154 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
August  15,  lyOl. 
Newnham  Paddox. 
How  lovely  the  country  is  when  the  trees  are  unfolding  their  tender 
green  leaves,  and  the  verdant  pastures  have  assumed  their  richest  tint. 
The  freshness  of  spring  appeals  to  all.  To  the  wanderer,  who  is  ever 
meeting  with  new  scenes  ;  to  the  rustic,  who  welcomes  such  signs  of 
active  life  ;  but  who  can  describe  the  delight  of  the  town  dweller  who 
flies  from  the  smoke  and  din  of  the  city  to  the  restful,  glorious  country 
with  its  sunshine  and  invigorating  breezes  ?  My  reverie  upon  this  and 
various  other  subjects  was  recently  brought  to  an  abrupt  conclusion  by 
the  shrill  cry  of  the  railway  men — “  R  igby !  R  lgby  !  all  change  here  !  ” 
and  out  the  living  freight  quickly  poured  upon  the  platform  of  that 
wonderful  station,  a  grand  monument  indeed  to  British  enterprise. 
Brinklow  was  the  nearest  station  to  my  destination,  but  it  is  on  a 
branoh  line,  so  it  is  surely  not  necessary  for  me  to  explain  why  I 
decided  to  cycle  the  seven  miles  between  Rugby  and  Newnham 
Paddox.  On  the  way  I  traversed  a  lovely  country,  so  undulating  and 
delightful  to  the  eye,  just  such  scenery  as  I  invariably  admire  (when 
I  am  not  cycling).  The  day  was  warm,  and  the  ascending  slopes 
seemed  wondrously  long  and  steep  compared  with  the  descending  ones. 
tonias ;  large  and  healthy  specimens  of  Pinus  pinsapo,  and  Pioea  Parryana 
glauoa  ;  massive  clumps  of  Rhododendrons,  and  shapely  Thorn  trees, 
whose  arching  branches  will  soon  be  wreathed  with  flowers.  Such  are 
the  main  features  of  the  wild  garden  at  Newnham,  with  a  wide  expanse 
of  water  for  a  central  object,  water  which  has  recently  been  cleared  of 
coarse  and  common  fish  and  stocked  with  choice  trout. 
The  flower  garden  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  the  mansion,  and  a 
rather  indistinct  view  of  a  portion  of  it  is  seen  on  the  right  of  the 
illustration.  Since  the  photograph  was  taken,  however,  a  row  of  Thuia 
Lobbi  has  been  planted  to  form  a  boundary,  with  numbers  of  Thuia 
aurea  and  other  dwarf  Coniform  to  form  a  sloping  bank  inside.  This 
living  undulating  slope  is  now  exceedingly  attractive,  and  forms  a  distinct 
and  pleasing  feature.  The  flower  garden  is  laid  out  in  a  geometrical 
style,  having  a  fountain  for  a  oentral  objeot ;  the  whole  of  it  is  seen  to 
advantage  from  the  terraoe  around  the  mansion.  At  the  time  of  my 
visit  there  was  a  gay  display  of  Tulips,  Wallflowers,  Daisies,  Polyanthus, 
and  hosts  of  other  plants  suitable  for  spring  bedding.  So  fine  a  garden 
entails  an  immense  amount  of  labour  in  keeping  it  in  order,  and  must 
sorely  tax  the  convenience  of  the  glass  structures  to  provide  the 
necessary  plants  for  summer  bedding.  The  large  amount  of  lawn  to  be 
kept  constantly  mown  is  also  a  business  of  considerable  magnitude,  but 
fortunately  there  is  a  steam  mower  at  command,  and  Mr.  Harman 
ENTRANCE  GATES, 
However,  the  quaint  village  of  Monks  Kirby  was  reached  at  last,  and 
after  a  short  spin  through  a  well-wooded  park  I  came  to  the  massive 
wrought  iron  gates  leading  to  the  mansion.  Such  gates,  too,  of  grand 
proportions  and  intricate  design,  which  rank  among  the  finest  specimens 
of  the  work  to  be  found  in  Britain.  They  were  brought  by  one  of  the 
ancestors  of  the  present  Earl  of  Denbigh  from  an  estate  in  Wales,  and 
at  great  expense  erected  where  they  stand  to-day,  and  form  a  noble 
entrance  to  a  stately  English  home. 
After  a  pleasant  greeting  from  Mr.  W.  Harman,  Lord  Denbigh’s 
head  gardener,  we  began  an  inspection  of  the  extensive  grounds. 
Some  magnifioent  Beech  trees  quickly  arrested  attention  by  reason  of 
their  great  size,  clean  trunks,  and  beautiful  proportions.  Near  by, 
beside  a  walk  leading  direct  to  the  mansion,  were  equally  good 
specimens  of  Limes,  which  formed  a  splendid  line  of  trees  to  give 
welcome  shade  in  summertime.  Bearing  away  from  the  mansion,  we 
traversed  a  winding  walk  bordered  on  either  side  with  a  wide 
expanse  of  grass  and  dotted  with  many  fine  trees.  This  part  is 
treated  as  a  “  wild  garden,”  and  Daffodils  and  Narcissi  have  been 
extensively  planted;  the  flowers  of  the  earlier  varieties  had  faded, 
but  the  later  ones  were  sprinkling  the  fresh  green  grass  with  patohes 
of  white  and  gold.  All  around  the  many  types  of  trees  supplied 
bright  and  varied  tints  of  colour  ;  huge  Chestnuts  with  leaves  almost 
(expanded ;  Birch  trees  with  long  thin  gracefully  drooping  branches  and 
silvery  trunks;  Prunus  Pissardi,  a  mass  of  bronzy  red  ;  stately  Welling- 
NEWNHAM  PADDOX. 
speaks  highly  of  its  great  advantages  for  such  work.  Many  fine 
specimens  of  Araucaria  are  growing  in  the  vicinity  of  the  flower 
garden,  but  unfortunately  the  severe  winters  of  a  few  years  ago  spoiled 
some  of  the  lower  branches.  Pressing  on  we  passed  between  a  splendid 
avenue  of  Elms,  with  a  trim  grassy  walk  between.  On  the  way  I 
noticed  a  pinetum,  containing  a  great  variety  of  promising  young 
trees,  which  in  a  few  years  will  be  extremely  interesting.  Near  by  is  a 
Rose  garden,  with  its  central  temple,  and  beds  of  dwarf  around  ;  all  the 
trees  were  growing  vigorously,  and  give  promise  of  a  wealth  of  flowers 
daring  the  days  of  summer  so  soon  to  end. 
The  kitohen  garden  is  a  large  and  fine  one,  surrounded  by  substantial 
walls,  which  will  soon  be  completely  covered  with  healthy  fruit  trees  of 
the  many  kinds  required  to  maintain  a  regular  supply  of  choice  fruits. 
During  Mr.  Harman’s  tenure  of  office  all  the  old  trees  have  been 
uprooted  and  young  ones  planted.  These  are  managed  on  skilful  and 
rational  lines,  by  which  means  the  wall  spaoe  is  quickly  covered  with 
healthy,  fruit-bearing  wood.  By  training  the  branches  thinly  but  little 
shortening  is  neoessary,  and  a  cleaner  and  more  promising  lot  of  wall 
trees  would  ba  difficult  to  find.  It  is  easy  to  see  at  a  glance  that  hardy 
fruit  culture  is  splendidly  carried  out,  as  the  walks  are  bordered  with 
espalier-trained  trees  and  bushes,  all  in  fine  condition.  Large  breadths 
are  also  devoted  to  Black  and  Red  Currants  and  Gooseberries,  and  each 
promise  to  give  a  splendid  crop.  Strawberries  are  grown  on  an  extensive 
scale,  the  favourite  being  Royal  Sovereign,  as  it  is  found  to  be  always  a 
