 which is a main source of visual enjoy- 

 ment by nourishing curiosity, keeping 

 alive attention, and stimulating the pro- 

 cess of examination. The mind takes 

 delight in penetrating into recesses, and 

 making discoveries of new beauties at 

 every step ; in tracing, in the forms of 

 nature and chance, something of those of 

 art ; in bringing shape and figure out of 

 apparent irregularity and confusion ; 

 and in finding everywhere the principle 

 of connection and co-operation towards 

 the formation of a beautiful and expres- 

 sive whole. The kitchen garden is not to 

 be considered as having any beauty as such, 

 farther than that it produces good crops 

 of vegetables. It is placed and arranged 

 so as not to interfere with the idea of 

 extent, which is always an idea to be 

 cherished in a limited space, and which 

 in England is sought after by most peo- 

 ple, as creating allusions to the extensive 

 parks and pleasure-grounds of the aris- 

 tocracy. The full and characteristic 

 beauties of a kitchen garden are only to 

 be obtained when it is surrounded by 

 walls and laid out in right lines ; but 

 such a garden would have totally de- 

 stroyed the effect aimed at in the place 

 before us." — Encyc. of Farm and Villa 

 Arch., p. 834. 



Plate III. exhibits the relative con- 

 nection between a villa residence of 

 moderate size, with the garden and 



