Ulleswater

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	item:- Dove Cottage : 2008.107.425 image:- ©  see bottom of page	click to enlarge
	Print, oval sepia tinted aquatint, Ulleswater or Ullswater, Westmorland and Cumberland, by William Gilpin, 1772-74, published by T Cadell and W Davies, Strand, London, 1786. Included in vol.2 opposite p.53 in Observations, Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty, made in the year 1772. The list of plates in the preface of the book has:- 'XVIII. This print illustrates that kind of scenery, which is presented by Ulleswater. It is, by no means, a portrait: but it gives some idea of the view towards Patterdale, in which the rocky promontory on the left, and the two woody promontories on the right, are conspicuous features. Page 55.'
	The text pp.54-57 has:- '... The foreground of the grand view before us, is a part of Gobray-park, which belongs to the duke of Norfolk: rough, broken, and woody. Among the old oaks, which inriched it, herds of deer, and cattle grazed in groups. Beyond this is spread an extensive reach of the lake, winding round a rocky promontory on the left; which is the point of a mountain, called Martindale-fell, or Place-fell: the southern boundary of the lake. This promontory uniting with the mountain, lets it easily down into the water, as by a step. An hesitation, if I may so call it, of this kind, eases greatly the heaviness of a line. In a distance, it is of less consequence: but in all the nearer grounds, it is necessary. ... 'Martindale-fell is entirely unplanted; but it's line, and surface are both well varied. Numberless breaks (little vallies, and knolls) give it a lightness, without injuring it's simplicity. 'Such was the disposition of the objects, on the left of the lake: on the right, two woody promontories, pursuing each other in perspective, made a beautiful contrast with the smooth continuity of Martindale-fell. 'In front, the distance was composed of mountains, falling gently into the lake; near the edge of which lies the village of Patterdale. 'We took this view at a point, which had just so much elevation, as to give variety to the lines of the lake. As we descended to the water, the view was still grand, and beautiful, but had lost some of it's more picturesque beauties: it had lost the foreground: it had lost the sweeping line round the mountain on the left: and it had lost the recess between the two woody promontories on the right. The whole margin of the lake was nearly reduced to one straight line.- The beauty of a view, especially in lake-scenery, we have before observed, depends greatly on the nice position of it's point. 'Having spent some time in examining this very inchanting scene, we skirted the lake towards Patterdale, on a tolerable road, which runs from one end of it to the other: on the south it is continued to Ambleside; on the north to Penrith. I call it a tolerable road; but I mean only for horses. It has not the quartering an commodious width of a carriage road. 'As we left Gobray-park, we took our rout along the margin of the first of those woody promontories on the right. We were carried by the side of the lake, through close lanes, and thick groves: yet not so thick, but that we had every where, through the openings of the trees, and windings of the road, views in front, and on the right, into woody recesses; some of which were very pleasing: and on the left, the lake, and all it's distant furniture, broke frequently upon us. ...'
	source type:-	Gilpin 1786 (?edn)
	wxh, page:-	22x14cm
	wxh, image:-	168x104mm

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