OF  UOllTICULTUltE-JUyF  ial, 
Bo\voot>,  dalne, 
miltsbire. 
THE  SEAT  OF  THE  MARQUIS  OF  LANSDOWNE. 
ISb  ISb 
HE  chalk  downs  are  so  characteristic  of  Wiltshire,  that  ‘ 
the  popular  notion  of  that  county  is  one  vast  Salisbury 
Plain.  But  this,  like  other  •  rapid  generalisations, 
needs  considerable  modification.  There  are  two  great 
natural  divisions  of  the  county,  the  one  chalk,  the  ' 
other  more  or  less  Oxford  clay,  which  is  the  character 
of  the  land  throughout  the  north-western  parts.  '  In  my  | 
notes  on  Captain  Holford’s-  garden,  and  on  the  scenery  and  i 
some  of  the  characters  of  the  surrounding  country,  the  Cots- 
wold  Hills  were,  of  course,  mentioned,  and  spurs  of  these 
breezy  elevations  penetrate  the  surrounding  counties ;  and  the  i 
North-western  Valley  of  Wiltshire  descends  from  an  outlier  of 
the  Cotswolds,  being  definable  by  the  course  of  the  river  Avon,  i 
into  which  its  waters  drain.  Atfluents  of  the  Avon  are  nume-  j 
rolls,  and  one  of  tlie  most  important  is  the  Marden,  a  stream  ! 
which  gathers  contributions  from  the  we.stern  slopes  of  .the  ! 
Marlhorough  Downs,  communicates  with  the  lake  at  Bqwood,  ] 
and  flows  by  Stanley  Abbey.  The  Avon— which  we  thus  parti-  ^ 
cularly  notice  for  the  introduction  which  it  affords  ns  to  some 
towns  and  homes  of  special  interest  in  its  route — flows  by 
Chippenham,  ^  Lacock  Abbey,  sleepy  Melksham,  Broughton  ; 
Gifford,  Whaddon,  and  onward,  out  of  Wiltshire  near  Fresh-  : 
ford.  The  stream,  strongly  coloured  by  the  alluvial  deposits 
through  which  it  eats  its  way,  flows  in  its  higher  courses 
between  meadow  banks  ;  the  reaches  now  straight,  now  wind-  i 
ing ;  the  volume  of  water,  the  dipping  Willows,  and  bulky  Elms  : 
•by  its  side;  the  banks  gay  with  purple  Loosestrife,  Bulrushes,  | 
-and  broad  Flags ;  the  level  meadows  dotted  with  large  dairy  ] 
cows,  grazing'  beasts,  and  a  few  sheep ;  the  gentle  slopes  which 
lead  the  eye  to  the  distance  beyond— on  the  right  hand  to  the 
off -shoots  of  the  Cotswolds,  on  the  left  hand  to  the  barrier  of ;  | 
naked  downs ;  tlie  mid-landscape  on  either  side  consisting  of 
<lifferent  farm  homesteads,  factory  chimneys,  and  church 
towers,  reminding  of  the  business  of  this  life  and  the  happiness  i 
of  a  better —  i 
In  the  mixture  of  all  these  appears 
Variety  that  all  the  rest  endears. 
I 
Mu  rray  points  out  that  the  best  parts  from  which  to  see 
this  North-western  Valley  are  at  Liddington  Castle,  the  descent  ' 
of  the  road  near  Chiseldon,  Barbury  Castle,  and  the.  road  above  i 
Cherhill,  or  Roiindway.  Spye  Park,  of  horticultural  note,  | 
and  adjoining  Bowood  estate,  together  with  Monkton  Farleigh, 
are  the  two  finest  positions  in  North  Wiltshire,  and  command 
the  most  beautiful  part  of  this  valley  from  Lacock  to  Bradford, 
and  during  a  cycling  tour  in  cert  aim  districts  in  .Wilts  and 
Gloucester  in  the  early  summer  of  last  year,  it  was  a  delighful 
privilege  to  see  and  note  the  features  which  these  notes 
delineate.' 
The  Marquis  of  Lansdowne’s  seat  at  Bowood  is  3^  miles 
south-east  from  Chippenham,  and  2  miles  south-west  of  Caine, 
the  post  town.  The  mansion  itself  is  Italian  in  its  style  of 
architecture,  and  is  surrounded  by  its  own  extensive  and 
greatly  varied  gardens,  parks,  and  ivoods,  in  all  of  which  tke 
noble  ownei-  takes  a  keen,  personal  interest.  This  migno  at 
first  be  thought  unlikely,  considering  the  highly  responsible 
Cabinet  position  which  Ins  lordship  so  well  adorns;  but  I  was 
assured  that  the  details  of  the  estate  management  and  of  the 
gardens  are  not  overlooked,  it  being  a  recreation,  doubtless,  to 
one  whose  mind  is  otherwise  so  critically  taxed.  Bowood  is 
said  to  owe  many  of  its  most  interesting  associations,  as  well 
,s  much  of  its  beauty,  to  the  distinguished  third  Marquis  of 
(iansdqwne,  ivho  died  in  18G3,  who  not  only  enlarged  and 
embellished  the  ornamental  grounds  and  filled  "the  house  with 
a  nohle  collection  of  jhctures,  books,  and  various  works  of  art, 
l)ut  made  it  the  hospitable  resort  of  those  who  were  distin¬ 
guished  in  science,  literature,  and  art;  and  the  present  Marquis 
has  continued  the  develoimient. 
The  Prineipal  Entrance. 
Ihe  principal  entrance  of  the  park  is  from  Chippenham,  by 
ai,  arched  gateway  flanked  by  a  tower.  The  di’ive  to  the  house 
neatiy  two  miles  through  luxuriant  woods,  an  occasional  view 
)'.ung  obtained  of  liansdowne  Column  and  the  White  Horse  cut  i 
on  the  slope  of  the  Cherhill  doivn,  which  is  also  visible  from 
places  in  the  garden. 
The  principal  front  of  the  mansion,  with  a  Doric  portico, 
faces  the  south,  and  attached  to  it  is  a  long,  low  wing,  contain¬ 
ing  a  conservatory  opening  on  a  succession  of  terraced  gardens, 
a  view  of  which  is  given  on  the  oppo.site  page.  This  was  built 
in  imitation  of  a  wing  of  Diocletian’s  Palace  at  Spalato.  The 
view  from  these  terrace  gardens  is  exceedingly  beautiful ;  the 
lake  winding  through  the  woods ;  the  ferry  to  the  pretty  temple 
just  peeping  through  the  trees;  the  prospect  over  the  forest 
upland  to  the  purple  hills  of  Roundway  and  Beacon  Down. 
The  lake  also  contains  an  island  with  a  heronry,  and  terminates 
in  a  cascade,  which,  tumbling  over  mossy  stones,  very  fairly 
represents  the  variety,  grace,  and  abandon  of  Nature.  The 
cascade  is  regulated  by  means  of  a  powerful  sluice,  and  the 
escaping  water  afterwards  flows  on  as  a  tranquil  meadow 
stream.  The  whole  lake  was  formed  artificially  by  banking  up 
one  end  of  the  broad  defile. 
The  park  derives  its  beauty  from  the  undulations  of  the 
ground,  its  boundary  including  as  many  as  nine  distinct  valleys, 
hill  and  dale  being  intersected  in  every  direction  by  green  roads. 
Bowood  in  early  times  formed  part  of  the  Royal  forest  of  Pew- 
sham,  which  adjoined  that  of  Chippenham,  and  the  estate  was 
purchased  by  John,  Earl  of  Shelburne,  father  of  the  first 
Marquis;  it  having  belonged  to  the  crown  till  the  reign  of 
Charles  I. 
Lord  Lansdowne’s  Imppovements. 
One  chief  alteration  instituted  in  the  gardens  by  Lord 
Ijansdowne  has  been  the  erection  of  fresh  ranges  of  plant 
houses,  seed-room,  and  offices,  and  a  really  pretty  and  very 
weli-arranged  bothy,  of  which  a  figure  is  also  given  on  another 
page.  The  plant  hoinses  are  erected  on  a  level  terrace  within 
the  area  of  the  walled  kitchen  and  fruit  garden,  and  from 
first  to  last  the  plans  were  carefully  thought  out,  so  that  the 
drainage  of  the  ground  and  the  heating  and  sequence  of  the 
houses  might  be  correct  and  convenient.  The  ground  is  ter¬ 
minated  by  a  sloping  grass  bank  at  the  lower  end,  the  top  ridge 
being  planted  with  a  Yew  hedge.  Me.ssrs.  Mackenzie  and 
Moncur,  Ltd.,  were  the  builders.  The  vineries  and  peacheries 
are  hip-span  structures  of  considerable  length,  while  facing 
them  are  the  new  pits  and  hopses,  the  latter  20ft  broad  by 
30ft  long,  and  each  separated  by  narrow  beds  for  flowers,  and 
sonie  grass  plots.  All  of  the  structures  are  heated  from  one 
boiler,  or  a  double  boiler  in  winter.  The  ground  covered  by 
the  various  plant-pits  and  houses  covers  just  over  an  acre. 
The  stove  contained  a  collection  of  Crotons,  Phyllanthuses, 
and  an  assortment  of  small  decorative  plants  for  winter  fur¬ 
nishing  ;  while  in  the  greenhouse  we  recall  to  mind  the  vigorous 
Carnations,  M  inter  Cheer  being  particularly  bright,  along 
with  the  zonal  Pelargoniums,  Astilbes,  Swainsonia  galagrefolia, 
and  a  noticeable  feature  vms  the  beautifully  pure  white  strain 
of  Primula  obconica.  Gladiolus  The  Bride  is  cultivated  in  large 
pots;  and  the  blooms  of  CarnaHqns  sent  to  the  town  house 
during  the  month  prior  to  our  visit  amounted  to  hundreds.  A 
structure  is,  in  fact,  devoted  wholly  to  Carnations.  Close  by 
the  tei-race  on  which  the  houses  stand  there  is  a  border  oil 
higher  ground,  which  is  backed  by  a  wall  containing  Pear  and 
other  fi-uit  trees.  This  border  is  v'arm  and  sheltered,  so  that 
its  advantages  are  utilised  for  Irises  and  Tulips  in  spring  with 
seasonable  floivers  to  follow,  and  at  all  times  there  appears  a 
sweet  display. 
The  propagating  pits  are  8ft  broad,  and  have  top  ventilators 
worked  by  a  screw,  the  sashes  being  fitted  with  a  notched  bar 
underneath,  so  as  to  be  raisable  by  degrees.  Melons  are  success- 
fully  grown,  and  the  varieties  Windsor  Castle,  Ringleader,  Roval 
havourite,  Sutton’s  Al,  Best  of  All,  and  Hero  of  Lockiiige 
were  noticed.  Cyclamens,  Gloxinias,  ferns,  and  other  plants 
are  gro.wn  in  these  pits,  and  elsewhere  we  noted  Begonia  Gloire 
de  Lorraine— an  excellent  display;  together  with  the  old 
Ruellia  macrantha  in  the  form  of  fine  bushy  plants,  and  an 
admirable  collection  of  ornamental  foliaged  Begonias.  Kalan- 
clioe  flammea  is  also  made  good  use  of,  and  the  scented  leaves 
