April  24,  1902. 
.JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
361 
in  the  park  furnishes  commendable  relief,  and  adds  considerably 
to  the  general  luxuriance  and  adornment  of  the  estate.  Within 
the  area  of  the  iDark  lies  tlie  tennis^green,  said  to  be  one  of  the 
finest  in  the  country,  and  of  which  the  illustration  affords  a 
bird’s-eye  glimpse. 
The  Grange  house  is  quite  modern,  and  was  a  college  some 
forty-five  years  ago.  Numerous  additions  and  alterations  since 
then,  however,  have  entire! j"  transformed  the  appearance  both 
indoors  and  out.  The  exterior  walls  are  closely  covered  with 
Ampelopsis  and  other  suitable  climbers,  whilst  smoothly  shaven 
lawns,  with  their  Rose  beds  and  borders,  specimen  Conifers  and 
shrubs,  encompass  the  south  and  west  fronts.  The  entrance 
drive  approaches  from  the  east  side,  and  to  the  north  of  the 
mansion  are  the  conservatories.  In  all  there  are  eleven  glass 
houses,  comprising  a  Peach  house,  two  flowering  houses  or 
“  show  ”  conservatories.  Cucumber,  Rose,  Melon,  and  Orchid 
houses,  plant  stove,  two  vineries,  a  long  Peach  case,  and  quite 
a  number  of  pits  and  frames,  all  of  them  nicely  stocked  and  kept 
in  the  best  possible  condition  by  Mr.  George  Beech,  the  head  gar- 
very  famous  Euphorbia  (syn.  Poinsettia)  pulcherrima,  whose 
twenty-five  years’  growth  has  evidently  been  vigorous  and  little 
suppressed.  It  covers  many  square  yards  of  surface,  and  always 
,  has  some  of  its  scarlet  bracts  to  show.  The  contorted  limbs  are 
I  3in  or  4in  thick,  and  numerously  interweave.  The  Roses  are  all 
I  very  sweet,  and  flower  splendidly;  and  the  old  Cestrum,  or 
I  HabrothamnuSj  so-called,  drooping  over  the  steps  leading  into 
I  the  “  black  ”  vinery,  is  a  sight  at  all  times  good  and  refreshing. 
Cyclamens,  Cinerarias,  Primulas,  Begonias,  Heliotropes,  Zonal 
,  Pelargoniums,  Richardias,  and  pot  Carnations  are  among  the 
specialities  at  The  Grange,  and  each  is  finely  represented.  Violets 
in  frames  grow  so  profusely  that  ba.sket-loads  can  be  picked  every 
week  during  the  winter.  The  Vines  and  Peaches  (some  of  the 
latter  planted  out)  are  quite  a  credit  to  the  gardener,  and  both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barker  must  often  delight  in  viewing  these  fine 
houses. 
Since  Mr.  Beech  assumed  his  charge  at  The  Grange  six  years 
•  ago,  he  has  been  instrumental  in  altering,  for  the  better,  .some 
parts  of  the  garden,  particularly  in  making  a  beautiful,  broad. 
dener,  and  his  assistants.  The  long,  uiiheated  Peach  case  gave  me 
much  pleasurable  interest.  Running,  as  the  boundary  wall  does, 
for  a  distance  of  about  fifty  paces,  the  case  forms  a  lean-to  glass 
structure  9ft  high  at  the  back,  and  sloping  downward  to  a  very 
low  brick  front ;  in  breadth  it  may  be  10ft.  The  ventilators  are 
placed  at  intervals  between  the  bricks.  Within  this  very  useful 
case  at  the  present  time  the  small  standard  Peach  and  Nectarine 
trees  furnish  a  beautiful  display  of  blooms,  while  Cherries, 
Peaches,  and  Apricots  are  trained  to  wires  on  the  back  wall. 
Messrs.  Weeks  and  Co.,  of  Chelsea,  were  the  builders,  and  it 
would  be  well  for  gardens  everywhere  to  have  such  an  essentially 
useful  case  as  this.  Here,  on  the  borders  in  which  the  trees 
are  planted,  there  are  early  vegetables,  such  as  Peas,  Lettuces, 
and  Parsley,  with  the  addition  of  Mustard  and  Cress:  while 
Cauliflowers  and  Cabbages  for  spring  planting  are  also  pricked 
out.  These  will  be  cleared  off  before  heavy  syringing  is  neces.sary. 
and  the  borders  are  then  free  during  the  summer. 
From  this  Peach  case  a  warm  corridor,  with  Ro.se-covered 
walls,  leads  to  the  Orchid  house,  in  which  there  are  some  shapely 
Lselias  and  Cattlevas.  From  the  roof  of  this  structure  hangs  a 
and  winding  walk,  with  Rose  borders  on  either  side,  which  leads 
from  the  glass  houses  to  the  park.  Espalier  fruit  trees  hiive  been 
planted  at  the  back,  and  already  are  yielding  returns.  Hie  same 
walk  is  continued  all  the  way  round  the  park.  No  mention  has 
been  made  of  the  kitchen  gardens,  for  these  are  iplated,  and  lie 
at  a  distance  from  The  Grange.  Such  is  a  brief  description  of 
this  delectable  residential  demesne.  The  town  of  Bishop  s  Stort- 
ford  is  not  specially  interesting  to  the  stranger,  though  its  liistorjv’ 
dates  back  to  the  fifteenth  century,  when  St.  Michael’s  (’hurch 
was  first  erected  (1431),  for  the  purpose  of  protection,  doubtless, 
and  as  a  local  centre  for  the  Staplers  and  other  trmlers.  This 
picturesque  and  impressive  edifice  stands  on  the  Windhill,  one 
of  the  highest  parts  of  the  town,  and  its  tall  spire  Is  a  land-mark 
for  miles  around.  Within  the  steeple  there  are  ten.  bells — ^^a 
wonderful  peal.  The  name  Bishop’s  Stortford  is  perplexing  until 
one  learns  that  there  is  a  river  (it  is  called  a  ‘‘  river”  !)  Stort. 
It  is  natural,  then,  to  mix  the  component  parts  of  the  name,  and 
say  the  Bishop’s  ford  on  the  Stort,  and  that  is  just  what  Chauncy  s 
“History  of  Hertfordshire”  tells  me  is  the  derivation. — 
Wandering  Willie. 
