A description of the King's royal palace and gardens at Loo together with A short account of Holland in which there are some observations relating to their diseases / by Walter Harris ...

CHAP. I

Of the Situation of the Place and Gardens; of the Court before the Palace; a short view of the Palace it self; and a summary Account of all the Gardens in general.

HIS Majesty's Place and Gardens at Loo are situ∣ated on the cast-side of a large Sandy Heath, or in the Veluwe, a considerable part of the Province of Gelderland, one of the Seven United Provinces. The Heath is extended Southward unto the Rhine, and Northward unto the Zuyder, or South Sea; Westward it runs almost to Amersfort, or within less than two Leagues of it; and Eastward it is extended to the Issel, a considerable River that divides Overyssell from the Veluwe. Loo is three Leagues from Deventer, five from Harderwick on the South-Sea, five from Dieren, ano∣ther of His Majesty's Places, six from Arnheim, and twelve Leagues or Hours from Utrecht. It is an ex∣cellent Country for Hunting, and abounds with Staggs, some Roe-bucks, the Wild Boar, Foxes, Hares, and some Wolfs. It is no less excellent for Fowling, and has good store of Woodcocks, Partridges, Pheasants, &c. In a Wood near Loo, there is a Herniary for Hawking; and within a league of it North-cast, His Majesty has of late caused to be made an Excellent Decoy, which supplies his Family with good store of Ducks and Teale. And in the Heath beyond the Gardens, there are six Vi∣vers or large Fish-ponds, somewhat after the model or resemblance of those in Hide-Park, the one commu∣nicating with the other. You will sind them de∣scribed

at the end of this Treatise, in the Seventh Chapter.

The New Palace, lately built by His Majesty, is near unto the Old Hoof, or Old Court, which is a Castle sur∣rounded with a broad Moat, and purchased about 12 or 14 Years ago from the Seigneur de Laeckhuysen, a Gen∣tleman of this Country. They are separated from one another only by some of the Gardens, which lye on the West-side of the New Palace. The Gardens are most Sumptuous and Magnificent, adorned with great variety of most Noble Fountains, Cascades, Parterres, Gravel Walks, and Green Walks, Groves, Statues, Urns, Paintings, Seats, and pleasant Prospects into the Country.

Before the Gate that enters into the Court of the Pa∣lace, there is a broad Green Walk between a double row of Oaks, half a mile long; and at the end of this Walk next to the Heath, there is a Gate of Iron Rails between double Stone Pillars of an Ancient Model, the Pillars being about a yard distant from each other, and joined at the top by a Crown Work on each side, where∣in is cut His Majesty's Cypher, and at the bottom by a Stone Ground-work, or Supporters. The Golumns are of a good heighth. Before this Gate there are three Walks between Trees for a Mile, or more, farther into the Heath.

On the South-side of the Palace we do enter through a large Gate of Iron Bars, painted Blew and Gildel, into a Quadrangular Court, of which the whole Sought∣side hath Iron Rails alike Painted and Gilded. The Rails are placed on a low Brick Wall that is covered with Free-stone the whole length, five Inches above the Brick. Among these Iron Rails, which do rise above eight Foot higher than the Wall, there are at

due distance eight and twenty Pilasters, every one of them of one entire Stone. The East-side of the Court does contain Offices and Chambers for the Officers and Servants of His Majesty's Houshold. On the West-side of the Court are the King's Stables, and in these are kept Horses for His Majesty's own riding. And at the end of this Stable, adjoining to the Rails before-men∣tioned, there is another double Stable for His Majesty's other Horses, and for those of some of his Servants, extended Westward about eighty Paces on the Road that comes from Utrecht. At the other end of the Rails, or adjoining to the East-side of the Court, upon the Road, there is another Row of Building, in pro∣portion to the Stables, containing a Guard-house, a large Orangery, or Green-house, the King's Coach-house, &c.

In the middle of the Court there is a Fountain, whose Basin consists of a wrought blew Stone, and whose Stone-work is raised two Foot and a half high. In the middle of this Fountain there are four Marble Dolphins, out of whose Mouths do fall four Sheets of Water, to the East, West, North and South. The Dolphins are placed upon a Marble Pedestal; their Tails are inter∣twisted, and turned upward in the middle of the Pe∣destal. But this Fountain has been ordered to be changed into a Noble Cascade, in a octangular Basin, seven yards diameter. Next unto the Walk that en∣compasses this Fountain, there are in this Court four Gazons, or Green Plots, with Walks on every side pa∣ved with Brick.

On the North-side of the Court in the King's Palace, to which we ascend by nine broad Stone-steps. The Palace is built of Brick, and had the Honour to have its first Stone laid by the hands of the most Incompa∣rable

and Best of Queens, her late Majesty of ever Bles∣sed Memory. From the Front, or Body of the House, each Wing does stretch out in two Pavilious towards the two sides of the Court, until the Wings and Sides do come to unite. Besides the Gate in the middle of the Front, there are two others in the two outmost Pavilious. Over the Gate of the Front, and the Gar∣den-Gate, and over the two outmost Pavilions, there are Frontispieces, or Relievos on high, with Representa∣tions relating to Hunting. The Pilasters of all the Gates or Doors, the Frize, and the Cornishes of the Windows, do consist of Free-stone. The Body of the Palace is Leaded above, and adorned with Ballisters; and it has large Shash-windows throughout. The Hall we do first enter into, is paved with very large Black and White Marble. The Dining-room below is very re∣markable throughout, and especially in its Marble and Military Devices, and glorious Gilding. The Great Room above, that we do first enter into from the Stair∣case, and in the middle of the Apartments, is not only adorned with large Landskips, as well as the Stair∣case, but is very resplendent with its Gilding on every side, and throughout all the Cieling. The Rooms of State, and the Bed-chambers, and other Chambers, are all provided and furnished after the Noblest manner, for the entertainment and reception of Great Persons. But the Antichamber to His Majesty's Bed-chamber has most excellent Hangings, representing the Functions or Duties of Cavalry, to wit, the Incampment of Horse, their Foraging, their making of Fascines, and the Firing it self of two Parties of Horse in an Engagement, most lively and naturally exprest, in four several Pieces. The Chappel is handsomely Wainscoted, and the whole so compleatly finished, that nothing can be said to be

wanting, and no Cost spared in order to render the House Magniscient, as well as the Gardens.

When we have gone through the Hall of the Palace, and advanced between a very large Stair-case on either hand, we do come to the garden-Gate, which is di∣rectly before the Entrance, and consists of Iron Bars coriously wrought and painted.

But before I describe particularly any of the Gardens, it may not be amiss to take a short and general Pro∣spect of them, as also to name some of the most re∣markable Fountains and Cascades in them, that thereby the whole may in some of its Particulars be more di∣stinctly comprehended.

On the North-side of the Palace, there is a large and most Magnisicent Garden, the which is divided into two Parts, the Lower Garden, and the Upper: the two Divisions being separated by Canals, by a low Wall, and a broad Cross-walk, in the which Cross∣walk there are on each side a double row of tall Oaks; but in the middle of this Walk a Considerable space is left open, without Trees, for the more convenient view of all the Fountains, the Porticoes, and the Cascades, that are beyond the said Walk, from the Garden-Gate of the Palace.

The first partition of this Garden, called the Lower Garden, has a Terras Walk on three sides of it; and here we behold straight before us the Fountain of Ve∣nus, and beyond it another Fountain of a young Her∣cules. In the Cross-walk that goes between those two Fountains, there is on the right hand a Fountain of a Celestial Globe, and on the left such another Ter∣restrial Globe. And at the end of the same Walk on the right hand, upon the side of one Terras Walk, there is the Cascade of Narcissus, as also on the left,

upon the side of the opposite Terras Walk, the Cascade of Galatea.

In the Upper Garden we behold a most Noble Foun∣tain, with a Basin of a vast extent, and with three and thirty Spouts, that in the middle of all throwing up the Water five and forty foot high.

A little beyond this, we see another Fountain, wherein the Water rises in the form of a Peacock's Tail, under which as also beyond it, are divers Cascades. We do likwise here behold two large Porticoes, or se∣micircular Cloisters, with Rails over them, and sup∣ported on divers Pillars.

On the West-side of the Palace there is a Garden un∣der His Majesty's's Apartments, and called the King's Garden. This has a noble Fountain in the middle of it, and adjoining to it there is a large Bowling-green.

Beyond this Garden Westward, there is another cal∣led the Labyrinth or Wilderness, some of whose Foun∣tains may be seen, as also Statues in it, and Painting, from His Majesty's Bed-chamber.

On the East-side of the Palace there is another Gar∣den, under the Apartments appointed for the Queen, and called the Queen's Garden. This bears a just pro∣portion with that of the King's, and hath such another noble Fountain. And adjoining to this Garden fourth∣wards, there are divers Arbor Walks, with five Foun∣tains in the middle of Parterres.

Beyond the Wall of the Queen's Garden, Eastward, there is another handsom Garden for retirement, or a Labyrinth, answering the other, with Fountains, Sta∣tues, Walks, &c.

From the Cross Walk that divides the Upper from the Lower Garden, behind the Palace, we go through Gates into the Voliere, or Fowl Garden, west from those

others. And still farther Westward we enter into a large extent of ground, called the Park, wherein are to be seen the Long Canal with Spouts the whole length of it, all rising in the form of an Arch. Beyond this, is the Cypher Fountain and Cascade, and beyond that the Viver, or large Quadrangular Pond, which con∣tains the Water that supplies the Jette's, and Cascades. Within this Park is also the Fountain of Faunus, di∣vers pleasant and long green Walks, Nurseries of young Trees, Groves, and Canals; and West of the Viver there is a fine Grove for solitude or retirement, and called the Queen's Grove. Of all which now more at large.