PRIVATE GARDENS 337 
Grosvenor House garden, with terrace and lawn 
sloping down to large trees, has natural advantages for 
a beautiful garden, but a row of beds along the terrace 
are the only flowers. The owners of these large London 
gardens have such an abundance of floral display else¬ 
where that no real gardening seems to be attempted. 
To understand what are the horticultural possibilities of 
London, it is in the minute back-garden that the 
lesson must be learned, and the subject studied. 
Holland House is an exception to this rule, for there 
the most beautiful garden, in keeping with the magni¬ 
ficent old house, is kept up, and the greatest care and 
skill were bestowed on it with wonderful results by 
the late Earl of Ilchester. 
No house, perhaps, has more associations than 
Holland House. Its history has been so often written, 
that to go over it in detail would be superfluous. 
Built by Sir Walter Cope, while Elizabeth was on the 
throne, from the designs of Thorpe, it doubtless from 
the first had a good garden, as in those days great care 
was expended on the surroundings of a house, for 
people realised, as did Bacon, that, “ men come to build 
stately, sooner than to garden finely; as if gardening 
were the greater perfection.” The second stage in its 
history, when it passed to Henry Rich, through his 
marriage with Sir Walter Cope’s daughter and heiress, 
was even more eventful. He enlarged the house,, 
which became known as Holland House after Charles I. 
had created him Baron Kensington and Earl of Holland. 
His wonderful personal charm, inherited from his mother,, 
the “Stella” of Sir Philip Sidney, made him a general 
favourite ; but not even his attachment to the Queen 
preserved him from disloyalty, although in the end he 
