FEBRUARY. 
43 
mansion, where every object that could possibly offend the eye was 
totally hidden from view; all buildings and necessary addenda to a 
country demesne being as exclusively hidden from every part of the 
mansion as the mansion itself is from the approach. 
In publishing the notice of any place, we trust that our readers do 
not feel that we do it for the purpose of lauding up either this place or 
that—our sole object is the hope of imparting useful information ; 
therefore anything we see worthy of imitation we feel that we are 
making ourselves useful in thus bringing it into notice, but at the same 
time, in thus criticising a place, its defects or errors ought to be as 
faithfully pourtrayed that others may avoid them, especially as the 
gardens of the great are too often taken as models worthy of imitation; 
indeed, it was something after this character that the terrace gardens 
at Harewood had been represented to us as something worthy our 
notice, or, in fact, as a chef d'ouvre of their style, consequently our 
anticipations had pictured to us a treat of no every day occurrence; 
but, alas, like many a bright dream or fairy vision, were our imagina¬ 
tions doomed to give way before the substantial reality. This terrace 
garden we found situated on the south front of the mansion; it is about 
450 feet long and 130 feet wide. The beds are formed upon gravel; 
the edgings are dressed stone, between which and the plants we 
observed margins of common Yew, planted very thickly, and being 
clipped to the required height and breadth answered this purpose most 
admirably. This we also found was efficiently used for filling some of 
the smaller beds, corners, «c. We also noticed the common “ Ling ’* 
and Evergreen Oak used for this purpose. As regards the manage¬ 
ment of the beds there was nothing left to be desired; they were good 
in the extreme ; the colours were well blended and softened down, 
leaving nothing harsh to strike the eye. Each and every bed was well 
filled ; great care and ability were displayed in regulating all super¬ 
abundant growths, and also in regulating the height of each bed, &c. 
But we must confess to a most egregious error in the design ; the beds 
and scrolls were much too small, consequently the grand effect we had 
anticipated was quite lost. Had they been proportioned to the noble 
mansion, and to the size of the terrace, our pen would have had the 
pleasing task of describing one of the grandest displays of floral effect 
the eye ever feasted upon. There is a herbaceous border, ten feet wide, 
between the house and the terrace; here we noticed some very good 
plants of Veronicas, Fuchsias, Deutzias, with several other tender 
flowering shrubs, which are taken up and potted for winter storing. 
This border forms an excellent background and relief to the terrace. On 
the south side there is a neat wall of masonry. The two ends are sup¬ 
ported by sloping banks ; these banks are covered by the common 
Laurel, which is most excellently handled; these are pruned and cut 
close in, till they are as smooth and even as a bank of turf Looking 
from the terrace upon the park the eye is greeted with a most beautiful 
landscape, embracing a fine sheet of water, beyond which the ground 
gradually rises, and beautiful groves crown the distant outline, the 
foliage being tinted with the various hues of autumn, which, together 
with the setting sun, tended to give to the whole scene a very impres- 
