Supplement to the Gardeners' Magazine, June 4, 1898, 



the: seat 



THE MARQUIS OF NORTHAMPTON. 



m 



mm 



TUATE in a charming position overlooking the wide- 

 spreading valley of the Nen, some eight miles east- 

 wards of the busy town of Northampton, is Castle 

 Ashby, for several centuries the principal 

 residence of the 



country 



Comptons, and long known for the 

 stately architecture of the historic mansion, the 



nn Z p ♦ i ,S \ m u St readl, y reached froni Ca stlc Ashby station 



w,v K°T ?h - bra u Ch ° f the London and North- Western Rail- 



way, from which it is about two and a half miles, the road for the 



extcns 



of this 



ivc ga 

 great 



mansion, 



charms of the richly-timbered park, the diversified 

 woodlands, and the beauty and high-keeping of the 

 rdens. The fame enjoyed by the Northamptonshire home 



is no new creation. 



family 



Nearly a century and a half ago 



^aterdstance^b^ the pa rk. From the Yardley Hastings 



side of the park the house is approached by a magnificent avenue 

 commencing at Yardley Chase, three miles distant. The lodge at this 

 entrance is of handsome elevation, and in addition to the Arms of the 



SkJ^ ° n iwT? Ut r Cr 5 cdimcnt the Ascription, « Dominvs cvstodiat 

 introitym tvvm (The Lord preserve thy coming in), and on the inner pedi- 

 ment, Dommvs cvstodiat exitvm tvvm '(The Lord preserve thy going out) 



THE MARQUIS AND MARCHIONESS OF NORTHAMPTON. 



Photog. by J. Russel! and Sons. 



'nTo&Vadvi'i^ • that fimtM* °f the minor poets, has passed 

 onvion advised in one of his descriptive poems his readers to— 



tome, haste with me while now 'tis early morn, 

 Fry ■ :>"• *'• *.'.•„;"■ • •' 



p . . To where yon point 



^ejecting hides Northampton's ancient seat, 

 Ketired, and hid amidst-surrounding shades ; 

 ^ountmg a length of memorable years 



Thead-' worth." 



was IwSSflS ^ J a ,?°, is as applicable at the present time as when he 

 ^tween bSaSS ' lttle .Aock at Harbury, and dividing his leisure 

 *«*s exnre^H g and wr, t|ng blank verse . and, as evidence that the 

 P°'nt to the brc UP ° n u P °, mt are in no wa y singular, it will suffice to 



The avenue is formed with four rows of trees consisting ot oak, elm, and 

 beech and the two inner rows are about three hundred feet apart, and 

 with this space and a broad drive, it is free from the defect which 

 characterises so many of the avenues leading to old country houses in the 

 United Kingdom. Early in the eighteenth century, avenues were planted 

 on the four sides of the mansion, but with the exception of the one which 

 terminates at Yardley Chase, they have disappeared, and it is probable 

 they were broken up, if not wholly removed, when, towards the end of 

 last century, the park and grounds were remodelled by Launcelot, or, as 

 he was popularly designated, " Capability " Brown, then at the zenith of 

 his popularity as an exponent of the English school of Landscape Garden- 

 : From the Castle Ashby station the park is entered by an elegant 



views exnres^d g an< ?. writing blank verse, and, as evidence that the me r From the Castle Ashby station the park is entered by an elegant 



P°int to the 1*™°" u P ° lnt are in no wa ? sin gular, it will suffice to Gothic lodge, bearing the Arms of the third Marquis, and by taking the 



da ys when the < JJ umber of v >sitors from the neighbouring towns on the footpath that branches off from the drive soon after passing the entrance 



,0 the publir Vif L ns are ' b y the generosity of the noble owner, open gates, an eminence is 



\nn*A ^ . ne charms of Nature and art arp inrW^ c « t,or^;i« mm. ' r. mii« i« nhtained of the fertile vallev of the Nen. To 



» the public TK I ' Dy the generosity of the noble owner, open 

 bined at C«t . a C ff ms of Natu re and art are, indeed, so happily com- 

 wh 'le there is L I a , s - to afford unbounded pleasure to the visitor, 

 •mmenselv enL» m 1 C of mterest in the history of the domain as to 

 Sardens and J™ a • enjoyment a leisurely walk through the spacious 



11 isa i Tn ' S SO wel1 abie to afford - 



aeughtful drive from Northampton to Castle Ashby; but 



eates, an eminence . 

 ing over many miles, is obtained of the ifertile valley of the Nen. 



again quote from Jago— 



0 ^ "We view the subject vale sublime, 



And unimpeded. Hence its limits trace, 

 Stretching in wanton boundary, from the foot 

 Of this green hill as far as human ken 



