3SG 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, September 27, 1859. 
such subjects. In private life Professor Henfrey was endeared 
to his friends by the gentleness of his manners and the genuine 
kindness of his nature.— Athenaeum, 
THE HYDE. 
This compact, pretty residence of Lionel Ames, Esq., is 
situated on an elevated platform ahnost as high as Luton Hoo, 
on the opposite side of the river Lea, and about three miles from 
the town of Luton. In the vale of the Lea the Welwyn branch 
is now being formed of the Dunstable, Luton, and Welwyn 
Railway, which, as a loop line, will connect all the great railways 
in the east, north, and west of London. 
It has been objected to some of the notices of places appearing 
in these pages, that the gardens and demesnes were so extensive, 
that anything like imitations among the great mass of readers, 
was entirely out of the question, and that notices and criticisms 
in a kindly spirit of smaller places would be more generally 
useful. Convinced that there is a certain amount of truth in 
this representation, I have been induced to notice one of the 
neatest, simplest, and best-filled flower gardens I have seen this 
season, though not of very great extent; and also to notice some 
apparent errors in the arrangements, with which, however, 
neither the gardener nor the present much-esteemed proprietor 
have had anything to do. The latter inheriting the defects as 
well as the beauties of his garden and demesne. 
Several instances have come within my notice, in which gentle¬ 
men of refined taste have altered altogether the entrance-doors 
of their houses, in order that the most striking scenery might be 
seen first from the principal windows. On this principle the 
carriage entrance to the Hyde should be at the garden front. 
With the exception of the flower garden and lawn, and groups 
in a small park beyond, the view on that side may be said to be 
self-contained, owing to the somewhat level platform extending a 
considerable distance, and, so far as I am aware, the amphi- 
theatred woods of Luton Hoo being shut out by home plan- J 
tations. On the entrance front, on the other hand, a beautiful I 
panorama is opened up of the varied ground of the home park 
shelving down to the Hatfield and Luton road, and the river, and 
the varied and rising ground on its opposite side ; the foreground 
being enriched with groups of Deodars, Cedars of Lebanon, and 
the best varieties of the Pine tribe, w’hich the proprietor has 
planted in considerable quantity. 
An idea of the compactness of the establishment may at once 
be formed, if the reader would suppose himself standing on the 
lawn front of the mansion, with his back to the house, for then 
some thirty yards or so to the left hand end of the raised terrace 
walk (see diagram), he would see a thick winding shrubbery, 
which effectually shuts out from view all traces of the well- 
cultivated small kitchen garden ; while at something like a similar 
distance to the right-hand end of the terrace, a similar shrubbery 
and trees effectually shut out the stables and offices. This com¬ 
pactness, which does so much to ensure economy in labour, 
might, however, have been quite as effectually secured if the 
carriage entrance'had been on the lawn front, with the arrange¬ 
ment of kitchen garden and offices just as they are, A more 
private road for manure, &c., being placed farther back out of 
sight. With such an arrangement, and a terrace, and either a 
sunk or balustraded flower garden, where the present entrance 
now is, the eye, when fatigued with contemplating floral beauty, 
would gather freshness and pleasure by reposing for a time on the 
beautiful diversified scenery beyond. Right or wrong, there can 
be no question that the fine scenery of the place is obtained 
from the entrance-front. If the idea were to render the lawn- 
front as secluded as possible, and to depend entirely for interest 
on its self-contained attractions, then the idea has been success¬ 
fully carried out. 
Besides, as in too many cases of old mansions, especially where 
it has been considered to be more according to rule to sink at 
least one story below ground, instead of rising an additional 
story into the pure atmosphere, not only are the cellars, &c. 
so sunk at the Hyde, but kitchen, pantries, and a very large, fine 
housekeeper’s-room. The windows of the latter have plenty of 
light from a steep grass-slope in front, communicating, however, 
with the flower-garden lawn, so that if these windows are not 
covered with blinds, &c., it is impossible to examine the beds 
near the house without also noticing wbat is going on in these 
rooms.. Leaving the necessary privacy which a room implies out 
of consideration, we are, in general, so much influenced, though 
not controlled by circumstances, that in such a case we can hardly 
avoid allowing two very different classes of ideas to dispute for 
the mastery of our thoughts at one and the same time, and if the 
strictly beautiful triumphs over the necessary and useful, it 
always loses rather than gains by the skirmish. 
True, a person who thought more of unity of expression and 
mere appearances in such circumstances than the health and com¬ 
fort of his servants, could substitute a dead wall instead of the 
green bank some four or five feet from the windows, and then 
cover the space above with an elegant open grating, the front 
studded with vases, &c. These inconveniences, if looked upon as 
such, w'ould have been easily obviated, if the entrance-approach 
had swept round to the lawn-front of the house at a fair distance 
from these windows. 
Whilst making these remarks, which may be worth the attention 
of those intending to build a country residence, one very desirable 
feature under existing arrangements at the Hyde should not be 
forgotten. 
From the entrance-front to the gate which leads to the kitchen 
garden on one side, and to the stables on the other, a low, stone- 
coped wall is built, over-topped with Lauristinus and other ever¬ 
greens, so as effectually to shut out all traces of the pleasure- 
ground and flow'er garden until you enter upon them, or see 
them from the windows. In passing along from the kitchen- 
garden side of the approach, the only thing that may lead to the 
idea of flower-beds would be the glass of a small conservatory at 
that end of the mansion, and communicating with the living- 
rooms. Owing to a plan being only partly carried out, I daily 
witness a glaring defect in this respect. One of the fine features 
of Skrubland Park is, that the gardens are thoroughly separated 
from the park scenery. This is just as effectually secured at the 
entrance at the Hyde, and by more simple means. To prevent 
returning again to it, I may mention that the conservator}’ was 
well filled with flowering-plants ; and in a shady recess, close to 
the living-room, a group of Achimenes were more at home than 
they would have been more fully exposed to the light. 
4 
1. Platform on which the house stand. 
2. Lawn on garden front, on which the two groups of flower-beds are 
placed. 
3. Steep sloping bank of grass 34 feet in height, (i feet on slope. 
4. Terrace walk of gravel, six yards broad, and 96 yards long. 
5. Bank not so sr.ee,). 
6. Part of lawn beyond, separated from park scenery by a ha ha wall. 
The most striking feature in the lawn-front of the Hyde, so far 
as groundwork arrangement is concerned, is the raised gravel 
terrace, marked 4 on the diagram, which is six yards wide at top 
and ninety-six yards long; is three feet and a half above the 
general level; is placed twenty-eight yards from the house ; has 
a flight of stone steps at each end, and ornamented with vases 
there and at regular distances along its sides ; these being filled 
with Scarlet Geraniums. From what some gardeners who have 
lived at the Hyde, and the way many visitors here have spoken 
of this raised walk, I was forced to conclude that, in their 
estimation, it was a regular pet gem, worthy of being praised and 
imitated. I can hurt no one by saying that I look upon the 
huge mound, as a great deformity, separating into two unequal 
divisions, without any apparent reason, what would otherwise 
have been a uniform level lawn. It always struck me that the 
architect and landscape gardener must have laid their heads 
together to form this mound as a means of getting rid of the soil 
removed from the lower story and foundations of the building. 
That the walk will be dry in all weathers I readily grant; and 
this might he a reason where the grounds are sunk in a swamp, 
but scarcely applicable to a raised platform like the Hyde, with 
the ground falling from it in most directions. As stated in a 
late number, a similar terraced mound exists at Gorhambury; 
hut, at the boundary of the pleasure-ground, no strong reason 
can be assigned for its being placed there, that ever I heard of, 
any more than for this breaking up of tbe lawn at the Hyde, 
though I believe both were done by a celebrated artist. Ad¬ 
mitting that, in both cases, an error has been committed, I freely 
admit that the eyesoi-e has been so far turned to the best possible 
results under the circumstances. The walk is made ornamental 
by the vases ; and in walking along you look down and see the 
beauty of the groups on lawn 2 at a glance. On looking also at 
the same groups from the base of the house, or even from the 
