452 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  23,  1899. 
DODDINGTON  HALL. 
Familiar  with  gardens  in  many  counties  of  England,  even  those 
more  widely  distant  from  London  than  my  native  one  of  Lincoln¬ 
shire,  Doddington  Hall,  adjacent  to  the  ancient  cathedral  city  of  Lincoln, 
i  s  the  first  save  one  in  that  county  of  fen  and  wold  and  farm  to  which 
I  have  more  than  very  briefly  referred  in  the  pages  of  the  Journal 
of  Horticulture.  To  many  persons  Lincoln  as  a  gardening  shire  is  a 
name  and  nothing  more,  its  agricultural  renown  having  overshadowed 
its  horticultural  reputation.  Amongst  its  farmers  are  men  with  open 
minds,  who  have  moved  with  the  times  and  are  ever  ready  to  adopt  fresh 
ideas  that  appear  likely  to  promise  improvement  in  their  land  or  stock, 
and  by  whom  some  of  the  very  best  farming  in  the  British  Isles  is 
done.  Then,  too,  in  addition  to  these  general  farmers  there  are  in 
the  South  growers  who  cultivate  Snowdrops  and  Daffodils  by  the 
acre,  and  to  these  go  our  greatest  bulb  merchants,  who  erstwhile  pro¬ 
cured  the  whole  of  their  stocks  from  the  flatlands  of  Holland.  For 
the  gleaner  on  all  matters  agricultural  Lincolnshire  would  provide 
abundant  and  valuable  information.  But  such  was  not  my  object. 
On  a  certain  Thursday  in  September  I  was  informed  that  I  “  ought  to  go 
to  Lincoln  to  see  Mr.  Ellison’s  fruit  trees  at  Bracebridge,  and  proceed 
thence  to  Doddington  Hall.”  An  hour’s  consideration  decided  the  point, 
and  on  Saturday  the  journey  was  undertaken. 
An  early  start  was  made,  and  the  Great  Eastern  route  was  chosen. 
The  country  traversed  by  this  great  system  is  rich  in  interest  to  all 
“.tillers  of  the  soil,”  as  districts  are  passed  that  are  celebrated  for 
their  horticultural  associations.  For  example,  the  traveller  gets  a 
glimpse  of  Paul’s  nurseries,  as  well  as  of  the  great  market  establish¬ 
ment  of  the  Rochford’s,  while  the  passing  of  Harlow  brings  vividly  to 
mind  the  renowned  home  of  the  Rivers  at  Sawbrigeworth.  Cambridge 
has  its  Botanic  Gardens,  under  the  capable  Mr.  R.  Irwin  Lynch,  and 
March  brings  the  fen  lands  with  their  splendid  crops  of  farm  produce. 
Spalding  and  Wisbech  recall  the  brightness  of  spring  with  its 
charming  Daffodils  and  pure  Snowdrops,  while  Sleaford  is  a  household 
word  the  world  over  by  reason  of  its  long  association  with  the  firm  of 
Charles  Sharpe,  Ltd.  Shortly  after  leaving  the  latter  town  the 
rapidly  moving  train  brings  Lincoln’s  Minster,  rising  in  noble 
grandeur  on  the  hill  of  the  ancient  city,  within  view.  It  is  a  mag¬ 
nificent  sight,  fitting  conclusion  to  an  interesting  ride.  At  Lincoln 
there  are  Pennell’s,  Illman’s  and  other  nurseries  that  might  be 
visited,  with  excellent  private  gardens,  but  time  did  not  permit  of  this 
being  done. 
J ust  a  brief  walk  round  was  made,  then  steps  were  turned  to  the 
gardens  of  Bracebridge  Manse,  and  hopes  and  expectations  ran  high  as 
to  what  would  be  seen.  A  tramp  of  two  miles,  and  a  most  hearty 
greeting  was  being  received  from  the  revereud-gardener-turner,  of 
whose  home  it  is  proposed  to  give  some  notes  in  a  future  issue.  The 
instructive  time  here  was  quickly  gone,  and  the  advent  of  Mr.  C. 
Foster  meant  immediate  preparations  for  the  visit  to  Doddington, 
which  was  reached  too  late  in  the  evening  for  the  gardens  to  be  seen, 
but  sufficiently  early  for  gardens  and  gardening  to  be  reviewed  and 
discussed.  Mr.  Foster  will  be  remembered  by  many  readers  as  being 
some  time  back  at  Aberpergwm  in  the  Vale  of  Neath,  whence  he 
emerged  at  frequent  intervals  with  collections  of  vegetables  of  such 
excellence  as  to  win  several  important  prizes,  as  well  as  the  Sutton 
cup  at  Shrewsbury.  He  had  already  become  a  power  in  the  vegetable 
world  when  he  passed  from  South  Wales  to  Doddington  Hall,  the 
residence  of  G.  E.  Jarvis,  Esq.,  since  when  exhibiting  has  had  to 
stand  behind  so  that  the  gardens  and  grounds  might  be  accorded 
undivided  attention.  Let  it  be  hoped,  however,  that  the  show  arena 
'  will  leel  his  presence  again  in  the  future. 
The  manor  of  Doddington  dates  back  for  very  many  years,  and  the 
vicissitudes  of  its  several  owners  would  form  the  text  of  a  pleasant 
story.  The  hall  itself,  in  its  very  style  of  architecture,  speaks  of  days 
long  gone  by,  and  it  is  not  difficult  to  conjure  up  thoughts  of  the 
happenings  its  ancient  rooms  have  seen.  It  is  a  noble  structure, 
approached  through  a  magnificent  Tudor  archway,  withinside  of  which 
lies  a  splendid  square  or  courtyard  having  four  beautiful  Cedars, 
whose  branches  cast  a  wide  and  pleasing  shade.  This  is  on  the  eastern 
or  main  front  of  the  mansion,  of  which,  unfortunately,  a  photograph 
suitable  for  reproduction  could  not  be  secured.  There  are,  too,  within 
and  without  the  courtyard,  some  handsome  Golden  Hollies,  that  are 
kept  carefully  clipped  to  maintain  their  formal  shape,  which  is  so 
much  in  keeping  with  the  contiguous  structure.  To  the  right  of  the 
principal  entrance  a  Magnolia  stands,  to  which  we  find  the  following 
reference  in  an  interesting  history  of  Doddington : — 
“Close  in  front  of  the  hall,  encouraged  by  its  shelter,  a  broad- 
Uaved  Magnolia  has  out-topped  the  house  itself,  while  at  its  north-west 
corner,  and  nearly  equalling  it  in  height,  stands  the  great  Holly,  its 
leaves  prickless  from  age,  measuring  12  feet  round  the  bole,  but  with 
its  top  now  sadly  shattered  by  the  storm  of  Sunday,  24th  March,  1895, 
which  split  off  half  its  massive  head.” 
The  Holly  referred  to  by  the  historian  is  shown  in  the  foreground 
of  the  illustration  (fig.  81),  which  was  reproduced  from  an  excellent 
photograph  taken  by  Mr.  H.  M.  De  Ath,  of  Lincoln.  It  is  said  to  be 
one  of  the  largest  Hollies  to  be  seen  in  the  country.  Immediately  at 
the  foot  of  its  huge  trunk  is  the  door  that  gives  on  the  western  garden, 
whose  walls  continue  from  those  of  the  mansion.  It  is  a  charming 
retreat,  quiet  and  secluded,  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  Mrs.  Jarvis,  who 
is  passionately  fond  of  flowers,  finds  delight  in  its  upkeep.  As  it  was 
not  laid  out  in  true  keeping  with  the  mansion  plans  were  recently 
produced  by  Mr.  Goldring,  of  Kew,  and  the  initial  steps  towards  the 
change  have  been  made.  When  this  undertaking  reaches  completion 
the  harmony  will  be  perfect,  as  the  plan  is  for  a  Tudor  garden  of 
the  formal  design  of  the  period,  and  which  is  simply  a  replica  of  the 
architectural  features.  Apart  from  this  the  garden  has  a  charming 
old  world  air,  and  includes  in  its  broad  borders  many  of  those  delight¬ 
fully  fragrant  flowers  of  simple  beauty  to  which  our  forbears  were  so 
ardently  attached.  _ 
The  walls  surrounding  this  garden  are  almost  wholly  covered  with 
numerous  plants,  which  clothe  it  with  verdure  in  the  spring  and 
summer  months.  There  are  those  that  flower  in  the  early  spring, 
and  others  whose  floricultural  beauties  are  displayed  during  the 
summer,  and  it  is  a  notable  fact  that  several,  though  not  all,  are 
deliciously  perfumed.  Undoubtedly  the  most  conspicuous  wall  plant 
is  an  old  Wistaria  sinensis,  whose  arms  extend  on  each  side  of  the 
main  trunk  for  an  enormous  distance.  The  branches  rise  one  above 
the  other  to  the  summit  of  the  wall,  and  the  picture,  when  the 
hundreds  of  flowers  are  at  their  best,  must  be  a  most  delightful  one. 
Clematises  are  observable  in  considerable  numbers,  and  by  the  diversity 
of  form  in  their  flowers  add  a  feature  that  is  always  much  appreciated. 
The  clipped  Conifers,  the  old-fashioned  herbaceous  flowers,  the  many 
trees — including  a  shapely  specimen  of  Taxodium  distichum — all  play 
their  respective  parts  in  adorning  a  scene  that  is  ever  fair  and 
beautiful. 
The  trees  in  the  gardens  at  both  sides  of  the  house  and  in  the 
surrounding  grounds  are  in  many  instances  strikingly  handsome.  In 
addition  to  the  Holly  previously  noted,  there  are  several  Welling¬ 
ton^,  and  some  magnificent  Spanish  Chestnuts.  Three  of  these 
form  a  clump,  and  it  would  be  no  easy  task  to  find  a  handsomer  trio. 
The  largest  has  a  girth  of  23  feet  1  yard  above  the  ground,  and  is 
much  larger  higher  up.  Elms  are  numerous  and  particularly  good,  as 
are  Walnuts.  The  latter  trees  are  not  perhaps  so  conspicuous  for 
their  height  as  for  the  number,  size,  and  quality  of  the  nuts  they 
annually  produce.  The  Bastard  Cork  Oak,  Quercus  pseudo-suber, 
Magnolias  in  variety,  Cerasus  (Prunus)  padus,  the  Bird  Cherry,  and 
Dimorphanthus  mandshuricus  are  amongst  the  many  others  that 
attracted  prominent  attention,  either  for  their  size  or  some  other 
peculiarity.  _ 
The  vegetable  garden  at  Doddington  is  possibly  unique.  It  is  of 
no  modern  foundation  as  is  evidenced  on  every  hand,  but  has  pro¬ 
bably  been  formed  over  a  century.  The  main  walks  are  flanked  by 
clipped  hedges  of  Yew,  Box*  and  Thuia,  these  being  about  3|-  feet 
high,  and  as  much  through  at  the  base.  Over  the  top,  which  is 
rounded,  they  measure  some  10  or  12  inches.  Almost  in  the  centre 
of  the  garden  is  a  large  round  pond,  encircled  with  a  broad  border  of 
herbaceous  and  other  plants,  from  which  bushels  of  flowers  can  be  cut 
with  scarcely  an  effort,  and  without  marring  the  general  effect.  The 
pond  is  approached  from  one  side  beneath  a  rustic  archway,  on  which 
the  ubiquitous  Crimson  Rambler  is  making  itself  at  home.  Fruit 
trees  are  numerous  and  varied  both  in  kind  and  character.  Many  of 
the  Apples  and  Pears  have  passed  their  youth  scores  of  years  ago,  and 
these  are  gradually  being  displaced  by  young,  vigorous  specimens, 
which  improve  yearly  in  their  cropping  properties.  Some  of  the  old 
stagers  occupy  the  walls,  while  others  are  in  the  open  ground.  The 
garden  will  be  far  more  profitable  when  the  last  of  these  has  been 
removed,  as  they  occupy  space  which  can  ill  be  spared  and  produce 
little  fruit,  and  that  almost  invariably  inferior. 
Remembering  Mr.  Foster’s  prowess  as  a  vegetable  grower  when  in 
previous  situations,  it  is  perhaps  superfluous  to  say  that  this  one  is  a 
model  in  keeping.  It  is  admirably  cropped  with  all  necessary 
vegetables,  many  of  which  are  sufficiently  good  to  win  in  strong 
competitions.  It  was  pleasant  to  learn  that  Mr.  Jarvis  was  taking  the 
keenest  interest  in  the  crops,  though  this  cannot  be  wondered  at  when 
the  produce  reflects  such  credit  on  his  garden.  Potatoes,  Carrots, 
Parsnips,  Beet,  Onions,  Peas,  and  green  vegetables  were  alike  of  the 
first  quality,  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  most  conspicuous 
crop  was  Sutton’s  Best  of  All  Scarlet  Runner.  The  plants  of  this 
variety  were  13  feet  high,  and  had  borne  from  the  base  upwards. 
Many  pods  had  been  produced  that  measured  a  foot  in  length,  and 
the  bulk  had  been  nothing  short  of  enormous.  Pods  of  this  and 
Autocrat  Pea  were  still  being  picked  at  the  middle  of  October,  which. 
