THE APPROACH. 



205 



should^ without falling into a straight line, be as short 

 as possible. Passing the entrance gate at right angles, 

 or nearly so, to the boundary wall, it should proceed 

 with such a moderate curve or sweep as will place the 

 side of the carriage abreast of the main door. The 

 approach should never be carried across the entrance 

 front before reaching the door of the house, unless the 

 ground is so steep as to render the formation of a road 

 with an easy inclination otherwise impracticable. A 

 lodge may sometimes be a necessary appendage to the 

 entrauce gate, and that is a sufficient reason for a mode- 

 rate prolongation of the approach. Certain fine views 

 or other advantages, carrying the house considerably 

 into the interior of the territory, may make a similar 

 demand ; still it should be an object steadily kept in view, 

 that on this account there should be as little intersection 

 of the grounds as possible. When the whole place ap- 

 proaches the form of a parallelogram, the gateway and 

 lodge may be placed in one corner, and the approach 

 may fall into a straight line, or form an avenue along 

 the boundary, till it is necessary to curve off to the door 

 of the house. When these residences increase in size 

 they assume the appearance of a park, and of course 

 the approach will follow the character of those required 

 in such places. It is not unusual to find two approaches 

 to a villa entering from the same line of road, and at 

 points within a hundred yards of each other; — a fact which 

 indicates an excessive love of road-making, for one ought 

 to be sufficient for the requirements of the place. When 

 a communication with a separate line of road is needed, 

 a second approach is not only excusable, but it may be 

 necessary, though it will generally encroach considerably 

 on the privacy of the grounds. We do not pretend to 



