CONSTRUCTION OF GARDEN WALLS. 



93 



sculptured ornaments and mural decora- 

 tions remained as useless lumber, and 

 were used in forming the foundations of 

 a conservatory built by Government for 

 the lamented Princess Charlotte, and 

 scarcely finished at her death. 



London and Wise, eminent in their day 

 as garden architects, constructed several 

 garden walls both in England and Scot- 

 land upon architectural principles, some 

 of which still remain. The walls in the 

 botanic garden at Oxford are of a highly 

 architectural character. They are 12 feet 



Fig. 



a 



few years been built by Mrs S. Erskine 

 of Dunimarle, near Culross, and is in- 

 tended to associate with the mansion now 

 building in the same style, all from de- 

 signs by that excellent lady. We have 

 had the honour of being consulted by 

 her in regard to connecting this wall with 

 the mansion by a conservatory, of which 

 an elevation will be seen in its proper 

 place, in which the finest collection of 

 orange trees exists that we have seen in 

 Britain, with the exception of those at 

 Hampton Court. 



We have already stated, that under 

 certain circumstances architectural gar- 

 den walls may be built. It would, how- 

 ever, be unwise, at least it would be a 

 violation of good taste, to have an archi- 

 tectural garden near or belonging to a 

 mansion totally devoid of architectural 

 character. We have been mildly rebuked 

 by our late respected friend Mr Loudon 

 for not giving a certain degree of archi- 

 tectural display to the walls of the new 

 gardens at Dalkeith. Our reasons for 

 not doing so were, first, that our instruc- 

 tions were to make a plain and useful 

 garden; and next, that, had we built them 

 upon architectural principles, they would 

 not have harmonised with the mansion, 

 from which they are not far distant. 



Architectural walls have advantages 

 even so far as culture is concerned. The 

 breaks and projections afford shelter from 

 the cold, cutting winds of spring ; and 



in height, with a coved Gothic cornice 

 on each side, under an elevated Gothic 

 coping. They are also of stone, laid in 

 deep courses and smoothly dressed, asso- 

 ciating well both with the antiquities and 

 architectural structures for which that 

 ancient city has been so long conspicu- 

 ous. A slight attempt at the architectural 

 style was exemplified by the celebrated 

 Adam, at Blair- Adam in Kinross-shire. 



An excellent specimen of an archi- 

 tectural wall, fig. 83, a and b, in the 

 Norman-Gothic style, has within these 

 83. 



b 



this, no doubt, led partially to the adop- 

 tion of them. 



Piered,arcked,niched,or recessed walls. — 

 These have had their advocates since the 

 days of Switzer ; modern artists, however, 

 seldom adopt them. The arched wall, 

 fig. 84, has a massive and imposing effect, 

 Fig. 84. 



and if the arches are sufficiently wide to 

 admit of a tree each, the effect is increased, 

 and the protective advantage rendered 

 more obvious. The piers may be planted 

 with the hardier sorts of fruit trees, trained 

 upright and round the arches : or, in a 

 mixed garden, roses or other ornamental 

 plants may be trained upon them, either 

 for ornament, or for affording shelter to 

 the fruit trees, as recommended by Mr 

 Gorrie. 



Walls may be built with piers for 

 greater strength, as well as for breaking 

 the force of the wind in sweeping over 

 their surface. These piers, however, 

 should not project far, nor should they 

 be near together : each panel, as in fig. 

 85, should be proportioned so as to hold 

 one full-grown tree. In high and exposed 

 situations, we would by all means admit 

 of piered walls, if only for the shelter they 

 afford : in low and sheltered situations, 



