THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 305
"eat up the rents, etc., surcharged as that county had been above all
"others during our unnatural war."
It is judged that the ancient Ilex and the Spanish Chestnut to the west
of the house must already have been large trees in Evelyn's time : the
late H. J. Elwes considered that the Chestnut has the largest bole of any
Sweet Chestnut in all England.
Warley Place garden, situated as it is on one of the highest points
in Essex, and immediately overlooking the wide Thames Valley, commands
most extensive views in various directions, and the visitors were delighted
to recognise, amongst other landmarks, the North Downs of Kent, the
Crystal Palace and the wooded heights of Hainault Forest.
Some two hours were spent by the visitors in roaming about Miss
Willmott's beautiful domain, which seemed scarcely to have been affected
by the long drought, and in listening to her informal, but most informative,
accounts of individual plants. The "Headache Tree," Umbellularia
californica, which emits a powerful aroma when the leaves are bruised
and so induces headache, was proved by experiment to be well-named,
as some of the party found to their discomfort. The quaintly named
"Wig Tree," Rhus Cotinus, was a fine sight of soft dull pink, appearing
from a distance to be wreathed in pink smoke ; this is due to the mass
of feathery, barren branchlets of the inflorescence, amid which the small
fruiting branchlets may be detected : finally, the whole feathery mass,
together with the fruits, becomes detached and blown about by the wind,
the seeds in this way becoming widely distributed.
Narcissus triandrus, the charming little daffodil known as "Angel's
Tears," was noticed in fruit in quantity in the grass under the giant
Sweet Chestnut, and here reproduces itself regularly from seed.
A clump of Woad, a yard high, in full golden flower, was introduced
to the visitors as representing "the costume of our ancestors."
Miss Willmott is, of course, the leading authority on the Genus Rosa,
and her monumental work under that title, with drawings painted by
Alfred Parsons, R.A., is one of the treasures of the Club's Museum at
Stratford, it having been presented by the author herself. Some of
the true species of the genus were seen in full flower in the gardens.
But it is invidious to refer to individual plants when the whole garden
teems with treasures, many of which flowered here for the first time in
this country, and have been named after Warley or its mistress :
"Wilmottiana," "Warleyensis," and other derivatives arc common in
all horticultural catalogues !
At 5 o'clock the party made its way to an attractive old house on
Warley Green, belonging to Miss Willmott, which she has had restored
and which is now converted into "The Tea Shop," where an excellent
tea was provided. Hearty thanks were accorded to our hostess for
affording the party so extremely interesting and enjoyable a visit, and
a message of sympathy was sent to the honorary secretary in his enforced
absence owing to illness. Some members of the party accepted an invi-
tation from Miss Willmott to make a further inspection of her grounds
and of the house.
[The Editor acknowledges his indebtedness to Miss Lister, Miss Greaves
and Miss Prince, from whose notes the above report has been compiled]