House & Garden 
THE RECONSTRUCTED VERANDA SMITHELI.S HALL 
The original situation of Smithells Hall 
was one of defence, and the north side faced 
the edge of a steep cliff, at the bottom of which 
a small stream flowed. This configuration 
of the ground, though not so apparent to-day, 
is nevertheless quite distinct, as the ground 
falls considerably from the house on this side, 
and the stream, now made by means of a 
waterfall to serve as an ornamental feature of 
the grounds, is crossed by a bridge. This 
kind of natural dell is well wooded and 
planted with shrubs and trees. The stables 
lie on the other side of this again, at a con¬ 
siderable distance from the Hall. 
The gardens lie on the south and east 
sides of the house, their general lay-out being 
shown on the accompanying plan. The 
south front of the building, which is about 
270 feet in length, is well broken up both as 
regards plan and sky-line, and forms a com¬ 
position of great picturesqueness. A quiet 
repose is its chief characteristic, which is per¬ 
haps emphasized by the growth of ivy on 
the older parts. It is a study in gray and 
green, and if any criticism is to be passed at 
all, it would doubtless be that there might 
with advantage have been a little color in¬ 
troduced somewhere. The stone walls and 
the stone slabs on the roofs have indeed 
weathered in a delightful diversity of shades, 
but a touch of color, even in a red chimney 
pot or a window blind, would not have 
destroyed one’s pleasure in nature’s tints, 
but would rather have enhanced it. 
The terrace wall extends along the whole 
of the south front of the building, the 
coping being on a level with the grass of the 
lawn on the house side, so as to keep the 
view over the park uninterrupted from the 
ground-floor windows. The wall itself is thus 
really a retaining wall. The long terrace walk 
is four feet below the level of the lawn which 
is immediately in front of the house, and is 
fifteen feet wide. The flower beds, which 
run along its entire length beneath the wall, 
are stocked with old-fashioned herbaceous 
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