September 17, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
37 
August, and September. This is a great boon to the 
people of Aylsham and the neighbourhood, as well as 
to families staying at the watering-places on the Norfolk 
coast. The plain iron gates, that stand some few 
yards back from the main road, are thrown wide open, 
and the people walk about at will. The park is about 
900 acres in extent, of an undulating character, thickly 
wooded in places, and the timber very fine. I measured 
one Spanish Chestnut, 3 ft. from the ground, and the 
girth was something over 19 ft. There are a great 
number of fine Oaks, and conifers of different species 
have been planted about, which are attaining a good 
height and well furnished below. From certain parts we 
get extensive views of the surrounding country beyond 
the park boundaries. In the park there is a fine herd of 
deer, and the common 
bracken Fern grows in 
places most luxuriantly, 
there being extensive banks 
of it, nearly 5 ft. high. 
There is an extensive lake of 
water, nearly a mile long, 
and from 300 to 400 yards 
wide in some parts, which is 
a great skating resort in the 
winter months, the public 
being allowed free access. 
This is one of the most 
peculiar parks in England, 
for, although it is so ex¬ 
tensive, I do not think there 
is one gravel-walk, road or 
drive inside it; and although 
it extends into the parishes 
of Oulton and Itteringham 
and there are public rights 
of way through it, yet only 
those resident in the im¬ 
mediate neighbourhood are 
capable of threading their 
way through to any desired 
point. The Hall stands in 
the extreme corner of it, and 
the south front is about 150 
yards from the public road 
running through the parish, 
and being strictly quadri¬ 
lateral, the grounds are laid 
out to correspond. The 
drive, which is perfectly 
straight from the public 
road to the front entrance, 
is about 20 ft. wide, with a 
broad sweep of grass on each 
side, and for a boundary a 
very large Yew fence; this, 
on both sides of the drive, 
is kept clipped in. Behind 
the Yews are some Elms of 
great age, which have the 
appearance of having been 
cut in to form a stiff formal 
line to correspond with the 
Yews. Approaching Blick- 
ling for the first time, one 
cannot help observing how 
broad and straight the 
public roads are ; so very 
different to what we are 
accustomed to. The fences, 
too, are in good order 
kept pruned in low, so that 
riding or walking we can Narcissus 
view the country on each 
side. The view from the 
entrance is up a valley, and is very pretty. 
A moat originally closely surrounded the hall, which 
still exists minus the water, but has been converted 
into a very pleasant and enjoyable sunk garden. It is 
about 8 ft. deep and 12 ft. wide, the wall on the ground 
side, which is visible from the windows, being clothed 
with Ivy principally, and against the walls of the 
mansion are such plants as Magnolias, Clematis, 
Jasmines, &c. The surface is a beautiful grass plot, 
with a series of beds cut out in the centre—at least, on 
the south and east sides, the north side being all grass. 
Some of the beds were carpeted, and looked exceedingly 
well; others were filled with Pelargoniums, neatly 
edged with dwarf plants ; and some had larger subjects 
growing in them. The drawbridge on the entrance- 
front was removed many long years ago, and the moat 
is now crossed by a very solid stone bridge of two spans. 
Leaving the south front, and passing through a 
covered-in path, we enter the principal flower garden 
on the east side. It is a square one of, probably, two 
acres in extent, bounded, on the south and east sides, 
by high walls clothed with evergreen and other creepers. 
These walls support the grounds beyond them, which 
are level with their tops. The hall being a square, and 
the moat the same, the garden is laid out in accordance. 
Straight walks are very prominent in the whole 
arrangement of the extensive dressed grounds. Along 
the side of the moat or sunk garden is a broad plot of 
grass, then a very wide gravel-walk, which also leads 
around the garden, the latter being divided into four 
squares. In the centre is a fountain, the grass-walks 
which intersect the four squares running up to the 
basin. These, in places, are covered over with light 
rustic arches, clad with creepers. The beds are also 
square in shape, but of different dimensions, and 
are filled with plants of every description, the style 
adopted being early English. A great many herbaceous 
plants are used, and also a number of sweet-scented 
subjects. Standard Acers, with heads trained much 
after the manner of standard Portugal Laurels, are 
freely planted about, with Irish Yews and columnar 
Junipers on the grass lines. 
On the north-east end of the hall there is another 
bridge of two spans across the moat, this being the 
garden entrance into the house. After walking round 
this garden and returning to our starting point we take 
another circuit. To the right is a large flight of steps 
which we ascend and proceed in a straight line, looking 
down upon the flower garden described above, and 
here we get a splendid view of it and its arrangements. 
There is also a handsome flight of steps on the eastern 
side of this garden, and broad walks lead through shrub- 
planted grounds to a building standing on another 
terrace with two fine columns in front of it. We 
proceed, however, in the opposite direction, southernly, 
and admiring the fine trees on our way eventually reach 
a circular spot, from whence eight broad paths radiate, 
four being gravel and four grass, and all wide enough 
to allow a carriage and pair to proceed along ; at the 
end of each path or vista there is something different to 
see and admire, either an old vase on a noble pedestal, 
or a flight of steps—for these abound here—or an 
opening into the outer park, or, it may be, the great 
lake of water beyond the garden boundary. 
We promiscuously take 
one of these gravel walks, 
and find ourselves on the 
boundary of the park. Here 
we are struck with straight 
lines again, and can but 
admire what has been a very 
costly piece of work by one 
or other of Blickling’s former 
owners. It is a great bank 
thrown up on a ridge; the 
top is, probably, about 30 ft. 
wide, and in the centre of 
it, running north to south, 
is a gravel walk 12 ft. wide, 
with grass strips on each 
side of the same width. 
I cannot possibly give the 
length, it is an extensive 
boundary line. With the 
soil thrown up to form this 
mound there must be the 
deep cutting on either side. 
On the garden side timber 
trees abound, with shrubs 
thickly planted to hide or 
clothe its bank. On the 
park side there is a thick 
high Beech fence of good 
proportions, and kept cut 
in, which makes it a square 
fence, resisting all cattle 
from getting through ; this 
fence is not the least ob¬ 
structive to the eye, the top 
of the fence being so much 
lower than the gravel walk 
we are proceeding along. 
In the park, on this side, 
there has been straight 
lines of Horse Chestnut trees 
planted, and also Beeches; 
these, as they attain size, will 
form avenues which you can 
look through as you walk 
along this noble boundary. 
In the middle of our 
walk we came to a square 
ancient building, resembling 
the old - fashioned green¬ 
houses that are to be 
found in many old garden 
establishments. It was 
empty, but a door opposite 
the entrance tempts us to 
open it, when a splendid 
view greets the eye. This 
is the building seen at the 
end of one of the broad 
walks that lead out of the 
flower garden. Outside the door is a covered terrace, 
with the two fine columns before alluded to. The scene 
embraces a grand lot of forest trees, shrubs, Irish \ ews, 
Rhododendrons, &c., with the flower garden beyond, 
and the mansion in the background. All things 
combined makes this a very enjoyable spot. But we 
proceed along our boundary walk until we reach the 
extreme north-east corner. One of the eight vistas 
before mentioned, comes out in the corner here, and on 
the gravel at this point stands an ancient vase on a 
high pedestal. We now proceed from east to west, 
this walk bringing us to the north end of the lawn ; 
on the right is the park still, and this boundary bank 
proceeds some ivay until it loses itself in an undulating 
part of the ground. Here were shady walks, rustic bowers 
amongst trees of noble height, and some very old Limes 
with huge branches proceeding from around the base 
CYCLAMINEUS, JOHNSTONI, AND TRIANDRUS ALBUS. SEE P. 41. 
