224 A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND 
letter written by Lord Percival to his brother-in-law, Daniel 
Dering. 1 It is dated from Oxford, August 9th, 1724 : 
“ Friday morning left Becconsfield ; we went half a mile out 
of our way to see Hall Barn, 2 Mr. Waller’s house—a London Box 
if I may so call a house of 7 windows every way. He was gone a 
hunting, so we did not go into the house, which promised nothing 
extraordinary, but we spent a full hour and half in viewing the 
gardens, which you will think are fine, when I tell you they 
put us in mind of those at Versailles. He has 80 acres in garden 
and wood, but the last is so managed as justly to be counted 
part of the former. From the parterre you have terraces and 
gravelled walks that lead up to and quite thro’ the wood, in 
which several lesser ones cross the principal one, of different 
breadths, but all well gravelled and for the most part green 
sodded on the sides. The wood consists of tall beech trees and 
thick underwood, at least 30 foot high. The narrow winding 
walks and paths cut in it are innumerable ; a woman in full 
health cannot walk them all, for which reason my wife was 
carry’d in a Windsor chair like those at Versailles, by which 
means she lost nothing worth seeing. The walks are terminated 
by Ha-hah’s, over which you see a fine country and variety of 
prospects every time you come to the extremity of the close 
winding walks that shut out the sun. Versailles has indeed the 
advantage in fountains, for there is not one in all this garden ; 
but there are two very noble pieces of water full of fish, and 
handsomely planted and terraced on the sides. In one part of 
the wood, and in a deep bottom, is a place to which one descends 
with horrour, for it seems the residence of some draggon ; but 
there shines a gleam of light thro’ the high wood that surrounds 
and shades it, which recovers the spirits, and makes you sensible 
a draggon would seek some place still more retired. This place 
may be call’d the Temple of Pan or Silvanus, consisting of 
several apartments, arches, corridores, &c., composed of high 
thriving ews cut very artfully. In the centre of the inner circle 
or court, if I may call it so, stands the figure of a guilt satyr on 
a stone pedestal. ... I pass over the bowling-green, and large 
plantations about the house, which are but young, but I must 
1 MS. belonging to Lord Egmont. 
2 Now the property of Lord Burnham. 
