158 ROYAL GARDENS 



on them in this chapter of general principles, and to leave 

 other features for discussion under separate headings in 

 the next. 



In making walks and paths, comfort and convenience 

 must ever be the foremost principle. Next comes, as hinted 

 at before, a sense of proportion. It is, nowadays, almost 

 unnecessary to say that paths should never be made without 

 good reason ; but it is still, unfortunately, not superfluous to 

 add that they should generally go straight to their object. 

 There are, even now, many cases where wobbling serpentine 

 walks stray aimlessly about ; apparently because followers of 

 the " Capability " Brown school were fond of asserting that 

 " Nature abhors straight lines." It is true that the fault of 

 Le Notre's style was an excess of straight lines, but that of 

 Brown (and especially his followers) was the almost invariable 

 use they made of curves. In this, as in most things, a middle 

 course is best ; and use of both straight and curving lines 

 should be dictated by common sense, and by suitability to 

 surroundings and to the ' lie ' of the ground. If the above- 

 mentioned saying had run, " Nature abhors hard edges," it 

 would have been more nearly true, though not even then the 

 whole truth. For Nature gives emphasis and vitality to her 

 wonderful pictures by accentuating edges here and there, and 

 infinity by softness or blurring in other parts. She will 

 always soften edges when allowed or encouraged to do so ; 

 and hard straight edges of paths can be disguised and made 

 pleasing by inducing plants to grow over them. This is 

 done with most charming effect at Sandringham, and in 

 Norman Tower garden. 



When there is a good reason for it, paths may certainly 

 be curved ; and in some cases either the shape or an im- 

 portant feature of the garden make the practice almost 

 compulsory. For instance a walk following the natural 

 curves of a garden lake should be curved rather than made 

 in a series of straight lengths ; and where the ground is 

 undulating, some paths may well be constructed in curves 

 emphasising the rise and fall. This is very well exemplified 



