About 4 miles off is Sr Robert Howards house which I went to see, its a Square building, the yards and offices very Convenient about it, and severall Gardens walled in. All the windows are sashes and Large squares of glass; I observ’d they are double sashes to make ye house the warmer, for it Stands pretty bleake. Its a brick building. You Enter a hall which opens to the Garden, thence to two parlours, drawing-roomes and good staires, there are abundance of Pictures, above is a Dineing roome and drawing roome with very good tapistry-hangings of Long standing. There is severall bed Chambers well ffurnish’d, good damaske beds and hangings and window Curtaines of the same, and so neatly kept ffolded up in Clean sheets pinn’d about the beds and hangings. There are severall other good beds and ffurniture, one roome all ye bed and hangings are of a fine damaske made of worsted, it Lookes pretty and with a Gloss Like Camlett, of a Light Ash Coullour. There are good pictures of the family, Sr Robert’s Son and Lady, which was a Daughter of the Newport house, with her Children in a very Large Picture. There is fine adornements of Glass on the Chimney and fine marble Chimney pieces, some Closets with Inlaid floores, its all very neate and fine with the several Courts at the Entrance—this I thinke was all remarkable at Epsome which is 14 mile to London.
Another Journey to Broughton in Oxfordshire, my brother’s, and now my nephew’s house, the Lord Say and Seale. I went by Hartfordshire and Bedford from London to Wane 20 mile, thence to Hitching 14 miles, most in Lanes and deep Land, and in the winter bad Roads, but very good Land—good Corn—the wheate Look’d well but Grass and Summer Corn wanted rain, being a drye Spring. Thence to Bedford town 12 mile more, these miles are Longer than those about London and much in Lanes and woods.
Bedford town is an old Building, its wash’d by the river Ouse which Comes from Buckingham and is here Broader than in most places till it reaches Yorke; its stored with very good ffish and those which have Gardens on its brinke keepes sort of trunck or what they Call them. Its a Receptacle of wood of a pretty size full of holes to Let the water in and out, here they keep the ffish they Catch as pike, perch, tench &c, so they have it readye for their use, this is of mighty advantage Especially for the Publick houses—you see the ffish taken out ffresh for supper or dinner. The river runns twineing about and runns into severall notches of Ground wch is sett full of willows, and many Little boates Chained to the sides belonging to ye people of the town for their diversion. It runns by a Ground which is made into a fine bowling-green, its upon a hill and a pretty ascent from the river that is besett with willows all round beneath; ye bowling green is well kept with Seates and summer houses in it for the use of the town and Country Gentlemen of which many resort to it Especially the market dayes. At the Entrance of the town you pass over ye river on a bridge which has a gate on it and some houses—this river beares barges. These truncks or Baskets which keepes the ffish are ffastned by Chaines to the sides of the Banks in each mans Garden. There is nothing worth notice in the town, severall streetes small and old, the middle streete which runns from ye Bridge is pretty broad, wherein stands ye market place and house which is on severall stone pillars and raill’d in. There is above it roomes which were design’d for the session and publick Buissness of the town by the Lord Russell that built it, but his untimely death, being beheaded, put a stop to its ffinishing. They now put it to noe use but spinning haveing begun to set up the woollen worke, but its Just in its Infancy. Over this is the top which is flatt rooff’d Leaded and railed in, from thence you see the whole town and Country round.
There is a pretty many Gentry about ye Country neare neighbours, and many Live in the town tho’ in such old houses. From thence I went to Asply 8 mile where the Earth turns wood into stone and had a piece of it; it seemes its only one sort of wood the Aldertree which turns so, and Lay or drive a paile or Stake into the ground there in seven yeares its petrify’d into stone, from thence to Onborn wch is 3 mile more.
Here is the Duke of Bedfords house which I had seen before with the fine Gardens and parke, so proceeded on to Dunstable 9 miles ffarther where I staid and dined with my kinswoman my aunt Woolsley’s Daughter marry’d to a Dr of physick Dr Marsh, and from thence I went to Laighton Buserd and thence to Whinslow about 12 mile—this is in Buckinghamshire—thence to Broughton in Oxfordshire 17 mile, and staid a weeke and then returned through oxfford Citty 18 mile, and so to London 48 mile more.
A FURTHER DESCRIPTION OF EPSOME HAMPTON COURT AND WINDSOR
Epsom is 15 miles from London, there are great curiosityes in cut hedges and trees almost before all doores. They have trees in rows which they cut up smooth and about 3 or 4 yards up, they Lay frames of wood in manner of a pent house, so plat the branches on it and cuts it smooth, they leave the stem of the tree to run up and then cut it clear to the top wch they cut in round heads. There are severall good houses in or about Epsham—Sr Robt Howard’s wch I have described, Mr Wessell’s now Mr Scawen’s. There is Lord Baltimores in Woodcut Green Encompass’d wth a wall at the Entrance—a breast wall with pallisadoes. Large courts one within the other and a back way to ye stables where is a pretty horse pond. The house is old but Low, tho’ Large,—run over much ground. In ffront 6 windows and in the top just in the middle 12 Chimneys in a row, being 3 and 3 below Joyning back to back and 3 and 3 above; the others Looke into a Court wch is built round. As I drove by the side saw broad Chimneys on the End, and at due distance on the side on both Ends ye sides of a Court, wch is terminated in a building on wch is a Lead wth railes and Barristers.
That house which is now Lord Guilfords at another side of Epsham, Lookes nobly in a fine parke pailed round. Severall rows of trees in the front of all sorts—Lofty, and some cut Piramidy, some suger-Loafe or rather Like a mushrom-top. The front has 6 Large windows and the doore wch is glass, as many on the next story. You Enter by a Large Court wch is on ye Left side—Stable court; to the right into ye Gardens, fore right you Enter a broad tarass railed in and Paved with stone, you enter a noble Lofty hall, plaine but neate, painted white. On ye right is a Little parlour, the lesser hall hung wth armes, a butler’s office, with bedchambers and Closets, thence goes ye Kitchen, schullery, bakeing room and Laundry into a Court of all ye offices and the stable yard. Out of ye Little parlour goes into a pretty Chappel which has a balcony closet looking into it for the Lord and Lady.
The Left hand of ye hall Led into a great parlour wch runnes to the End of the house, and makes the ffront, and short again into another great parlour or dineing roome which makes ye End ffront of the house; this also opens into ye staircase, it Leads on to a drawing roome, Closet, bed Chamber, two dressing roomes, wch with ye great staircase makes up ye ffront backward and the other End ffront, wch Lookes into ye stable yard and a garden railed in wth a Large pond or Cannall. The back ffront goes out into a garden or Court wth Gravel walks round, and a Crosse wch cuts it into 4 grassplotts where are Brass statues, and Leads out through fine jron Carved gates as at the ffront out into ye highway. The right End ffront of ye house is into ye Garden. Out of both of ye great parlours and drawing roome two Entrances at an Equal distance upon gravell walks. This garden is gravell’d round. Ye two middle walks run up to a double mount which cast the garden into 3 Long grass walks wch also are very broad, wth 3 flower potts. There are two degrees of stepps to Each of these Gravell walks, the first lands on a Gravell that turns in a 3 side square wch shapes ye upper mount. The Long gravell walke to ye right hand runns aCrosse the mount to a thicket that Enters ye Grove and is Lost. The other to the Left runns up the whole Length of ye grove up to white gates and open views into ye parke. The two Ends of the Little square gravel walke round the first mount terminates on the right in same thicket or Grove, and has only for show a Carved frame as a gate, wth wood carv’d Like Cage work painted white, with an arch Entrance in the middle for form sake, to make it Look uniforme to the Like on ye Left, wch Leads to a walk as Long as the Gravell up to the wall, and is directly arbour. Like high trees, Cut up to the top and with heads which close in an arch—in the middle is Long white seates. There are two or three Lesser walks wch run across it to ye right into the Grove and Lost in the maze; to the Left to another Long walk wch Leads to a Grotto and runs parralel wth ye gravel walke to the top. You Enter a space paved and open arch’d round in seates like a Court, and thence you Enter the Grotto, an arch Entirely dark but at the Entrance it is so Large as 6 arched seates, and between carv’d stone very fine of all sorts of flowers, ffigures, ffruites; ye Pillars or Peers pretty broad. this ran up to a sumerhouse at the End, wch is grown over with greens cut smooth—windows all round. Below this is a broad green walke wch begins at the first Garden and so continues round wth ye wall quite to that broad Gravel walke, and is continued by ye wall quite Encompassing ye maze, in wch are some slaunt cut wayes, and it terminates in the other side of the first Garden just by a garden railed in in which is a Large pond, square in nature of a cannall, the bank green Cut fine, and borders for flowers and greens, and a Breast wall to the first Garden, on wch are flower potts. On the upper mount—all the grass and bank Even cut—Stands 4 flower potts painted blew—Some red on ye 3 divisions—ye gravell Cut out as on the Margin.
Ffrom the Hall you go to ye staircase, there is also a doore out of the second parlour. This is noble and Lofty all plain wanscoate, only ye halfe paces inlaid. The first is a window the whole height, 13 Large pannells in Length, 5 in breadth, which Lookes into one of the Courts where the pond is and stable yard. The next half pace Leads you on ye Left hand to the private appartment that is not so Lofty, over ye Least hall to an anty roome, thence a dineing roome, soe drawing roome 5 bed Chambers and Closetts. The Last Closett goes into a balcony wch runs aCross ye middle of said Lofty window, and Looks into the staircase. Out of ye Eating or dineing roome goes a Closett for ye Ladyes into ye Chappell wth very good back staires up to ye top roomes. Ye great staires continues up to the Gallery and turns in a long halfe pace, wch Enters it at two doores in Equal distances. Its a Lofty, Large as well as Long roome, noe painting or frettwork. At Each End are severall handsome bedChambers and Closetts but none ffurnish’d, but ye private appartments has pladd Chamlet damaske neatly made up, not new, Glass sconces, and over the Chimney, looking glasses in frames. The parke is fine but not stock’d, wch when it is and house ffurnish’d will be a noble seate.