The situation of ATTINGHAM is at variance with its character; since it is impossible to annex ideas of grandeur and magnificence to a mansion, with little apparent domain. The flat lawn between the high road and the house, although very extensive, yet, possessing no variety in the size of the trees, and but little in the shape of ground; the eye is deceived in its real distance. By the laws of perspective, the nearer any object is to the eye, the larger it will appear; also, the larger any object is, the nearer it will appear to the eye: consequently, the magnitude of the house makes it appear nearer than it really is, there being no intervening objects to divert the attention, or to act as a scale, and assist the eye in judging of the distance. For this reason, every stranger who sees this house from the turnpike road, would describe it as a large house with very little ground between it and the road. The first idea of improvement would be, either to remove the house or the road; but as neither of these expedients is practicable, we must have recourse to art to do away with this false impression. This I shall consider as forming the basis of the alteration proposed at ATTINGHAM.
[Attingham Park, in Shropshire, was acquired by the UK National Trust]
