and, what may be said to have eclipsed, and « ill to eclipse, every thing else, a v ^ e y {fit
' -ally ' ‘ ' ............ ’ ‘ i rocks, filled with works o fth e highest
12. and 194.). A 190.), naturally in a high degree romantic with wood, water, and large drawing of the
degree of a rt in architecture and gardening {figs. 186. 191. 192. »aava - - r ; ® ' . - r j - v „<•
no ith side of th e valley, as seen from a point on th e south side, was t ^ e n for ^ r . Abrahim, one
the late earl’s architects, in 1827, and th e designer of the magnificent range P/.®®®s®7 atories ju st
mentioned ; and Mr. Abraham has kindly permitted us to give an en g ray n g of it 187. m p. 258.),
to show the valley as it existed at th a t tim e ; while to th e present earl, a ^ ^is very ingenious
obliging clerk of th e works, Mr. Fradgely, we are indebted for th e map {Jig. 184.), the view house
{fig. 183.), and most of those of the grounds, and th e various structures they contain {figs. 185. to
private approach roads to Alton Towers (flg -184. m, n , o) arc several miles ‘“ f t
■ - the bottoms and sides of winding rocky valleys, more or less wooded; and through one of
which runs the river Chumet. It is difficuE to decide w i t h e r th e ^ s t approach he that from
or th a t from Cheadle. We arrived from th e former town m 1826, and from the l a t ^ in 1831. ^
leading from Uttoxeter, we came unexpectedly close to the house, and / X 3 w e r/ th /
ttonpe vvaallllpeyv, wwhmicchn ccoonnttaaiinnss the chief wonders of the ,pK lace. cI h e firisTt noitbojte.icntns otfh aStt omneeth eonuer ee ybee ywoenrde atnhde drv Gothic bridge, and the embankment leading to it, with a huge im i t a ^ n of S to n e ^ n g e beyrad and
! 7 o ? d ? b o ¥ ? h l j V e l Of to e Lridge£onp^^^^^^
a pond above the level ot th o nage aiongsiae oi u , ohck
S ”v S 8fas‘s ? 0? ¥ ! f d £ g t T L ? 'M ? « g ..............- 'T ^ r L '- S ~ r t h e r 'o n stUl,'ill, to to the
the
? ? g “ . S ¥ i a e l r o ¥ a h i g h an dY o ld L k e d roek, is a lofty G o th i c tower or temple on It is ' called
“ « f t ,
Thomson’s rock, also, designed by_ M r. A b r^ am ^ ’
S eT a !S s 'oT ¥Y c !to e rrS d a fteX lT a iiS ^ ^ ^
resplendent with gilding. Near th e base of th e rock is a corkscrew fountain of a peculiar description
192
ENGLISH GARDENS.
fe. 193.), which is amply supplied from .n adjoining pond. Behind above
m ^ m m i
to g i f t e f tn r o S to t e f te m Y Impossible for w’ords
npllepttep 7thhe/ iIndlefna . "Ai s’ fthu e sanJd sctohnime nroeyck-t opprso tarnudd ews infrdoomw st hwee rseid aeds doefd tthoe c ovaml K
ra t? o e 3X p /X " '^® f of ose has been made of it to form caves
h i on! niacp WP 1, covered seats ; it has even been carved into figures !
J ■ temples excavated in it, covered with hierogl:;^
hics; and in another, a projecting rock is formed into a huge sement
with a spear-shaped iron tongue, and glass eyes ' There is a rashV nro
oKt ethXe noor/ ttho b/a/n/ k/ " ; /aXnd 'i•n" ithre flo west part of toe vralolecv Kthe rteo ea hrei ptehset tpen^nt
dation and two stories (executed before the death of the late earl) of aii
tfeeeet ht Tigvh.V YIt iis- p ll aced o«n“ *a“n >i?s lWan«d;-, i.>n» ■t'■h)e ™ cen ttroet eonf da Ss mtoa llb neoYnidS taynYd wg/f«t
approatoed by a Chinese bridge richly ornamented. The dia-
« / i r o H e s t 3 t e P a g o ^ IS forty feet, and there were to have been
SIX stories, the lower one oi stone, and the others of cast iron From tha
to £ rX f /® f 1 r ? suspended forty highly enriched Chinese lamps, and
these were to be lighted by a gasometer fixed in the lower story. B e s i 3
grotesque figures of monsters ¿ ro je c tin /
3 t n S w tei?f canopies, which were to spout water from th e ir eyef.
nostrils, fins, ^ I s , &c.; a column of water was also to have bean nrnip/vpd
f ornament on the summit of th e structure,
which, from the loftiness of th e source of supply, would have risen to