1838. ] 
ARCHITECTURAL AIDS TO GARDENESQUE EFFECTS 
221 
necessary breadth and massiveness of base to liis house. The house in virtue 
of its dignity claims for itself a certain width around it as a horizontal 
foundation, and over this area at least the right of its builder ought to 
extend. Instead, therefore, of being jealous of the interference of architects, 
we ought to welcome them into the garden. Great architects will know, 
and lesser ones must be taught, when to retire. 
Perhaps one of the best modern instances of an architect’s work in the 
garden is to be found at Shrubland Park, near Ipswich, in Suffolk, the 
noble seat of Sir George Broke Middleton, Bart. Several years ago the 
late Sir Wm. and Lady Middleton called in the late Sir Clias. Barry to 
improve and add to Shrubland. It is a noble Italian building, and this 
style of architecture requires more than most to be supported and supple¬ 
mented with gardens. Sir Charles’s work, therefore, extended from the 
house to the garden ; and I purpose here giving a brief account of what he 
did. The site of Shrubland is most commanding. It stands on the top of a 
beautiful hanging hill, and commands the sweep of a very rich agricul¬ 
tural valley on the garden front, with the park on the other side, fine 
woodland scenery to the right, and the park to the left. It has an elevation 
of from 200 to 800 feet above the bottom of the valley, in which the river 
Gipping creeps along like a silver snake in the far distance. The house on 
the garden side has three different bases. First, there is the upper terrace 
(a) next the mansion, with its flight of steps at each end. Next follows the 
second and wider terrace, with its central flight of steps (b). Each of these 
terraces is supported by a massive retaining wall that imparts great dignity 
and grandeur to the mansion. Then foliows the balcony garden (c), of 
which, as of the terraces, one half is shown in the annexed plan. It is 
bounded on the further side from the house by a highly ornamental 
wall (d), which is pierced at (p) with a lofty arch leading to the finest flight 
of steps, probably, that has ever been seen in any English garden. The 
balcony garden is likewise highly architectural. On each side of the centre 
walk (w) leading from the lower terrace to the arch at the top of the stone 
steps, permanent imitation tubs are placed, filled with round-headed Laurels 
in imitation of Orange trees. On each side also are four massive beds (1, 2), 
filled with Scarlet, Zonal, and other Pelargoniums, the corresponding beds 
on each side being alike. Two small beds (h) are introduced to connect the 
large ones together in pairs ; while large massive open-topped empty stone 
vases or baskets occur at g. The small beds are filled with Coleus Ver- 
scliaffelti; while i denotes the position of small trees, and j spiral Junipers. 
The long pieces of turf at the end of each group of four beds is surrounded 
by a double line of white sand, that has a cleanly sparkling appearance. 
The long bed (l) is filled with Pelargoniums, and other beds of Pelargoniums 
(m) contain groups of three or five Hollyhocks towering up at regular intervals 
