The Gardens and Grounds of Melbourne Hall are its chief attractions They are a curious and elegant relic of the old style of horticulture, which was brought from Holland by William III., consisting of groves, fountains, statues, &c., and are of the most strikingly peculiar character. In one place, on entering, the visitor finds himself in the Lover’s Walk, a literal tunnel (the outside, of which is shown in our view of the grounds) formed of very aged yew-trees, arched and netted and intergrown one with another, only here and there pierced by rays of light. In another he finds himself by the side of a basin, in the centre of which a fountain is ever playing; while in its clear waters magnificent carp are lazily swimming or basking in the sun. In another place he comes upon a “cool grot”—a mineral spring, over which is erected a charming rustic grotto of spars, shells, stalactites, and other natural objects, and bearing on a marble tablet lines by the Hon. George Lamb:—

“Rest, weary stranger, in this shady cave,
And taste, if languid, of the mineral wave;
There’s virtue in the draught; for health that flies
From crowded cities and their smoky skies,
Here lends her power from every glade and hill,
Strength to the breeze, and medicine to the rill.”

The Gardens, as seen from the Hall.

The lawn in front of the mansion is laid out in ornamental beds, filled with the choicest flowers, and dotted over with groups, single figures, vases, &c., of fine sculpture, of which it may be interesting to note that the pair of black figures only cost, about the year 1630, £30, and the Perseus and Andromeda £45. At the opposite side of the grounds from the house is an alcove of elaborate design in wrought-iron, bearing the arms of Coke, which, with the central basin and fountain, is shown in our engraving of the gardens as seen from the hall. The Scotch firs which form the background of the gardens were planted in the time of William III., the trunks being, in many instances, 80 feet in height, and 13 or 14 feet in circumference. One of these Scotch firs, which fell in the spring of 1875, was known to be one hundred and seventy-six years old; its dimensions were extraordinary. They were as follows:—Height, 82 feet; length of butt, 39 feet; circumference at eight feet from the ground, 10 feet 8 inches; circumference at thirty-nine feet from the ground, 9 feet 2 inches; total contents of timber, 340 cubic feet. Leading in a south-easterly direction from the parterred lawn, the gardens become entirely changed in character, and the visitor wanders through sylvan walks, bounded on either side by impenetrable yew hedges, which intersect each other in every direction, at every turn coming upon a fine piece of sculpture, or rippling stream, or bubbling fountain.

One of the walks leads to a gentle eminence at the junction of three splendid glades, with gigantic lime hedges, in the centre of which is placed the enormous bronzed vase of lead—one of the finest pieces of modelling in existence—called the “Seasons,” which, with another exquisite, though plainer, vase placed almost in close contiguity, was presented by Queen Anne to her Vice-Chamberlain, Thomas Coke. On the pedestals is the monogram, “T. C.,” of the Thomas Coke to whom they were given. On occasion of its being repaired, in 1840, the following inscription, written by Mr. H. Fox, was placed in its interior:—

HOC SIMULACRUM
EX DONO ANNÆ REGINÆ
THOMA COKE ARMIGERO DOMINI CUBICULARII
VICEM FUNGENTE
POSITUM
E LOCO MOTUM ET AD VETEREM
NORMAM RESTITUTUM
GULIELMUS VICECOMES MELBOURNE
PRINCEPS DOMINORUM REGII THESAURI
REPOSUIT
ANNO VICTORIÆ REG. QUARTO
ANNO CHRISTI 1840.

The Terrace Walk, formed so as to overlook the magnificent lake, is a pleasant and favourite promenade for visitors, and commands some charming views of the grounds, the lake, the church, and neighbourhood.

The Lake, or Pool, as it is commonly called, is nearly twenty-two acres in extent, and is beautifully wooded on its banks, and, with its island, the swans which are always sailing on its surface, and the pleasure-boats frequently gliding about, forms a beautiful picture from whatever point it is viewed. The gardens, it may be added, cover an extent of nearly twenty acres of ground; and it is worth noting that on the wall near the Conservatory and the Muniment-room is the finest and largest Wistaria in existence—its extent along the wall being no less than two hundred and sixty-four feet.