616 



GEOMETRICAL FLOWER-GARDENS. 



seen by our Plate, immediately in front considerably towards the park. The prin- 



of the mansion, a highly-enriched archi- cipal entrance to the house is on the 



tectural edifice. The site of the projected south front, and indicated in our Plate by 



garden is on the west front of the man- the square gravel court, enclosed by a 



sion, which stands on elevated ground, handsome stone balustrading, fig. 822, 



falling, as will be seen by the section, extending from the south-east corner of 



Fig. 822. 



the building to the offices, which form a 

 wing to the house, receding so far back 

 as to leave the entrance front-elevation 

 quite open to view. On the opposite or 

 west front is placed an architectural con- 

 servatory, in the same style as the man- 

 sion. This conservatory communicates 

 by a private door, as seen in the corner, 

 with the ladies' boudoir. The garden is 

 entered by a private gate in the parapet 

 wall, separating it from the court-yard, 

 by a folding door from the grand corridor 

 near the centre of the building, and by 

 descending a flight of steps from the 

 higher grounds at the extremity of the 

 conservatory, as well as by an ascending 



flight of steps from the park in front, 

 near which one of the main approaches 

 to the mansion passes, and is thus ar- 

 ranged so that the family may pass direct 

 through the flower-garden to the park in 

 this direction ; or, being set down there, 

 can walk up to the house through the 

 garden, instead of driving round to the 

 front door. The whole garden is enclosed 

 within a substantial parapet ashlar stone 

 wall, with a richly-cut open stone balus- 

 trading divided into panels by project- 

 ing piers, and these are surmounted 

 with handsome carved stone vases. — (Vide 

 fig. 823.) 



The situation, like most in the west of 



823. 



Scotland, being damp, 60 inches being 

 about the average fall of rain per annum, 

 we have adopted stone pavement for not 

 only the smaller walks, but the broad 

 terraces also, which are all edged with the 

 same material. The pavement used is 

 the Caithness flag-stone, in lengths of 

 from 4 to 8 feet each, and of breadths to 

 suit the various parts, the whole being, 

 as well as the edgings, polished and 

 covered with three coats of linseed oil on 

 the top surface, rendering the stone com- 

 pletely impervious to damp, which it 

 naturally is, more so than any other found 

 in Britain. The oil also lessens the dis- 

 position to become discoloured by the 

 growth of lichens, for which the dampness 

 of the climate is highly favourable. The 

 whole of this pavement is laid upon brick 



piers, leaving a space below of 12 inches 

 clear ; and, at convenient distances, cast- 

 iron square gratings, 5 inches on the side, 

 are placed for the escape of the water that 

 falls on the surface, and which is carried 

 away by drains laid under the principal 

 walls. 



The soil in the flower-beds is made only 

 15 inches deep, and laid upon a well- 

 drained bottom, the better to carry off 

 the superfluous water which falls on the 

 surface. The beds are also slightly raised 

 at their centres; and, to prevent the 

 smaller plants from being beaten down, 

 or splashed over with mud, in the time of 

 heavy rains, the surface of the beds, at 

 planting, is covered over with small peb- 

 ble-stones from the sea-beach, and on 

 those the branches of the plants rest, 



