February 26, 1887 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
409 
CROOME COURT. 
The Seat of the Earl of Coventry. 
This is one of the oldest mansions in the county of 
Worcester, and stands in a beautifully wooded park of 
about 500 acres. It is situate between the Malvern 
and Bredon Hills, from either of which it can be seen 
nestling amongst the trees. Along the top of the deer 
park splendid views of these hills are obtained ; the 
greatest care having been taken in the planting of the 
trees, so that here and there vistas allow of extensive 
ranges ; those towards the Bredon Hills being par¬ 
ticularly fine as the summer sun is setting. 
Worcestershire is noted for the growth of the Elm, 
and, truly, it grows to an immense size ; some of the 
largest of the specimens rise to a height of 150 ft., 
the boles at a height of 5 ft. from the ground, girthing 
as much as 19 ft. Where at times they have been 
planted rather thickly together to give effect to the 
landscape, they have grown to a great height, and are 
as clean and as straight as telegraph poles ; they grow 
houses, together with stoves, greenhouses, forcing- 
pits and frames, such as are generally found in a large 
establishment. At the back of the long range are two 
spacious fruit rooms, Mushroom house, potting shed 
and young men’s rooms. Nearly the whole of the 
walks about the houses are paved—a very great con¬ 
venience. One great feature of the kitchen garden are 
its grass walks, the main one being about 170 yds. long 
by 4 yds. wide ; another, running from the lower side, 
joins it about the centre, and is of the same width, but 
only 120 yds. long. The whole of the garden is inter¬ 
sected by narrower grass walks, rendered necessary for 
dividing the ground into workable squares. 
The pleasure-grounds are about sixty acres in extent, 
and beautifully laid out, forming as they do an almost 
continuous belt round the mansion, but so arranged as 
not to interfere with the landscape. On the southern 
side is laid out, in serpentine beds, a portion devoted 
to Roses, with here and there a bed of Rhododendrons, 
Azaleas and Kalmias planted as a relief, and being 
Upon a tablet, fixed in an urn-like piece of statuary, 
are the following lines inscribed by the successor of the 
Earl, by whom the pleasure grounds were formed :— 
“Sacred to him, the genius of the place, 
Who rear’d these shades and formed these sweet 
retreats, 
With every incense-breathing shrub adorned, 
And flowers of fairest hue ! His cultured taste 
And native fancy bade the scene around 
Rise perfect: and the Muse, whom much he loved, 
Still joys to haunt it. Crowned with length of 
days 
He liv’d, one wish alone unsated. Much 
His loyal heart had cherished a fond hope 
To hail this day of Jubilee, and close 
His earthly course in Britain’s hour of joy.” 
Continuing our walk we next noticed a very healthy 
specimen of Pinus ponderosa, a pair of really grand 
Cedars and a very fine Edwardsia grandiflora ; while, 
at a short distance from these stand a pair of beautifully 
variegated Elms, which stand out conspicuously from 
the evergreens amongst wdiich they are planted. 
Croome Court, Worcestershire, the Seat of the Earl of Coventry. 
very rapidly and are very clean in the grain. The Oak, 
although making good growth, does not attain anything 
like the same dimensions, but assumes a dwarf-spreading 
habit as a rule ; the diameter of the spread of branches, 
in some cases, is as much as 45 yds., some of the boles 
at 4 ft. from the ground’ girthing, no less than 23 ft. 
The whole of the estate is beautifully wooded, but, 
still, not so much as to destroy the picturesque nature 
of the situation. The mansion itself, shown in the 
a mexed engraving, stands in a beautiful valley, 
along the western side of which winds an ornamental 
river, continuing its course along the lower side of the 
deer park, and finally emptying itself into the Avon, 
of which it may almost be termed a tributary. The 
kitchen garden and pleasure grounds are, as a matter 
of course, extensive, the former being six acres within 
the walls, and situate on a slope with a western aspect. 
The subsoil being a marl, renders extra attention 
necessary in the way of deep cultivation to produce 
satisfactory crops ; certainly, all the green kinds were 
most luxuriant and healthy. 
The accompanying illustration shows a part of the 
glass structures, which are numerous and of modern 
construction, consisting of vineries, Peach and Fig 
houses, specially-constructed Melon and Cucumber 
sheltered on the north by the garden wall, and on the 
east by a dense shrubbery, succeed admirably, yielding 
an immense amount of bloom throughout the entire 
season ; and at the time of our visit baskets of Jules 
Margottin, Baronne Prevost, Souvenir de laMalmaison, 
Gloire de Dijon, and most of the best autumn-flowering 
varieties could have been cut. Many of the finer 
species of ornamental trees abound, conspicuous amongst 
them being some majestic Cedars, splendid specimens 
of the deciduous Cypress, Oriental Plane, Salisburia 
adiantifolia, and the largest specimen we have yet seen 
of Pyrus sorbus or Service Tree. 
One group of Cedars we noted as giving a beautiful 
effect, being planted close by an ornamental building 
called the Rotunda. From here is obtained the splendid 
view of the Bredon Hills previously mentioned. In 
another portion of the shrubberies we noticed a particu¬ 
larly fine pair of purple Beeches, feathered to the ground, 
and of immense proportions ; a grand specimen of the 
Stone Pine, and what is considered to be the finest 
example of the scarlet Oak in the kingdom—truly a 
magnificent tree, and in robust health ; a splendid 
specimen of Pinus contorta, another of the Tulip Tree, 
Liriodendron tulipifera, and others too numerous to 
mention. 
Further on we noticed a very fine specimen of Salisburia 
adiantifolia, quite 50 ft. high ; and during our walk we 
noticed several good specimens of Catalpa syringaifolia, 
which, when in flower, must be truly beautiful. It is 
rather strange this ornamental-flowering tree is not 
more extensively planted ; its flowers, although rather 
short-lived, are extremely pretty. We next came to 
an ornamental lake, the grounds about which, when 
kept, must have been very beautiful; it is now the 
home of wild fowl. On a raised marble tablet is the 
following inscription 
“ To the Memory of 
Lancelot Brown, 
Who, by his inimitable and creative genius, 
Formed this garden scene out of a morass.” 
The Mr. Brown above alluded to will probably be 
better recognised as “Capability” Brown. Farther 
on, we came to what was once a most beautiful piece of 
rockery with an arched grotto ; but through the wanton 
depredations of visitors, it has been robbed of most of 
its gems—so much so that the grounds were closed. In 
this part of the- shrubberies are many very fine Cedars 
and other conifers, and we particularly noticed a 
splendidly-furnished specimen of the deciduous Cypress ; 
while just above the water’s edge close by waved the 
