The whole of this district is
called the Vale of _Norbury_, from the romantic domain of that name,
which extends over a great portion of the hills on the right of the
road. Shortly before you reach Box Hill, stands _Mickleham_, a little
village with an ivy-mantled church, rich in Saxon architecture and other
antiquities. You then descend into a valley, passing some delightful
meadow scenery, and the showy mansion of Sir Lucas Pepys, which rises
from a flourishing plantation on the left. In the valley stands Juniper
Hall, late the seat of Mr. Thomas Broadwood, the piano-forte
manufacturer. In the park are some of the finest cedars in England. On
again ascending, you catch a fine view of Box Hill, and the
amphitheatrical range of opposite hills, with one of the most
magnificent _parterres_ in nature. This is called, by old writers, the
_Garden of Surrey_.
You pass some flint-built cottages, and quitting the road here, the
ascent to Box Hill is gradual and untiring, across a field of little
slopes, studded with a few yew-trees, relics of by-gone days.
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