is the
western boundary of London, and by following it we pass cottages on the
right, and may note the beautiful views to the east toward Wimbledon and
Combe. If we turn into Richmond Park through the Robin Hood Gate, so
called from the roadside inn near, we come to one of the prettiest
corners of the park, from which roads diverge in all directions. On the
rise to the west is White Lodge, at one time the residence of the Duke
and Duchess of Teck, parents of the Princess of Wales; and bearing to
the right we see the deer-paddock, with Silver Hill and the King's Farm
Lodge. The area of the park is a little over 2,015 acres, and it was
formed by Charles I. in the early years of his reign out of wood and
waste land. The wall--eleven miles in circumference--was built without
consulting the owners and tenants of the houses and farms enclosed. In
1649 this park was given to the City of London in perpetuity, but was
handed back again to Charles II. on his restoration. The Princess Amelia
closed the public rights of way through the demesne, but in 1758 a
decision of the courts renewed this privilege.

Leaving the park on the right, we see Mount Clare, built in 1772 by
George Clive, and named in honour of Claremont, the residence at Esher
of his relative Lord Clive. On the west side of Priory Lane are three
mansions, of which one, Clarence House, was for awhile the residence of
the Duke of Clarence, afterwards William IV. Clarence Lane skirts the
grounds of Grove House, which was in the reign of George IV. the
residence of the celebrated danseuse, Mademoiselle Duvernay. The lane
comes out into Roehampton Lane opposite Roehampton House, a fine
red-brick building, with wings, erected in 1712. The ceiling of the
saloon has a painting of the Banquet of the Gods by Sir James Thornhill,
the father-in-law of Hogarth.

Southward, nearer to the park, are Cedar Court and Downshire House, two
fine old mansions, the latter for a time the residence of the
Marchioness of Downshire, and now a training college for army and navy
students. At a bend in the road, where it goes downhill, is a quaint
old-fashioned house, The Cottage, curiously built. To the west the view
is charming toward the park. Holy Trinity Church, now closed, was built
in the middle of the nineteenth century, but the original church was
consecrated by Archbishop Laud.

A very fine cedar stands in the churchyard, and on the north is the
large and costly mausoleum of the Ste