214 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 5, 1858. 
or cap the boldly-swelling knolls; and give the park, as it 
were, the appearance of a valley, which runs towards the east, 
and is lost in a sudden descent of wood, only the tops of the 
trees of which are discernible at a distance. 
The approach from this point trends to the left in an easy 
sweep, always pointing to the Hall, which is here seen in the 
distance, embosomed in wood, and well - kept evergreens. 
Across the park, to the right, in the edge of the belt of trees 
j that flank the north side, is an old building in ruins, called 
the Shepherd House; which, as an ancient relic, is enlivening to 
the scenery, but as a human residence would be out of place. 
Advancing along the carriage-drive, the eye looks across 
winding glades and pleasing views of the surrounding country 
on the left. Then, passing a herd of young Lancashire. Short 
Horns, or a flock of West Highland Scots, the visitor is 
ushered beneath two large trees of Acer Pseudo-Plat anus; and 
surrounding the Hall, he finds himself on the east front. 
Here the scene is enchanting. The undulating form of the 
ground to the right and left, and the deep shade of the sur¬ 
rounding woods, and gradual descent of the park towards the 
east, allow the eye to range over not less than twenty miles’ 
distance of the surrounding country, in which are to be seen 
several neat village-church spires. 
The lawn (on which is a good Araucaria imbricata), the 
trim carriage drive, and the large clumps of healthy-looking 
j Rhododendrons and Azaleas, &c., planted by Mr. Guthrie, 
with not a single flower in the immediate vicinity of the 
mansion, harmonise with the Palladian or the Italian style of 
architecture in which the Hall is built, and the whole sur¬ 
rounding scenery. On the left of the main entrance to the 
Hall is a thicket of shrubs, composed of common Laurels, 
Hollies, &c., that completely hide the court wall; through 
which is a private walk leading into the court-yard. This 
has been embellished by Mr. Guthrie with embankments 
planted with evergreens, and bounded by thirty-inch grass 
verges. On the left are the stables; and on the right, in front 
ol them, the servants’ hall and offices. Large timber trees of 
various kinds overshadow this part of the establishment, 
and take the rear to the west; beneath which have been planted, 
during the last two years, upwards of two thousand Rhodo¬ 
dendrons and common Laurels, that have made good growth, 
and promise to make fine under-shrubberies. 
To the south-west of the mansion is the deer park. Here 
the different vistas are enchanting. The first object that strikes 
the attention is a new plantation of forest trees close to the 
back of an army of ancient foresters that have battled vic¬ 
toriously with the storms of many years, and cap the 
hill that is over against the south front of the Hall. On the 
right is a massive wood which covers the brow of the lull 
that descends into the valley towards the south. At the 
acclivity of the hill, free from the shade of the wood, is an 
old ice-house which fronts to the south, and is without any 
external covering upon it; and I was informed that it keeps 
j ice, with little or no trouble, the whole year round. 
In this part of the park are several large old Oak trees, now 
in decay, that once reared their heads in glory. These C( kings 
of the wood” bear evident marks of their royal existence 
when Eixby was a forest. 
A little to the south from this point, the ground forms a 
I sort of promontory, from which a beautiful panoramic view 
of the surrounding country is obtained, as far as the eye will 
carry. Over against the park is the market town of Hudders- 
fiehl, and the general cemetery, and several Gothic churches. 
Io the north of the Hall is the kitchen garden, which is 
well enclosed by a large brick wall and wood paling; and 
against the latter have been planted young plants of Beech 
and English Elms, that, ere long, will form a good fence on 
the south side, as well as serve to soften down the hard lines 
ot the old brick wall, which, under all circumstances, would 
. objectionable to the eye of refined taste. It is well 
shielded on the out side from heavy winds by largo trees; under 
winch runs a gravel walk, particularly inviting, by its shadiness, 
on a hot summer’s day. 
The kitchen garden—in fact, the whole of the estate—was in 
a most delapidated state previous to Mr. Edwards entering into 
it; but now all parts are being altered and improved : and in 
no part are the improvements more striking than in the kitchen 
garden. Old, half-decayed Cherry and Apple trees, and 
Currant and Gooseberry bushes, that had occupied the ground 
for years, to little or no purpose, have been up-rooted, and 1 
the ground trenched from eighteen inches to two feet deep, 
and planted with young trees, and cropped with various suc- 
cessional crops of vegetables. The crops (in September), 
show the advantage they derive from the deep trenching Mr. 
Guthrie lias adopted in liis improvements of the place. The j 
borders on each side of the walks are judiciously planted with ; 
a choice and an extensive collection of herbaceous plants ; and 
these are intermixed with Dahlias and Fuchsias ; so that the 
borders are gay with flowers from early spring to late autumn, ! 
which is a rarity in these days of rage for bedding-out the 
more showy half-hardy greenhouse plants. A brick wall that 
runs from east to west divides the kitchen garden into two 
compartments. The north division is wholly enclosed by 
brick walls, which give it the form of a quadrilateral figure ; 
and would convey the idea that the south division enclosed 
by the paling, &c., mentioned above, was added after the 
other had been made. This part communicates with a new 
piece of ground that has been taken from the wood that is 
situated at the west end of the north division. The trees and 
crops of vegetables here are really splendid. In the centre of i 
this part of the ground are three large trees of Fagus sylva- j 
tica, that, by all means, ought to be removed, in order that | 
the crops cultivated beneath them may not be injured by the 1 
deep shade of their foliage. At the west end is an old con¬ 
servatory, employed now only for protecting Camellias, &c., 
and in front of it is a large, choice, and healthy collection of 
Alpines, cultivated under frames. 
To the north of this old house, under the trees that belt 
the west side of the park, is an ice stack, built according to 
the principles advocated a few years ago by The Cottage 
Gardener and Cottage Gardener’s Dictionary. Mr. 
Guthrie spoke of the practicability of preserving ice in stacks 
in woods, and gave a marked preference to them, to the 
system of keeping it in the old kind of houses. 
Proceeding from this point to the east on the right, is the 
head gardener’s cottage, which is a spacious, comfortable 
dwelling, built of brick. Contiguous to it, along the brick 
wall of the kitchen garden, are the back sheds, Mushroom- 
house, fruit rooms, &c. Against the front wall of these build¬ 
ings, which is overshadowed with large trees, are trained 
common Laurels, that give a pleasing effect. Now, entering 
the kitchen garden by the doorway that is placed in the brick 
wall, the first object that strikes the attention is the vinery, j 
which is placed on the left of the entrance, and is a lean-to 
house, in the old style. The Vines are in good condition, 
and had upon them above an average crop of good-coloured 
and well-flavoured fruit. Beneath the Vines, Figs are cul¬ 
tivated to great advantage. Every tree is clean and healthy, | 
and literally was covered with fine fruit, beginning to ripen * 
off well; and along with the Vines and Figs is cultivated a 
miscellaneous collection of greenhouse plants. Am ong which i 
I noticed a symmetrical Cupressus TJhdeana , that is worthy 
of being admired. 
A little to the right is the greenhouse, This is a new 
span-roofed building eleven yards long, and seven yards and 
two feet wide, and runs from east to west, and has a north 
and south front. The roof on the north side is festooned 
with French kinds of Fassijlora , which are rich both in 
foliage and flower. On the south side are trained along the 
rafters, Bignonia grandis , Fardenbergia macrophylla , Acacia 
juniperina , &c. In different parts of the house 1 noticed 
splendid plants of Acacias grandis , armata , Lambertiana , 
&c., with a well-grown miscellaneous collection of greenhouse 
plants. 
The hothouse is placed at the west end of the greenhouse, 
and is of the same size and form ; and is only separated from 
it by a brick wall, the height of the kerb stones of the pit, 
which is mounted by a glass partition that takes the form of 
the roof. On entering the house the eye is met on each hand, 
and from the roof, by lofty and elegant specimens of stove 
plants. Rising from a pot partially immersed in the pit that 
luns along the north side of the house, is Hexacentris my- 
sorensis, which, on reaching the rafters, is trained over the 
roof in festoons, as far as its climbing branches will allow. 
It is clothed with large foliage of a lively green colour to near 
the pot top ; and the branches are strong, but not gross, and j 
