‘Belmont, Herts, the Seat of Thomas Harvey Esq.’ in J. Hassell, Picturesque Rides and Walks, with Excursions by Water, Thirty Miles round the British Metropolis. London: J. Hassell, 1817–1818. Harley-Mason.d.3-

For those who resided in London and preferred not to venture far, a number of guidebooks were produced that focused exclusively on the South East. Houses such as Ashridge in Hertfordshire, Highclere Castle in Berkshire, and Syon Park in Brentford provided opportunities for the capital’s aspirational middle class to view Brown’s landscapes first hand. Hassell’s Picturesque Rides and Walks is typical of its type and introduces Belmont to its readers in the manner that a traveller might first encounter it by foot or by carriage.