20G 
Siipplemfmt  to 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  10,  1904. 
Shrubs  and  ornamental  water,  Westonbiit. 
falling  at  intervals  into  valleys,  through  which  the  natural 
drainage  of  the  adjoining  lands  is  carried  off  ;  thus  every 
dip  has  its  rill,  and  every  valley  its  brook.  The  sides  of 
the  hills  abound  with  springs.  The  Thames  has  its  sources 
from  the  springs  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Gloucester,  and 
I  have  surely  read  that  its  ultimate  point  of  origin  can 
be  traced  to  one  bubbling,  restless  spring. 
The  Cotswold  Hills,  which  form  one  of  the  three  main 
sections  of  the  county  (the  others  being  (1)  the  low-lands, 
or  vale,  of  100,000  acres  ;  and  (2)  the  forest  district  of 
40,000  acres),  compose  a  range  of  considerable  elevation, 
and  consequently  the  harvest  from  off  them  is  nearly  a 
fortnight  later  than  that  of  the  surrounding  country.  The 
soil  on  the  sides  of  the  hills  is  said  to  be  thin  (a  calcareous 
loam),  while  that  of  the  valleys  is  fertile  and  good  for 
Apple  culture.  Sheep  rearing  is  quite  an  industry  on  the 
Gotswolds,  and  so  many  as  20,000  fat  sheep  were  at  one 
time  brought  to  Cirencester  market  ;  possibly  a  like  number 
may  be  still. 
At  Cirencester  there  is  now  a  large  and  flourishing 
agricultural  college,  and  the  Forest  of  Dean,  where  the 
Government,  through  the  Board  of  Agriculture  and 
Fisheries,  have  started  what  may  be  called  a  School  of 
Forestry,  lies  partly  in  Gloucestershire  beyond  the  Severn, 
and  partly  in  Monmouth,  Wales. 
As  a  county,  it  is  much  broken  up,  and  at  times  it  is 
difficult  to  tell  w’hether  one  is  on  Gloucester  soil  or  that  of 
another  shire,  seeing  that  patches  of  Gloucester  lie 
enswathed  in  four  neighl)Ouring  counties!  It  is  the  seventh 
largest  in  England,  with  a  reinited  area  of  1,244  square 
miles  (796,731  acres),  and  though  its  geological  and  agricul¬ 
tural  features  are  of  much  importance  and  interest,  its 
political  history  from  the  time  of  the  Roman  occupation 
downwards  is  of  still  wider  fame.  The  ancient  city  of 
Gloucester  has  a  story  second  to  no  English  town,  for  its 
position  placed  it  within  the  arena  of  events  in  all  times. 
But  when  the  Romans  dwelt  there,  Gloucester  was  a  land 
of  dense  forests  and  dismal  swamps. 
Tetbury,  the  post  town  for  Westonbiit,  is  not  a  large 
place.  It  is  situated  on  rising  ground  near  the  source  of  the 
Lower  Avon,  and  is  sixteen  miles  from  Gloucester.  Weston- 
birt  is  over  two  miles  from  Tetbury,  and  is  situated  in 
extensive  grounds,  the  estate  extending  altogether  to  about 
1,658  acres.  The  mansion,  which  was  rebuilt  in  the  Italian 
style  by  Vulliamy,  in  1860,  contains  many  valuable  paint¬ 
ings,  and  is  superb  in  its  entire  inner  decorations.  This 
manor,  which  is  approached  by  a  drive  from  the  highway, 
was  acquired  by  Sir  Richard  Holford,  a  Master  in  Chancery, 
descended  from  an  ancient  family  in  Cheshire,  on  his  mar¬ 
riage  with  the  heiress  of  the  Crewes  in  the  time  of 
Charles  II.  Richard  Holford,  Thomas  Holford,  and  Peter 
Holford,  EsQuii'es,  owners  of  this  estate,  were  successively 
Masters  in  Chancery  Vjetween  1694  and  1804.  A  mediieval 
church,  restored  in  1841,  stands  in  a  shrubbery  in  the 
gardens.  Its  tower  is  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  building 
in  the  south  side.  There  is  also  a  well-executed  monument, 
by  Westmacott,  to  the  memory  of  Robert  Holford. 
The  mansion  is  surrounded  by  a  great  park  of  400  acres, 
and  looks  out  upon  its  beautifully  kept  giounds  and  ter¬ 
races  ;  while  the  ranges  of  glass  houses,  which  have  been 
much  developed  within  recent  years,  are  quite  close  by. 
From  the  orchid  range  one  passes  into  the  pretty  Italian 
garden,  around  it  to  the  sunken  garden,  and  by  a  lengthened 
walk,  having  a  fountain  that  disports  goldfish  on  one  side, 
the  lake  lying  in  another  direction,  is  reached. 
The  garden  is  beautifully  disposed,  and  is  furnished  with 
just  the  types  and  kinds  of  trees  and  shrubs  that  gladden 
the  minds  and  hearts  of  all  who  find  delight  in  arboreal 
