288 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
March  31,  1898. 
LONDON’S  OPEN  SPACES. 
V. — Hackney  Marshes  and  Finsbury  Park. 
Of  northern  and  north-eastern  open  spaces,  the  largest,  if  in  some 
senses  the  least  beautiful,  is  Hackney  Marshes,  with  its  335  acres  of 
ditch-divided  land.  Subject  to  periodical  inundations  from  the  river  Lea 
in  the  old  days  it  was  much  frequented  by  fowlers  and  hawking  parties. 
In  relation  to  this  latter  sport  a  curious  story  is  told.  In  September, 
1792,  a  hawk  was  caught  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  brought  from 
there  by  an  English  vessel.  The  bird  had  on  its  neck  a  gold  collar  on 
which  was  engraved  ;  “  This  goodlie  hawke  doth  belong  to  his  Most 
Excellent  Majestie,  James  Kinge  of  England,  A. D.  1610.”  The  discovery 
created  much  discussion  at  the  time,  and  it  was  recorded  as  a  curious 
instance  of  the  longevity  and  flying  powers  of  the  hawk,  since  the  bird 
was  believed  to  be  one  that  “on  the  Lea  marshes  mounted  so  high  with 
his  game  that  both  hawk  and  heron  got  out  of  sight  and  were  never  seen 
more.  Inquiry  was  made,  not  only  all  over  England,  but  in  all  the  foreign 
princes’  courts  in  Europe,  the  hawk  having  the  king’s  jesses  and  marks 
sufficient  whereby  it  might  be  known  ;  but  all  Inquiries  proved  insufficient.” 
That  the  kings  of  England  had  long  looked  upon  the  Lea  or  Hackney 
Marshes  as  good  sporting  ground  is  shown  also  by  an  entry  in  the  account 
of  the  Comptroller  of  the  Wardrobe  of  King  Edward  I.,  1299,  “Paid  to 
Will  de  Foxehunte  for  the  keep  of  twelve  hunds  belonging  to  the  king  for 
his  use  on  the  T^ee  marshes,  each  dog  per  day  a  halfpenny — £9  3s.” 
The  Marshes  have  also  been  the  scenes  of  war  and  warlike  prepara¬ 
tions.  It  was  here  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  and  his  party  appeared  in 
arms*  in  the  reign  of  Richard  II.,  and  remained  encamped  while  they 
sent  John,  Lord  Lovel,  with  the  Archbishop  of  York  and  others,  to  the 
king.  It  was  during  this  sojourn  on  these  then  sodden  and  miasmatic 
flats  that  the  duke  contracted  the  ague,  which,  according  to  historians,  so 
worried  him.  In  the  reign  of  Charles  II.  Hackney  Marshes  figured  in  a 
notable  attempt  to  improve  the  ordnance  of  the  time  inaugurated  by 
Prince  Rupert.  That  fiery  Royalist  leader  set  up  a  water-mill,  that 
gave  him  sufficient  power  to  bore  guns  by  a  new  method  he  had 
discovered,  but  the  secret  died  with  him,  and  the  mill  fell  into  ruins, 
which  were  still  in  existence  at  the  beginning  of  this  century. 
Coming  nearer  to  the  present  time  we  find  the  records  of  Hackney 
Marshes  a  mixture  of  accounts  of  floods,  sporting  events,  and  disorderly 
gatherings.  In  1774  the  remains  of  a  great  causeway  of  stone  were 
discovered,  with  many  Roman  coins  and  pieces  of  pottery.  It  was 
probably  one  of  the  many  great  Roman  highways,  but  though  of  intense 
interest  to  antiquarians  the  mob  saw  nothing  in  it  but  an  excellent 
opportunity  to  make  a  little  money,  the  stones  being  carted  away  and 
sold  by  the  load,  and  the  whole  relic  completely  demolished.  A  good 
specimen  of  the  sporting  gatherings  is  afforded  by  one  which  took  place 
on  Thursday,  August  13th,  1737,  when  a  horse  race  was  run,  or  rather 
swam,  from  Tyler’s  ferry  to  the  bridge  in  Hackney  Marsh,  the  com¬ 
petitors  being  two  well-known  sportsmen,  and  the  first  horse  winning  by 
two  lengths.  It  is  estimated  by  a  writer  of  the  time  that  8000  persons 
gathered  to  see  this  contest.  There  is  also  the  significant  sentence  that 
“  upwards  of  300  robberies  were  notified  to  the  authorities  as  having 
taken  place  on  that  day.”  Hackney  Marshes  were  also  notorious  for 
bull-baitings  and  prize  fights. 
Formerly  Hackney  Marshes  were  flooded  to  an  extent  unknown  in 
late  years,  “St.  .Tames’s  Chronicle,”  of  January  19th,  1841,  describing 
a  great  flood  of  that  year  as  being  “  like  the  sea,”  boats  that  ventured  on 
it  being  upset,  and  many  narrow  escapes  from  drowning  taking  place. 
These  things  have  all  been  bettered,  the  Marsh  is  properly  drained, 
clumps  of  trees  adorn  it  here  and  there,  disorder  is  suppressed,  the  sports 
are  cricket  aud  football,  and  in  the  great  stretch  of  land  with  its  many 
quaint  memories  the  County  Council  hold  for  the  people  one  of  the  most 
valuable  of  our  metropolitan  “lungs.” 
Finsbury  Park  is  another  of  London’s  great  northern  spaces,  though 
why  it  should  be  called  “  Finsbury  ”  nobody  seems  to  know.  It  is  a 
triangular  space  of  land  some  120  acres  in  extent,  lying  some  miles  from 
Finsbury  proper,  Islington,  Hoxton,  and  Holloway  intervening  between 
it  and  the  district  after  which  it  is  named.  The  site  was  originall}’ 
krown  as  Hornsey  Wood,  which  in  1774  was  described  as  “a  coppice  of 
young  trees,  at  the  entrance  to  which  is  a  public  house  to  which  great 
numbers  of  people  resort  from  the  City.”  This  wood  for  some  time  shared 
with  Chalk  Farm  the  dubious  honour  of  being  a  favourite  meeting  place 
for  duellists,  and  at  the  tavern  near  by,  “  Hornsey  Wood  House,”  Mr. 
Reay  and  Mr.  Lambton,  two  City  magnates,  drank  coffee  before  they 
fought  and  killed  each  other.  The  tavern,  which  lay  just  beyond  the 
“  Sluice  House,’’  so  celebrated  for  its  eel  pies  in  the  last  generation, 
became  very  popular.  The  grounds  were  laid  out  as  tea  gardens  and  a 
lake  formed,  the  water  being  supplied  by  the  New  River,  which  runs  near 
by.  For  a  long  time  the  grounds  were  devoted  to  pigeon  shooting  matches, 
but  eventually  the  patrons  of  the  sport  found  Hurlingham  and  the 
“Welsh  Harp  ”  more  convenient,  and  “  Hornsey  Wood”  was  deserted  by 
them.  The  spot  was  a  favourite  resort  of  the  poet  Crabbe  when  in  London, 
aud  on  one  occasion,  too  tired  to  walk  back  to  town,  and  not  having  suffi¬ 
cient  money  on  him  to  pay  for  a  lodging,  he  lay  down  on  some  hay  in  the 
coppice  and  passed  the  night  there. 
The  Park,  which  is  well  laid  out  with  ornamental  walks  and  flower 
beds,  was  acquired  by  the  Metropolitan  Board  of  Works  in  1866,  at  a  ^ 
cost  of  fel42  per  acre.  It  was  opened  by  Sir  T.  Thwaites  in  1869,  and  is 
now,  under  the  control  of  the  County  Council,  one  of  North  London’s 
most  charming  and  popular  resorts. 
Another  most  important  open  space  in  North  London  is  Clissold  Park, 
a  beautiful  pleasure  ground  53  acres  in  extent.  It  was  purchased  for 
the  public  in  1887  by  the  Metropolitan  Board  of  Works,  the  Charity 
Commissioners,  and  the  local  vestries,  at  a  total  cost  of  £86,000.  Since  it 
has  been  in  the  hands  of  the  County  Council  it  has  been  much  improved, 
its  flower  beds  being  one  of  the  sights  of  the  district.  The  spot  has  no 
particular  history,  legend  according  it  only  the'somewhat  gruesome  fame 
of  being  the  place — or  very  near  it — where  the  first  gibbet  was  erected 
in  England.— (“  Lloyd’s  News.”) 
SPRING-  SHOWS. 
TORQUAY^— March  23rd. 
The  show  held  at  Torquay  adds  yet  another  to  the  great  successes 
which  the  local  Gardeners’  Association  has  achieved  in  this  direction. 
The  class  for  groups  of  miscellaneous  plants  was  well  filled,  Mr.  W.  Satterby, 
gardener  to  Mrs.  Rawson,  taking  first  honours  with  a  most  attractive 
exhibit.  Mr.  W.  H  Minifie,  gardener  to  Mrs.  Hassall,  was  a  close 
second  ;  Mr.  C.  R.  Prowse,  gardener  to  Dr.  W.  Ford  Edgelow,  and  Mr. 
R.  W.  Hodder,  gardener  to  Mrs.  Trevor  Barkley,  being  respectively  third 
and  fourth  wi.h  displays  very  little  behind  the  first  in  point  of  merit. 
The  Orchids  shown  by  Mr.  G.  Lee,  gardener  to  Miss  Lavers,  and  the 
miscellaneous  stand  exhibited  by  Mr.  "W.  Bale,  gardener  to  J.  Snelgrove, 
Esq.,  formed  great  attractions,  as  did  the  trade  exhibits.  Of  these  Messrs. 
R.  Veitch  &  Sons,  Exeter,  contributed  a  large  portion.  The  Committee 
had  a  specially  constructed  basin  and  fountains  in  the  centre  of  the  hall, 
and  Mr.  F.  W.  Meyer,  of  the  above  firm,  had  laid  it  out  in  the  form  of  an 
artificial  lake  some  30  feet  across.  With  the  fountains  playing  and  the 
whole  illuminated  with  a  unique  arrangement  of  electric  lights,  as  it  was 
in  the  evening,  a  most  charming  effect  was  obtained,  and  great  was  the 
admiration  expressed  by  the  crowds  of  visitors.  The  other  nurserymen 
exhibiting  were  Messrs.  W.  Allward,  W.  Burridge  &  Sons,  Curtis, 
Sanford  &  Co.,  the  South  Devon  Fruit  Farm,  Beachey  &  Co.,  and  W.  B. 
Smale,  who  showed  a  choice  selection  of  Azaleas  and  Rhododendrons. 
The  table  decorations  were  extremely  good,  Mr.  F.  Peacock,  gardener 
to  P.  lY.  Bushby,  Esq.,  being  first  with  a  light  and  tasteful  arrangement 
of  Narcissus  poeticus  and  Roses  W.  Allen  Richardson.  Mr.  J.  Davis, 
gardener  to  Lady  Macgregor,  was  a  close  second,  with  a  lovely  arrange¬ 
ment  of  Daffodils.  The  Cyclamens  shown  by  Mr.  R.  W.  Hodder  were 
also  noteworthy.  The  Corporation  exhibited  a  stand  of  flowers  from  the 
open  air,  and  Mr.  C.  H.  Gerry  some  well  grown  Cinerarias.  The 
arrangements  were  carried  out  by  a  hard-working  Committee  of  gardeners, 
aided  by  Dr.  R.  Hamilton  Ramsay  (President),  Mr.  W.  A.  Masterman, 
and  Mr.  W.  B.  Smale,  J.P.  (Vice-Presidents'',  and  Mr.  Fred.  C.  Smale 
(Hon.  Sec.).  These  all  worked  hard  to  secure  success,  which  object 
was  certainly  attained,  the  attendance  being  extremely  good  throughout 
the  day. 
BRIGHTON  AND  SUSSEX.— March  29th  and  30th. 
This  show  was  a  decided  improvement  upon  that  of  last  year.  Not 
because  there  were  better  exhibits,  but  on  account  of  greater  number  and 
a  good  all-round  competition.  Mr,  ,T.  Hill,  gardener  to  C.  Wallis,  Esq., 
Springfield,  Withdeane,  had  a  well-arranged  group,  which  proved  what  a 
good  effect  can  be  gained  by  the  simplest  and  easiest  flowers  and  plants 
to  grow.  Mr.  G.  Miles,  Dyke  Road  Nursery,  followed  very  closely. 
Tables  of  plants  were  good,  Mr.  G.  Miles  being  ahead,  and  having  some 
exceptionally  high-coloured  Begonia  Gloire  de  Lorraine.  Mr.  Bonson 
Lister,  gardener  to  E.  A.  Wallis,  Esq.,  ran  this  exhibit  very  close.  Mr. 
Harper,  gardener  to  E.  A.  Tucker,  Esq.,  Vernon  Place,  Preston,  was  first 
for  a  collection  of  Orchids,  Lycaste  Skinneri  splendens,  Sophronites 
coccinea  (very  bright),  and.  LaBlia  harpophylla  being  the  best.  Mr. 
H.  Garnett,  gardener  to  R.  G.  Fletcher,  Esq.,  Mount  Harry,  Preston,  also 
had  an  excellent  stand. 
One  of  the  most  pleasing  exhibits  was  a  class  for  a  mantlepiece  and 
hearth  arranged  with  plants.  In  this  instance,  mirrors,  and  fire-places, 
were  set  [in  between  screens,  and  the  whole  tastefully  decorated  by  the 
Society.  What  good  use  can  be  made  of  our  common  Primrose  was 
amply  shown  here  by  Mr.  G.  Miles,  Dyke  Road  Nursery,  who  was  ahead 
with  a  charmingly  simple  arrangement.  Mr.  E.  Meachen,  gardener  to 
Mrs.  Armstrong,  Woodslee,  Preston,  followed  very  closely.  Hyacinths 
and  Tulips  were  good  ;  Mr.  .1.  House,  gnrdener  to  Sir  F.  Mowatt,  K.C.B., 
Withdeane  Hall,  winning  for  twelve  Hyacinths,  and  Mr.  E.  Anderson, 
gardener  to  B.  Parish,  Esq.,  Preston  Park  Avenue,  for  a  like  number  of 
Tulips.  We  have  not  seen  Lily  of  the  Valley  so  numerous  here  for 
many  years,  and  they  were  exceptionally  good  ;  Mr.  A.  E.  Golding, 
gardener  to  H.  St.  George  Voules,  Esq.,  Dyke  Road,  was  only  just  ahead 
of  Messrs.  W.  Miles  &  Co.,  Hove. 
Lachenalias  were  largely  shown,  but  all  were  the  old  L.  tricolor. 
The  pots  from  Mr.  J.  Turner,  gardener  to  Sir  Greville  Smythe,  Wick 
Hall,  and  Mr.  ,T.  Hill,  gardener  to  C.  Wallis,  Esq.,  Withdeane,  would 
have  been  hard  to  beat  ;  so  also  would  the  grand  pots  of  Mignonette 
from  Mr.  W.  E.  Anderson,  gardener  to  B.  Parish,  Esq.,  Preston  Park. 
Freesias,  Violets,  Primulas,  Cinerarias,  and  Hydrangeas  were  good. 
The  Spiraeas  were  beyond  the  average,  the  twelve  best  pots  coming  from 
Mr.  G.  House,  gardener  to  Sir  F.  Mowatt,  K.C.B.  Cyclamens  were 
also  very  good,  Mr.  C.  Murrell,  gardener  to  Mrs.  Jenkins,  Burgess  Hill, 
having  a  grand  dozen.  It  was  the  same  in  a  class  for  twelve  Genista 
fragrans,  the  best  coming  from  Mr.  H.  Head,  The  Drive  Nursery, 
Brighton.  There  were  some  grand  Amaryllis  from  Mr.  G.  House,  some 
of  the  best  we  have  seen.  Mollis  Azaleas  from  Messrs.  W.  Miles  and 
Co.,  Hove,  were  also  most  noticeable,  as  were  the  six  Callas  from  Mr, 
E.  Anderson. 
