Foremost amongst these was St.
James's, to which the merry monarch added several fields, and for
its greater advantage employed Monsieur La Notre, the famous
French landscape-gardener. Amongst the improvements this
ingenious man effected were planting trees of stately height,
contriving a canal one hundred feet broad and two hundred and
eighty feet long, with a decoy and duck island, [The goodnatured
Charles made Monsieur St. Evremond governor of Duck Island, to
which position he attached a salary much appreciated by the
exile. The island was removed in 1790 to make room for fresh
improvements.] and making a pleasant pathway bordered by an
aviary on either side, usually called Bird Cage Walk. An
enclosure for deer was formed in the centre of the park; not far
removed was the famous Physic Garden, where oranges were first
seen in England; and at the western end, where Buckingham Palace
has been erected, stood Arlington House, described as "a most
neat box, and sweetly seated amongst gardens, enjoying the
prospect of the park and the adjoining fields."
The great attraction of St. James's Park was the Mall, which
Monsieur Sorbiere tells us was a walk "eight hundred and fifty
paces in length, beset with rows of large trees, and near a small
wood, from whence you may see a fine mead, a long canal,
Westminster Abbey, and the suburbs, which afford an admirable
prospect." This path was skirted by a wooded border, and at the
extreme end was set with iron hoops, "for the purpose of playing
a game with a ball called the mall.
Pages:
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399