UTCHINSONS EAUTIFUL EDITED BY WALTER HUTCHINSON M.A.F.RjG5. '^-'ft-vn >-^^ 3 O a. ^ ?J -SI Q « o a o o. a o V ■or *■ t- « f HUTCHINSON'S Britain Beautiful EDITED BY WALTER HUTCHINSON M.A., F.R.G.S,, BARRISTER-AT-LAW A POPULAR AND ILLUSTRATED ACCOUNT OF THE MAGNIFICENT HISTORICAL, ARCHITECTURAL, AND PICTURESQUE WONDERS OF THE COUNTIES OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, WALES, AND IRELAND ABOUT ^^B 2,000 ^H ^ BEAUTIFUL HH ■■ ILLUSTRATIONS Hp1|i'' '■,' ^ir MAINLY 1 ' ^%] "itFi^TtSMi IN 2 COLOURS Bfej"^^. '/T •-. - •' S^VupV3-. ' 'j^^^ ■ :.aBeB«S; I !l,f NUMEROUS MAGNIFICENT COLOURED PLATES AND MAPS Vol. II EXQUISITE SCENERY • MAGNIFICENT RUINS • GRAND OLD CASTLES HISTORIC PLACES • BEAUTIFUL CATHEDRALS • ROMANTIC LANDMARKS LITERARY HAUNTS • RUGGED COASTS • ANCIENT MONUMENTS, ETC. LONDON: HUTCHINSON ^ CO., PATERNOSTER ROW PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY nAZELL, WATSON AND VINET, LD., LONDON AND AYLESBURY. CONTENTS OF VOL. II DORSETSHIRE . CO. DOWN . CO. DUBLIN DUMBARTONSHIRE DUMFRIESSHIRE DURHAM . EDINBURGHSHIRE ESSEX . CO. FERMANAGH FIFESHIRE FLINTSHIRE FORFARSHIRE . CO. GALWAY GLAMORGANSHIRE GLOUCESTERSHIRE HADDINGTONSHIRE HAMPSHIRE ISLE OF WIGHT HEREFORDSHIRE HERTFORDSHIRE HUNTINGDONSHIRE INVERNESS-SHIRE ISLE OF MAN . KENT . CO. KERRY . PAGF. 625 665 689 701 713 737 773 805 8-11 848 873 883 909 921 929 953 969 1(102 1015 1037 1061 1077 1095 1123 1157 ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS COLOURED PLATES Cottages at East Burton Ghey Abbey ..... Durham Cathedral from the River Maldon, from Heybridge Lough Erne, Co. Fermanagh Oystermouth Castle, near Swansea Gloucester Cathedral, from the Severn Hereford Cathedral, from the River Walk The Ouse at St. Ives ..... Castle Rushen, Castleton, Isle of Man The W.arriors' Chapel, Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury- from Sturry Woods . Lough Adqon , ■ > r . . Facing p. t)25 672 720 7ti8 816 856 SGi) 936 976 1016 1056 1096 1136 MAPS Dorset9h:rk . Co. Down Co. Dublin . dumbartonshirk dvmfriksshire Durham EDINBUliCMSllIRK Essex . Co. Fermanagh FiFESHIRE Flintshire Forfarshire . Co. Galway . Glamorganshire Gloucestershire Haudingtonshire Hampshire Herefordshire Hertfordshire Huntingdonshire Invebness-shire Isle of Man . Kent Co. KlCRRV PAOE 638 670 698 710 718 754 778 819 841 854 875 898 911 927 943 962 979 1U22 1054 1066 1090-1 1098 1147 1171 ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT Hrankseft (.'astle, I'oole (»n Constitution Hill, Pooli' . IN'oIr Hiirhour W'iniliorne Minster : Tiio Na looking West . (Vilest at W'iiiihornc Minster . " 'rhe Man in tiie Wall," Wiinbornr Minster .... Astronomical (.'lock, W'irnboni Minster .... The Quarter .Jack. W'itnltornr Minster .... Wifnliorne Minster **r_\|it. W'itnhorne Minster Tile Ol.l CiittiiBe. L'anford VillaRi On the Froine. Wareliarn Tlie Ol.l Karth Walls at Wanluiii St. .Martin's f'hiirch, Wareharn Interior of St. Martin's Chnrch Corfe Castle Hviins Corfe Caatle Old Harry Point. .\K(;leston. near Stndland lOritrancc to Tillv Whim Cavi's Oltl Mill l'on . The Stairwaj', Dumbarton Castle Gareloch from above Clyndi-r Helensburgh The Old Luss Road, Helensbvu'gh At Tarbet, Loch Lomond .Ardlui, Loch Lomond . Ben Lomond, from Luss PAGE 677 678 679 680 680 681 682 683 683 684 685 686 687 687 688 689 689 690 691 691 692 693 694 695 696 697 699 700 701 701 702 703 704 705 706 707 Illustrations in the Text PAriE On Luss Straits, Loch Lomond . 708 Ben Lomonfl and Luss Straits . 709 Arden, Lorh T^nniond . . .711 Old Mill. Milngavio . . .712 The Caul. River Nitli. Unrnfries . 713 The Nith from Burns Walk. Dumfries 713 Caerlaverock Castle . . .714 Dalswinton T^onh . . .715 Caitlorh Ca\-e. Moniaive . . 716 On the Nith at Thornhill . . 717 The Thornhill Piper . . .719 On the Nith at Drumlanrip . . 720 Enterkin Pass, near Sanquhar . 721 Black Loch. Sanquhar. . . 722 Waterfall. Euchan Glen. Sanquhar 722 The Diel'sBipStane.OrcliardBurn. Sanquiiar . . - • The Old Bridge, Beattock . lloffat Old Chapel, Moffat Beld Craig Glen. Moffat Raehills Glen . . . - " The Plump," Wauehnpe ; Lang- holm . . . . - Old Mills on the Esk . Meeting of the Waters Ewes and Esk : Langholm Fairv Lou]). Bvreburn : Langholm Old Toll Bar : ' Gretna . Brydekirk Jlill and Caul Powfoot and Lakes Hoddom Castle, Lockerbie , The Castle and Loch. Lochmaben . Interior of Durham Cathedral General View of Durham The Library. Durham Cathedral . Durham Cathedral, from the River The Galilee. Durham Cathedral . The Choir Vaulting. Durham Cathedral . ■ • • The Nave from the Choir The Font and Nave, Durham Cathedral . . . ■ Entrance to the Dean's Gardens and Cloisters from inside . Exterior Sanctuary Knocker Black Stair. Durham Castle . Norman Arch. Durham Castle The Courtyard, Durham Cathedral An- old House on Elvet Bridge. Durliam . . ■ • ■ Finchale Priory . • • • Lumley Castle from the Gleii Monkwearmouth Parish Chur Severn ..... 929 The Cloisters, Gloucester Cathedral 929 K.utrauce to Cloisters, the Medi- ;e\-al House .... 930 The Cryjjt, Gloucester Cathedral . 931 The New Inn, Gloucester . . 932 The Chantry. Berkeley . . 933 Clifton Downs. Bristol . . 93+ .Abbey Gateway, Bristol . . 93^ Part of an old British Camp, Cinder- ford 936 Symonds' Yat .... 937 East End, Deerhnrst Church . 938 The Saxon Chapel, Deerhnrst . 938 TewUesbviry Abbey . . . 939 Interior, Tewkesbury Abbey. . 940 The Black Bear, Tewkesbury . 941 Kntranee Gatehouse to Stanway House . . . .942 The Devil's Chimney, Leckhanipton 944 The JIarket House, Chipping Campden .... 94.') Orevil's House, Chipping Campden 94.i Roman Villa. Chedworth . 94(i St. Mary's Church, Fairford . 947 Fairford : River Coin . , 948 Bihury : River Coin . . 948 .A Porch ill Cirencester ( ■huiiii . 949 .V r*eep in Cirencester I'ark . . 949 The Thnines near its Source . 9.^0 The True Sonri'i. of the Thames 9.51 " Lamp of l.iithian," Haddington 9o2 Craigleith Islaml . . . 9.53 .John Knox's House. Haddington . 9.53 The Tyne at Haddington . . 9.54 On the Tyne, East IJnton . 9.5"! The Linn, Ea.f tinnv ^, /,'■ I , lion. .ST. M.\RriN'.S cm KCH, WARK.IIAM. The most oulstandlng features of the older part of the church are the Norman chancel-arch and a Saxon window. A West Saxon kinC is said to have been burled here. St. Martin's Church is one of the few buildings that escaped the devastating fire which destroyed the town in 1762. Close to Puddletown lies Ath.lhamptnn Hall, the most picturesque mansion in the county, which combines some true mediccval work with admirable building of the Tudor period. But ]XThai)s the most interesting house in the vicinity of Dorchester is Wolfcton, by reason of its forcible illustration of the fact that " it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good." It was indeed an ill wind, operating on the unruly waters of the Channel, that drove a Spanish ship into Weymouth harbour in January 1506. Its most distinguished passengers were King Philip of Castile and his queen Joanna. At Wolfeton House they were given shelter and entertainment by Sir Thomas Trenchard. But there was a little difficulty : the guests could speak no English, the host no Spanish. Tlu jiroblem was solved by caUing in young John Kussel to act as interpreter. So fascinating did In- make himself to the Spanish royalties that thev took him to London and told Henry Mil vvhat a treasure they had found. Henry VIII 1 ' INTERIOR OF ST. MARTIN'S CHURCH, WAREHAM. [E. Bastard. Part of this small but beautiful church dates from Saxon times. It is situated on the ancient walls ^"ich partly surround the town. Part ol this small o ^^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ,^^ S3^„„3 ^^ Varamo, from " Varia," the Roman for Fromc. Photo by] CORFE CASTLE RUINS. [£. A . Waymark Occupying a lofty position on the top of Purbeck Heights, Corfe Castle is considered one of the finest Norman ruins In England. The village of Corfe lies in a gap in the heights, and was originally called Corvesgate from the Anglo-Saxon "Ceorfan," to cut or to carve. Dorsetshire 637 soon discovered the treasure for himself, and the interpreter in due course became Lord Russel and the founder of the ducal line of Bedford. Between Dorchester and Sherborne, on the northern edge of the county, the finest of many beautiful spots at which to linger is Cerne Abbas, famous for the lovely Gate House, which is a relic of its ancient Benedictine Abbey, and also for the figure of a giant cut in the turf of " Giant's Hill." The latter was certainly a fearful brute. He devoured the farmers' sheep wholesale, and nothing could be done with him, as his enormous club was a weapon to which there was no answer. But one day, gorged with sheep, hi lay down on the hill for a nap. The farmers waited until they felt quite certain he was not Photo by] [£■ --l- iyaymaik. CORFE CASTLE. The Norman castle was erected on the site of an earlier .Saxon building, where Edward the Martyr, one of the Saxon kings, was murdered by his stepmother, Elfrida, in 978. The castle was once one of the strongest fortresses in England, and during the Civil War it withstood a siege of six weeks, being most ably defended by Lady Banks for Charles I. awake, and then pegged him down and killed him ; after which they cut his figure, club included, in the turf, as an everlasting memorial of their prowess ! Such is the popular explanation of an antiquity which has set many learned men b>- the ears. The only certain conclusion about the whole matter is that the Cerne giant is much too old for anyone to dogmatise about. Beyond this interesting httle town the road mounts the crest of the Dorset Downs and drops into Sherborne. Comparisons may be invidious, but the little country town which takes its name from the " Scir Burne " (clear brook) must command the approval and affection of anyone not wholly destitute of imagination and historic sense. Its associations with a great period of pre-Conquest history, its picturesque story, and above all its charming self give it the widest possible appeal. Centuries ago 638 Britain Beautiful Leland wrote, " I esteme it to lak litle of two miles in cumpace. For a dry town or other, saving Pole that is a litle thing, I take it to be the best towne at this present tyme in Dorsetshire." Save that " Pole " is no longer a " litle thing," the sentence holds good to-day. The noble Abbey Church is the successor of the building which was the cathedral of Wessex for three hundred years, and a more worthy successor it is hard to imagine. Like Winchester, it is a Norman structure rebuilt in the Perpendicular period, and the transformation was singularly happy and effective. Perhaps the greatest glorv of the church is the magnificent fan-vaulting of the choir, if possible even more beautiful than that of St. George's Chapel at ^^"indsor and King's College Chapel at Cambridge. The traces of fire which are everywhere visible recall the curious and stirring events of 1437, when a long and obstinate feud between the monks and the townsmen reached a climax. At that time the parish church was All Hallows, situated at the west end of the abbev church and II VC '^' ::,y..,.--i>Draadiyinisoc, MkLhg,xfiy,'i^kAhboa^ \imifji^^ Tarrant Cumilleo '/, ]„/,A - - „WimbiyneSfQle&. TaiTdnmnmb""'""^\ - i(^ oTa/ra/iC^' LYME BAY ^ (/"" Railways Poods Scale \oMiles gjcuq ,*o °[ast ChaJdm., ' CorfeCa^t '^^ 'ijdlar)d°^ casuh'^Phrtland. SaiUm\l°J i rtiojidBtll- -"A ^"-4; ''^Head ongiUde vv cjf G"eenwich 2 COPYRIGHT I^LQQt^h?V,\h.m<\.^5inaiSWaT LONDON [C4 MAP OF DORSETSHIRE. connected with it by a narrow door. As the font was in the latter the parishioners, to the great indignation of the monks, erected a rival font in their parish church, and proceeded to annoy the brethren still more by ringing the bells at inconvenient moments. The points in dispute were at length submitted to the Bishop for arbitration, and that dignitary issued an award which followed that via media so heartily detested by all blind partisans. The sequel shall be told in Leland's picturesque and terse language. The monks prevailed upon " one Waltter Gallor, a stoute Bocher dwelling yn Sherborne, to enter Alhalowes where he defacid clene the Fontstonc. The townsmen, aided by an Erie of Huntin- dune lying in those quarters, rose in playne sedicion. A prest of Alhalowes shot a shaft with her into the Toppe of that part of S. Marye Chirch that divided the Est part that the monks usid from the Townes-men usid ; and this Partition chauncing at that Tyme to be thakkcd yn the Rofe was sette a fier and consequently al the hole chirch, the Ledc and Belles meltid, was defacid." Fortunately the rebuilding was carried out in masterly fashion, and the present church is a worthy framework to much OLD HARRY POINT. Occupying the head of the northern arm of a beautiful bay, Old Harry Point is 2 miles north-east of Swanage. The bay is 2 miles wide, and forms an excellent shelter from the westerly winds. Pkolo by} Waymark. AGGLESTON, NEAR STUDLAND. According to tradition this stone was much venerated by the Saxons, while the popular legend is that the devU threw it across from Portland. It is made of Iron-ored sandstone and weighs 400 tons. The name Aggleston or Heligstan means Holy Stone. I'hoto by] [H. Fclloii. VNTRXNCF. TO TILLY WHIM CAVES. ' The deserted quarries near by are very picturesque. TUK VVHl. caves -e -;_U«.e^^.He^s^ o, ^^^^ llZar^/)^ fron- .he areat G.ohe a. Swana.. Dorsetshire 641 glorious glass and a fitting resting-place for many worthies, including Alfred the Great's brothers, Kings Ethelbald and Ethelbert. Other fine and interesting relics of the ancient abbey are to be found incorporated in the buildings of the famous school, which is the lineal successor of that which dated from St. Aldhelm's time. If tradition speaks truly, its roll of scholars includes Alfred himself. The Guest Hall, the Abbot's Hall, the kitchen, and the abbot's residence still exist in some disguise, but perhaps the gem of the collection is the Norman undercroft below the chapel. The ancient Castle of Sherborne was " rendered harmless " — in other words, destroyed — by the Parliamentarians after the brilliant siege of 1645. A picturesque ruin alone is left to recall the stronghold which Roger, Bishop of Sarum, fashioned in the early years of the twelfth century. As the present OLD MILL POND, SWANAGE. The little town of Swanage has recently gained a considerable reputation as a resort. Portland stone abounds in the district, and a mass of it has been made into a huge terrestrial globe, which attracts much attention on Durlston Head. remains show, the ecclesiastic obviously did not put his faith in princes, but preferred to trust to stones and mortar. The quarrel which subsequently ensued over its possession is almost as famous as the unseemly town and cowl squabble to which reference has been made. Roger was an avowed enemy of Stephen, who promptly dispossessed him of his castle. More than two hundred years later the Bishop of Salisbury demanded the return of what was Church property, and when the Earl of Sahsbury objected, not unnaturally, the haughty and pugnacious prelate challenged him to battle. The strange duel was averted by Edward III, who ordered the Earl to restore the castle on payment of compensation. The countryside was thus cheated of a highly sensational " show." A.mong later owners of eminence was Sir Walter Raleigh, who built the central portion of the existing manor house. It is confidently asserted that one of its rooms was the scene of that distressing contretemps 41 6.12 Britain Beautiful when one of his servants, seeing his master smoking for the first time, emptied a pail of water over him under the impression that he was on fire. Among many spots in the vicinity of Sherborne at which the writer, no less than the traveller, would like to linger, none conjures up a more attractive picture than Trent, that flower-strewn hamlet in a ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^_ landscape of gardens. For it was at Trent Manor House that the future Charles II, fresh from his overthrow at ^^ orcester, f(jund a refuge with loyal Colonel W\Tidham. Lady Ann Wyndham's room, which was placed at the royal fugitive's disposal, is still to be seen, along \vith the cubby-hole, in- ;','cniously disguised, which could be resorted to in extreme need. It was from here that <'harles started on the unfortunate adventure to Charmouth and Bridport 'if which we shall speak in due course. But modernisation has done a good deal to destroy the charm of the house on which the runaway set eves on September 17, 1 651. Between Sherborne and Shaftesbury lies the full width of the far- famed ^"ale of Black- moor, of which Mr. Hardy has written that " Here in the valley the world ^lems to be constructed upon a smaller and deli- cate scale ; the fields are mere paddocks, so re- duced that from this height their hedgerows appear a network of dark green threads overspread- ing the paler green of the grass. Theatmospherehe- neath is languorous, and is so tinged with azure, that what artists call the middle distance partakes ahso of that hue, while the horizon beyond is of the deepest ultra-marine. Arable lands are few and limited ; with but slight exceptions the prospect is a broad rich mass of grass and trees, mantling minor hills and dales within the major." Shaftesbury, which refuses locally to answer to any name but Shaston, stands on its high hill and with much dignity — though with no oppressive air of antiquity — represents the mediaeval town made famous Pkolo hy] STIDLAND ClIlRi:!!. Occupying a pretty bay in the north-east corner of Purbeck Isle, Studland Is one of the few attractive coast villages that remain unspoiled. The church Is a typical example of Norman architecture. [E. Baslcird. LULWORTH COVE Lulworth Cove and the neighbouring viUages of East and West Lulworth are charmingly situated on the coast midway between Swanage and Weymouth. The cove itself measures about 500 yards across, and is almost completely surrounded by hUls. Pholo by] [H. FeUon. WOOL MANOR. The manor at Wool used to belong to the Turbervilles. Tess and Angel Clare are said to have spent their wedding-night there. This fine Jacobean residence, now a farm, is the scene of Thomas Hardy's famous novel—" Tess of the D'Urbervilles." nolo by} [H. Fcllon. WOOL MULL. Wool is situated on the River Fromc 5 miles west of Wareham. Near by Is nindon Abbey, which was founded by the Cistercians In 1172 and has long been In ruins. Wool is the nearest station for Lulworth. Dorsetshire 645 by the nunnery founded by Alfred the Great. Seeing that he appointed his daughter Ethelgeda as first Abbess, it is hardly surprising that the convent became fashionable, but its great days reallv began when the corpse of King Edward the Martyr was brought from Wareham and reinterred in the superb Abbey Church. The hosts of pilgrims who poured into the place required lodging and bodily and physical sustenance ; hence its rapid growth and the fact of the twelve parish churches which seems so incredible to anyone visiting Shaftesbury to-day. For of all these glories, virtually nothing is left to tell the tale. As Hutchins says : " With all these religious edifices, this town made a very great figure in times of Popery. They were not only an orna- ment, but a great advantage to it, by the great concourse of pilgrims, and superstitious persons, whose mistaken piety drew them here, especially to the shrine of St. Edward. To these the town owed its reputation and flourishing condition ; hut at the Dissolution they all sunk into one common ruin." But if one has to say " Ichabod " of Shaftesbury and the twelve stately fanes have been reduced to a few rather uninteresting churches, the little town remains charming and remote on its lofty perch, one of the few spots where old English life still lingers on and gazes with haunting and worried eyes at the hurryings and scurryings of the twentieth century. The country south and south-east of Shaftesbury is rich in all those natural beauties which have earned for Dorsetshire the name of the " Garden of England," and had it no other title to fame it would claim respect for what still exists of Cranborne Chase, which Mr. Hardy has described as " a truly venerable tract of forest land, one of the few remaining wood- lands in England of undoubted primeval date, wherein druidical mistletoe is still found on aged oaks, and where enormous yew-trees, not planted by the hand of man, grow as they had grown when they were pollarded for bows." A hundred years ago the Chase was still a true forest, roamed by thousands of deer and the haunt of undesirable characters innumerable ; it was then disafforested, with the result that there are now few spots where it can still be seen in its primitive glory. Many of the villages hereabout are totally un- spoiled and exceedingly attractive ; most of them have some special feature, or some romantic piece of history which deserves special mention, did space but permit. But it must suffice to say that this corner of the county is a paradise for the roamer with eyes to see and ears to hear. Among the vast number of " down-and-outs " who have sought asylum in Cranborne Chase there is Photo by] IN HERE REGIS CHURCH. [E. Bastard. with its projecting figures of tlie twelve Apostles, the timber roof is the most noteworthy feature of the beautiful church at Here Regis. INTERIOR OF BERE REGIS CHURCH. Said to be one of the finest in the county, Bere Regis church is the burial-place of the Turberville family and contains many canopied tombs and monuments. Britain Beautiful Photo by] FORDINGTON CHURCH. There is little of interest in this church except the fine carving over the door. Fordinfiton is a suburb on the western side of Dorchester. Pholo by] I'- «">'""' ATHELHAMPTON HALL, NEAR PUDDLETOWN. The villaiie of Puddlelown stands on the River Puddle. Smiles north-east of Dorchester, and contains several quaint and picturesque houses. Alhelhampton Hall dates chleHy from the fUtecnIh century. no more pathetic figure than the Duke of Mon- mouth. Hunted and starved, the refugee from Sedgmoor entered Dorsetshire at Wood- gates and endeavoured to make for Poole on foot. Monmouth disguised himself as a shepherd, but had got no farther than Hornton Heath before his identity was discovered and the wretched man was found cowering in a ditch. His father's luck in Dorsetshire was not to be his, and a proffered bribe had no chance against the £5,000 reward promised ^* by James II. " Mon- mouth's Ash" still marks the spot where the first act of the tragedy was played, but it is not the original tree. Otherwise the spot has changed little since that July morning in 16S5. Cranborne itself has two specialties to show, its church and its wonderful manor house. The former is a large Decorated and Perpen- dicular edifice, rich in ancient monuments, and the latter one of the best Tudor mansions in the country, with charming Stuart addi- tions. Several sover- eigns of England have been entertained within its walls, and its hall was long used for the sittings of the Court of Cranborne Chase. Even without these features Cranborne would be entitled to respect as Photo by] THOMAS HARDY'S BIRTHPLACE. [Photochrom Co., LU. Thomas Hardy, one of the most famous of our living novelists, was born at Upper Bockhampton, near Dorchester, In 1840. He reached the zenith of his fame when his " Tess of the D'Urbervilles " challenged the conventions in 1891, but perhaps his most amazing drama Is '* The Dynasts," which appeared nearly 20 years later. Photo tvl [ Valentine & Son.. 1.: MAIUKN <:a.silk. This prehistoric fort Is one of the finest In England. It crowns Fordlngton HIM, 2 miles south of Dorchester, and is over a mile in circumference. On one side there arc eight lines of defence. The neighbouring hills are covered with great numbers of barrows. Dorsetshire 649 the birthplace of tliat handsome cleric, " Beauty of Holiness " Stillingfleet, who extracted from Charles 11 the engaging admission that he always read his speeches in the House of Commons because he had asked them for money so often that he was ashamed to look them in the face. Past the remarkable British camp known as Badbury Rings the Cranbome-Poole road threads smiling country to ancient Wimborne Minster, with a great church that occupies both eye and mind to pleasure and profit. It is certainly one of England's most noble mediaeval possessions, and presents an impressive outline, even though its tall spire collapsed in a hurricane three hundred years ago. Choice examples of the work of various styles, from Norman to Perpendicular, are to be found, and there is some beautiful glass in addition to exceptional features, such as the fourteenth-century orrery clock and the seventeenth-century library of chained books, a very necessary precaution in times when books Photo by] [I'aUnline o- Sons, Ltd. WHITE HORSE, WEYMOUTH. Standing on the River Wey at its influx to a beautiful bay, Weymouth consists of two towns situated on either side of the Nothe promontory. The more modern half is known as Melcombe Regis. The White Horse is a gigantic figure of George HI on horsebacic, cut out of the turf at Osmington, 4 miles north-east of Weymouth. were rare and precious, and the public conscience somewhat elastic on the subject of larceny. Among manv interesting monuments and memorials are those of Ethelred, brother of Alfred the Great, the Marchioness of Exeter, one of John of Gaunt's grandsons, and the famous Anthony Ettricke, the magis- trate before whom the miserable Monmouth was brought on his capture. The peculiar position of this worthy's monument — in a recess in the church wall— is popularly explained by a story that Ettricke, in one of his manv perverse moments, said that he was to be buried neither in the church nor out of it ! South of Wimborne, Poole, at the head of the extraordinary " harbour " of the same name, combines the functions of an ancient and decayed port with those of a populous and growing outlier of Bourne- mouth. With its latter aspect readers of Britain Beautiful have little concern. The quays on the other hand are still redolent of the Middle Ages, as picturesque and odorous as the most critical could require. Old houses remain that have seen Poole in its palmiest days, and at least one existing building witnessed the departure of the miniature armada which was the port's contribution to 6;o Britain Beautiful Edward Ill's fleet against France. One might expatiate ad infinitum on the romantic story of Poole, and not a line would be dull. But man>- other romantic spots await us before the end of this limited survey is reached, and we must not linger, save to pay due homage to that extraordinary brigand- hero whose prosaic name of Harry Page was immortally transformed by his enemies into " Arripav." At the beginning of the fifteenth century " Arripay " was the most skilful, successful, and " robustious " of the freebooters who made life on the French and Spanish coasts barely worth living. The grievances of their faithful subjects having pestered the ears of the Kings of France and Spain, they temporarily sank their differences, and Europe held its breath to see the outcome of their joint expedition against Poole and its pestilential citizen. It must be admitted that the moral effect was considerable, and the town suffered to a certain extent, but " Arripay " successfully escaped the clutches of his wrathful and indignant foes. WEYMOUTH. {Soittlterti KaiUiay. The popularity of Weymouth as a resort dates from 1789, when George III visited It with his queen and the princesses. The bay Is 4 miles long and 2} broad from east to west, and together with Portland Harbour is the chief base for the Home Fleet. Compared with this excitement, Poole's adventures in the Civil War read as something of an anti- climax. While Poole has remained active and vigorous, the other port of Poole Harbour, old Warcham, has sunk into a much-loved and picturesque nullitv, its sea communications being reduced to a channel which will admit rowing-boats and no more. Dire have been the misfortunes which have brought it down from a position of considerable importance to its present social insignificance. Of Wareham, Britton & Brayley plaintivelv remark : " It seems to have been the constant practice of these pillagers [Ihe Danes], that when the invasion of the western counties was their purpose, their rendezvous was at the Isle of \\'ight, whence thev crossed to Frome mouth, and proceeded to this devoted town ; and if they found them.selves worsted in their depredations, it was in their way to their ships ; so that Wareham was in a state either of continual apprehension, or of absolute warfare." One startling result of being a military cockpit is that it is too small for its boots, inasmuch as it completely fails to fill up the space circumscribed bv the ancient walls, now so overgrown as to resemble a vast rampart of turf. Areas now occupied by orchards and gardens were once thronged with houses. By permission of] RUFUS CASTLE. [Underu'ood Press Service otherwise known as the Bow and Arrow Castle, the ruins take the form of a pentagonal tower, and tradition asserts that it was built by WUliam Rulus. The castle is placed on an eminence 300 feet high on the western side of Portland Isle, a little to the south of the famous convict prison. Photo by] ROUGH SEA. PORTLAND. The Chesll Bank, which connects Portland Isle with the mainland, together with the stupendous breakwater, makes Portland Roads the largest artificial harbour in Great Britain. The breakwater Is 6,000 feet in length, and was constructed by convict labour in 1849-72 at a cost of £1,000,000, and is composed of over 5,600,000 tons of oolitic limestone. Photo by\ [Victor Tuntur. PULPIT ROCK, PORTLAND. Portland Is a rocky peninsula, 4^ miles lon(> and 2 miles wide, consisting of little more than a vast quarry, from which a large portion of stone has been taken as building material. The Pulpit Rock Is a pillar rising from the sea near the Shambles, and connected with the mainland by a flat mass of rock that has been tilted against it. Dorsetshire 653 So overgrown are the walls that it is quite impossible to tell their exact age, though it is tolerably clear that they date from before the Conquest and to a large extent have survived the military misfortunes which overtook Wareham at various periods of its lively and troubled history. We know that the Parliamentary forces decided on their destruction in i6^6, but for some reason or other the work of demolition was never carried out. Thanks to a succession of fires which culminated in the monster conflagration of 1762, there are few ancient remains in this attractive old place. The Church of Our Lady St. Mary is happily one of the exceptions—" happily," because it touches our history at a most picturesque, if sombre, point. ' ><<..**.i,;; ':t. -~ - ■j1S«H!!L. ill. f-trllon. TITHE BARN, ABBOTSBURY. Having the appearance of a church, the great Tithe Barn at Abbotsbury Is 276 feet in length, and formed part of a Saxon abbey which was founded on the spot. The Chesil Bank joins the mainland here H miles from Portland. For it was here that the corpse of King Edward the Martyr was brought from Corfe, and in this church it rested until transferred to Shaftesbury, as already related. Not that the present King Edward's Chapel is contemporary, or even approximately contemporary, with that melancholy event. But even if this chapel only dates from the time of Henry III, there is the authentic coffin of the murdered sovereign to conjure up a sad but fascinating page of our island story. Among other interesting relics preserved in the church are fragments of Roman altars and two stones recording the names of Danish freebooters who successfully disputed the possession of Wareham with King Alfred. Second only to the Lady Mary Church in interest is St. Martin's Church, known locally as the " Chapel on the Walls." As it has not been used for purposes of worship since the year of the great 654 Britain Beautiful fire, it is a nuiseum rather than a church. But if so, it is a museum of many treasures— fragments of early and curious frescoes, two squints, a chancel arch which may be very Early Norman or Late Saxon, the weird " Devil's Door." With all the haphazard transformation St. Martin's has suffered, it remains a rich reward for any visitor to Wareham. South of \\'areham the " Isle " of Purbeck — which is no island and barely a peninsula— is a strange, wild region tra\'ersed by a range of hills in which there is a gap, and in that gap is the precipitous mound crowned by Corfe Castle. Looking at the battered but picturesque fragments which alone remain, it is a little difficult to visualise the impregnable stronghold which defied all assaults for Photo by] [t. Bailard. LODERS, NEAR BRIDPORT. The village of Loders stands on a tributary of the Brit River 2 miles north-east of Brldport. A priory was founded here In the reign of Henry VIll. Brldport Is a rising watering-place, IJ miles from West Bay and the coast. centuries and finally yielded only to the basest treachery. The earliest recognisable work is of Norman character, so that it is all but a moral certainty that no part of the existing ruin witnessed the dastardly deed which opens the romantic, but often sinister, story of the fortress. The occurrence which made the name of '" Corvesgate " known far and wide was the murder of Edward the MartjT, a description of which shall be left to language far more picturesque than any the twentieth century can command. Grafton's Chronicle tells us how " King Edward, he came uppon a tyme from hunting in the Forest, nere unto the Castell of Corfe, in the West Countrie : where he losyng his companie and scrvantes, resorted unto the Castle aforesayde, where at that tyme his stepmother with her sonne Egelredus kept her houshold. " When the Queene was warned of his comming, anone she called unto a servante of hers, whome Photo by] ~„ ,^ CHIDEOCK CHURCH. W ' ' ' u Photo by] LYME REGIS. [Soul/urn Railway. °" n tK*""'*' "'""'"^ Village, Lyme Regis has developed Into a popular watering-place. The ancient little stone pier, known as the Cobb, ' comes In Jane Austen's " Persuasion " as the scene of Louisa Musgrave's accident, and has been rebuilt several times. Dorsetshire 657 she much trusted, and tolde to him all her counsayle, shewing to him further, how he should behave himself in the accomplishing of her will and minde. And that done, she went towards the King, and receyved him with all gladnesse, and desyred him to tarie with her that night : But he in curteous maner excused himselfe, and for speede, 'desyred to drink upon his horse sytting, the which was shortly brought. " And while the Cup was at his mouth, the ser\ant strake him to the heart with a sword, or long dagger sharpe on both sydes." Among royal owners the castle could reckon virtually all the sovereigns of England, and its commoner owners include Sir Christopher Hatton and Charles I's Attorney-General, Sir John Fhoio ly\ [H. Feilon. LYME REGIS. The town takes its name from the River Lyme and Is situated near the Devonshire boundary. One hears of it as early as 774, when a grant of the land was made to Sherborne by CynewuU. Bankes, whose lady gallantly held the place against a most determined Parliamentary onslaught in 1643. Three years later its surrender was brought about by gross treachery, and it was then effectively wrecked. The village which still sits in dumb admiration at its feet is its own offspring. It is a charming old-world place, and though its church, consecrated to the Martyr King, was rebuilt in the last century with the exception of the tower, it contains many interesting features and memories of those stirring times when the Roundhead cannon played upon the castle from this vantage-point. The coast of the " Isle " of Purbeck is an alternation of fine bays and headlands with at least one gem of natural scenery at Studland. It lies under the shadow of Ballard Down, which meets the sea 42 658 Britain Beautiful in two promontories, l'>allard Point itself and Handfast Point, the latter a stepping- stone to the two curious pillars known as " Old Harry and his Wife." In one of his stories Mr. Hardy speaks feel- ingly of the " windy, sousing, thwacking, basting, scourging Jack Ketch of a corner called Old Harry Point, which lay about midway along the track, and stood with its de- tached posts and stumps of white rock like a skeleton's lower jaw grinning at British navigation ! " To these sea terrors peaceful Studland, with its beautiful Norman church and picturesque manor house, is a most effective contrast. In the same novel from which a quota- " lion " of a hue and the imagination of all tion has already been made Mr. Hardy describes Swan age (" Knollsea ") as " a seaside village, lying snugly within two headlands as between a hnger and thumb." The description, so far as the " seaside village " is c o n- cerned, no longer applies. Much well- directed advertise- ment has made it a popular watering- place, to the detri- ment of many ancient features. But the church still has its original tower, the Town Hall the front of that Mercers' Hall in London which was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and Old Swanage a goodly number of houses which have seen history. Between Swanage and \\'eymouth the bold coast is unquestionably the delightful inlet of Lulworth Cove. Its hold on is easy to understand, and it need ask no other advertisement than the fact lliat Laar. Plwlo by] HKAMIN.STER Clll R(_:il. [G. H. The beautiful pinnacled tower is noteworthy for some fine sculpturing of the Tudor period, and the nave and south aisle are Early English in parts. Pholo by] lOKI) AIIBEY. [faleiilnii S- Sons, Lid. Part of Ford Abbey was built in ll4H,and. before the Oissolutlon, it was added to by Thomas Chard, the last abbot. The present mansion was built In the Tudor style ; It Incorporates the remains of the Cistercian monastery and contains the well-known Raphael tapestries. Photo by] CERNE ABBAS : ABBEY GATEHOUSE. [E. Bastard. The photograph shows the beautiful gatehouse, with Its two-storied oriel window, which is the most striking feature of the remains of a Benedictine abbey. Photo by] THE CHOIR, SHERBORNE ABBEY. Shcrborno Abbey Is one of the finest of the ecclesiastical bulldinf^s of I>orsot, and dates from Saxon times. Aldhctm's monastery. The choir has some good fan-tracery. [E. Bastard It was built on the site of Dorsetshire 66 1 PI'"'" 'y] [E. BasUrU. THE OLD GATEHOUSE, SHERBORNE CASTLE. Of the original castle, only tiie Norman gatehouse and portions of the l(eep and chapel remain. It once belonged to Sir Walter Raleigh, and later It went through stirring times during the Civil War. the late Rupert Brooke, having seen the glories of Italy, the eastern Mediterranean, and the Pacific, retained the boundless affection he felt for this little bay in his early Cambridge days. After Lulworth and its interesting though not exactly beautiful castle, Weymouth comes as some- thing of an anti-climax. It still preserves a little corner to remind the visitor of its antiquity and services to the maritime ascendancy of Britain, but in the main the present town is obviouslv the out- come of its sudden popularity rather more than a hundred years ago. No one with any curiosity to see Weymouth in its palmy days — when George III was convalescing in its balmy air — should miss Fanny Burney's thumb-nail sketches of the place and its life in her Diary. " The preparations of festive loyalty were universal. Not a child could we meet that had not a bandeau round its head, cap, or hat, of ' God save the King ' ; all the bargemen wore it in cockades ; and even the bathing-women had it in large coarse girdles round their waists. It is printed in golden letters upon most of the bathing- machines, and in various scrolls and devices it adorns every shop and almost every house in the two towns . . . " The King bathes, and with great success ; a machine follows the Royal one into the sea, filled with fiddlers, who play ' God save the King ' as His Majesty takes his plunge I " The lady, indeed, came to the conclusion that " the loyalty of all this place is excessive." Only an unintentional comedy is needed to make the scene quite perfect : "One thing, however, was a little unlucky: when the Mayor and burgesses came with the address, they requested leave to kiss hands : this was graciously accorded ; but the Mayor ad- vancing, in a common way, to take the 'Jueen's hand, as he might that of any lady mayoress, Colonel Gwynn, who stood by, whispered, ' You must kneel, sir ! ' He found, however, that he took no notice of this hint, but kissed the Queen's hand erect. As he passed him on his way back, the Colonel said, ' You should have knelt, sir! ' " ' Sir," answered the poor mayor, ' I cannot.' " ' Everybody does, sir.' " ' Sir— I have a wooden leg ! ' " Photo by] SHERBORNE : ABBEY TOWER. [f. Bastard. Since those halcyon days the place has not had .^be tower of this beautiful abbey is Norman as far as the floor much attention from rovaltv, for all its health- "f »•>« bell-chamber. The old abbey buildings now form part of Sherborne School, which was founded by Edward \'I in 1550, giving properties, but Portland, hard by, certainly sir Thomas Wyatt, the poet, was buried in the abbey. 662 Britain Beautiful cannot grumble of any lack of attention from guests of the State. The most remarkable natural feature hereabouts is of course Chesil Bank, that extraordinary strip of shingle which has been the scene of so man\- devastating wrecks. Such points as " Deadman's Bay " tell their melancholy story plainly enough, and it is pleasant to find that the long recital of lost lives and wasted treasure is occasionally varied and relieved by an event such as occurred on the night of November 23, 1824, when a small ship was swept clean over the bank into the peaceful waters of the Fleet — an intervention of Providence which seems almost miraculous. Further west the county forgets Hanoverians and convicts and resumes its old-world appearance. Indeed, there is hardly a corner of England on which Time has laid a lighter hand, and it is impossible to proceed for any distance in any direction without coming across some relic of the past, even if it be only the primitive grave of one of our primitive ancestors. Among the more important memorials are the ruins of St. Peter's Abbey at Abbotsbury, one of the religious houses which suffered most at the Dissolution. The last abbot was one of the few who would not bow the knee to the tvrannous Plioto by] [E. Bastard. BRADFORD ABB.\S, NEAR SHERBORNE. The photograph shows the priest's doorway in the south wall of the church. Other interesting features are the f^ne buttressed and pinnacled tower. 90 feet in height, and the beautiful west front. Pholo bv Used by Saxon Is a small tow of Blandford STUR.MIN.STER NEWTON. (£. Bastard. kings as a hunting centre, Sturmlnster Newton n standing on the .Stour 8\ iniles north-west William Barnes, the poet and philologist, was educated here. Henry Mil, and he paid for his fruitless courage with his life. If tradition speaks trul\-, the existing cell is that in which he was slowlv starved to death by royal order. If there were nothing else to see in West Dorset, it would be saved from mediocritv bv that delightful trio of small towns, Bridport, Charmouth, and Lyme Regis. The two former hgure brightlv on tliat quaint and entertaining page of our history which records Prince Charles's adventurous wander- ings in the county after the disaster at Worcester. .\11 should know the delightful story of the frus- tration at Charmouth of his design of slipping away in a boat. Its owner, Stephen Limbry, had everything ready when his wife, knowing the penalty of assisting Royalist refugees and suspecting the nature of the enterprise, kindly but firmly locked him in his bedroom, and — to make a.ssurance doubly sure — concealed his trousers, presumably his only pair ! At Lyme Regis, with its rambling streets and houses and an air of picturesque topsy-turvydom, the visitor walks straight into the heart of Old England. No imagination is required to visualise the great event in its career, the landing of Mon- mouth early in the morning of June ii, 1685 Pholo by] CRANBORNE MANOR HOUSE. Belonging to the Marquis of Salisbury, the beautiful manor house at Cranborne Is a good example of Tudor architecture Jacobean northern porch is shown In the photograph. [;■. Ilj.l.irJ. The COUNTY DOWN IF it were devoid of all the rest of its points of interest, still could County Down challenge the rest of Ireland with Slieve Donard, the magnificent summit of the Mourne Mountains, which, rising to just on 2,Soo feet, has no rival in the country apart from the Donegal Hills. The Mourne range runs roughly from south-west to north-east, from Newry on the western border of the county to Dundrum on the east coast, and it is in many respects the finest and most picturesque of the Irish hill ranges. Slieve Donard is usually ascended from the Glen Kiver valley, which flanks the northern shoulder of the height. Overhanging the stream for a considerable distance is an escarpment known as the Eagle Rock, and, on approaching the summit, one encounters two cairns, the second and highest-placed of which is on the actual crest of the mountain. From here the view is magnificent ; eastward lies the sea, bounded at its farther side by the hills of Man and the summit of Snaefell ; down at the foot of Fholo by] Hl\ A. Greer.. CISTERCIAN ABBEY OF INCH, DOWNPATRICK. On the opposite side of the estuary of the Quoil to Downpatrlck, stand the ruins of the Abbey of Inch, which was built by John de Courcy in 1180. It occupies the site of an earlier building, which was destroyed by the Danes in 1102. Slieve Donard nestle Dundrum, Newcastle, and Annalong, while to the north the fertile plains of the county stretch away toward Ballyriahinch and Dromore. West and south-west the minor heights of the Mourne Mountains rise in lessening perspective : Slieve Commedagh lifts over 2,500 feet above sea-level ; Slieve Bearnagh is just on 2,400 feet; and then come the summits of Slieve Mecl, the Chimney Rock, Slieve Bingian, Slieve Lanagan, and Shanlieve, all well over 2,000 feet in height ; and away in the west beyond Newry are the heights of Slieve Gullion, and southward the Carlingford Hills. It is a wonderful view that Slieve Donard gives, one of the most varied and picturesque in all Ireland. Killarnev notwithstanding. But County Down has other attractions to offer. Scarcely one of its towns and villages is devoid of some interesting historical association, or of some ruin that bespeaks a part in Irish story. Down under Slieve Donard is Dundrum, of which the ruined castle won from Lord Deputy Grey in 1539 the 666 Britain Beautiful Oreen. ST. PATRICK'S GRAVE, DOWNPATRICK. St. Patrick is reputed to have been buried in the tiraveyard of Downpatrick Cathedral. His ^rave is marked by a Celtic cross on a huge granite monolith which was placed over it in 1900. Two other crosses mark the graves of St. Bridget and St. Columb, who were also buried here. '''"''° *"'■' ST. PATRICK'S, IIOI.YWKLI.. The wells ol Straull arc about I) miles to the north-east of Down. In oUlen times crowds of pilgrims used to resort to them at night to wash away their sins. encomium — "It is one of the .strongest holds I ever saw." It was built by John de Courcy for the Knights r e m p 1 a r s , who held it until their Mippression in IJ13, and in subsequent wars it formed a valued stra- tegic point ; in 1 51 7 the Marl of Hil- da re. t h e n Lord Deputy, captured it, and again, as already noted. Lord Deputy (jrey found it fl esi r ab le — and, by the way, took it —in 153 9- .Shane O'Xeill made a for- tress of it in 1566, and Lord Mount- joy captured it in the first year of the next century. Lord Crom- w ell, fore- runner of him whose name I r e 1 a n d learned to dread, secured and tuld it in I () 5 , and stern Oliver dismantled it in 1652. Be- fore that, it had become the property o m o A H <; h z o D Id < Q Z S E c ' Si O (9 1^ El i. h Phola by] THE PIER AT ARDGLASS. [U'. A. Gran. At Ardglass is the chief herring Ashing station on the North Channel, and the fishermen in the photograph can be seen busy curing their catch on the pier. The fine castles, which were built to protect the town when it was an Important port, are an interesting feature of the neighbourhood. .I?i, t Phoio by\ DUNDRUM CASTLE. [ir. .-J. Green. Said to have been built by John de Courcy f»r the Knights TempUirs, Dundrum Castle Is now nothlnt^ but u cylindrical shell of masonry surrounded by a niuat which was quarried out of solid rock. After changing hands many times it Is now the property of the Marquis of Downshlrc. County Down 669 of Sir Francis Blundell, from whom it descended to the ilarquis of Downshire, whose family hold it to this day. But, before this record begins, an earlier stionghold had occupied the site of the castle. Dun Radraidhe, or Riiry's Fort (from which the derivation of Dundrum is easily defined^ figures in the old story of the " Book of the Dun Cov.-," which tells how there was held in Rury's Fort the feast given by Bricriu of the Venomous Tongue, when he en- tertained Connor Mac Nessa and the Red Branch Knights of Emania. Below the site of the old fort and present ruined castle lies the " Shore of the Cham- pions," where the youth of old time used to prac- tise feats of wrestling and train for fleetness of foot. The old castle ranks as a very rare example of the donjon keep in Ire- land ; there remains of its former glories a solid cylindrical tower of masonry 45 feet in diameter, with walls 8 feet in thickness, rising to a height of over 40 feet. Outside this, the moat was quarried from the solid rock, and at the top was an encircling walk whence the sentinels might keep watch. Cromwell reduced most of the rest to ruin, and levelled the outer bailey. but part of the original outer wall is still to be discerned. Not far off is a ruined mansion of the sixteenth centurv, con- [\'aleiui:ic & Sons, Ltd cernmg which tradition , ,. , ,, OLD BRIDGE, TOLLVMORE. has little to tell. This bridge spans the River Shimna in the beautiful grounds of Tollymore Parlt, the seat of the Southward is NeWCas- Earl of Roden. The Parli is very extensive and richly wooded. tie, a thoroughly modern seaside and bathing resort, and, still farther toward the southern boundary of the county, are Annalong and Bloodv Bridge, the latter almost under Chimney Rock, rising to over 2,000 feet. A feature of Annalong is the ruin of an ancient church standing in a " Killeen," or graveyard in which unbaptised children were buried in a less enlightened age. Bloody Bridge is so called in memory of a massacre of the Presbyterians, perpetrated here in 1641, and near by is Armer's Hole, another place of ill-omen, since it won its appellation through Edward Armer's murder of his father. Down at the extremity of the county, on Carlingford Lough, stands Warrenpoint, and the road thence to Rostrevor ranks as one 6/0 Britain Beautiful hardly to be equalled for scenery. Beside it stands a granite obelisk, erected to the memory of General Ross, who, as the column tells, was present at the battles of Helder, Alexandria, Maida, Corunna, Mttoria, Orthes. the Pyrenees, Bladensburg, and Baltimore, at the last of which he was killed in the year before Waterloo. He had the curious distinction of capturing Washington, but was unable to make good his hold, a few weeks before his death. Dominatins; Rostrevor stands Slieve Ban. nearly I, Goo feet in height, and, separated from it by a ravine, is Cloughmore, a great boulder mass of granite to which is at- tached one of the legends in which all Ireland abounds. It is said that Benandonner. a Scottish ''MiJtehejd .^ ^Capelandu. 'U/p\/artljzruiPf W/s/e falljr»ritPP laJlywaJUr WdaaaMock '^lyhaJbert •Ewixill- 6 feet. In the neighbourhood of Follymore Park their sides are strewn with granite boulders. They are perhaps the most picturesque range in northern Ireland with the exception of the Donegal Mountains. ' "— ^ •a^CT'^'J' jj"- ' -" T^~ ' Photo by] COCK AND HEN MOUNTAINS, KINGDOM OF MOURNE. [ir. .-1. Grce:n. The Mourne Mountains stretch right across the corner of Co. Down from Newcastle nearly to Rostrevor on Carlingford Lough. The chief heights are Slleve Donard and Slieve Bingian. ■.■■••^^;yf?d Plm'ohv] [W. A. Green. " THE CASTLES OF KIVVITAR," MOURNE MOUNTAINS. These curiously shaped rocks are perched on the slopes of Slieve Comtnedagh. They consist of pinnacles of granite beaten out from the rock by the action of the weather along their joint planes. Slieve Commedagh means " The Mountain of Watching." L Photo byi IN THE SILENT VALLEV. MOURNE MOUNTAINS. The photof^raph shows lateral moraine which has been deposited by ice on the mountain sides enclosinti the valley il'. A. Green. County Down 6/7 and one at each end. It is generally concluded that the buildings formed a fortilied store for the trading company and its successors. The other fortresses were known as King's Castle, Queen's Castle, Cowd Castle, Beauclerc's Castle, and Jordan's Castle, only the last of which appears to have won any fame in the troublous times of Elizabeth and the Earl of Tyrone's insurrection. Simon Jordan, after whom the castle is named, held it for three years against Tyrone's forces, and was then saved from surrender by the Lord Deputy Mount;joy. It is generally considered that the five castles were erected at some time in the fifteenth century, but very little is known of their history. King's and Queen's Castles are mere mounds now, and of Cowd's Castle there remains little more than a square tower. The north of the county is rich in archseological and historic interest. Bangor, the most northerly THE OLD BRIDGE, ROSTREVOR. [Valentiitf This picturesque old bridge crosses tiie Kilbroney River a little east of the main street of Rostrevor. Half-way up this street are the ivy-clad ruins of an old church. town, is now a seaside resort for Belfast holiday-makers, but its historic interest is greater than its present prominence. As long ago as a.d. 556 St. Comghall or Congall founded an abbey here, which rapidly grew to great importance and was regarded as one of the principal seats of learning in Ulster. In 818 the raiding Danes landed and plundered the place, and at that time there were 3,000 inmates of the abbey, of whom the abbot and nine hundred monks were massacred. In 1120 the abbey was rebuilt as a Franciscan sanctuary, and subsequently it attained to even greater importance and wealth. The parish church of Bangor now occupies the site of the old abbey, of which scarcely any remains exist. In the reign of James I the abbey property, then held by the O'Neills, was confiscated, and made a grant by the English king to Sir James Hamilton. The ruins of the old Bangor Castle, which also 678 Britain Beautiful bv the fine Elizabethan Bangor Castle which took the place passed to him at the time, still exist, near of the older structure. . r tt 1 . Two miles distant is the Marquis of Dufferin's seat, Clandeboye, famed for the existence of ' Helen s Tower " which was built as casket for some verses written by Lady Dufferin to commemorate the commg of aee'of her son in 1S47. Inscriptions by Tennyson and Browning render the tower still more note- worthy ; from the summit of the tower a splendid view of the Mourne Moun- tains, Belfast and its guarding hills, and the Mull of Galloway and Isle of Man is obtained. In the park of Clande- boye is a chapel which con- tains a number of old architectural features, including a restored Celtic cross, a frieze of the time of the Emperor Diocletian, and a cartouche of Tir- hakah. The bell of the chapel is Burmese, and in the interior are placed two pilasters from a fourth-cen- tur\' church at lessus in Asia Minor. Newtownards (Newtown of the Ards) stands at the head of Strangford Lough, and gains its name from the " Ards " peninsula which forms the eastern side of the lough. When, in the time of James I, the O'Neill estates were confiscated. Sir Hugh Montgomery was granted lordship of this district, and in i()32 he restored the old church of .St. Columba, which was built by Walter de Burgo, luirl of Ulster, in 12.44. The nave is all that now remains of the original struc- ture, and this contains some fine examples of fifteenth- century architectural craftsmanship. The Lon- donderry family vault is here, and, where once the high altar was placed, is a magnificent Irish cross, erected to the memory of a Marquis of Londonderry by his widow. The old cross of Newtown. irds was flung down and broken by rebels in 1653, and in 1666 the fragments were collected and embodied in tlie present structure, now placed on a fine octagonal pedestal. A little more than a mile to the north-east of the town are tin remains of the old .\bl)r\- Church of ANCIENT CELTIC CROSS AT DONAGHMORE. The Celts were at the height of their power about 400 B.C. The ftoneral opinion is that they lnva(lc y. u _] z u E ■o H L> jgyi',' . tt&i County Down 68 c Stapleton retreated after having suffered the loss of sixty of his men, but Munroe's force is credited with fighting up to a loss of 360. Inspirited by his success, Munroe marched three days later for the capture of Ballynahinch, having with him an army of 7,000 men. General Nugent was in command of a I-ioyalist force which occupied the town, and he gave battle to Munroe's men, a battle which was contested with desperate stubbornness. It pro\'ed to be Munroe's last cast of the dice, for the rebel forces were totally routed after great slaughter, and Munroe himself, taking to flight, was captured and executed later at Lisburn. Nugent's victory here, together with the capture of Munroe, broke the back of the rebellion in the north, and Munroe, a good fighter and sonnd strategist, who suffered as do most rebel leader.-, from the possession of undisciplined fighting material, seems to have gone down into obscurity, while such as Wolf Tone are remembered. Ballynahinch lon.g enjoyed a wide popularity on account of the medicinal qualities of its waters ; Pltolu hy] [U . .-). Gresn. NEWTOWNARDS PRIORY. The photograph shows the chancel arches, which are one of the most interesting features of what little remains of this fine old priory. there are two chalybeate and sulphur wells at the Spa, and the waters are considered valuable in cutaneous diseases and general debility. The town lies in a vale at the foot of the .Slieve Croob Hills, on the side of which an ancient rath may still be traced, 80 yards in circumference. At Leganauny, a little more than 2 miles to the south-west of the town, is a remarkably fine cromlech, with its upper stone, 11 feet long by 5 feet in width, so delicately balanced on its three uprights that it can be easily moved. The whole of this district, and away down to the southern slopes of the !Mourne Mountains, affords scenery of diversified beauty which can challenge comparison with any in Ireland, dominated by the magnificent crest 01 Slieve Donard. the " crown of Down." In old time, the mountain was known as " Slieve Slanga," in honour of a legendary hero named Slainga or Slainge. According to the Annals of the Four Masters, he died in the year 2533 after the creation of the world, and was buried in the cairn of Slieve Slanga, now Slieve Donard. He was a brother of Rudraighe, the renowned fighter who 686 Britain Beautiful gave his name to and was drowned in Dundrum Bay, the bay of the Dun of Rudraighe, and he was son, too, of Partholan. a king of Ireland. The supplanting of pagan legend by Christian influence is well shown in the change of name from Slieve Slanga to Slieve Donard. St. Donard was one of St. Patrick's followers, who was born late in the fifth century, and founded the church of ^Maghera in the shadow of the great mountain. His chapel, at the top of Slieve Donard, is said to have served him as a hermitage, and pilgrimages to it were made annually on July 25, St. Donard's Day. Some authorities consider that certain ruined walls at the summit of Slieve Donard mark the ruins of this chapel, but others contest this, asserting that the ruins are of comparativel}- modern date. It is fitting that such a brief account of Countv Down and its beauties as is this should both begin Of the original abbey, only the shell of the nave and parts of the choir remain. The Norman doorway is on the north side. The abbey was largely rebuilt by the Montgomeries after it had been destroyed by fire in the rebellion of 1641. and conclude with SlieveDonard, which divides with the Patron Saint of Ireland the claim to chief notice. And, perhaps, Slieve Donard has the greater claim to first place, for it is distinctive of the county and of no other, while St. Patrick belongs to all Ireland, although County Down claims the honour of having provided his burial-place. Both Slieve Donard and St. Patrick are real, actual ; in common with the rest of Ireland — perhaps more than all the rest — Countv Down can boast of more legend than actuality. The vi\id imagination of the Celt has clothed the countv in storv, and it ma\- be said that every hill and glen has its tale of giants or little people, or of the " lordh- ones " who dwc 11 in tlic hollow hills. .\n(l in that wealth of legend lies St. Patrick's claim to more than common fame, for he had to combat su]ierstitious belief, ingrained in the race for centuries, which warred against the Christian story to a greater extent, perhaps, than in any other country. Ireland as a whole, and more particularly County Down— which gave him burial — does well to honour its patron saint and greatest hero. I'holo by] , II . .1. uretn. REFECTORY, GREY ABBEY. Grey Abbey was used as a parish church as late as 1778, which probably accounts for the wonderful state of preservation the ruins are in to-day. The three lights of the east window are about 20 feet in height. Fhnto by\ SKETRICK CASTLE. [W. A. Green. Sketrick Castle stands on one of the numerous islands in Strangford Lough and is connected with the mainland by a causeway. The island is one mile east of Ardmillan. Photo by) CHRIST CHIRCH CATHEDRAL, DUBLIN. The present huililln(> was erected In 1871 on the site of the Priory of the Holy Trinity, built by the Danish Kind of Dublin and Bishop Donatus in 1038. The ruins of the chapter house of the old priory may still be seen in the tiardens outside the cathedral. [I'alotttite & Soils', LCii. Photo by] THE BOOK OK KELLS, TRINITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN. Dating from the eighth century, this book is the finest early Irish illuminated MS. in existence. Its many beautiful iUustrations include three scenes from the life of Christ and the portraits of the Evangelists. B COUNTY DUBLIN AILE-ATH-CLIATH," or " the town of the hurdle ford," as Dublin was first called, has little early histor\' compared with otuer Irish centres. The Irish in the days of the early Danish raids made the hurdle ford across the Liffev that caused the name, and very soon in the period of their incursions the Danes themselves occupied the site of the present city, and, in the ninth centurv. made " Duibhlinn," the place of the " Black Pool," the centre of their kingdom, fortified it, and built a town. Here for nearly two hurdred years they maintained themselves, raiding inland and up and down the coast. In A.D. 1014 came Brian Boru, the Irish leader who gave the Danes their first serious check at Clontarf, where a bloody battle ended in the total overthrow of the Danish army. Dublin held out, however, and it remained for the Norman warriors from England to capture Dublin in the 3'ear 1170, when they put Prince Hasculf to flight. He came back the following year with a fleet of sixty ships, only to meet a still more effectual defeat, after which he was captured and executed. A year after this event Henry II paid a visit to Dublin, when the Irish chiefs built a pavilion of wickerwork in his honour on College Green, outside the city walls, and swore fealty to the English king as their overlord. It was in the course of this visit that Henry gave Dublin to the men of Bristol and made it the head- quarters of the " English Pale " in Ireland. The wall, greatly strengthened from its original form in Danish days, enclosed the town, and John is said to have ordered the addition of a strong castle in the year 1205, a necessary precaution. For the native Irish, even then ardent home-rulers, were ever 44 Photo by] CROSS OF CONG, [Valentine & Sons, Ltd. NATIONAL MUSEUM. DUBLIN. Situated in the west rooms of the Museum, this fine Celtic processional cross is eight centuries old. It is made of oak covered with copper plates, and stands 50 feet high. The cross is beautifully decorated with animal designs and filigree work. 690 Britain Beautiful attacking, and it behovtd the garrison to be ever on the alert. Most conspicuous among the inevitable conflicts was the Battle of CuUenswood, which gave the name of " The Bloody Fields " to the district in which it was fought on Easter Monday of the year 1209. On that dav the men of ^^'icklow came eastward to the assault, and died in hordes in the unsuccessful attempt to drive out the Engli^h. In 1316 Edward Bruce laid siege to the town, but failed in his attempt to reduce it. Later, in 14S6, came Lambert Simnel, the pretender who sought to oust the first Tudor king from the English throne, and the Irish took a crown from the image of the Virgin in St. Mary's Abbey and crowned him in Christ Church. Not long after, finding him an ineffectual monarch, they deserted his cause and submitted to the rule of Henrv \TI. " Silken Thomas " Fitzgerald, son of the Earl of Kildare. denounced the Enalish and proclainud fh.lo by] C.\LVIN'S TREE. BOT.\NIC.\L GARDENS, DUBLIN. These charming gardens were founded by the Royal Dublin Society in 1795. They cover an area of about 40 acres and are watered by the River Tolka. The vicinity of the gardens Is rich in memories of Swift, Stella, and Delany, who used to reside near by. himself a rebel in St. Mary's Abbey in 1534. But Dublin citizens refused to follow his lead, for whieli they were granted the lands of All Hallows Monastery b\- Elizabeth in 1591. when Trinitv College was founded ; the gift was characteristic, for the lands were sea-swept and valueless. They have matured into a very valuable property since, and afford a good revenue to Trinity College in these davs. All Hallows itself, founded by Dermct Mc^Iurrougli in iif)(), was swept awa\- bv the Dissolution of tiie reign of Henry VIII. When the English struggle between King and Parliament broke out, the .Marquis of Ormond held Dublin against the attacks of the Irish army, while the country round about was laid waste bj' Hugh Roe O'Neill, who seemed to make a specialty of burning all property within his reach. It was said that as many as two hundred fires were to be observed at once, in the course of O'Neill's depredations. {\'ah-nSnu- L- S.'iis. Lid. KILLINEY BAY. At the north end of the strand in Killlney Bay are some rocks known as the Druids' Landing-place. In the background can be seen the Wicklow Mountains. Photo by] [Valentine & Sons, Ltd. DRUID'S THRONE. NEAR DALKEY. This so-called Druldical chair, surrounded by ancient oaks, is situated on a hill at Kllliney near the Dublin coast. A little way down the hill are the remains of a cromlech. g a a Z c d * n o ~ pes K _ o Q &§ § "I Z 3 = County Dublin 693 In 1647 the city surrendered to the Padiamcnt forces, and in 1649 Ormond's army was shattered at the battle of Rathniines. Forty years later James II made a triumphal entry into Dublin, held a Parliament, established a mint, and issued "brass money," a sort of token series of purely nominal value. When James's last hopes had vanished at the Battle of the Boyne, William of Orange occupied the city. The Irish Parliament was abolished in the year 1800, and on New Year's Day of 1801 the Royal Standard was broken out on the flagstaff of Dublin Castle. Two years later came the rebellion in which Robert Emmett achieved his notoriety, when Lord Kilwarden was dragged from his carria.ge and brutally .slaughtered in Thomas Street. Emmett went to his execution in Thomas Street, not far from the site of the murder of Kilwarden, and for over 120 years the Standard flew over the Castle — until once again Ireland owns a Parliament and rejoices in self-government. Pllrilr, ;..'j VIEW FROM THE DUBLIN HILLS. One has not to venture far from Dublin to find the varied and striking scenery which Is so characteristic of the Emerald Isle, The Liffey, standing in just such relation to Dublin as the Thames bears to London, divides the city in two parts. No less than nine bridges span the river within the city limits, chief among which ranks the O'Connell Bridge, 154 feet in width, joining the famed Sackville Street with the equally busy Westmoreland Street. Looking west, the view includes the famed " Four Courts " and the towers of Christ Church and the Augiistinian church, while eastward are the docks and the shipping of Dublin Port. North \\'all. South Wall, and the Bull \A'all, all biiilt of great blocks of granite, form the line of quays against which the shipping lies. The bar at the entrance to the harbour has been dredged to a depth of 15 feet, and thus limits the draught of vessels entering. Dublin Castle was built by Jleyer FitzHenry, a natural son — as his name implies — of Henrv II, at the beginning of the thirteenth century. It was completed by the then Archbishop of Dublin, Henry de Loundres, in 1223. The defences consisted of a suigle curtain wall with four flanking towers, with a deep 694 Britain Beautiful moat on the outer side. A permanent water supply under siege conditions was assured by the River Poddle, wliich flowed through the castle itself. Sir Henry Sidney, Lord Deputy in the days of Elizabeth, first made Dublin Castle the head- quarters of government in Ireland, and so it remained up to the consummation of Home Rule in 1923. Little of the building erected by FitzHenry and de Loundres remains to-day, for neglect and decay in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries caused a virtual re- building ; only one of the four original towers remains, the Record Tower, as it is named. Christ Church Cathe- dral is of earlier origin than the castle, having been originally built by Sigtrvg, the Danish king, in 103S. The crypt still gives the original plan of the building, and retains parts of the Danish structure, which was re- built by the Norman occupiers of the fortress town in 1170, when Strongbow was in com- mand and Archbishop O'Toole the head of the church. The present nave is considered to (late from 1230, when a ;,'i)od deal of rebuilding w as undertaken. In 1562 ;i great part of the I ithedral collapsed, in- ( hiding the south aisle, and the north wall of the building, still bent from its original shape, dis- jilays the results of the catastrophe. Strongbow 's tomb is still shown in the nave, and a portion of his building is incor- porated in the choir. The cathedral of St. Patrick was built by the Norman Archbishop Com\n in 1190. It contains the graves of Dean Swift and his Stella, Mrs. Esther Johnson. Swift was Dean of St. Patrick's for thirty-two years, and, d3dng seventeen years after the woman he loved, his remains were laid beside hers at midnight. The historic and architectural interest of the Irish capital somewhat overshadows the beauties of County Dublin, but the surroundings of the city, and outlying resorts along the coast, are not without their charm. :\Ialahide, a few miles along the coast, boasts a picturesque castle built b\- Lord Talbot de ROIN!) TOWER AT CLONDALKIN. The Hound Tower at Clondulkin is the nearest one in the vicinity of Duhlin, and II has the distinction of beinfi one of the few that can still be ascended. The towers were nearly always built near ecclesiastical huildiniis, and arc known in old Irish records as bell towers. [Valeiiline & Sons, Ltd. Viu.tu (v THE RIVER AT LUCAN. The Lifley is very popular with anglers, as it abounds in trout and salmon. The tovyn of Lucan is chiefly known in connection ^ " with its sulphur spas, which of late years have attained considerable celebrity. County Dublin 697 Malahide in 1174, an ivy-clad, battlcmented structure with circular towers at its angles. The hall, roofed with Irish oak, has a wainscoting of panels carved with Scriptural subjects, and the drawing- room contains an altar-piece by Diirer, at one time the property of Marv Queen of Scots. The ruins of old Malahide Abbey, near by, contain the tomb of Maud Plunket, who married the son of Baron Galtrim. He was killed a few hours later, so that Maud achieved the melancholy distinction of being " maid, wife, and widow, all in one day." To the west of Malahide, some 10 miles distant from Dublin cit\-, stands the round tower of Swords, Photo bv] Icuhn,- ,- >,..;,, ;./,(. AN OLD BRIDGE NEAR LUCAN. The remains of this ancient bridge are said to be the oldest in Ireland. The neighbourhood of Lucan is well known for its hunting and fishing. one of the most perfect specimens of the Irish round towers still surviving. It is 78 feet in height, and dates from the ninth century, thus being one of the earliest of its kind. These towers were all constructed between the ninth and thirteenth centuries, to serve as watch-towers ; their windows are placed very high in the walls, usually just under the conical roof, and give views of the four quarters of the compass. Generally the doorway is between six and eighteen feet from the ground-level, and, when the towers were in use, the ladder giving access to the doorway could be withdrawn inside at need, thus leaving attackers with no means of ingress. Swords, Lusk, and Clondalkin are the only places in County Dublin where S])ecimens of the round towers survive. Howth, situated on a peninsula to the north-cast of the capital, is a pleasant resort, with a castle dating from the sixteenth century. It boasts an interesting story of Grace O'Malley, a chieftainess of the west, who paid a visit to Queen Elizabeth and, returning to Ireland, was refused refreshment at Howth Castle. By way of revenge, Grace kidnapped the son of the castle's lord, and held him prisoner until his father gave her a promise that the gates of the castle should always be kept open at the dinner hour. The 698 Britain Beautiful e°3o Railways & Sta^ Roads Scale promise was kept bv the castle's owners up to the end of last century, and a painting in the dining- room commemorates the incident. Among the treasures of the castle is the sword of Sir Almeric Tristram de Valence, its founder ; the sword is a twelfth-century weapon, still 5 ft. 7 in. in length, in spite of the damage it has suffered ; its hilt alone is nearly 2 feet in length. The " Giant's Grave," a cromlech to the south of the castle, was in its original state one of the finest of these monuments. Its covering block of granite, now slipped from its original position, is 90 tons in weight and ig feet in length. One of the most notable sights of the county is Pha-ni.x Park, just to the west of the city, and considered one of the finest in Europe. Its name is derived from the Erse fionn in'sg, signifying " clear water " — this on account of a spring near the pillar erected by Lord Chesterfield in the year 1747. The park origi- nally belonged to the Knights of St. John of Kilmainham. but became Crown property at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries, and was granted to the Duke of Ormond by Charles II. Among the monu- ments it contains is the Wellington obelisk, erected in 1817 from a design by Smirke, commemorating the victories of the great commander. The spot where the notorious Pha-nix Park murders were committed in 1882 is still shown, opposite to what used to be the Viceregal Lodge on the main roadway. Donnybrook, for ever famous for the fair which used to be held there, is a bare 2 miles outside Dublin citv. The licence for the fair was granted by King John in 1204, but in later ages the character of the festival became so notorious that the rights were com- muted for a sum of /j.ooo in fair was prohibited, to the advantage of Irish skulls and a decrease in Longitude W of Greenwich COfvRlGHr GtOGRAPHIA TO L" SbraCT SIRUJ LONDON CCt. MAP OF COUNTY DUBLIN. 1855, and thenceforth the the use of shillelaghs. Another point of interest in the county is Lucan, reached bv wav of Chapelizod. This latter place takes Its name from La Belle Isoud, daughter of .Engus, an Irish king, and wife of King Mark of Cornwall. Beloved of Tristram of Lyonesse. Isoud. or Iseult-as she is bcttcT known-is heroine of many romances and of Wagner's opera. It is said that she or her father built the " chapel of Isoud " which gives the place its name to this day. ^'"""^^^ THE ROUND TOWER OF SWORDS, FROM THE EAST. J „„.,oi rilctrirfs there are altofiether 118 of these curious towers, said scattered over Ireland, generally in the north-west and «"'" J^f ^f ;J„^gr,"^ the Danes. The fine example at Swords is to have been built hy the Christians as ;v'^;^*;---- -/^.J^'-r^-'./rn^, „n.ury. n c o ^ -o o X Pkoto ^y] DUMBARTON CASTLE AND PIER. [l'aUntin£ & Sons, Ltd. Dumbarton Castle stands on a tall rock at the end of the peninsula which divides the Clyde and the Leven. On the western peak are the ruins of a circular building which antiquarians suggest was a Roman lighthouse. DUMBARTONSHIRE FOR beautiful and varied scenery, this county is scarcely surpassed in Scotland," says Fullarton. and few will care to disagree with him, for an area which includes more than a fair share of Loch I, omond and Loch Long, the great mass of Ben ^'orlicll, and the castle hill of Dumbarton need fear no challenge. The whole of the western shore of Loch Lomond lies in our coimty, and it includes in the vicinity of Luss perhaps its most charming reach. So much that is somewhat e.xtrava- gant has been written about this most beautiful of British lakes, that no attempt shall be made at one of those word-pictures which most writers seem to find irresistible. Perhaps the most attractive effort is to be found in the journal of Dorothy Wordsworth, who at any rate discovered the real secret of Loch Lomond's charm — the islands : [August 25, 18031 " What I had heard of Loch Lomond, or any other place in Great Britain, had given me no idea of anything like what we beheld : it was an outlandish scene — we might have believed ourselves in Korth America. The islands were of every possible variety of shape and surface — hilly and level, large and small, bare, rocky, pastoral, or covered with wood. Immediately under my eyes lay one large flat island, bare and green, so flat and low that it scarcely appeared to rise above the water, with straggling peat- stacks and a single hut upon one of its out-shooting promontories. Another, its next neighbour, and still nearer to us, was covered with heath and coppice-wood, the surface undulating, with flat or sloping banks towards the water, and hollow places, cradle-like Photo 6yJ [I'aUntiiie & Sons, LUi. THE STAIRWAY, DUMBARTON CASTLE. The castle has been described by Buchanan as ** arx inexpugnabilis," and was one of the chief fortresses of the Earls of Lennox, A steep stairway ascends from the first gate in a natural fissure of the rocic to the point where the rock divides into two heads. '02 Britain Beautiful valleys, behind. These two islands, with Inch-ta-\'anach, were intermingled with the water. I might say interbedded and interveined with it, in a manner that was exquisiteh/ pleasing. There were bays innumerable, straits or passages like calm rivers, land-locked lakes, and, to the main water, stormy promontories." l-'rom points innumerable on the Dumbartonshire side, glorious vistas are obtainable of the lake with its rampart of mountains, crowned by the noble Ben Lomond, on the opposite shore. But the mountainous mass between Lomond and Loch Long has further charms of its own as it sweeps down to the edges of the attractive Gareloch, where the villas of wealthy Glasgovians lie thick as flowers in a field. The beauties of Loch Long have no doubt received full justice in the description of Argyllshire, Photo by] [I'liUiiline & Soiii. Ltd. GARELOCH FROM ABOVE CLYNDER. This picturesque branch of the Firth of Clyde commences between Roseneath and Helensburgh and extends 7 miles north-east to Garelochhead. The wooded shores on either side are profusely studded with cottages, those in the forcjjround belonging to the village of Clynder on the west side of Gareloch. and it need only be added that the beauties of the great hills that rise precijntously from its eastern fringe are a worthy complement to the scene. This north-south range is intersected by parallel transverse valleys, remote and secluded. Glen Luss and Glen Douglas are of the true Highland order, rich in all those elemi'nts of colour and outline which make its scenery so appealing. Glen l-'ruin has a melancholy interest as the scene of a terrible incident in 1603 in the internecine feud between the MacGregors and the Colquhouns. As Sir Walter Scott says in his Introduction to Rob Roy : " The parties met in the valley of Glenfruin, which signifies the Glen of Sorrow. . . . The clan charged with great fury on the front of the enemy, while John MacGregor, with a strong party, made an une.xpectcd attack on the flank. If the MacGregors lost, as is averred, only two men slain in the action, they had slight provocation for an indiscriminate massacre. It is said that their fury E a; C *- 6} w 3 Dumbartonshire ■Q: extended itself to a party of students foi" clerical orders, who had imprudently come to see the battle. It is constantly averred by the tradition of the country, and a stone where the deed was done is called Leck-a-Mhinisteir, the Minister or Clerk's Flag Stone. The MacGregors impute this cruel action to the ferocity of a single man of their tribe, renowned for size and strength, called Dugald, liar mhor, or the great mouse-coloured man. He was MacGregor's foster-brother, and the chief committed the youths to his charge, with directions to keep them safely till the affray was over. \\'hether fearful of their escape, or incensed by some sarcasms which they threw on his tribe, or whether out of mere thirst of blood, this savage, while the other MacGregors were engaged in the pursuit, poniarded his helpless and defenceless prisoners." But such a deed called for vengeance dire. " This battle of Glenfruin, and the .severity which the I' ,,,,, ^,.,1 " [/iih'iui;ir & Son!;, Ltd. AT T.\RBET. LOCH LOMOND. Tarbet is one of the many pretty villages the steamer calls at, as it wends its way up Loch Lomond. A few miles higher up is the island of Eilean Vow, the scene of two ot Wordsworth's poems. victors e.xercised in the pursuit, was reported to King James VI in a manner the most unfavourable to the clan Gregor. That James might fully understand the extent of the slaughter, the widows of the slain, to the number of eleven score, in deep mourning, riding upon white palfreys, and each bearing her husband's bloody shirt on a spear, appeared at Stirling." And the result was that military and other measures were taken which ended in the virtual extinction of the clan ! Helensburgh, at the mouth of the Gare Loch, has a somewhat curious and interesting history as a " model " town. It came into existence as the result of the exertions of Sir James Colquhoun, the eighth baronet, and was named after his wife. In the regularity of its lay-out it has a strong resemblance to many American communities. For its first provost it had the famous Henry Bell, whose Comei represented the first application of steam to navigation. 45 7o6 Britain Beautiful Old Pennant's description of Dumbarton Castle, which he visited in 1769, deserves quotation both for its picturesqueness and its applicability to its condition to-day : " The castle is seated a little south of the town on a two-headed rock of a stupendous height, rising in a strange manner out of the sands, and totally detached from everything else ; is bounded on one side by the Clyde, on the other by the Leven. On one of the summits are the remains of an old lighthouse, which some suppose to have been a Roman pharos ; on the other, the powder magazine ; in the hollow between is a large well of water fourteen feet deep. The sides of the rocks are immense precipices, and often hang over, except on the side where the governor's house stands, which is defended by walls and a few cannon, and garrisoned by a few invalids. It seems to have been often used as a state prison : ARDLII. LOCH LOMOND. Ardlul Is a small village lying at the head of Loch Lomond. From its pier, which Is the northern terminus for lake steamers, to Balloch the lake has a length of 24 miles. the Rrgent Morton was secured there p)revious to his trial. From its natural strength, it was in former times deemed impregnable ; so that the desperate but successful scalado of it in 157 1 may vie with the greatest attempts of that kind. . . . " The Britons in very early times made this rock a fortress ; for it was usual with them after the departure of the Romans to retreat to the tops of craggy, inaccessible mountains, to forests, and to rocks on the shores of the sea: but Boethius makes the Scots possessed of it some ages prior to that, and pretends that it resisted all the efforts of Agricola, who laid siege to it. It ma\- certainly claim a right to great antiquity, for Bede declares it to have been the best fortified city the Britons had during his days. Its ancient name was .Mcluid, or Arcluid, or the place on the Cluid. But in aftertimes it acquired the name of Dun Britton, being the last place in these parts held by the Britons against the usurping Saxons. In 756, reduced by famine, it was surrendered to Edlurt, King of NorthnmberlanH." •imi £"3 — ja is Ui ^ O OP ^S 2 -on ■J u O J! S 6. ^ s Is p f- Dumbartonshire 709 Apart from its castle, Dumbarton has little to recall its great antiquity and the part it has played in recorded history. Records and tradition alone can show that it was an important naval station, Theodosia, in Roman times, and for a long period the capital of the kingdom of Strathclyde. But the very name, a corruption of " Dun Breton," the Hill of the Britons, is significant of much. At the present time, however, the town is one of the great shipbuilding centres on the Clyde, and its citizens, conscious of its importance, have endeavoured to make it worthy of its role in the social and economic life of Scotland. The last century and a half has, alas, played havoc with the charms of the Leven Valley. If Pennant were with us to-day, he could hardly write that " the Vale between the end of the lake and Dumbarton Photo by] [Valcnline & Sons, Ltd. BEN LOMOND AND LUSS STR.MTS. Loch Lomond is the largest anrt one of the most beautiful of Scotland's lakes. The lake in the neighbourhood of Luss is dotted with many picturesque islands, which add greatly to the charm of the vicinity. Ben Lomond (3,192 feet) commands a fine view of the surrounding counties. is unspeakably beautiful, very fertile, and finely watered by the great and rapid river Leven, the discharge Of the lake, which, after a short course, drops into the Firth of Clyde below Dumbarton ; there is scarcely a spot but what is decorated with bleacheries. plantations, and villas. Nothing can equal the contrast in this day's journey, between the black barren dreary glens of the morning ride, and the soft scenes of the evening, islands worthy of the retreat of Armida, and which Rinaldo himself would have quitted with a sigh." Another great lover of this district was the novelist, Tobias Smollett, who was bom in the " Old House " of Dalquhurn, near Renton. Who has not heard of his famous outburst : " I have seen the Lago di Gardi, Albano di Vici, Bolsena, and Geneva, and I prefer Lochlomond to them all. . . . This country is justly styled the Arcadia of Scotland." / lO Britain Beautiful Smollett's is by no means the only great name with which this part of the county is associated. On a little eminence called Castlehill, close to Dumbarton, stood the castle in which King Robert Bruce closed his exciting and victorious career, while Wallace himself is said to have frequently taken refuge on the rock of Dumbarton and to have been brought there in captivity prior to his transfer to London. The point where the Leven leaves Loch Lomond at Balloch is a beautiful spot with lovely views of the lake. Hard by is Balloch Castle, one of the ancient seats of the great local family of Lennox, though as an antiquitv it has been modernised almost out of existence. It lies under the rampart of that curious hill and fine view-point, " Mount Misery." How this came to be so named is somewhat of a mvstery. According to one account, which deserves respectful consideration, it was the scene of Argyll's wanderings after his defeat in 1685 at Gartocharn hard by. His rising was timed to synchronise with that of Monmouth in the south. The Earl took the field at the head of his clan, but after crossing the COPVRIGHI GtOCRAPHIA ro!3iL'» bbFLEHTSlRLLJ LONDON ECt. MAP OF DUMBARTONSHIRE. Leven at Balloch and finding his path barred by the royal forces his heart failed him and his troop melted away. Perhaps it was on the summit of " Mount Misery " that he saw the scaffold as a grim inevitabilitv- of the near future. Almost the same day he was captured in an attempt to cross the Clyde. To the south of this region a stretch of country, intersected by the charming Glen Finnich, leads to the summit of the Kilpatrick Hills, which keep watch and ward over the Clvde and its myriad activities. Here, between wind and water, Past and Present are inextricabh- intertwined, the former represented by relics of the Roman Wall, and ancient places such as Old Kilpatrick, one of the many spots which claim the honour of being the birthplace of St. Patrick. But in this case there is evidence of the greatest weight to support the claim. For did not the Saint flee to Ireland to escape the tein])tations of the Evil One ? Did not Old Nick in his baffled fury hurl a rock at him and miss him ? And did not that fearsome missile fall on the shore of the river and become the rock of Dumbarton ? s :: " O 'A E £ OLD .MILL, MILNGAVIE. [S'aUnline S- Son!, Lid. Before 1891 MI.„eavlc was in ,hc neiehbourlne county of S„r>i„.. „ stands on the AMander Water-a tributary of the Kelvin— 7 miles north-west of Glasgow, and has developed Into a residential suburb of that city. Pholo by] [Valentine & Soiis, Ltd. THE CAUL, RIVER NITH. DUMFRIES. Burns once frivolously named Dumfries "Maggie by the banks o' Nith, a dame wi' pride eneuch." The Caul was built diagonally across the river here to supply the grain-mills with water. DUMFRIESSHIRE BRITAIN BEAUTIFUL is not a geography book, but a swift glance at the main geographical features of this county is so essential to a true understanding of its beauty and many-sided interest that it cannot be omitted without imperilling the prospect of obtaining a vivid and comprehensive survey. As any map will plainly show, it is bounded on the south by Solway Firth, on the north by a ring of hills which form part of what geologists call the " Southern Uplands," and between these two boundaries it is intersected by three parallel river valleys, Nithdale, Annandale, and Eskdale, which take their name from the streams which have brought them into existence in the course of ages. As might be expected, these valleys have always formed the highways of communication and civili- sation, and the two western and larger channels were promptly taken advantage of in the early days of the railway era. Fortunately, the advent of the " Iron Horse " has done little to spoil their great natural charm, so that some of the most attractive scenery in Scotland is still to be found in the upper reaches of thi Nith and Annan, while those of the Esk and its feeders terminate in a charming cul phoioby] de sac on the southern slopes of the watershed. Pennant (Second Tour in \ydUi:tine & Sons, Ltd. THE NITH FROM BURNS WALK, DUMFRIES. The path from which this view was taken is named after Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet. It was at Dumfries that Burns died in 1796, and there is a tnausoleum and a monu- ment erected to his memory in the town. 714 Britain Beautiful Scotland, 1761) was one of the first travellers to call attention to the beauties of Eskdale, in words that have a true eighteenth-century ring about them : " The scenery is great and enchanting ; on one side is a view of the river Esk, far beneath, running through a rocky channel and bounded by immense precipices ; in various places suddenly deepening to a vast profundity ; while in other parts it glides over a bottom covered with mosses, or coloured stones that reflect through the pure water feints glaucous, green, or sappharine : these various views are in most places fully open to sight ; in others suffer a partial interruption from the trees, that clothe the steep bank, or shoot out from the brinks and fissures of the precipices ; the trees are in general oak, but often intermixed with the waving boughs of the weeping birch." But this smiling country has a grim and sinister story to tell, written even now in the numerous Pkolo ty CAERLAVEROCK CASTLE. The outer walls of this fine old ruin date mainly from the thirteenth century, but since then It has been many times repaired and added to. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It Is now the property of the Duchess of Norfolk. ruins of castles and peel towers with which it is studded. It is a true " border " region, dotted with the strongholds of freebooters who preyed upon their weaker neighbours. The vicinity of Langholm. for instance, was the lair of the famous " Johnny Armstrong, Laird of Gilnockie," the most popular and potent thief of his time, and who laid the whole English borders under contribution, but never injured any of his own countrymen. Unfortunately for the fierce but picturesque Johnnv, there wa.> peace between England and Scotland in 1528, when James V came into these parts to extirpate marauders whose activities endangered friendly relations with his southern neighbour. Johnny came out to meet his sovereign " with thirty-six persons in his train, most gorgeously apparelled, and himself so richly dressed that the King said, ' What wants that knave that a king should have ? ' " Notwithstanding prayers, entreaties, threats, and promises, James V ordered his unruly subject's E 3 Q £ C t. e a i i-3 ££ Plwlo by] CAITLOCH CAVE, MONIAIVE. [I'ulenline & Son^, Ltd, Monlalve Is a little ^miafle lylnft amoni; the hills In the upper part of the Calm Vallcv. James Rcnwick, the martyred Covenanter, was burn here in 1662. Dumfriesshire 1^1 instant execution, whereupon Johnny thivw discretion to tlie winds and, as an old ballad runs, burst out : " To seik hot water beneath cold yce, Surely it is a great follie ; I haif asked grace at a graceless face, But there is nane for my men and me." The rumed square tower of Holehouse is claimed to be Johnny Armstrong's lair, though the late Mr. Andrew Lang has laboured with some success to prove that his headquarters were at another stronghold, which was subsequently levelled to the foundations. P}wlo bv ON THE NITH AT THORNHILL. Thornhill, as well as being situated amid beautiful scenery, is a well-known resort of anglers. The river is well stocked with salmon, trout, and grayling. The Thornhill basin or middle Nithdale is an oval 11 miles long and 7 broad, bisected by the River Nith Langholm itself is a busy little border town which rather leaves one wondering how it could ever have been said that " Into Langholm is out of the world." The great annual event in the place was the fair-cum-feasting known as the " Common Riding," held on July 17, when barley bannock, red herring, and whisky were consumed in reall\- alarming quantities. The celebrations began with a proclaiTiation delivered by a man standing on horseback among the crowd, and a most important part of the declaration ran as follows : •■ THIS IS TO GI\E NOTICE ■' That there is a muckle Fair to be hadden in the muckle Toun o' the Langholm, on the 17th day of July, auld style, upon liis Grace the Duke of Buccleuch's Merk Land, for the space of eight davs / 1 8 Britain Beautiful and upwards ; and a' land-loupcrs, and dub-scoupers, and gae-by-the gate-swingers, that come here to breed hurdums or durdums, huhments or buhments. haggle-ments or bragglements, or to molest this public Fair, thev shall be ta'en by order of the Bailie and Toun Council, and their lugs be nailed to the Tron wi" a twaljiennv nail ; and they shall sit doun on their bare knees and pray seven times for the King, and thrice for the Mickle I.aird's Ralton, and pay a groat to me. Jemmy Ferguson, Bailie o' the aforesaid ^lanor, and Fll awa' hame and ha'e a bannock and a saut herrin'. '• HUZZA 1 HUZZA 1 I HUZZA ! ! ! " But to Englishmen at least the most interesting spot in this corner of the county is unquestionably S3~?^ PEEBLES s i7l ktIr Roads Longitude W. of Greenwich COPVRIGHT ^l.OZnhPHM^'.sz^iVbbran SIKET LONDON [C4 MAP OF DUMFRIESSHIRE. Gretna Green, with its memories of runaway marriages, panting and defiant lovers, irate and cursing fathers. During the recent war the erection of vast munition factories has given Gretna another and far less picturesque claim to fame, and one can only hope that they will not now be adapted to some other base material use and so escape that destruction which is so necessary to the revival of its ancient peace and glory. The common belief that the expeditious ceremony was always performed by a blacksmith is erroneous, for apparently the only gentleman of that trade who acted in the capacitv of " priest " was one Joe Paisley, who made a comfortable fortune out of his operations and died in iSii at the ripe age of 79. But he had many rivals, including soldiers, shoemakers, and even poachers ! I'ennant tells us how, as he " had a great desire to see the high priest, I succeeded : he appeared in form of a fisherman, a stout fellow, in a blue coat, rolling round his solemn chops a ([iiid of tobacco of no common size. One of our party was supposed to come to explore the coast : we questioned him about his price; which, after eyeing us attentively, he left to our honour." Close to KirtUiiridge is the churchyard of Kirkconnell, where a Scotch tragic romance of the WiUiiluie •P' Sons. LU Photo by THE THORNHILL PIPER. hi«h ridSe in middle Nithdale. This figure of a piper set in the wall is an A centre o, historic interest, Thornhii. isj,^um on ^^^^^fj^^f^f:, '."„ '^.tl.^, ,„ .he viiiage. 20 Britain Beautiful Romeo-and- Juliet order came to its close what time Mary Stuart was ascending the throne. Fair Ellen Irvine, heiress of the House of Kirkconnell, was beloved of two gentlemen — or rather one was a gentleman and the other a man whose jealousy inspired him to get his rival out of the way by fair means or foul. As the lady and Adam Fleming, the lover she favoured, were confessing their love on the banks of the Kirtle, the disappointed suitor appeared and pointed a gun at Adam. Without a moment's hesitation lovely Ellen interposed her slender form, and fell with a bullet in her heart. Adam avenged her death there and then, but had to flee the country for several years. On his return he visited his lady's gra\-e. flung liis arms over the turf, and ('\]iired on the spot. Shades of John Ridd I'hoto by] ON THE NITH AT DRL.MLANRIG. \Vah-!ttine & So The river Nith passes thrcugh the woods half a mile east of Drumlanrig Castle, which was begun by the third Earl of Queensberry in 1676. 'I he Nith is the third most important river in Duiiifrlesshire, and alonti its tortuous course of 55 miles it passes through many districts rich in beautiful scenery. and Lorna in Oare church ! But the Scottish story is a perfectly true one, and Adam's tombstone, " Hie jacet Adam h'leining," does not lie. Considering its chequered historv, Annan can ennsitUr itself fcjrtunate to be so thriving and industrious a little town. Situated right in the track of English marauders ravaging north of the border, and Scottish marauders meeting like with like, its position was not a happy one during the centuries of intermittent, if not ceaseless, border warfare; it was frequentl\ burnt, and its ancient castle, once a military />oiiit d'appni of high imjiortance, has vanished together with practically all the other evidences of its antiquity. But as the birthplace of Edward Irving, the preacher, it has a hold on the imagination of all true Scots, which surpasses the appeal of dead stones and mortar. Ecclefechan is another spot over which lies tlu- glamour of association with a great career and a = £ ■5 * ac- ■•= o ^ H Dumfriesshire / I name which has become the world's property. For here, in a lowU' habitation, which still stands, was born, on December 4, 1795, an ugly baby, who was christened Thomas Carlyle. And eighty-six years later the philosopher was laid to rest in the churchyard at the close of his toilsome and honourable career. It is one of the most curious freaks of fate that links up these humble rooms, with their collection of Carlyle relics, with the stormy scenes of the French Revolution, and the picturesque and enigmatic personality of Frederick the Great. It was at Annan that the young Carlvle imbibed the rudiments of learning, and readers of his Reminiscences will remember his description of the countryside in the vicinity and his pleasure in the glorious views of the Solway Firth with the Cumbrian mountains beyond. Lockerbie, " neat, stirring, and prosperous," as FuUarton called it, has always been famous for its Pkolo by] ENTERKIN PASS, NEAR .SANQUHAR. The Enterkin stream rises on Lowther Hill and flows through the picturesque Enterltin Pass to the River Nith. Sanquhar is in the adjacent parish of Durisdeer, through which the burn flows. This district is rcmarl by] I ,,,;;/;.„• & Sons, Ltd. BLACK LOCH, SANQUHAR. There are several small lakes in Dumfriesshire which give an added charm to the scenerj'. This one is 1 mile south of Drumlanrig and was formerly supposed to be curative. Close to Hoddom is the tower of Trail- trow, which is dis- tinguished by the word " Repentance," carved over the en- trance. A multitude of wits has been at work trpng to find an explanation for so salutary an admoni- tion. According to one account it was erected by John, Lord Herries, to celebrate a merciful escape from shipwreck on his re- turn from a filibuster- ing expedition across the Solway. He " ordered," says the chronicler, " a watch to be kept there, and a fire made in the firepan, and the bell to be rung whenever the Englishes are seen coming near to, or over the river Annan, and to be kept constantly burning in weir time." Other accounts record (i) that a Lord of Hoddom built the beacon-tower to atone for the crime of massacring prisoners after promising quarter, (2) that the little matter which involved " repentance " was pilfering stones from the chapel of Trail- trow for erecting a liouse, and (3) that the builder was one John lie Reive for " his having been active in demolishing the churches ; and after he had got all was to \>v had by the Reform- ation, returned to the Romish principles, and, neglecting Resti- tution, he built Re- ju-ntance." Lochmaben, an- cient in spirit at least, stands in the midst of its ring of lakes as an i^-land in the sea. „, , , . ("harming though its "'"'"'"' WATERFALL, EUCHAN GLEN, SANQUHAR. [VaUnlmr & Sons. Ltd. •. .■ f In this beautiful ftlcn is Euchan Water, which rLies on Blackcralft Hill and Hows north-east to the Nith. *'^"^""" ^^Y °^' '" joinina it opposite Sanquhar Castle. main interest lies in IVah-iiluir .'• ^'"''° ^^'' THE DIELS BIG STANE, ORCHARD BURN, SANQUHAR. Many theories have been advanced, but it cannot be said with any certainty what were the objects of these devil stones, are undoubtedly of very great antiquity. Sons. Ltd. but they nolu by. [VaUntine tr Sons, LM. THE OLD BRIDGE, BEATTOCK. The small vlllafic o( Ilcattock Is charmlnfily situated In the Vale of the Evan Water, 2 miles south-west of Moflat, on the Edinburgh and Carlisle road. The Evan is a tributary of the Annan, rising 14 miles away, near the Clyde in Lanarkshire. Dumfriesshire 725 the fragmentary ruin of a castle which has strong claims to be the birthplace of Robert the Bruce — a distinction which to all good Scots puts this delightful spot in the category in which Wantage or Glastonbury would find themselves if Englishmen were a little more imaginative. The old castle has an even stronger claim on the affections of the North Briton, as the scene of one of Wallace's finest military and moral exploits. After its capture by the hero, there was considerable trepidation among the female prisoners, for the times were rude. But Wallace was the soul of gallantry, if a contemporary songster can be trusted : Photo by) [C. Reid. MOFFAT. Moffat has some reputation as a watering-place on account of the medicinal properties of its water. It stands in a sheltered position on a slope at the head of Annandale. The principal historical event which has disturbed the peace of Moffat was when Sir Archibald Douglas defeated the forces of Edward Balliol here in 1333. " Quhen [when] the ladie had them seyne, ' Grace,' she cryit, ' for hym that deit [died] on tre.' Than Wallace said, ' Madcmc, your noyis lat be ' [don't cry]. ' To wemen yet we do but litill ill ; ' Na yong childir we lik for to spill ' " [kill]. From that time onwards, the castle usually figured prominently in all the current excitements and was besieged and relieved with almost monotonous regularity. But when siege warfare became a matter of artillery and other unpleasant inventions, the stronghold became " useless " and, as Fullarton bitterly remarks, " Gothic hands began generations ago to treat the castle of the Bruce as merely a vulgar and convenient quarry. . . . Many portions of the skinned and ghastly, but once noble and aerial pile, have 726 Britain Beautiful been precipitated from aloft. . . . One inhabitant of the burgh still warms his toes beside a pair of tine jambs which once rested on the paternal hearth of the Bruce." Between the mouth of the Annan and that of the Xith lies the district which Scott has made famous b}' working its scenerv into Rcdgaiinlh't. but apart from this fictional interest it has great claims to consideration on the score of two antiquities of high importance. The first is the famous " Ruthwell Cross," to be found, restored and re-erected, in the church of the same name. For all its immense archaeological interest, this splendid monument of early English Christianity was ruthlessly shattered during the religious commotion of the seventeenth century, and Pennant, who visited Ruthwell about a centurv later, found its fragments incorporated in the pavement. Happily, the nineteenth Photo 6y] OLD CHAPEL, MOFFAT. The photograph shows part of a Gothic window with one mullion, which is alt that remains of this early church of St. Cuthbert. The exact (late of the ruins Is uncertain. century appreciated its beauty and interest, and the cross was restored to show the world, through its Latin and runic inscriptions, to what a high level Christian art attained in the so-called " Dark " ages. The other important antiquity is the magnificent ruin of Caerlaverock Castle, guarding the estuary of the Nith and once the Gibraltar of south-eastern Scotland. Even in decay this is a most impressive pile. The existing fortress is not, of course, the stronghold which Edward I besieged and captured in the summer of 1300, an event of wliicli we have a contemporary and very remarkable record in the shape of a poem in Norman-French, the authorship of which is assigned, somewhat problematically, to a friar named Walter of E.xeter. It is a most illuminating and fascinating description of siege Photo by] HELD CRAIG GLEN, MOFFAT. Beld Craig is a singularly beautiful and romantic dell , forming the gorge of a small brook. It is situated 3 mUes south-east of Moffat. 728 Britain Beautiful Photo by] Wtlcntiue & Sons, LlJ. RAEHILl.S GLEN. This picturesque glen contains the KInnel Water, which rises in Lanarkshire and forms a tributary to the Annan. A short distance from this point is Raehills House, one of the most beautiful mansions in the country. warfare and practice, and includes a list of the men of eminence present on the occasion. The author tells us that : Karlaverok castcaus estoit Si fort ke siege ne doiibtoit Ainz ke li Rois iluec venist Car rendre ne le convenist. (" Caerlaverock was so strong a castle that it feared no siege ; thus the King came in person, because it would not surrender.") We are also told that " its shape was like that of a shield, for it had only three sides all round, with a tower on each angle ; but one of them was a double one, so high, so long, and so large, that under it was the gate with a drawbridge, well made and strong, and a sufficiency of other defences. It had good walls, and good ditches filled to the edge with water ; and I believe there never was seen a castle more beautifullv situated, for at once could be seen the Irish Sea towards the west, and to the north a fine countrv, surrounded by an arm of the sea, so that no creature born could approach it on two sides, without jiutting himself in danger of the sea." [Translation of N. H. Nicholas.] But considered as a martial e.xploit, the siege was not of a high order, as Edward's formidable and well-equipped force had a garrison of less than a hundred men to deal with. Small wonder that the affair lasted onl\- two days! During the fourteenth century it changed hands two or three times, and then after various changes and remodellings it played a minor part in Scottish history until the Civil War of the seventeenth century, which witnessed the end of its career, both as fortress and habitation. North of Lochmaben the valley of the Annan threads a delightful region on which the hilly barrier gradually closes in until the river finds itself at the bottom of the deep ravine through which the railway finds a way to Lanarksliire. Here the centre of tourist and other activities is the little town of Moffat, famed for its scenery as well as the efficacy of its sulphur waters. So rich is the vicinity in every variety of natural attraction, that it is necessary sternly to bear in mind that this work is not a tourist's handbook. It must suffice to say that no wanderer in Moffat should omit the expeditions up Moffat Water to that fine fall the Dumfriesshire 729 " Grey Mare's Tail," or a visit 10 the " Devil's Beef Tub " (a great hollow where stolen cattle could be concealed), or a scramble on the rolling fells which tower above the river valleys and preserve this part of the country from vulgar inquisitiveness on the part of Peebles and Selkirk. Much of the history of this attractive and interesting county centres in the story of the town which has given it its name. But Dumfries, " a dame wi' pride eneuch," as Burns called it, does not rest on the oars of its historic reputation, and as a matter of fact it has lost most of the memorials of its lively past. The only substantial relic of mediaeval times is the old bridge which Devorguilla, wife of John Balliol, threw over the Nith in the thirteenth century. Of John's monastery, the Greyfriars, nothing remains, to the sorrow of all who know the vivid, if blood-curdling, story of the murder of John Comyn. the " Red " Comyn, by Robert Bruce and his companions in 1306. As all the contemporary chroniclers of the event were English — and therefore bitterly hostile to Bruce — their accounts represent the deed as a brutal and cold-blooded murder. The more likelv version is that Bruce did not stab Comvn at the high altar, but quarrelled with him in the cloisters and in his rage struck him over the head with the fiat of his sword ; the actual killing was done by his companion, Roger Kirkpatrick, who certainly earned his motto of " I mak sicker " (I make sure). However, the Greyfriars monastery has gone and the Dumfries of to-dav cannot manage to look older than the Dumfries of Burns. The poet spent the last five years of his life in the town, three of them in a still existing house, which has been piously preserved more or less in its original condition, as a monument to that fascinating but somewhat self-stultifying genius. Readers of Chambers's Life and Works of Robert Burns will be familiar with a course of existence which was sometimes picturesque and sometimes the reverse. The visitor to Dumfries may fill in the gaps of the story with a sight of the Globe Inn (in which the instruments of revelry he once handled can still be seen), and the "THE PLUMP," WAUCHOPE : LANGHOLM. The Wauchope Water rises on the western border and flows eastward till it joins the Esk at Langholm. The old part of the town stands on the east bank of the river, amidst some of the most beautiful scenery in Scotland. / o Britain Beautiful house in Burns Street in which he died. A descrip- tion of his funeral, writ- ten by an eye-witness, Dr. Currie, is too character- istic a piece of journalese to be omitted : "The Gen- tlemen Vol- untee r s of Dumfries determined ti' b u r \' their i 1 1 ustrious associate with military honours, and ever}' prepar- ation was made to ren- der this last Pholo by] OLD MILLS THE ESk. At the junction of the Black and the White Esk the Esk proper is formed. It flows for two- thirds of its course through Dumfriesshire and then enters Cumberland and becomes an English river. There are four other Esk rivers in Scotland besides the three mentioned. The view was taken looking north towards Langholm. service solemn and impres- sive. The Fencible In- fantry of An- gusshire, and the regiment of cavalry of the Cinque Ports, at that time quartered in Dumfries, offered their assistance on this occasion ; the principal inhabitants of the town and neighbour- hood deter- mined to walk in the funeral procession ; and a vast concourse of persons as- '"'"''" *>') []:iUnluit & Sons, Lid. .MKKIJ.\<. OF THE WATERS EWES AND ESK: LANGHOLM. The valley of the Ewes is one of the most strikingly beautiful dales in the Southern Highlands. The Ewes rises II miles away at .Mosspaul and joins the Esk just above Old Langholm. OLD TOLL BAR : GRETNA. Together with Gretna Hall and the Maxwell Arms, the old Toll House was the scene of many runaway marriages in former days. Gretna Green is situated on the English border close to the Solway Firth. Photo by] [I'aUnlitte 6- Sons, /,/,/. BRYDEKIRK MILL AND CAITL. The village of Brydeklrk stands on the right bank of the river, 3 miles north of the town of Annan. The Annan Is here spanned by a three-arched stone bridge, which crosses the river close by the mill. Dumfriesshire / 00 semblcd to witness the obsequies of the Scottish bard. On the evening of the 25th of July the remains of Burns were removed from his house to the Town Hall, and the funeral took place on the succeeding day. A party of the Volunteers, selected to perform the military duty in the churchyard, stationed themselves in the front of the procession, with their arms reversed ; the main body of the corps surrounded and supported the coffin, on which were placed the hat and sword of their friend and fellow-soldier ; the numerous body of attendants ranged themselves in the rear ; while the Fencible regiments of infantry and cavalry lined the streets from the Town Hall to the burial-ground in the southern church-yard, a distance of more than half a mile The whole procession moved forward to that sublime and affecting ;«3iiW5'?j<(*^" Photo by] [I'aUnHne 6- 6ons, Ltd, POWFOOT AND LAKES. Powfoot or Queensberry is a small watering-place on the Solway Firtii, 3 miles south-west of .Annan. The village stands at the mouth of the Pow-of-Cummertrees. Pow is the name given to the torpid rivulets which abound in the marshy districts of Scotland. strain of music, the Dead March in Saul ; and three volleys fired over his grave marked the return of Burns to his parent earth 1 A few miles upstream from Dumfries is the farm of EUisland, which was Burns's first place of residence in the county after leaving Ayrshire. Thanks to the minute researches of his biographers, we know something of the poet's formal entry on his new possession in 1789. Being thoroughly superstitious, he resorted to the ancient ritual appropriate to the occupation of a new house : Elizabeth Smith was instructed to proceed the master and mistress through the doorway, carrying the family Bible and a bowl of salt ! Like the Vale of the Annan, Nithdale pierces far into the heart of the ring of lofty hills which encircles the north-eastern corner of the county, and here again the railway has adopted the only ieasible channel of communication. As everywhere else in the shire, the remains of ancient strongholds, from grim and simple peel towers to elaborate castles, testify to the insecurity of life and property 1 '> I Britain Beautiful wliich was a feature of existence on the Anglo-Scottish border. To the same cause must also be assigned the comparatively modern appearance of the few towns. But for what they lack in antiquity they certainly make up in charm. There are few places in southern Scotland more attractive than Thornhill. Just north of Thornhill is the Castle of Morton, which, as Archbald says : "Of old hath been a very strong hold." But the spot possessed something more remarkable than its castle, for near by " there was a park, built by Sir Thomas Randulph, on the face of a very great and high hill, so artificially, that, by the advantage of the hill, all wild beasts such as deer, harts, roes, and horses [ ! ] did easily leap in, but could not get out again ; and if any other cattle, such as cows, sheep, or goats, did voluntarily leap in, or was forced to it, it was doubted if their owners were permitted to get them out again." Photo by] B-r,rnt.s.^;^'ry« HODDOM CA.STLE, LOCKERBIE. [Valentine & Sons, IMl. This stalely old pile was built by Lord Herries in tiie fifteenth century. It stands on the right banlc of the Annan, 3 miles south-west of Ecclefcchan. The original Hoddom Castle stood on the other side of the river a little higher up. It is popularly believed to have been a seat of the royal Bruces. The " show " place in this region is, of course, the castle of Drumlanrig. It is not a mediaeval fortress but a seventeenth century mansion, which incorporates some small portion of an earlier structure. Built by the third Earl (first Duke) of Queensberry, its magnificence and stately comfort speak of a time when defence was no longer the first consideration and the great ones of the land could have a habitation outwardly commensurate with their style and dignity. No one appreciated its amenities more than " Bonnie Prince Charlie," whose men did it great damage during the rebellion of 1745. The outpost of civilisation among the wild and solitary hills of the Bordir is the ancient little town of Sanquhar. Its present modest appearance belies the importance it possessed in earlier, if not happier, times. Did not citizens of Sanquhar once publicly declare war on Charles II and James II, and proudly exhibit their defiant proclamations on the town cross ? -•;^r., ■'r.r^mf! I c c C O u "" e C « C3 CQ 4v . ^^*^^ ^^m. z j: j: M - S P3 < ^i ® 3 s •^ « K 2 = rt C I « u ■o V. Q z — J5 C3 " < ^ c o o 71 "a c c "2 ca c/3 3 *): <; U CA u aj (fl £ C u T *3 I £: ^ H C3 O 5 H a , E fc J= -o y •- O o J ffl O 4* £ 13 - l§ ^ V. ^ Ui O 0. £i >- ■c t: CI o -^ IH Of C1^ 01 0* £ ^ *- c ii * "^v^^' [H'. A. Maiiscll & Co. Pholo by] INTERIOR OF DURHAM CATHEDRAL. Thoufth in the main a Norman building, the Chapel of Nine Altars, from which this photograph was taken Is perhaps the flnest example of Early Enfillsh work, and Is certainly the largest attached chapel in England. The view is of the north aisle. '''""" '>y'i [A. H. Robinson. GENERAL VIEW OF DURHAM. The capital of the county of Durham is built on a hill nearly surrounded by the River Wear. The city dates from as early as the tenth century, and has an ecclesiastical origin. DURHAM R EADERS of this work will no doubt have realised that the word " beautiful " is used in a wide sense ; it comports not only what appeals to the physical eye, but even more what appeals to the mind's eye, that God-given faculty which sees the picturesque and romantic quality in things which may not be outwardly attrac- tive, but are endeared to all lovers of fine things by reason of their history or associa- tions. Durham is a county which deserves a high place in this book, even though much of its scenery has been sacrificed in the cause of industry. It is not of great area, and a serious proportion of that area is de- voted to coal-mining and other activities which play terrible havoc with natural beauties. Even the region which is free from the industrial blight — the high moors of the west — is somewhat bleak and feature- less, and cannot compare with the best moorland districts of Yorkshire, for example. But the coast is by no means so insignificant as is generally imagined, the wooded " denes " which mark the course of the Httle streams which dribble into the North Sea are full of charm, and really attractive scenery is to be found in the valleys of the Wear, Tees, and Derwent. But even with- out these pleasant features, the county should have a call on the affections of any Briton possessed of the slightest imagina- tion. Its history is of absorbing interest, and existing witnesses of its moving and Photo by] THE LIBRARY, DURHAM CATHEDRAL. The library contains many interesting documents. Among the most valuable are a treatise on the Psalter presented by Walter de Calais, a Bible given by Bishop Pusar, and the roll of Bede's history. 47 73^ Britain Beautiful picturesque past— from perfect Roman camps to the strongholds of medieval barons and the ecclesiastical masterpiece of the Xorman architect — are numerous and well preserved. To avoid the drawbacks of incoherence and confusion, our survey will first be concerned with the eastern and industrial half of the county, an area traversed by the great Durham coalfield and one of the most densely populated districts of the British Isles. Here Nature has been so bounteous with her mineral treasures that her greatest treasure — beauty — must be sought for in more or less unlikeh' places ; but here, too, man has to a certain extent supplemented Nature, by dotting the county with some of the most creditable of his creations, for even if he had only Durham Cathedral to show for his two thousand years of effort it could not be said that he had entirely wasted his time ! The River Derwent forms the northern boundary of the county almost to its junction with the Tyne. DURHAM CATHEDR.\L FROM THE RIVER. [Sport & GiiKruL The cathedral Is built of the red stone of the neighbourhood, and, from Prebend's Bridftc, one of the best views of the exterior may be obtained. The heights of the western towers and the central tower are 143 feet and 216 feet respectively. After emerging from tlic moors in the west the story of tliis river is the talc of its struggle with Old King Coal. On the whole, the dusky monarch has had the best of it, though there are some charming " bits " to be discovered in this corner of the county. The inquisitive visitor who survives the passage through sooty and over-busy Consett will find himself in a pleasant spot at Shotley Bridge, with associa- tions of which one might perhaps have spoken more freely jirior to 1914. For most of the ancient fame of the place was bestowed upon it in the seventeenth ccnturv by a colony of German sword-makers, who made this village their refuge from religious perseculinn and a deluge of verbotens in tlieir own country. Ebchester, 2 or 3 miles down-stream, is the first of the old Roman stations which we shall touch in our pilgrimage. The camp of \'indomora, whose site it occupies, was the fourth and last fortress Photo by] THE GALILEE, DURHAM CATHEDRAL. [W. A. Mamell & Co. This beautiful Galilee was first built by Bishop Pusar in 1154 for the reception of female penitents. It was so called because, at Durham, women were supposed to occupy the same sort of position that the ancient Galileans occupied in relation to the Jews. Photo by] THE CHOIR VAULTING, DURHAM CATHKDKM [iV. A. Manscll 6- Co. The fine choir has five buys with aisles, and its sides have four pillars each two clustered and two circular — with spiral channels. The altar screen Is over 500 years old ; it was built In London of Caen stone, and Is the best example In the world of canopied screen-work. Durh am ■41 in this county on the great military highway, now better known as " WatUng Street," which the Romans built to ensure prompt and easy communication between north and south, and facilitate rapid reinforcement of the garrison guarding the mighty wall just across the Tyne. Ebchester Camp has been almost obliterated, however, and the chief evidences of Roman occupation in the village are the inscribed stones of various kinds which can be seen built into the tower of the church and many of the houses. Ebchester is by no means the only community in this county where existing buildings form a kind of museum of ancient relics. Its story is repeated at the little town of Lanchester, the Roman Longoviciis, the next southerly point of military importance on Watling Street. As Surtees says, " Great part of the village, as well as the present Christian church, is composed of the Pagan masonry of the neighbouring Roman station." One result of the camp's usefulness as a quarry is that it has ceased to Photo bx^ • IM. .„.'..,/ !■'£.. ■.:.:,,- THE NAVE FROM THE CHOIR. DURHAM CATHEDRAL. The magnificent nave Is said to be the most perfect example of Norman architecture in existence. With the exception of the roof, the greater part of it was completed by Bishop Flambard In the beginning of the twelfth century. THE FONT AND NAVE, DURHAM CATHEDRAL. The fine font is resplendent with adornments depicting incidents in the life of St. Cuthbert. It takes the place of a sculptured one which first stood there in 1621. The wonderful rose window at the east end of the nave is an object of great interest. be impressive as an antiquity, for its treasures, in the shape of altars, inscribed stones, and so forth, have been conveyed elsewhere. But Lanchester has another curiosity in addition to its notable Roman camp. Its church was once collegiate, consisting of a Dean and seven Prebendaries, and Anthony Beke, who brought about this promotion in 12S3, was evidently fully determined that the Vicars should behave themselves ; hence the following injunctions contained in his statutes and ordinances : " Let everye of the Vicars going from his house towards the church, and likewise retominge, etc., endeavour hymself to goo with a modest and grave pace. ..." None of the Vicars shall " brawle or chide in the quier or without ; but let them keep silent ; not mormoringe, gaynsayinge, or contendinge with one another ; neyther yett laughing, fleering, staring, nor casting vagabond eyes towards the people remayning in the came churche. . . . Let the Vicars read and also sing alowde, distinctly. 742 Britain Beautiful with full voice, and without over skipping or cutting the words. . . . None of the s^id Vicars shall without some sufficient cause go into any common taverne nor tarye in the same." What counsel of perfection I But what is sufficient cause within the meaning of the Act ? Architecturally I.anchester church is interesting, not only for the amount of Roman material that has gone to its construction, but because of the interesting remains of Norman v/ork. which includes a fine chancel arch. There are no purely Norman churches in the county, and examples of this style have to be picked out here and there. The valley of the Derwent from Ebchester to its junction with the Tyne gives some charming " glimpses " in an otherwise industrial region, and none more unexpected and refreshing than the some- Pkoto by] ENTRANCE TO THE DEAN'S GARDENS .\ND CLOISTERS FROM INSIDE. [//. hdton. The cloisters were completed in 1400 and the Deanery forty-six years later, l^nderneath tlie chapel of the latter is an Early Enf^lish crypt. The original cathedral at Durham was consecrated in 999 by Bishop Aldune. but it was not completed until 1041. what neglected park of Gibsidi', in which stands the ancient scat of the P)Owes family. In the middle of the eighteenth century George Bowes, a local Louis Quatorze, set out to create a Durham Versailles, and Gibside became an object of awe and admiration to half the country. He it was who built the detached banqueting-house and chapel and elevated a lofty column, crowned by a statue of Liberty, to congratulate his constituents on their wisdom and good sense in electing him their Member ! These structures wear a curious, deracine air nowadays, but the woods of Gibside are still a delight and a veritable paradise to the tired and jaded citizens of the grimy towns in the vicinity. Grim is, alas ! the genius loci of the lower Tyne valley, for the export of coal, shipbuilding, the manufacture of iron and steel, and so many other necessary industries cannot be carried on without the loss of natural beauties. Con.solation for that loss can only be sought in the historic associations of this great ocean highway, and the busv industrial communities on its banks. ;^=^erm i^^5i^^;^3?j3^^r^5v; ; T ;v^o/u ftv] EXTERIOR SANCTUARY KNOCKER. [W. A. Mansetl &■ Co. Up to the seventeenth century Christian churches, like pagan temples, were allowed to be used as a temporary sanctuary by law- breakers. This knocker is one of the finest of its kind In ths country. >> CO °i a H So « t: a <: 3 s u O £ 3 s a tt- -I < ~. = ^ -Of o M = " . 2 ■= o =2 - 1* o a a, — ■a - Durham 745 :in On aesthetic grounds Gateshead has Httle claim to inclusion in Britain Beautiful. To be frank, it is one of the world's industrial horrors. The only substantial antiquity is the parish church, and even that is destitute of great interest. But the history of the town is full of matter which contributes not a little to the gaiety of nations, and the story of tho quarrel? hotwcon Gato^head and Newcastlt- i'^ entertainment in itself. In the Preamble to an Act of Parliament (1552) which annexed the former to the latter, it is solemnly asserted " That the quiet, ordre, regiment, and gouvernance, of the Cor- poracion and body politike of the Towne of Newcastle uppon Tyne hath been not a lyttel disturbed and hin- dered, to a moche greater and manifest ympoverish- ment, ruyne, and decay ... by reason as well that in the Towne of Gatesyde, next adjoyning unto the said haven towne of Newcastle, on the South syde of the said ryver of Tyne, doo inhabyte and been from tyme to tyme a greate nombre of car- penters, collyers, fishers maryners, and other handycraftes menne, which by their handy workes gayne and have their cheif and in manner hole lyving in the said towne of Newcastle, wher they daly comit manyfold enormetyes and disorders which escape unponished, to a very evil example in the hinderance of justice." To realise the changes wrought in England by the industrialisation of the last hundred years, all that is necessary is to take a walk through the dirty, noisy, and crowded streets of modern J arrow, . , r- r> , ■ and then read the remarks of Surtees in his monumental History and Antiquities of the County Palatine of Durham (1820) ■ " The spot has no claim to peculiar beauty, yet it is well calculated to produce a general impression of solemn quiet . . . Jarrow is 'a romancy spot,' where, as Anthony a ^^•ood hath it, a man may admirably ' refresh himself with a melancholy walk.' " A man could certainly do so to-day ! But the great and abiding glory of the town is the parish church, which was dedicated (as a stone ,. . , []\iii:>ttini- & ^yii", Ltd. ' ^^ NORMAN ARCH, DURHAM CASTLE. Durham Castle is occupied by the University, and the •• Great Hail " is now the dining-room. The building stands on Palace Green, which is situated on the neck of a peninsula formed by the windings of the river. ■46 Britain Beautiful built into the tower arch still testifies) " on the ninth of the Kalends of May in the fifteenth year of King Ecfrid,"i.e. a.d. 685; and that glory is due, not to any architectural beauty, but to its associations with the Venerable Bede. The Saxon tower — the sole survivor of the ancient edifice — is, of course extremely interesting from an archaeological point of view, but the attraction for the pilgrims who still throng to Jarrow is that battered curiosity, "Bede's Chair," and the magnetism of his name. The monastery had only just been founded when he came here from Monkwearmouth, and he tells us himself that " he spent his whole life." from childhood to age, within its walls. We know, too, from his own pen in what manner he spent his time : " From the date of mj- attaining the priesthood until this my fifty-ninth year, I have never ceased to compile annotations and glosses on the holy scripture, for the edifying of myself and my Pkolo by] On* of the Reformation THE COURTYARD, DURHAM CATHEDRAL, larflcst and most Impressive of our English churches, Durham Cathedral was dedicated to St. Cuthbcrt up to the and after that to Christ and the Blessed Virgin. The building contains the tomb of the Venerable Bede. who died In 735. brethren." Small wonder that Surtees adds; " W'lun Bede died, Hi.storv reversed her torch, and quenched it in deep night ! " Jarrow inevitalily recalls its neighbour, Monkwearmouth, not only because their monasteries were the twin foundations of Benedict Biscop in the seventh century, but because it was from Monkwearmouth that Bede went to the more northerly settlement in which his active career was passed. There can be no doubt that the existing church incorporates in the tower and nave a considerable part of the Bishop's original building, and it therefore takes an inii)ortant place in the architectural and ecclesiastical history of the country. It also enjoys the distinction of having Bede for its first biographer and, very fortunately, Bede's account of its construction still exists, and can be found in his Lives of the Holy Ahbats. From him we learn that the Bishop had to go to France to secure his artificers and craftsmen, and that among other innovations was the introduction of glass, " for cancelling the windows," as the great (Inuchman phrased it. But when this most interesting church is seen .set in a wilderness of grimy and jxjverty-strickcn [//. rdton. AN OLD HOUSE ON ELVET BRIDGE, DURHAM. This old bridge was completed In 1228 by Bishop Pudsey and is one of the few remaining bridges with houses thereon. In former days the bridge had two chapels, built either on it or close by. . c S 2 bH SB ^S c ° o *3 Durham 749 houses, it is difficult to realise that for its embellishment the Bishop made several visits to Rome and ransacked the Eternal City for its treasures ! Neither Sunderland nor South Shields has any claim to much space in this work, whatever their importance (and it is great) to the economic life of Britain. In the latter an industrious seeker after the odds and ends of antiquity will discover the unmistakable remains of a Roman station, and all Britons should remember the names of Henry Greathead and William Wouldhave, thanks to whose efforts South Shields became the pioneer of the lifeboat service. Sunderland, too, is an ancient place, though with nothing ancient about it now, and it must suffice here to say that it stands at the mouth of the Wear, Pkoto by} [VaUntitm & Sons, Ltd. LUMLEY CASTLE FROM THE GLEN. The castle was founded by the Lumleys In the reign of Edward I. It stands on an elevation above the Wear, one mile east of Chester- le-Street. The building is constructed of yellow freestone, and takes the form of a quadrangle flanked by octagonal towers. It belongs to the Earl of Scarborough, and can more rightly be called a large manor house than a fortress. a river round whose valley concentrates much of the scenic, historical, and architectural interest of the county. Not a little of that interest is claimed by the castles situated in or adjoining the valley. Of these the first in topographical order is Hylton Castle, the earliest portion of which probably dates from the first half of the fifteenth century. Billings writes in glowing terms of " the turrets, with their staircases and bold, broad machicolations ; even the guard's room (surmounting the projection of its east front) remains perfectly entire, and nothing but a few armed men is wanted to complete the picture of bygone, baronial power." But great as is the fame of Hylton, its chief celebrity is a ghost of most curious manners and habits known as the " Cauld Lad o' Hylton." (" Cauld " or " Cowed " was the local term for head- less.) The ghost seems to be part fiction and part fact. It is tolerably certain that one of the lords of Hylton once lost his temper and accidentally killed a serving-boy, and cast the corpse into a pond. But Britain Beautiful Pkolo by\ 'I ' ' "■■"•■-<■ Ltd MONKWEARMOUTH PARISH CHL'RCH. Monkwearmouth is within the borough boundary of Sunderland. St. Peter's Church was founded in A.n.674,but the square toner and part of the west wall are the only remaining parts of the old structure. Bishop Tidfriths stone, now in the Hritisn Museum, came from this church. somewhat uninteresting as a "show" place, the castle commands immense respect for its associations with the legend of the Lambton " Worm," a creature far more fearsome in its way than the Cauld Lad o' Hylton. The opening leitmotiv of the story appears to be the well-worn themes that (i) the Sabbath was made for observance, (ii) great things grow from small beginnings. One fine Sunday, when the voung hopeful of the I,ambtons was fishing in the Wear — instead of attending at church — he hooked ;i worm. In rage or contempt he cast the creature back into a well. As time went on the despised worm developed into a fearsome dragon which haunted the Wear, devastated the countryside, and made itself that was not the end of the matter. The voung man's ghost proceeded to make life almost intolerable at the castle. It amused itself by either smashing all the crockery or elaborately rearranging it when the other servants had not placed it to the phantom's taste. To make its presence even more baneful it preserved invisibilitv but treated its audience to a blood-curdling ditty : " Wae's me, wae's me ! The acorn is not yet Grown upon the tree That's to grow the wood That's to make the cradle That's to rock the bairn That's to grow a man That's to lay me '. " Fortunately for the peace of Hylton. the Cauld Lad counted without his host, for some- one conceived the bright idea of " laying " him by leaving a cloak and hood in the kitchen as a gift, and presumably a hint to make himself scarce. This apparently recognised method of dealing with such a ticklish situation was admirably effective, for the ghost disappeared and never returned. The next castle in the Wear Valley is Lambton, the seat of the Earl of Durham, which was deprived of most of its architectural interest bv wholesale " modernisation " in the early part of the eighteenth century. But if ,./,„,„ /,i SOl^TH OUTLET, SUNDERLAND. [VaU-iUuie & Som.LU. On account of its extensive shipbuilding and engineering activities and its export trade, Sunderland Is the largest town in the county. The two piers jut out into the sea 1,386 feci from the sides of Wcarmouth. [Valentine & Sons, Lid. OLD TOWN, HARTLEPOOL. The older part of Hartlepool dates from very early times and has an eventful history. In 1171 it was the landing-place of the Earl of Bar's fleet with an army of Flem^ings, who came to assist William the Lion in invading England. Pkoto by] [Valentine &■ Sons, Ltd. NORTH BEACH. SEAHAM HARBOIR. A hundred years ufto the site of the seaport town of Seaham Harbour was nothing but waste ground. It stands close to the mouth of Seaham Dene, 6 miles south of Sunderland. Durham / d:) generally a thing of horror and wonder. In vulgar modern parlance, it was now " up to " the young Lambton to rid the world of the pest with which he had presented it, particularly as he had mean- while been on a Crusade and realised the folly and wickedness of fishing on Sunday. A series of terrific combats ensued in which the knight's skill and valour were alwa^-s frustrated by the capacity of the worm's severed portion to reunite at will. Surtces tells us how Lambton ultimately triumphed. On the advice of a witch, " he armed himself in a coat of mail, studded with razor-blades, and thus prepared placed himself on the crag in the river, and awaited the monster's arrival. At the usual time the worm came to the rock and wound himself with great fury round the armed knight, who had Pholo by] WYNARD PARK, NEAR STOCKTON. [I'lttOltLHC ij- bOHS, This stately pile was founded by the Marquis of Londonderry in 1822. Nineteen years later it was destroyed by fire with a heavy loss, but it was soon afterwards reconstructed. It is built in the Grecian style, and has a magnificent Corinthian portico and a statu2 gallery 120 feet long and 80 feet wide. the satisfaction to see his enemy cut in pieces by his own efforts, while the stream washing awav the several parts prevented the possibility of re-union." But, as Surtees quaintly remarks, " there is still a sequel to the story. The witch had promised Lambton success only on one condition — that he would slay the first living thing that met his sight after victory. To avoid the possibility of human slaughter, Lambton had directed his father that as soon as he heard him sound three blasts on his bugle, in token of the achievement performed, he should release his favourite greyhound, which would immediately fly to the sound of the horn, and was destined to be the sacrifice. On hearing his son's bugle, however, the old chief was so overjoved that he forgot the injunctions and ran himself with open arms to meet his son. Instead of committing a parricide, the conqueror repaired to his adviser, who pronounced, as the alternative of disobeying 48 754 Britain Beautiful the original instractions, that no chief of the Lambtons should die in his bed for seven, or as some accounts say, for nine generations — a commutation which, to a martial spirit, had nothing probably very terrible, and which was willingly complied with." The really remarkable part of the story is that the prophecy was actually fulfilled ! And lest any should doubt the matter altogether, there is the curious hump still known as the " Worm Hill." Lumley Castle, a bare mile away, was the home of one of the most ancient families ot England, and is of far higher architectural importance than the two previously mentioned. E.xternally, its four corner " keeps " still enable it to preserve a thoroughly mediaeval impress, and though restoration and modernisation have been carried out internally on a very extensive scale it requires no great effort of imagination to conjure up visions of the Lords of Lumley in all the glory of an appropriate setting. The massive masonry, the Great Hall, the ballroom, and many other impressive and most interesting rjw' Longitude W. of Greenwich I' JO' COPYRIGHT. ClOCHAPH[Ai.n3iV° 55ni:irS!P££7L0NDO'JS.C^ MAP OF DURHAM. relics of bygone times are eloquent memorials of the splendour associated with the name of an ancient and powerful race. And indeed the Lumleys had some reason to be proud. For if tradition speaks truly it was their ancestor, Lyulph, who protested against the exactions and misdeeds of the agents and servants of Bishop Walcher — and paid for his chivalrous courage with his life. Other Lumleys set an inspiring example of audacity and devotion on many a stricken field, and one — John, Lord Lumley, was bold enough to receive King James I as his guest — a visit memorable for one of the recorded witticisms of that curious monarch. John was a proud man, so proud that he had portraits of his ancestors painted and hung very conspicuously in the Great Hall. The Bishop of Durham, who seems to have been a peculiarly long-winded gentleman, was treating the King to a lengthy disquisition on the merits and history of all of these " ancestors " when James interrupted tartly, " O mon, gang na further, let me digest the knowledge I hae gained, for, by my saul, I didna' ken Adam's name was Lumley ! " More evidence of the pride of this Lord of Lumley is to be found in tlie parish church of Chcster-lc- =1 •b S . ^o S '• ►J t: « H « > 3 S OB.. Z a2 < o 0, .J A £ 1^ ^ = O « u < -a g a. 5 2 O '3 X a SI CO o - o Durham Street. just across the river. Towsrds the end of the sixteenth century he brought together here four- teen monumental effigies of members of his family, and to give its distinguished history more publicity set out the whole story in Latin on that of Lyulph. Camden throws some light on the haughty gentleman's methods by remarking of these effigies that " they were either picked out of demolished monasteries, or made anew." This Early English church is perhaps the only feature of interest in Chester-le-Street, a somewhat melancholy reflection in view of its distinguished place in the early history of the county. For here was one of the most important Roman stations in the North of England, and for over a hundred years the town was the seat of the bishopric which had its headquarters at I.indisfarne until the Danish WISHING TEMPLE IN PARK, BISHOP AUCKLAND. [^'akntim & Sons, Ltd. The fine public park belonging to the castle is 800 acres in extent. The wishing temple is reached by a path through the beautiful woods. invasion of 883. As the resting-place of St. Cuthbert's body during that period Chester-le-Street was a place of high renown. The removal of the saint's remains to Durham at the close of the tenth century was a great blow to its fame, and even by the seventeenth century the place had gained a repu- tation for grime, as we know from a jingling rhyme of the time. Chester-le-Street cannot be left without a reference to its seventeenth-century cause celebre — which ended in the condemnation and execution for murder of Mark Sharp and John Walker. In 1632 a certain Anne was living as a servant in Walker's household. She was suspected of being pregnant by the neighbours, and was sent away with Sharp " towards the dark of the evening one night." Nothing more was heard of her until the following winter, when a certain miller, of the name of James Grime, had a most unpleasant experience. He was working late one night, all the mill doors being bolted and barred, when " there stood a woman upon the midst of the floor, with her hair about 7S^ Britain Beautiful her head hanging down, and all bloody with five large wounds on her head." The ghost proceeded to explain to the terrified miller that the expectant father was none other than John Walker himself, adding that he had had her lured away to a deserted part of the moor by Mark Sharp, who had murdered her with a pick in a coal-pit which she named. To make poor Grime even more uncom- fortable, the apparition promised him that it would give him no peace until he "showed up" the murderers. At length he did so, and, sure enough, Anne's corpse, with the five wounds in the head, was found in the very coal-pit she indicated. The sequel was a trial at Durham and the conviction of the two men ! A glamour of a different kind is shed upon this part of the county (and particularly Houghton- [Vitlt-nliJic C- Sons, LI J. WHORLTON BRIDGE, WHORLTON, NEAR BARNARD CASTLE. The village of Whorllon is situated 4 miles soutli-east of Barnard Castle, close to the Yorkshire border. Whorlton Bridge crosses the River Tees, which is at its prettiest along this stretch of Its course. le-Spring) by its associations as the scene of the labours and activities of one of the most remarkable and lovable ecclesiastics the sixteenth century produced — Bernard Gilpin, the " Apostle of the North." The record of his attractive and self-sacrificing life lies outside the limits of this survey, though over no man of this county would the pen more willingly linger. It must suffice to say that as rector of Hough- ton-le-Spring he was " guide, philosopher, and friend " to all mankind in those troublous times, and that his mental outlook is admirably portrayed in the words of one of his biographers : " In his own house he boarded and kept foure and twenty scollers, sometimes fewer, but seldom ; the greater part poore men's sonnus upon whom he bestowed meat, drinke, cloth and education. . . . Hee was careful to avoide not only all evill doing, but even the lightest suspicion thereof ; and he was accounted a saint in the judgment of his very enemies. Being full of faith unfained and of good works he was at last put into his grave as a heap of wheat in due time is swept into the garner." Photo by] [Photocht'om Co., Lid. BARNARD CASTLE. The photograph was taken from one of the windows of Barnard Castle. The ruins are perched on the edge of a steep rock 80 feet above the Tees, which can be seen framed in the window. «1 si X H U _1 f- 7j ■< o Q Z 03 S 5 K O cs o a u ^ Durham 761 English church of still shows the now known as He rests in the Early St. Michael, and the rectory ancient tree which is even " Bernard Gilpin's Thorn." From this digression we must return to the Wear Valley where the lights of Durham beckon beyond the charming ruin of Finchale Priory. The prelude to Finchale is a spot a mile away still known as " Godric's Garth." Our journey up the Wear Valley to the county capital must be interrupted for the last time by a call at Finchale Priory, the only substantial ecclesiastical ruin in Durham, situ- ated in a beautiful and well-wooded bend of the river and deservedly haunted by the curious of all kinds, from the bespectacled archseologist to the mere picnicker. In their advanced stage of decay the monastic buildings give a very inadequate idea of their splendour ; there are many architectural details which perhaps experts alone can appreciate at their true value, but anyone with even a nodding acquaintance with the " lay-out " of a medieval monastery can extract a good deal of interest out of distinguishing the various domestic buildings grouped so ingeniously round the priory church. Those who Hke the picturesque " touch " will not miss a famous "window-seat " known as the " Wishing Chair," from its supposed power of ensuring a fertile marriage. But a caveat must be entered here, for one authority assures Pkoto by] [Valentine & Sons, Ltd. BLAGROVE HOUSE. BARNARD CASTLE. Barnard Castle owes its origin to the fortress from which it takes its name. The old market town stands in a charming situation on the left bank of the River Tees, which is here spanned by an ancient bridge, built in 1S96. US that " since the removal of the monks it has entirely lost its efficacy " ! This priory acquired its early fame as the burial-place of the twelfth-century hermit Godric, who spent sixty years with good works at near by which is still as Godric's Garth. An riwlv by] [Valentine & Sons, Ltd. RABY CASTLE FROM THE SOUTH-EAST. This stately old castle Is situated a little to the north of the Tees between Piercebridge and Barnard Castle. It was once the seat of the House of Neville, and during the Civil War it went through many stirring sieges. It later passed to the Vane family, and Is even now inhabited by their descendants. replete a spot known ancient chronicler tells us of his spiritual struggles and triumphs, and if liut half of the record is true his canonisation was thoroughly de- M/rved. If a good deal of picturesque liction goes to the making of I-inchale's early history, there is no mystery about the beginnings of Durham ; it is one of those most attractive and interesting stories which in essentials bear the indelible stamp of truth. 762 Britain Beautiful In 995 A.D. Bishop Aldune and his monks were compelled to desert Chester-le-Street owing to the unwelcome attentions of the Danes. Taking with them their precious relic, the coffin and remains of St. Cuthbert, they fled to Ripon. \Mien the tide of invasion had ebbed the return journey was under- taken, but when the convoy had reached " Wredelau " (some height in the vicinity of Durham, perhaps Warden Law, or Maiden Castle) the saint's corpse suddenly became so heavy as to make further progress impossible. Interpreting this phenomenon as divine intervention of some kind, the monks took the spiritual steps necessary to ascertain its meaning. After three days' fasting the monk Eadmer announced that it had been revealed to him in a dream that the destined resting-place of St. Cuthbert's remains was " Dunholme." As no member of the party had ever heard of " Dunholme," this was making confusion worse confounded. The coffin still obstinately refused to be moved, and the monks wandered about inquiring vainly for " Dunholme," when an old woman was heard asking if anyone .^.cjsjsat. Phcio by] THE ItOCK WALK, B.\RNARD CA.STLE. iValenlii That part of the Tees which lies between MIddleton and Galnford is noted for its beautiful scenery. This most romantic of Durham's rivers rises on Cross Fell in Cumberland and flows 80 miles through Westmorland and Durham to the sea at Middlesbrough. had seen her lost cow. A good Samaritan voluntciTcd the information that the errant quadruped had been seen at Dunholme. Magic words ! The coffin rose as if by its own powers, and the clue was followed up to the great bend of the \\'car where the hill of Durham majestically rises. If any sceptic dares to scolf at this story let him look carefully at the turret above " Joseph's " window, where a sculptured representation of the historic cow and the old lady (though an eighteenth- century reproduction of the original panel) reinforces the message of tradition. Whatever doubt may be thrown upon this part of the storv, it is cold historic fact that Durham was founded as the ])ermanent resting-place of St. Cuthbert's remains, the enormous military advantages of the site contributing immensely to its growth a?ul iti:]>i)rtance. Of its later history little shall be said except that after the Norman Conquest tlic county and its capital became of high significance, the Bishop being endowed with vice-regal powers as the King's representative and guardian of this march against the " barbarous," marauding Scot. Incessant fighting with that enterprising and rest- Photo by] {Valentine & Sons, Lid. VIEW FROM ABBEY BRIDGE, BARNARD CASTLE. The prettiest stretch of Teesdale is In the vicinity of Barnard Castle. It is very fascinating to watch the swiftly moving stream swirling round the many boulders and stones which abound in the river. 764 Britain Beautiful less gentleman is the chronicle of Durham for generation after generation. The fortunes of war varied considerably, and the most famous of all these encounters took place in 1346 at Neville's Cross, within sight of the cathedral towers. The result was the complete discomfiture of the invader. As the victory was certainly one of the most important contributions of the county to the history of England, it may not be out of place to draw on Froissart, whose description of the action, in Lord Berners' translation, is exceedingly picturesque : " Than [then] the scottes came and lodged agaynst theyme, nere togyder : than every man was sette in order of batayle : than the ciuene came among her men, and there was ordayncd four batayls, one to ayde another : the firste had in governance the bysshoppe of Dyrham, and the lorde Percy : the second the archbysshoppe of Yorke, and the lorde Nevj-ll : the thyrde the bysshoppe of Lyncolne, Photo i>.v] [Valenline & Sons, Ltd. HIGH rORC:K, TEE.SDALE. At High Force, several miles below Caldron Snout, where it rushes through a narrow gorge, the Tees falls over a precipitous rock 75 feet In height. All along this stretch the Tees is hemmed in by barren cliffs of basalt. and the lorde Molray : the fourth the lord Kdward de F.aylleule, captain of Berwyke. the archbysshoppe of Canterbury, and the Lord Rose : the queue went fro batayle to batayle. desyring them to do their devoyre [duty], to defend the honour of her lord the Kyng of Englande, and in the name of god. every n;an to be of good hert and courage, proni\sying them that to her power she wolde remembre the\m as well or better, as thoughe her lorde thf Kyng were ther personally. Than the queue departed fro them, recomendyng them to god and to saynt George. Than anone after, the batta\-lles of the scottes began to .set forwarde, and in lykewyse .so dyd the englysshmen : than the archers began to shote on both parties, but the shot of the scottes endured but a short space, but ye archers of Englande shot so feersly, so that when the batayls aproched, there was a harde batell ; they began at nyne, and endured tvll noone ; the scottes had great axes, sjiarpe and harde, and gave with them many great strokes : howbeit, finally the englysshmen obtained the place and vyctory, but they lost many of their men. ..." Photo by] JACK'S SCAR, MIDDLETON-IN-TEESDALE. and flows over a broad stony bed through open country. The river At Middleton the Tees comes out from its hillbound course and flows over a "^''f" '•'""^ "," .^rcoas, forms the boundary between Yorlishire and Durham from Caldron Snout to the coast 766 Britain Beautiful Durham never again played so conspicuous a part in the history of our country, and its share in various local commotions or the greater upheaval of the Civil W'slt cannot be recorded here. On the great hill which is surrounded on three sides by the Wear the cathedral and castle remain as splendid memorials of the past. The former is perhaps the most impressive monument of Norman ecclesiastical art still remaining. The colossal piers of the nave have dignity without severity, and excel all other Norman work in the country in their combination of mass with decorative effect. The two Nevill tombs (including that of the victor of Neville's Cross) are unfortunately but a shadow of their former selves. In 1650 the cathedral was used as a place of confinement for some three thousand Photo by] [Valcniine & Sons, LIU. A TEESIDE PATH NEAR MIDDLETON. The position of Mlddleton makes it wlttiin easy reacii of the romantic scenery of Upper Teesdale, Including Higii Force and Caldron Snout. The photograph gives a good idea of the stony nature of the river's bed. Scottish prisoners, who amused themselves by destroying the woodwork and desecrating the monu- ments. But the appeal of the simplicity and dignity of the main fabric is exceeded by that of two features on whose beauty the fame of this great church securely rests. One is Bishop Pudsey's Galilee Chapel, a glorious example of traditional Norman work, which would be a place of pilgrimage were it only for its historical treasure, the tomb of Bede : " Hac sunt in fossa B;ed?e Venerabilis ossa," runs the legend on the slab, and the story of the removal of that great man's remains from Jarrow to Durham is the tale of a thieving monk and other complications too long to recount in detail here. But why the " Venerable " Bede ? The story goes that a poetical mason who was set the task of I'liotv liv\ A'llcutine & Sons, Ltd. THE CASTLE, STANHOPE. This fine old country seat is situated in beautiful grounds close to Stanhope. The Rectory House, the only other old residence, was built by Bishop Phllpotts and contains a Roman altar commemorative of a wild boar. Photo by] [I'akntme & 6oks, Ltd. WIDLEY FALL, STANHOPE DENE. The small town of Stanhope stands on that pretty reach of the Wear known as Weardale, 5\ miles north-west of Wolsingham. The large park in the vicinity of Stanhope was a favourite hunting-ground with Bishops of Durham. 768 / executing a siiitable epitaph was hope- iesslv "stumped" for a word of the right length for purposes of scansion. The angel who watches over small boys doing examination papers then appeared and whispered the magic epitaph in his ear I This splendid western termination of the cathedral is excelled, if possible. bv the far-famed Chapel of the Nine Altars at the cast end, the finest piecr of Earlv Englisli work in the country. For thirty years in the middle of tlir thirteenth centur\- the building of this finishing touch to Durham's glory was in progress. At the end of the eighteenth century it barely escaped destruction during Wyatt's dis- Britain Beautiful graceful tion." restora- Plwlo in] l^- Liiiiitle Walker. THE S.\XON CH.\PEL, JARROW. The chapel, which is part of St. Paul's Church, dales from the days of the Venerable Kede. whose name is so well known in Jarrow, and the chair. which is supposed to be bis, may still be seen in the chancel. The tablet over the arcb is the original dedication stone : A.D. bbS. Seekers after the last resting-place of ^t. Cuthbert will look in vain for the magnificent shrine to which pilgrims flocked in crowds for centuries. It was one of the first vic- tims of the reform- ing and iconoclastic lurv of Henrv \Tirs lime, and the patron -aint of Durham must now be content with a plain slab. I'or a long time there was grave doubt as to whether his re- mains were really interred at this spot, and Scott wrote in Men-Ill ion : " There, deep in Durham's Gothic shade. His reliques are in secret laid : l^ut none may know the place. Save of his holiest servants three, Deep sworn to solemn secre- it cv . . . k-c — m m '^^m^'^i ilA^i-^ H,^.^ 'j p : . "''^rKD' r*, -v.-,--.-y.fr-.i.-'jp-i'-- - ■----,-■ , _. :,^^«,--- ,■---' ■, '„ ■ r-.--ri .'y -rtfrfi^M^^BB Ira r t'Tr-f nf^ifi ne ■ '»rf»a*iJi«*4i--^iLj*iiiiiuJi^^Bi«™ Photo by] [Vahntini & Sowi, LUt. JARROW OLD CHl'RCH. The remains of the old monastery jre on the south side of the ancient parish church of .St. Paul's, which dates largely from the eleventh century. The Venerable Bede entered the monastery In 684 and resided there for fifty-one years till his death. Uede's most famous work was his " HIstoria Eccleslastlca," the chief authority on English history down to 731. = 5 it ^ s a ft or u a X a >« s S o <» E ■3 a s O « < s- * St £ 9 s " a 5« . -I a js II Ie o o ,1 Durh urnam / 69 But in 1827 the fa\'oured three (whoever they were) were joined bv manv others when the grave was opened, and manv indications proved beyond reasonable cavil that the saint's bones had unques- tionablv been preserved in this tomb. Our summary survey cannot omit the beautiful altar-screen, a work of love and devotion inspired by John, Lord Nevill, in i3. Photo by] ARTHUR'S SEAT, FROM BLACKFORD HILL, EDINBURGH. The curious sliape of this hill somewhat resembles a resting lion. Arthur's Seat stands in King's Park on the south-east side of the city, and from its summit magnificent views of the countryside may be obtained. EDINBURGHSHIRE A SURVEY of Edinburghshire, or Midlothian, properly begins with the Scottish capital itself, a city -^ ^ which seems to inspire a multitude of varied emotions among scribes, inasmuch as its sub-titles range from the impressive dignity of " The Athens of the North " to the affectionate familiarity of " Auld Reekie." Perhaps the best introduction to the town is to be found in the words of Robert Louis Stevenson in his Edinhitrgh : Picturesque Notes, a series of sketches which form an essential ingredient in the curriculum of historical and topographical study of one of the finest and most interesting cities in. Europe : " The ancient and famous metropolis of the North sits overlooking a windy estuary from the slope and summit of three hills. No situation could be more Ei3SZ!rsurEt commanding for the head city of a kingdom ; none better chosen for noble prospects. From her tall precipice and terraced gar- dens she looks far and wide on the sea and broad cham- paigns. To the east you may catch at sunset the spark of the May lighthouse, where the Firth e.xpands into the German Ocean ; and away to the west, over all the carse of Stirling, you can see the first snows upon Ben Ledi." As the " tall precipice " — more familiar as the Castle Rock — is the germ from which all this great- ness sprang, it forms an appropriate starting-point for our survey. t'hnto by] [A. H. Kobiiisoti, GENERAL VIEW OF EDINBURGH. This view of the Scottish capital shows the New Town, which was started in 1767. Princes Street, the principal street in Edinburjjh, may be seen in the photograph. The city is placed in a very picturesque situation on a ring of hills, and this, with its many handsome buildings, has earned it the name of ** The Modern .\thens." 774 Britain Beautiful Named after St restored in 1829, ST. GILES CATHEDRAL, EDINBURGH. Giles, the confessor, this parish church is the most ancient in the city. It was and this fact rather belies its age. The church is first mentioned in a chatter of David II in 1259. The approach by the " Espla- nade " recalls some of the most harrow- ing scenes in Scot- tish history, for eager and curious crowds have fre- quently gathered here to witness the agonised end of many a victim of follv and cruelty, from the beautiful Lady Jane Douglas to the most ill- favoured hag whom popular imagina- tion had turned into a " witch."' (It is rather curious that nearly all the most famous " spots " in the the atmosphere of the stake and gibbet (!) brings the crowds to Holyrood ; the capital are associated with scenes of violence and death ; hangs heavy over the Grass Market ; Rizzio's blood still Canongate is a Rue St. Honore, and even St. Giles claims special renown because Jenny Geddes threw her stool at the officiating clergyman !) Of the mass of buildings which crowns the summit of the rock and forms the IS Hn|ri \1^9HPi V Ji 1 llufHI^ i^..- . ||^_ wma^^ tHH ST. GILES CATHEnRAL, VIEW FROM CHANCEL, LOOKING WEST. The nave was adorned with the colours of various .Scottish regiments, presented In 1883. The Albany- aisle on the right of the nave Is said to have been founded by the Duke of Albany in memory of the Duke of Rothesay, who was murdered at Falkland In 1402. Castle " some have little claim to re- gard on any ground save that of utility, but the exceptions arc fortunately of the highest inter- est. On dramatic grounds the palm should perhaps be awarded to the Argyll Tower, the old state prison which so many of thc> noblest and best have found a threshold to the place of public exe- :::i">55rLars!PaiL0ivD0Mi:c4 MAP OF EDINBURGHSHIRE. been (and was, as readers of Lockhart know) one of the greatest moments of Walter Scott's life when in 1817 they were unearthed in his presence from the wooden chest in which they had lain concealed for well over a hundred years. " Mens Meg," greatest and most glorious of popguns, is the affectionate nickname of an antique cannon, put to,gether in somewhat primitive fashion, but effective enougli to burst in great style during the Duke of York's visit to Edinburgh in 16S2. After a sojourn in the Tower of London between 16S4 and 1829 it was nxiaimcd by the patriotic Scott and restored to its rightful place. From the summit of the Castle Rock thi^ whole rity lies outspread in a beautiful and variegated panorama. Eastward runs the ridge on the slopes of which the " Old Town " was built. The broad highway. Castle Hill--Lawn Market-- High Street — Canongate, is its spinal cord, and Holyrood Palace marks its eastern termination. Behind the frowning face of Salisbury Crags " Arthur's Seat " rears its shapely head. On the north lie the trim parallelograms of that eighteenth century outcrop, the " New Town," which seems to wasli the foot of Calton Hill, crowned by its observatory and monuments. Photo by] I--'- ''■ »"'"'^- QUEEN MARY'S STAIRS, WHITE HORSE CLOSE, EDINBURGH. In 1565, five years after her return to Scotland, Queen Mary gave birth to Jaines VI of Scotland who afterwards became the first liing of the United Kingdom. The room where he was born is off the Paiace Yard in Edinburgh Castle. The Queen's apartments at Holyrood Palace were practically the only part of the building to escape the devastating fire at the end of the Civil War. . .1-'. . .. ■ t^.- . - J-.TTi ,^>-,.V- DL'NSAPPIE LOCH AND ARTHUR'S SEAT, EDINBURGH. This curious artificial locli is situated on the eastern shoulder of Arthur's Seat, 371 feet ahove sea-level. is much in favour for curling and skating. \]'-!U-nniit ,. Sons, Ltd' In the winter the loch HOLVROOD PALAC:K, EDINnuRGH. Molyrood was orleinally on abbey, founded by David I. but it was not until the rclun of James IV that It was used as a residence by Scollish sovereigns. Most of the present cdillce dates from the end of the seventeenth century. Edinburghshire 781 The last fifty years have admittedlv plaved havoc with the insanitary picturesqueness of the " Old Town." Most of the ancient houses have disappeared and the famous " wynds " and " closes " have had to make room for modern " improvements." Inasmuch as life in a crowded city should be made as tolerable as possible for those who cannot get away from it Britain Beautiful must bewail these changes with one voice and applaud them with another. And for the rest, the most must be made of what is left. Hardly any historic spot has suffered so severely in the process of renovation as the " Grass Market " ; it still retains a flavour of antiquity, but has become highly respectable, and it is by no Pholo ly] THE DUCHESS OF HAMILTON'S AUDIENCE CHAMBER, HOLYROOD. The Audience Chamber is one of the most interesting rooms in the palace. It contains portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Hatnilton, Cardinal Beaton, and John Knox, A blood-stain outside the door still marks the scene of Rizzio's murder. means easy to conjure up its associations either with the execution of Covenanters or the activities of Burke and Hare. Yet this space could be peopled with the ghosts of crowds jeering at, or sympathising with, the sufferings of victims dangling from the gibbet. The Place de la Concorde is not haunted by more dreadful memories. Perhaps the most amazing scene ever witnessed in the Grass Market was the " Porteous Riot " on September 7, 1736. Captain Porteous had made himself exceedingly unpopular by the execution of a smuggler. As the crowd showed s\Tnpathy with the culprit he ordered his troops to lire. For this offence he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. When the news of his reprieve by the Queen (who was acting as Regent) arrived, the fury of the mob knew no bounds, and the wretched 782 Britain Beautiful Pluto by] THE SCENE OF RIZZIO'S MURDER, [VaUniiiu • HOLYROOD. Rlzzio was an Italian musician who rose to threat favour with Mary Queen of Scots as her secretary. Darnley believed thai the two were lovers, so, on March 9, 1556, (be favourite was clrat^gcd from his (|ueen's presence and brutally murdered. man was torn from the old Tolbooth, where he lay confined. The rest of the story is best told in the words nf Scott in The Ilciirt of Mid- lothian : " The procession now moved forward with a slow and determined pace. It was enlightened bv many blazing links and torches ; for the actors of this work were so far from affecting any secrecy on the occa- sion, that they seemed even to court observation. Their principal leaders kept close to the person of the prisoner, whose pallid yet stubborn features were seen distinctly by the torch-light, as his person was raised considerablv above the concourse which thronged around him. Those who bore swords, muskets, and battle-axes, marched on each side, as if forming a regular guard to the procession. The windows, as they went along, were filled with the inhabitants, whose slumbers had been broken by this imusual dis- turbance. Some of the spectators muttered accents of encouragement; but in general they were so much appalled by a sight so strange and audacious, that they looked on with a sort of stupefied astonish- ment. . . . The unhajipv man was forced to his fate with remorseless rapidity. Butler, separated from him by the press, escaped the last horrors of his struggles. A loud shout proclaimed the stern delight with which the agents of this deed regarded its completion. Butler, then, at the opening into the low street called the Cowgate, cast back a terrified glance, and, by the red and dusky light of the torches, he could discern a figure wa\'ering and struggling as it hung suspended above the heads of the niultitude, and could even observe men striking at it with their Lochaber-axes and partisans." At the south-eastern corner of the Grass Market a narrow street called " The Vennel " strikes off, and lu re may be seen a fragment of Photo by] [Vaientine & Sons, Ltd. QUEEN MARY'S BATH HOUSE, HOLYROOD. That part of the palace which contains Queen Mary's apartments was built in the reign of James V. Holyrood has been used : a residence by British raonarchs visiting Edinburgh since the accession of George IV. Si: :~; '.\ fuj'fioirjvi: X cT 3 cs D £ c 5 (fl a c E ■g o Q >j J3 z •cr u 3 h J3 w C ■S z i^ Q •o Q 3 « Q s Edinburghshire 785 that ancient wall which was a monument to haste and panic. It is the Flodden Wall, words of ill- omen to Scots' ears. For when tidings of that catastrophe over the border reached the capital the universal terror and alarm it raised caused the immediate erection of a new wall in the construction of which nearly every male in the citv, young and old, skilled and vmskilled, had a share, l-'ortunately the victorious English showed no desire to follow up their victory by an invasion of Scotland, and so the new wall was never seriously tested. If we may judge by the somewhat crude and unscientific fragments left, it would have proved no serious obstacle. Hard by is the splendid building of Heriot's Hospital, of which the citv may be justlv proud as one riwto bv] IVaienline & Sons, Ltd. CRAIGMILLAR CASTLE, NEAR EDINBURGH. «lMenc/„"f n, r'"r" ^":* '""""-^"llng magnificent views. Craigmillar Castle was built in 1427 and later was a much-favoured residence of Queen Mary. The adjacent village became known as Little France on account of the many French Guards who were often quartered there. of the most splendid edifices the seventeenth century ever produced. This fine piece of architecture, with an excellent school, is the materialisation of the desire of George Heriot (" Jingling Geordie," as he is called in the Fortunes of Xigel) to give Edinburgh an institution analogous to that of Christ's Hospital in London. To that end he bequeathed an immense fortune accumulated in the business of a goldsmith, and, thanks to his munificence and the skill of an architect with the very appropriate name of William Wallace, Edinburgh can glory in the possession of a building which does immense credit to its age. The two " Greyfriars' " Churches, " one long, barn-like structure, divided into two bv a partition rendering them both of equal length," as Mr. Oliphant Smeaton describes them, are now thoroughly uninteresting, thanks to reconstruction in the nineteenth century. But the ancient Burying Ground is still a place of memories. The site was given to the town by Mary Queen of Scots, and 50 786 Britain Beautiful among its treasures is the slab (or at least the successor of the slab) on which the Solemn League and Covenant was signed in human blood on March i, 1638, and the Monument to the Covenanters : " Halt, passenger ! Tak heed what ye do see, This Tomb doth show for what some men did die, Here lies interred the dust of those who stood 'Gainst perjurv, resisting unto blood." No street in the city has fallen further from high estate than the Cowgate, which incidentally derives its name by corruption from South (Sou') Gate and has no connections with the placid quadruped. Though now one of the poorest quarters (and the unkind might call it a slum) it was once the haunt and home of the highest in the land. A few old buildings remain to lend it a certain dreary picturesqueness and a few once-decrepit " wynds " ^till play the part of ribs 10 its mouldy spine, but ])ractically all that it con- tains of ancient beauty and interest is smnmed up in the Magdalen Ciiapel, a charming oasis in a desert of compara- tive architectural ugli- ness, and entitled to high regard as the owner of the only stained glass in tlie city which dates from ])re-Reformation times. The windows contain the loyal arms and those of M iry of Guise and of Alichael Macquheen and I anet Rynd (his wife and I xecutrix), who rescued till- biulding fr(.)m ruin at the beginning of the six- liinth century and left it more or less in its present condition. In some ways the tragedy of the Canongate — the ancient link between the castle and Holyrood— is even more poignant than that of the Cowgate. It once formed, with its extensions, the " Royal Mile " — royal in every sense as the fashionable highway lined with the splendid mansions of the aristocracy and plutocracy. With very few exceptions such of these mansions as have survived are now unattractive tenements, and the Photo by] [H. .V. Kins CiVRBERRY TOWER, MUSSELBURGH. Thl« flne old mansion dates from I.S79 and belongs to Lord Elphinstonc. Nearby Is Carberry Hill where Queen Mary surrendered to the Insiirt^ents In 1567. Photo by] [I'uleHtnie ,- Son,, Ltd. THE VALLEY OF THE ESK. DALKEITH. In Dalkeith Park the North and South Esk meet and rorm the Esk proper, which flows through a beautiful valley, past Inveresk, to the Firth of Forth near Musselburgh golf-links. P/lOto i'.j ,1 .i..i:i:/iJ ^ ^wis, Ltd. BORTHWICK CASTLE AND CHURCH, DALKEITH. This castle stands a little over a mile to the west of Crichton Castle. It was built in the rei^n of James VI by Sir William Borthwlck. During the Civil War it withstood a determined attack by Cromwell's forces, and the effect of his shots may still be seen on the east walls. / I I'att'ittitie <:- .Sens, I ! i CRICHTON CASTLE, DALKEITH. These old ruins are situated close to the vlllai^e of Crichton, 6 miles south-east of Dalkeith. The castle was once the residence of Sir William Crichton, the Chancellor of Scotland. An interesting description of It appears in Scott's *'Marmlon." Edinburghshire 789 numerous "closes" and '■ vvviul? " in this quarter have also suftered a change which has certainly not been for the better. The western extension of the Canongate, the High Street, contains some ancient and famous buildings round which gathers much of the history of the country and its capital. Indubitably first in importance comes the Cathedral of St. Giles, though there can hardly be a church of its class in the country which has suffered more, from the fury of man, the passage of time, the vagaries of fashion, and " restoration." The somewhat melancholy story of this interesting edifice is a perfect kaleidoscope of happenings, and would take too long in the telling. The net result is that externally it has been completely transformed since the Middle Ages, of which the only existing relics are the spire with its crown, some of the piers, and chapels, and possibly the choir. When it is remembered Photo byl \]\il,-un,ii ,- >■":,,. I LI PUBLIC PARK, DALKEITH. Stoddart gives a fitting description of this beautiful park—" It is a noble piece of ground planted with a number of fine old oaks and other venerable trees. . . ." The park surrounds the Duke of Buccleuch's palace and is over 1,000 acres in extent. that during a period of a hundred and seventy years the building was once cut up into four churches, the High Church, the Tolbooth Church, the Old Kirk, and the Little Kirk (vulgarly known as " Haddo' Hole "), that various portions were adapted for use as a school, a prison, municipal offices, and so forth, while shops and booths were packed thick as flies against the external walls, it is not dithcult to realise that the antiquity of the cathedral is a matter of atmosphere rather than reality. The event in the history of the church which is exceedinglv familiar to every schoolboy is snitabl\- recorded on a tablet : " Constant oral tradition affirms that near this spot a brave Scottish woman, Janet Geddes, on the 23rd July, 1637, struck the first blow in the great struggle for freedom of conscience which after a conflict of half a century ended in the establishment of civil and religious liberty." South of St. Giles is Parliament Square and the Parliament House, containing the Law Courts, •90 Britain Beautiful and the noble " Parliament Hall," a relic of the edifice that was destroyed by tire early in the nine- teenth century. Bewigged lawyers now pace the floors where the legislators of the kingdom once foregathered, but the legal atmosphere is an excellent substitute for the political ; and this great chamber, with its timber roof, remains one of the outstanding architectural monuments of the country. The princclv public buildings in this part of the city are in every way worthy of a description which is not possible within the limits of this sketch. It must suffice to say here that the public offices, museums, galleries, imiversity buildings, and so forth, of Edinburgh command the admiration of all save those who cannot bring themselves to admit that anything can be good which came into existence after the seventeenth century. I'hoto by] THE ESK AT POLTON. The North Esk passes through the village of Polton 7 miles south of Edlnbuigh, above sea-level. l\'uli:iitiitc & Sons, Ltd. ■"he river al this point Is 240 feet Just at the junction of the High Street and the Canongate, at the point where the old Xi'tlurbow Port once reared its quaint tower and turrets, " John Knox's House " recalls the name of the great Reformer, which in turn recalls the remark of the cabby who was driving an American round the city and was asked by his fare who " John Knox " might be. " What I mon," was the reply, " do you no' read your IJible .' " As one of the very few medi;eval houses left, the old place is of high interest, even if, as some maintain, it was never actually inhabited by Knox. Perhaps the severest blow to the advocates of the other theory was the discovery that a stone efligy which had been religiously accepted for centuries as a figure of Knox himself was in fact a representation of Moses ! Some fine old houses still remain to give a very faint and inadequate idea of the former glories of the Canongate. ''*"'" ''.>. .luUnlmc I. .So/M. !.U IN HAWTHORNDEN. One of the beauty spots of the River Esk, the picturesque (Jlen of Hawthornilen contains the birth-place of the poet Drumtnonil. Sir Walter Scott resided for several years in the adjacent village of Lasswade. Edinburghshire •93 Fortunately, time and political or social displacements have been kinder to Holvrood Palace, which, with its quaint mixture of styles and its long and fascinating history, is a worthy counterpart of the castle. The old building touches Scottish history at almost every point (and English history at not a few), but the hgure whose presence still seems a reality rather than a memory is that of the beauteous and ill-fated Mary Queen of Scots. Manv a significant event in her stormv life, nota- blv her marriages to Darnley and Bothwell and tiie murder of Rizzio, had Holyrood for its setting, but perhaps the most extraordinary scene ever witnessed there was the celebrated second meeting between ]\lar\' and John Knox, of which a more or less verbatim report is available. On the previous occasion the Queen had already pro- tested that " My subjects, it would appear, must obey you, and not me ; I must be subject to them, and not they to me!" Whereupon Knox retired and denounced his sovereign in no measured terms from the juilpit. The Queen summoned him again to the palace, and the following con- versation took place : The Queen. — " Never was prince handled as I am. I have borne with you in all your vigorous manner of speaking, both against myself and my uncles ; yea, 1 haw sought your favour b\- all possible means — I offered unto you presence and audience whenever it pleased you to admonish me, and yet I cannot be quit of you. 1 vow to God I shall be once avenged." Knox. — " True it is. Madam, your Grace and I have been at divers controversies into the which I never perceived your (irace to be offended at me ; but when it shall please God to deliver you from that bondage of darkness and error in the which ye have been nourished for the lack of true doctrine, your Majesty will find the liberty of my tongue nothing offensive." The Queen. — " What have ye to do with my marriage, or what are ve in this commonwealth ? " THE GREAT BEECH, NEWB.ATTLE ABBEY. The seat of the Marquis of Lothian stands on the site of a monastery founded by David I, and occupies a charming situation on the northern hank of the South Eslt. The lawn is covered with a number of very large trees. 794 Britain Beautiful Photo by\ [Valentine k~ .So.is, Ltd. THE CRYPT, NEWBATTLE ABBEY. The mansloa, which now replaces the ancient monastery, is a large and Imposing edifice dating from comparatively modern times. An interesting feature of the interior is the number of fine paintings by Vandylie and others, which adorn the walls. Knox. — " A subject born within the same, Madam, and albeit I be neither Earl, Lord, nor Baron within it. vet has God made me, how abject soever I may be in vour eyes, 'a profitable member within the same." The meeting took place in Queen Mary's Audience Chamber, which, with her bedroom and two rooms in the turrets and the apart- ments of Lord Darnley, constitutes the only part of the original palace which survived the troubles of the sixteenth and seventeenth cen- turies. The stain of Riz- zio's blood on the floor is perhaps a Scottish joke, but an immense and melancholv interest attaches to these somewhat forlorn relics of a tragedy which is ever new to the romantic mind. The story of the murder has been often told. Mary was supping with Rizzio and a few others in the small chamber in the turret, when Darnley and his fellow-conspirators burst in and stabbed the unfortunate Italian be- fore her eyes, Darnley holding his wife to pre- vent her intervention and Ker pointing a pistol at her ! There are few more ghastly scenes in history. The rest of the north- ern range of the quad- rangle which constitutes the palace is taken up by the great chamber known as the Picture Gallery, and dates, with the three other sides, from the Restoration during the reign of Charles II. If the older portion is pre- eminently associated with Marv Stewart the Picture Gallery conjures up the /'»o/o 6y) \'nUnime ;- Soils, Ltd. soiTiewhat pathctic figurc MAIDEN BRIDGE, NEWBATTLE ABBEY. r /-u l T- l l ^u of Charles Edward, the The exact date of this ancient bridge Is unknown, but It is undoubtedly of great antiquity. It spans \- -T) the r.-ik at the cost end of the Abbey grounds. ■ OUUg Pretender. As \ jU-nline & Sons, Ltd. THE DOORWAY, ROSLYN CASTLE. For a long time Roslvn Castle was the seat of the St. Clair family, and both are mentioned in one of Sir Walter Scotfs ballads. The ruins are perched on a narrow rock overlooking a particularly pretty reach of the Esk. 'we f! I ^' Pholo bv] ROSLYN CASTLE. I W, . ; Roslyn <:aM.e «„, founded a, far back as 1302. but the more recent building on the left-hand side of the entrance to the rock date, from 1622. The ruins consist malnl, of arches, buttresses, and a few pieces of «all. Edinburghshire 797 every reader of Waverlev knows, it was here that he held his court during the short period of his " sovereignty " in 1745. So though the room may be all that Scott said of it, " long, low, and ill-proportioned, hung with pictures affirmed to be the portraits of kings who, if they ever flourished at all, li\ed several hundred years before the invention of painting in oil colours," it has an everlasting appeal as the scene of that picturesque episode. Of the Royal Apartments and State Apartments which complete the other ranges of the quadrangle, all that can be said here is that they contain some of the finest archi- tectural and decorative work the Carolingian era produced. From the point of view of beauty the palm at Holyrood certainly goes to the charming ruin of the Royal Chapel, once the nave of the abbey church. Roofless and shattered as it is, the remains include exquisite archi- tectural features worthy of Gothic art at its best. Of the original church built by David I (as a thank-offering for an escape from death while hunting near Arthur's Seat) early in the twelfth century, but one doorway remains ; the rest of the edifice dates from the end of that century. At Holyrood Old Edinburgh ends. New Edinburgh, the spacious and stately region rhiitu by\ ARCHES OVER MOAT, i I'alfiitine & Svn^ ROSLYN CASTLE. ■'"'"'''' M [VMentiM (- Sons, Ltd. THE KITCHEN, SHOWING LARGE FIREPLACE, ROSLYN CASTLE The kitchen is reached by descending a long flight of stone steps from the existing struc- ture. A door from this large room opens out into what was once a famous garden. The only access to the castle is by a high bridge across a deep furrow in the rock. The approach is by a path which winds down from the village. on the northern side of what was once the Nor' Loch, must not detain us long. For though it is an outstanding example of eigh- teenth-century town-planning at its best, and in Princes Street possesses probably the most im- posing thoroughfare in Europe, it is somewhat destitute of those features on which such a work as tlus must necessarily concentrate. Its chief natural feature is the Calton Hill, a dominating view- point crowned with two obser- vatories, the monuments of Lord Nelson and Dugald Stewart, and the classical fragment (the " National Monument ") which commemorates all the Scottish soldiers who shared in the glories and hardships of the Peninsular War. Originally intended to be a replica of the Parthenon at 7 98 Britain Beautiful Athens, it was never completed, as enthusiasm waned and funds ran out. On the whole, we must be thankful. A Parthenon under the blazing Mediterranean sun is one thing; under the " grey and weeping skies " of the North it might easily have been grotesque I Edinburgh's pride in Princes Street is thoroughly justified, though it mav well be that the citv now regrets that its noble thoroughfare was not named — as originallv proposed — St. Giles's Street. The story goes that when the plan of the new town was laid before George III he was intensely indignant at the idea of calling the main street " St. Giles's Street," and " Princes Street " was accordingly chosen in honour of his unworthy sons. In this great street the most conspicuous object is of course the Scott Monument, remarkable chiefly as the realisation of the design of a young man, George Kemp, who sprang out of complete obscurity into fame by his success in the competition, and was accidentally drowned before the work was completed. I'hnin by] THE NAVE. ROSLVN CHAPEL. {VaU- ttine ii' .SuXi, The Decorated examples of Gothic architecture In Roslyn Chapel are almost unrivalled In the whole of Scotland. The building was erected In 1446 by William St. Clair, Earl of Orkney, as a foundation for a Collegiate Church. The moTuiment is so familiar that description seems superfluous, and it need hardly be said that a \ aliatit effort was made to group the outstanding Scott " characters " round the great wizard who gave them being. On the plate attached to the foundation stone is the following inscription devised by Scott's friend. Lord Jeffrey : " This Graven Plate deposited in the base of a votive building, on the 15th day of August, in the year of Christ, 1840, and never likely to see the light again until all the surrounding structures are crumbled to dust by the decay of time, or by human or elemental violence, may then testify to a distant posterity that his countrymen began on that day to raise an effigy and architectural monument to the memory of Sir Walter Scott. ..." The environs of Edinburgh are in everv wav worthv of the city ; and how could it be otherwise, seeing that substantial portions of the Pentland Hills and the Moorfoot Hills fall within the county boundary. Britain Beautiful Ki2jnsa£j5.'^i£?£vnas:v3^'., [Valentine & Son SWANSTON. Colinton Parish, in which this village is situated, gathers much of its charm from the close proximity of the northern range of the Pentland Hills, which rise in places up to 1,700 feet above sea-level. while the mass of Arthur's Seat lies on Edinburgh's very outskirts ? On the lower slopes of these hills, and in the valleys of the Almond, the Water of Leith, and the Esk, much charming scenery is to be found, diversified by attractive villages and some of the best and most interesting antiquities in Scotland. In the very forefront of the latter class comes the extremely elaborate and beautiful Roslyn Chapol in the Esk Valley, a very rare and exotic example of the Florid Gothic of the fifteenth century, though it is only the choir of the church founded by Earl William St. Clair. " Exotic " is certainly the most appropriate word to apply to the edifice, for there seems little doubt that it was designed by a foreign architect and built by foreign masons, a fact which would appear to fortify a certain scepticism as to the truth of the well-known story of the " 'Prentice Pillar." The legend runs that this elaborately carved pier was the work of a young apprentice, who carried it out while his master was away in Italy seeking a design for a pillar that should be far more beautiful than all the others. On beholding his apprentice's creation a wave of blind jealousy swept over him, and he killed him on the spot. k little farther down the Esk is Dalkeith Palace, the eighteenth-century successor of a stronghold of the Dougla.ses. The existing edifice was built by Anne, the widow of melancholv Monmouth, who became the first Duchess of Buccleuch. For all the charming situation and royal associations of the palace, its solid Dutch style is without much architectural merit. Far more picturesque is the ancient Castle of Craigmillar, which shows tiie somewhat familiar com- bination of a medieval keep with annexed buildings of more recent date. Grim scenes have these old walls witnessed. Towards the close of the fifteenth centurv they were the prison of James Ill's brother, the Earl of Mar, and unless tradition lies the captive was slowly bled to death by his foes. But perhaps the most sinister happening which had Craigmillar for its setting was the compact made between Mary Queen of Scots, Bothwcll. and others which resulted in the murder of Darnlev on the night of February lo, 15(^)7. .\nother scene of royal caprice is to be found at Cramond Bridge on the .MiikuuI. It was on the " .\ul(l Brig " of Cramond (or at any rate on its predecessor) that James \' nearlv paid a luavv penalty for indiscriminate philandering. Posing as the " gudeman of Ballangcich," he was busily making love to a local beauty on the bridge, when the lady's relatives and lover ])ut in an untimely apjxarance, and Edinburghshire 80 1 the King would have fared ill had not a young man, Jock Howieson, come to his rescue, urged to such heroism by the reflection that six to one was not fair sport ! The grateful James immediately gave the Galahad the estate of Brachead as his reward. The Edinburghshire shore of the Firth of Forth has an attractive stretch just east of Cramond, and there are picturesque touches to be found around Portobello and Musselburgh, but Leith has become far too busy to be beautiful, and occasional fragments alone attest its great antiquity. By strict right Leith has now no claim to be treated apart from Edinburgh, for since 1920 it has been incorporated in the capital under the designation of the " Port of Leith." From the point of view of political and administrative convenience, no doubt the change (which was more or less a return to the status quo of 1832) has much to recommend it, but the story of Leith is so individual and it has associations and memories so peculiarly its own that it is preferable to regard it as a separate entity for the purposes of this article. In the bustle and confusion of a great modern port the relics of a picturesque antiquity have to be sought with some diligence, but the older parts of the town have not entirely succumbed to the advance of the commercial spirit in the nineteenth century. Perhaps the most important ancient relic is St. Mary's Church, its nave having .survived the troubles of the sixteenth century and in particular the English invasions of 1544 ^"d 1547. Incidentally the invasion of 1544 had John Knox for one of its chroniclers, and his record is quite illuminating, both as to English wickedness and Scotch appetite : " The Earl of Hertford and his men marched into Leith between twelve and one o'clock on Sunday 4 May of that year, and found the tables covered, the dinnaris prepared, sitch abundance of wyne and victuallis, besides the other substances, that the lyk ritches were not to be found either in Scotland nor in England." Among their other enormities, the southern invaders destroyed the choir and transepts of St. Mary's either on this occasion or during the subsequent visitation after their triumph at Pinkie. But though so much of the old work has disappeared, the church is interesting for its memories and associations. David Lindsay, the eminent divine who married James \T and christened his sons, was its first Pliolo by] I .,:,„/,„,• ,- s„,;j, Lij. THE DELL AT COLINTON. Two and a half miles from Edinburgh is a deep dell containing the villages of Collnton and Slateford. The Leith Water passes through here from Midcalder, on its way to the Firth of Forth. 51 8o2 Britain Beautiful Protestant minister, and during the Dunbar campaign its walls resounded to the preaching not only of Cromwell's chaplains but of the great Protector himself. In the older streets of the town there are various fragmentary reminders of ^lary of Guise, on whose behalf a French force converted Leith into a bristling fortress— in fact, something approaching a French Gibraltar. Such a menace stirred even the tardy and parsimonious Elizabeth into action, and she sent English troops to help the Lords of the Congregation to clear out this nest of foreigners and ■' Papists." Leith Links can still show two mounds, " Giant's Brae " and " Lady Fife's Brae," where the English guns were mounted. Leith Links is also the scene of another picturesque piece of history, which associates the national pastime of Scotland with the name of an unfortunate sovereign. The game had no more fervent adept J'hulu nyi 1 .1. .,.:.:., . .^.JHS, LI4. GI.KNCOK.SE RESERVOIR AND KIRKTON FARM. This line reservoir was built to augment the water supply of Edinhurah. from which It is about 9 miles distant. The name " KIrkton " has been Ulven to numerous villages in .Scotland where there Is or has been a parish church. than Charles I, and it was on Leith Links that he was plying his clubs in 1641 when the unplea.sant news of the shocking rcbi'llicm in Ireland was broken to him with such menagemcnl as the situation would allow. West of Leith lies the curious old fishing village of Newhavcn, not to be missed by those who desire to see an iinpcrium in impcrio. For its inhabitants carr\- their e.xclusiveness— traceable to their Danish origin— to the point of wearing a highly individual ami characteristic costume and refusing to marry with '■ forei,gners," bv wiiicli term is meant all wlio have tlir ill fortune to be born outside Ncwhaven. On the eastern side, past the antique and interesting church at Restalrig. lie the oddly named seaside resorts of Portobello and Jojipa. How " ICdinburgh-on-Sea " caine to be called Portobello is a quaint story. A stout old seaman who had fought in South America with Admiral X'ernon in 8o4 Britain Beautiful 1739 came to this dcsi-rted piece of coast and resolved to build him a house in which he could end his days fighting his battles o'er again. A suitable name was the problem. At length the pigeonholes of mcmorv yielded up the name of Portobello, the town in Spanish South America which Vernon had so brilliantly captured. And so " Portobello Hut " became the ancestor of the lodging-houses, bathing-machines, and pier which contribute so greath' to the physical fitness and recreation of Scotland's capital. - .. ." i^A^:'.:5*«i>r' ii\ "iBSoSi MALLENY MILLS. Mallcny Mills is a small hamlet, situated a little to the south of Currie. An old authority describes the parish as havinji three paper-mills, a snuIT-mill, and several flour-mills. Musselburgh enjoys the distinction of taking its name from one of the lowliest of creatures, but that does not prevent its inhabitants from making the proud boast that " Musselburgh was a broch When Edinbroch was nane. And Musselburgh shall be a broch When Edinbrooh is gane." The place has further reason for its pride in the undoubted fact that it occupies the site of an important Roman station. The spade has turned up all kinds of relics of the Roman occupation, and I-'isherrow, anotiier fishing village on the opposite bank of the Esk, goes one better by possessing a footbridge of hoary antiquity which some experts proclaim to be actual Roman work, or at the very least constructed of Roman materials. And so our survey ends at the beginning, which is as it should be ! TYPICAL ESSEX COAST SCENE. This photograph was taken near East Mersea, within a short distance of Pyefleet Creek of oyster fame. The coastline of Essex cannot be called monotonous, as it is very irregular and indented, besides being the outlet for many rivers and creeks. ESSEX As far back as 1594 Essex won the description " fatte, friiteful, and full of profitable things," and still the description holds good. The nearness of the county to London makes for intensive culture of the soil, while the undulating character of the scenery — except for the flat surrounding the Thames estuary — makes for great natural beauty ; the county boasts a diversity of scenery that few others — with the exception of the really mountainous midlands — can surpass. In Saxon times Essex ranked as a kingdom for awhile, and after the Norman Conquest it attained the dignity of " county " as distinct from the older " shire," being the land of comes, or count. The name, of course, derives from the East Saex, or Saxons, who settled here in the fifth century ; the estuary of the Thames, and the flats of the Blackwater and Crouch, afforded convenient landing-places to these invaders, and, once established along the coast, they soon penetrated inland at the expense of the original inhabitants. In the English Chronicle, Essex is termed " Easte Seaxe," while in Domesdav Book it is changed to Exsessa, the latter subsequently contracted to the present name. Prior to the East Saxon invasion, the Trinobantes occupied Essex, and ranged west- ward to include the present South London ; until modern times Essex was included in the see of the Bishop of London, when it was separated owing to London's growth, and included in the see of Rochester, subsequentlv being transferred to that of St. Albans. There is now a Bishop of Chelmsford, with Suffragans at Colchester and Barking. The London end of the countv, including East and West Ham, Walthamstow, Ilford, Photo by] II, I . ;/"■.■■, Ihn, 1: \, . VIEW NEAR TERLING. Terling is a small village 3J miles west of VVitbam. The land in this part of Essex is much used for the cultivation of various seeds. The photograph shows a charming stretch of river scenery. 8o6 Britain Beautiful Woodford, and Barking, absorbs quite half the total population ; within li\ ing memory this great suburban area was wholly agricultural and horticultural, but with the growth of transport facilities London has overrun the farms and gardens, and to-day Southend-on-Sea is no inconsiderable suburb of the capital. Southend itself is in reality the " south end " of the village of Prittlewell, of which the old-time importance has practically vanished under the growth of the seaside resort. Chelmsford, the county town, is about thirty miles from London, and stands on the old Roman road connecting the capital with the east. Its name is derived from the ford of the Chelmer River, on which the town stands ; the ford has long since been supplanted by a bridge. From before the Conquest up to the time of Henry VIII, Chelmsford was the property of the bishops of London, and in the time of Pkolo fcv Phnlnhrom Cn.. I.Ul. NEAR WITHAM. A market town of considerable antiquity, Wllham was founded and strongly fortified by Edward the Elder. It stands on the Roman road from London to Colchester, 8 miles from Chelmsford. Edward III it sent four representatives to the grand council held at \\'estminster. The bridge, replacing the ford that names the town, was lirst built at the beginning of the twelfth century, owing to the steadily increasing traffic between London and the Eastern Counties— and also to the growth of Harwich as a port of d( jiarturc for the Netherlands and Low Countries. St. Mar\-'s Church, now the cathedral, was first constructed in 1424, and from all accounts it was a magnificent edifice ; the body of the church, however, collapsed in the year 1800, and little of the old structure remains to-day. There is a beautiful flint-work porch on the south side, and the massive tower, dating from 1749, survives. A double arch in the north wall of the chancel is probably the only bit of the fifteenth-century building that survives. The parish of Danbury, less than 5 miles to the south-east, is reputed to contain the highest ground in Essex, and has many points of interest for the antiquarian. Its name, contracted from the By per-.Kission of the Owner] ^Mr. K. E. rhmnu THE CALEFACTORY, BEELEIGH ABBEY. Since J920 Beeleigh Abbey has been used as a residence by Mr. R. E. Thomas. It was founded by Robert de Mantell in nSO. aid Ues on The Chelmer River, nearly 1 mile west of Chelmsford. The word " Calefactory " comes from the Latin calefactorius, meaning a warming-place. THE TUDOR WING, BEELEIGH ABBEY. \l I . I\ . I:. Thomas. All that rcniulns c»f the original building Is the south-cast corner of the cloister fiarth, which contains the chapter and warming houses with the dorter on the first floor. Essex 809 original " Danesbury," signifies a castle of the Danes, proving that the East Saxons did not have it all their own way when they came to annex the country east of London. At the top of Danbury Hill are remains of an ancient camp, attributed to Roman workmen, nearly 700 yards in circumference, and the view from the summit of the hill is one of the best in the county, giving sight of the Kentish weald to southward, and the panorama of Essex fields and villages to north and east. The antiquarian in Essex, however, turns first to Colchester, which contains more historic remains than all the rest of the county. Colchester's history begins with the Trinobantes, who made this their capital, and was the seat of their king Cunobelinus, better known as Shakespeare's Cymbeline. In [Mr. R. E. Thomas. THE EAST FRONT, BEELEIGH ABBEY. The cruciform church has entirely disappeared. Beeleigh is the second Premonstratensian house to be founded In England, it was given at the Dissolution to Sir John Gate, it has changed hands three times. A.D. 44 the stronghold of the town was taken by Claudius Csesar, and a little later it was recaptured by the tribe of the Iceni, led by Queen Boadicea. The Romans retook it when they broke her power and overthrew the Iceni, and in the third century Colchester was given to Constantinus Chlorus to govern. The Britons knew it as Caer-colun ; Rome gave it the name of Camulodunum, and the Saxons first called it Colne-ceaster. Those great road-builders, the Romans, made it a centre from which roads branched south-westward to London, westward to Verulam, north-westward to Cambridge, and northward to Caister, near where Norwich now stands. There was in it a temple to Claudius, and Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, is associated with the history of the town, while unsupported rumour has it that Constantine himself was born there. 8io Britain Beautiful At tlie waning of the East Saxon power, in the ninth century, Colchester came under the Danish sway, but in 921 it was recaptured for the Saxons by Ed- ward the Elder. Eudo, steward to William the Conqueror, was given the town and its lands, and in Domesday Book it is recorded as his property ; he built a Norman castle on the site of the Saxon fort, and also founded an ab- bey. In 1216 Colchester was occupied by Louis the Dauphin of France ; and later, at the bid- ding of Edward III, sent five ships to the siege of Calais. In the Civil War it was captured for Charles I by Lord Gor- ing, but after a siege of three months Fairfax retook it for the Round- heads, and shot Sir GREAT WALTHAM : AN OLD FARM. Waltbam vUIaee stands on the River Chelmer, 4 miles nortli of Cheinisford. The name is derived from the Saxon " Weald- ham," signifying ** a town formed in a wood.'* George Lisle and Sir Charles Lucas to mark his conquest. He, too, dismantled the castle and fortifications of the place. Always a citadel of importance, command- ing the main line of approach from the east to London, Colchester was a small and strong- walled town in ancient times. Its enclosed area was about IIO acres, and access was b\- four main gates and three small pos- terns, with several strengthening bastions on the walls. On the west and north were deep ditches, and on the west, too, there was a small fort, long since vanished. Parts of the wall still remain in various private enclo- sures, kept in their original state by the I K.G.S. THE OLD MILL HQU.SE, MALDON. Maiden's chief claim to distinction is the fact that it is one of the oldest towns in Essex as well as one of the most picturesque. The town stands on the slope of a hill by the Blackwater, and has a considerable Ashing industry. Photo i>y] PURLEIGH CHURCH. [W. F. Tayloi. From .632 .o .643 L.urence Washington, grea.-grandfather of George Washington, was rector of Pur.eigh. The village is from .o. ^ situated 4i miles south of Maldon. tDr. C. Hose, Hon. D.Sc. [Cantab.], I .K.l A FARM-HOUSE NEAR BRADWELL-ON-SEA. The village of Bradwell stands on a peninsula between the mouth of the Blackwater and the sea. occupy the site of the ancient Roman station of Othona. It is popularly supposed to Fnolo *)■] n-Menliiic 6- Sons, Lid. HADLEIGH CASTLE. Nothlne remains nf lladlelch Castle hut the picturesque ruins of two circular towers and part of a ftateway tower. The stronghold was originally built by Hubert de IlurHh, Earl of Kent : but it was greatly enlarged by EOward III. Hadleigh overlooks the Thames, 2 miles north-east of IJenfleet. Lssex 813 owners ; they range from 7 to 8 feet in thickness, and consist as much of Roman brick as of Norman stone. The castle, to the north of the High Street (near the centre of the old town), stands on an eminence commanding a view of the Colne Valh'v. Although Fairfax dismantled it when he captured the town, he found it beyond his power to damage the walls overmuch, and they are still nearly perfect. The thick- ness at foundation level is fully 12 feet, and at the top 11 feet for the most part. East and west the walls run 140 feet, and north and south the length is just over 100 feet, with projecting square towers at the north-east and north-west corners. Within the castle there remains an ancient carved r.- Pholn by] LEIGH-ON-SEA FROM THE SALTINGS. [I'aleiUiiie & Sons, Ltd, This ancient town is a Ashing station on a Thames creek, 3 miles from Southend. Leigh is the last Essex town on the Thames, and here there Is a boundary stone marking the end of the Thames Conservancy Board's authority. The position of the town inakes it popular as a resort. mantelpiece, a fine specimen of an ancient chapel, and extensive vaults which are shown to the visitor in association with the stories of many prisoners of the time of the Marian and later persecutions. Of Eudo's Abbey, on the south side of the town, only the precinct gate and porter's lodge now survive. There was an Augustinian priory, the first erected by the Order in England, a little to the north- east of the abbey, and the ruins of the church, surviving still, are characterised by fine specimens of the Norman arch. Many of the existing churches date back to early days : All Saints', a flint edifice, was built in the fourteenth century, and restored early in the nineteenth ; St. James's, built in the time of Edward II, has brasses to the Maynard family ; St. Martin's, built mainly of Roman brick in 1327, was ruined by Fairfax's siege, and rebuilt in the nineteenth century; Holy Trinity, built in 1349, contains a monument to Queen Elizabeth's physician, Doctor Gilbert. The Colchester oysters have been famed since Roman times, and the oyster industry is still carried 8i4 Britain Beautiful on, with an " oyster-feast" to celebrate the opening of the season every year. Another industry is that of rose-growing ; the soil of the district is peculiarly suited to the cultivation of roses, and the gardens of the Colchester nurseries challenge comparison with any in the kingdom. In mediaeval times, Flemish and Dutch refugees built up a flourishing woollen industry, which lapsed to give place to boot-niaking in the nineteenth century. The castle at the present day has been made to house a museum of Celtic and Roman antiquities, epitomising the historv of the town and county ; an obelisk on the north side commemorates the shooting of Lisle and Lucas, the Royalist defenders of the place, by l-"airfax in 1648. Lexden, a suburb of Colchester on the west, is supposed to have been the site of Cymbeline's capital ; a small stream here is still known as ■' Roman river," and at the western edge of Lexden is " King Cole's kitchen," which has been conjectured a Roman amphitheatre, though the conjecture has no definite founda- tion. The Colchester and other museums contain traces of the Stone Age found in Essex ; Ilford. \\'althamstow, and Walton-on-the-Xaze have Nielded up celts with the bones of the mammoth, arrow-heads, scrapers, and polished celts, examples of which have also been found at Colchester. There are good specimens of the work of the Bronze Age in Colchester Museum, including weapons, ornaments, and pottery. With the Celtic Britons came the Iron Age, and specimens of their work in the form of iron vessels have been found at Colchester and Shoebury. In 1903, in digging over a Celtic burial-place at Braintree, several good specimens of urns were discovered, and British coins of the reigns of Cymbeline and Tasciovanus have often been found at Colchester and on the Hertfordshire border. In connection with the earlv British period — the pre-Roman age — the gravel beds at Walthamstow yielded up a ver\- hne specimen of a "dug-out" canoe in 1901, the find being made at about 6 feet beneath the surface. The boat was hollowed out from a single log of oak, and is about 15 feet in length, and about 2' of the River Thames, 12 miles from London. I'holo by\ EPPING FOREST. [VaUntine i3- So)is, Lid. 5,560 acres in extent, Epping Forest is the property of the Corporation of London, and is only 10 miles away from the MetropoJis. A century or so ago it belonged to the Forest of Waltham, which extended almost to London. rilnln h; U'aU-nh, IJJ. HIGH BEECH, CHINGFORD. High Beech is a small village in Epping Forest, 3 miles from Waltham. The church forms a welcome landmark to those exploring the forest. 8i6 Britain Beautiful also within the bounds of Epping Forest. Flint tools and fragments of pottery have been found from time to time in both enclosures. Near Grays, back in the chalk hills bounding the Thames estuary, a number of catacomb-like chambers known as " dene-holes " have been discovered. Each consists of a narrow shaft about 60 feet in depth, giving access to groups of chambers — usuallv six to a group, supposed to have been con- structed as places of refuge, or for the storage of grain, in the prehistoric era. Another theory is that they were merely quarries for the extraction of flint chips from the chalk, but the regular and special form of construction would seem to invalidate this theory. Other remains are the " kitchen middens," or " red hills," found along the east coast, consisting of fragments of pottery mixed with burnt earth or clay. These are supposed by antiquaries to be the refuse heaps of ancient potteries, certainly pre- Rnman in origin. Phcio *rl ' '■"'"'"""' ' "■ ' '■'■ THE OLD C.HIKCH, CHINGFORD. Chlngford Old Church looks very picturesque with Its low ivy-covercJ walls. The po-sltlon of Chlnjlord mikes it a convenient spot for exploring the beauties of Eppinii Forest. At Ashdon what are known as the Bartlow Hills form almost the only example of burial tumuli in the county. They are conical in form, and the largest is nearly 150 feet in diameter, with a height of 45 feet. Another trace of prehistoric man is the lake dwelling of which remains have been discovered near I'.raintree. British potter\- fdund near the site seems to fix this as the first settlement of the jilace. Roman remains are without end ; Colchester was equal to London in importance in the Roman era, and the town had its own mint ; Roman coins originating there are known by the niint-inark C. or CI.. But the principal relics of Rome in I'.ritain that I'Lssex boasts— perhaps as important in its way as the remains at Bath or Hadrian's Wall in the north— is the wall encircling Colchester. Enough remains to show that there was an original circuit of 3,100 \ards, and within this were baths, temples, the forum, and theatres, while it is only in recent times that the splendid mosaic pavements which C ■- — c ■of U (fi n o a " n X ^1 ^ at r" Mr 2 = o Lssex 817 characterised the occupation have been uncovered again. There is an altar, too, which was unearthed in the latter part of the last century in Colchester, inscribed to the mother-goddesses of the Roman mythology, which has only one counterpart in Britain. On either side of the old Roman way, too, the cemeteries have yielded up an immense and varied collection of relics, most of which are now housed in the Castle Museum of Colchester. Nearer toward the Suffolk border lies the Constable country, the valley of the Stour, made famous by John Constable, the painter, who was born at East Bergholt, 3 miles from Manningtree. Dedham church tower, Flatford Mill, and Stratford St. Mary water-mills were among his favourite subjects, and even to-day the country is still reminiscent of his genius, for the scenery has changed but little ''''"'" *>'] IVMenliiie 6- Sons, LU. A VIEW IN EPPING FOREST. Epping Forest ranks high as one of the most picturesque features of the county. In former days it was much favoured by Londoners as a resort for archery. since he composed his famous landscapes. The wooded hills of the Suffolk border, looking down on the Stour and Stratford, retain their beauty unspoiled, and the lazy little river has all the charm that Constable has given to the world. Essex has its fair share of the great castles dotted about England under feudal rule. Colchester Castle is asually attributed to William the Conqueror, who designed it for the subjugation of Esse.x and set his steward Eudo to supervise the construction and reap the resulting rewards. It is the largest Norman keep still remaining intact, Norwich, London, and Canterbury being ne.xt in size. Its materials are the remains of the old Roman forum and baths, the masonry and tiles being indisputably Roman in origin. The upper half of the keep, no longer in existence, contained a great hall, of which traces of one window still exist ; and the stairway, i6 feet in width, at the south-west angle of the keep, is 52 8i8 Britain Beautiful the widest in the kingdom. The total area enclosed in the ground-plan of the castle is greater than that of the Tower of London, which was designed by the same architect. Another fine specimen of the Norman holds is Hedingham Castle, dating from the twelfth century. Its keep is the most perfect remaining in England, not even excepting Norwich ; the present tower is only a part of the original building, which was constructed by Alberic de Vere, with walls 12 feet in thickness. \\'ith the exception of two of the corner turrets, and the parapet, the structure is as left by the hands of the builder. Queen Maud, wife of King Stephen, died at Hedingham, and the castle was conspicuous in the wars of King John, while the de Vere of his time entertained Iving Henry VII most sumptuously within its walls. All but the keep was reduced to ruins in the first Dutch war in 1666. I'hn!,, b\ [FhiittKhTom Co. , Ltd. CUCKOO PITS, EPPING FOREST. As a hunting |>round, the forest was very popular with Edward IV, and Queen Elizabeth found It a great attraction. Tennyson wrote several €»f his most popular poems at a house near Eppinfi. The original structure consisted of two large ' b;iileys " separated by a great diich. tin- inner being formed of the material excavated in constructing the ditch. It was for centuries the seat of the Earls of Oxford, who founded a Benedictine nunnerv near by in 119S, and a hospital in 1250. Pari of the nunnery survives as a farm-house. Other castles are those of Rayleigh and Hadleigh, Ongar and Saffron W aklcn. Hadleigh Castle was built by Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent, in the time of Henr\- III, to whom the manor belonged ; it overlooked the mouth of the Thames and Canvey Island, and occupied an oval, jjo feet by 120 ; it was a magnificent structure, buttressed and fortified by two great towers, of enormous strength. The Parliamentarian forces fought an action under its walls, which are now mere ruins, though imposing in appearance from the Thames shore. Essex 821 Rayleigh Castle was built by Swcen, or Sueno, who is registered as the Lord of Raylcigh in Domesday Book. All that remains now is a great mound, loo feet in height, surrounded by the traces of a moat, at the upper end of the village. Rayleigh was one of the scenes of burnings during the Marian persecution, and the spot where the stake was erected is still pointed out in the wide village street. Saffron Walden takes its name in part from the cultivation of the herb saffron in the vicinity, and in part from the combined words " weald " and " dun," signif\'ing respectively a forest and a hill. Ihe town dates from the ninth century or earlier, and had a castle built in Saxon times and strengthened in the twelfth century by Geoffrey de Mandeville, who held the lordship of the place and endowed a Bene- l-lu,lul,y] H'uloitiiic 6- io/is, Ltii. INTERIOR OP WALTHAM ABBEY. All that remains of the old abbey is the nave and the Lady Chapel. The former is now used as the parish church, and is one of the earliest specimens of Norman architecture in England. dictine Priory near by. The keep and the walls of the castle still remain, though fallen from their former state in great measure. Saffron Walden church, built in the time of Henry VII, forms a conspicuous landmark for the surrounding country. It consists of a nave, clerestory, chancel, and three aisles, and has a very fine oak roof. In it are three fine old memorial brasses, an old monument to Lord Chancellor Audlev, and a five-light east window of unusually good design. Essex is rich in a smaller and less-important type of fortification known as the homestead moat, usually a ditch constructed as protection for hall or manor house, but in some cases large enough to contain a whole hamlet. Usually the defensive work consisted of a moat, from 12 to 60 feet in width, and very deep and filled with water. It is generally supposed that these moat defences date from the time 822 Britain Beautiful of the Danish incursions, though certainly the idea was copied in later ages. Nearly four hundred of these moated enclosures exist in the county. Of later architecture in the county, Audley End House, near Saffron Walden, must be counted the finest example remaining intact. Built in the reign of James I, the house originally consisted of two large quadrangles, and the diarist Evelyn described it as " one of the stateliest palaces " of the kingdom. In the eighteenth century the western quadrangle was pulled down, to obviate the expense of keeping it up, but the remainder of the building, carefully restored and well-preserved, ranks as one of the finest specimens of Jacobean architecture in England. The mansion was erected by Howard, Earl of Suffolk, afterwards High Treasurer of England, on 'KING H.\ROLD'S BRIDGE," W.\I.TH.\.M ABBEY. 'I'holQchrom Co., Ltd. The early history of the abbey is largely connected with Klni^ Harold, who is said to have been buried here after his death at the Battle of Hastings. the site of a Benedictine priory, and was named after his uncle, Audlev. James I, offered it by the earl, declined it on the ground of expense of upkeep ; a later earl sold it to Charles II, but that monarch, thoroughly in keeping with his character, failed to pav the purchase money, so Audley End reverted to the Earls of Suffolk. There is a fine museum and a number of valuable paintings within its walls. Sir Henry Marney, captain of the guard to Henry \TII, set about the building of a mansion foi hmiself at Layer Marney about the year 1520 ; he intended his structure to be of the courtyard type, and built the gatehouse, with towers at the four corners, a range of oulbiiildings. and the west wing. The construction is of fine bricks, with diagonal lines of glazed brick for exterior ornament, and chimney- stacks of the twisted pattern common to Tudor architecture. The tower, 70 feet in height, commands a fine view of the surrounding country, and inside the tower is what is considered the first example of the use of terra-cotta for decorative purposes in England. I'kolo by] GKEENSTEAD CHI KCH : THE SOI TH SIDE. ; //. rUinie:. The Saxon nave ot this church Is probably unique, as It Is built almost entirely of the split trunks of oak-trees. Grcenstead Is 1 mile north-west of Ongar. Ess ex 825 Another fine specimen of fifteenth-century brickwork is Faulkbourne Hall, near Witham, built in 1440 by Sir R. Montgomery. It was built round three sides of a courtyard, which was subsequently occupied by a staircase, and retains a Norman tower with polygonal turrets, having pyramidal canopies and bastions. It was noteworthy for a fine collection of the paintings of Vandyck, Beechy, and others. The mansion is said to be built on the site of a Roman villa. Gosfield Hall, a splendid mansion to the south-west of Halstead, was once the seat of the Duke of Buckingham. It dates from the time of Henry VIII, and, although considerably altered from its original form, is still one of the most stately homes of Essex, a fine specimen of the castellated mansion of its Photo by] THE CHURCH AT GREENSTEAD-JIIXTA-ONGAR. Sfnilli. The nave of this Interesting church was erected in 1013 as a shrine to receive the body of St. Edmund on its return to Bury St. Edmunds from London. period. It stands in well-wooded grounds, with a splendid lake before it, and was originally built round a quadrangle into which all the windows opened, leaving a dead face for the exterior, as a form of de- fence. In the west wing is a splendid gallery, over loo feet in length and 12 feet in width. New Hall, near Boreham, although a fine building of the red-brick Tudor type, is more of interest for the great names connected with it than for its architectural pretensions. The Earl of Ormond, grandfather of Anne Boleyn, was first owner ; it passed through the hands of the Duke of Buckingham, George Villiers, and of Oliver Cromwell, while Henry VIII possibly set a train of ideas working in the mind of his daughter Elizabeth — he slept there. Rochford Hall, Anne Boleyn's birthplace, is no longer of the extent or magnificence that it knew in 826 Britain Beautiful her day. There are fine tall chimneys of ornamental brickwork remaining, but the plaster-covered, brick walls are inconspicuous, in spite of their fine gables. Rochford itself gave the title of earl to Anne Boleyn's father. Chigwell, on the border of Epping Forest, has other glories than the purely architectural, for there is still pointed out the prototype of Dickens's Maypole Inn of Barnaby Rudge, where John Willett and his cronies gathered round the great fire and sought inspiration from the big pot until the Gordon Riots came to reduce old John to a state approaching witlessness. The tentacles of London have stretched out and made the quiet village into a 'bus-infested suburb, and little now remains but the inn that fathered the Maypole and the memories of old John. I'hoto by] GREAT EASTON, DUNMOW. WaUntine 6 Sons, UJ. This typical old Essex villa|>e stands in a charminfi situation on the River (]he!mer, 3 miles north of nuninow. The agricultural district north of Dunmow is lit the bustle of the twentieth century. From Southminster, too, one may venture up to the hintiTland formed by the Blackwater estuary, a great, irregular inlet with O.sev or Osea Island set in its centre — if a gulf of such a .shape can be said to have a centre. Here are fild barns which have curious histories of monastic use, traces of Danisli raids in names and legends and superstitions, and long flats that echo the calls of sea-fowl and carry the sense of uninhabited places, in spite of the smoke rising from cottage chimneys. Southward of the Ulackwater estuary is Foulness, an island parish named from being a haunt of myriads of sea-fowl. The circuit of the island is about 20 miles, and it is protected by an embanking Photo byj THE CASTLE RUINS, SAFFRON WALDEN. iPhotochroin Co., Ltd. This old castle dates from the twelfth century, but it was largely rebuilt by De Mandeville. Of the original structure, only the keep and walls remain. The history of the town of Saffron Walden extends back before the time of Edward the Confessor. Photo by] Valcntint- BOCKING MILL. From Elizabethan days to the end of the seventeenth century, Bocking was one of the chief clothing towns in Essex. The woollen drugget made by the town was known as " Bockings.'* Important corn-mills are also situated here. Bocking is on the Blackwater. 1 mile north-west of Braintree. Pholo by) The distinctive I.A.MARSH CHlKt:!!, NF.AR IllRKS. [C. G. Gosnell. feature of this church Is the Norman round tower. This type of church tower is peculiar to East Anglla, and only six similar towers exist in Essex. Lssex 829 wall, being but little above sea-level in any part ; some good oyster beds adjoin its shores, but in recent years a " scare " depreciated the value of these for a time, though this has since been remedied. Similar, but of greater importance, is Canvey Island, lying above Southend in the Thames estuary, the reclamation of which is attributed to a Dutch colony. It is surrounded by an embankment, and connected with Essex proper by a causeway, though at low tide the channel is so shallow as to render it possible to wade across. Canvey has in recent years be- come a highly popular summer resort for many people, though it offers little in the way of amusement, and can boast no scenery with the possible e.xception of the Thames ship- ping. Of the coast towns, Harwich has most history and importance of any on the Esse.x coast. It appears to have been of Roman origin, but its present name, " Hare-wich," or " Here-wich " in the original form, signifies the "castle of an army," in either Saxon or Danish — the term is interchangeable into both lan- guages, as modified by English usage. A road which led into the town had vestiges ot an an- cient pavement, and passed by the remains of a Roman camp, which had a rampart varj-ing between 10 and 15 feet in height, and Field to the south Pholo by] HEDINGHAM CASTLE : THE KEEP. O. GosneH. The castle was founded by the second Aubrey de Vere in 1100. It was here that Maud, Stephen's queen, died in 1151. The keep has a Norman archway measuring 32 feet across, making it the largest in the British Isles. a fosse 45 feet in width and nearly 5 in depth, extending from Beacon Hill side of the town. Roman relics have also been found near Dovercourt, and a rampart ran from that of the old camp to the top of Beacon Hill. In the year 885 a battle was fought at the mouth of the Stour, near to Harwich, between sixteen Danish ships and King Alfred's fleet ; the Danes were defeated, and all their ships captured. At that time the town of Orwell stood on ground which the erosion of the waves has since replaced by the shoal known S-,o '3' Britain Beautiful as the West Rocks, and after the Norman invasion, with the doom of the ancient town, Harwich rose gradually to importance. In 1326 Queen Isabella and Prince Edward landed here from the province of Hainault with 2,7.50 troops, and marched inland to make war against the king. In 133S Edward TIT embarked his troops at Harwich on hoard 500 ships, and set out to make war against France. A \ear later the French appeared off the town with eleven galleys, and made an unsuccess- ful attempt to dis- pose of Harwich by burning it. In I 3 40, when a h'rench fleet of 400 ships had assembled at Sluys to inter- cept an English expedition, the re- doubtable Edward III set out from li a r w i c h , and fought a great sea liattle in which he gained a complete victory. In 1543 Henrv \'1II vis;ted Harwich, as one of the principal ports of his realm, and Elizabeth imitated his example in 1561. In 1625 a Spanish licet showed outside the harbour, to the t,'reat alarm of the i ownspeople, and in the Dutch wars of Cliarles II .some of the engagements took place so near to the coast as to lie \isible to the people of Haiwich, who lined tiie low cliffs to watch. In !()()() the town was fortified against tlie Dutch, and at low tide the remains of the fortifications could still be seen, uj) to a few years ago. Erosion has altered the coastline considerably since Norman times ; Beacon Hill has changed its shape, and an old-time signal house, together with a great part of the seaward side of the hill, has been washed away by the waves. Between 1756 and 1804, 80 feet of the hill disappeared, and another 350 feet was annihilated between 1804 and 1841. Part of a Phclo by] THK KOI Nl) cm KCH, 1.11 II. K M APl.l'.STKAIJ. [C. C. Gosiull. The church underwent a complete restoration in I85.S. It was built in 1 190 by the Knitihts Hospitallers and partially reconstructed in 1340. Of the four remalnlnf^ round churches in England, this Is the smallest and the latest. riioio h\ PAYCOCKES, COGGESHALL. [C. G. Gosnell. Built about the year 1500, this picturesque old house is a perfect example of a merchant's richly ornamental house of that time. It consists of two storeys, timber-framed and partially plastered. Until recently the house was private property, but it now belongs to tbe nation. D. h O n H (/: b H Z a: b. (- X u is Essex 83. battery, built at the beginning of the nineteenth century at some distance from the sea, was swept away in 1829. From Harwich the Continental service for Holland starts, and. inland, the trip up the River Orwell affords one of the most romantic stretches of scenery among east-coast estuaries. The scenery round Harwich itself is not imposing, though Dovercourt. adjoining, ranks as a pretty little seaside resort. As headquarters of a torpedo flotilla, Harwich harbour was of considerable importance during the Great War. A town of con- siderable antiquity is Manningtree, to- day the junction of the Harwich brancli of railway with the main London-Ips- wich line. In Domesday Book the name of the place is given as Sciddinchon. and it was noted in mediaeval times for a brewing industry, a good deal of which still sur- vives. Shakespeare speaks of "a roasted Manning- tree ox with pud- ding in its pouch " ; and Butler of Hitdihras fame tells of a witch-linder, M . Hopkins by name, who lived at Manningtree. The manor was the property of Adeliza, the half-sister of William the Con- queror, who had a special eye to Essex as the key to the east of his king- dom. Brentwood, now approaching to the suburbs of London, derives its name from " burnt wood," which commemorates the destruction and burning of a forest which once surrounded the town. It was at one time an assize town, and is noteworthy for the martyring of Protestants in the time of Queen Mary. There is a plate on an oak-tree in the town which records the destruction of a Zeppelin in igi6, better known as the Billericay Zeppelin. Bradwell, in the Maldon district, near the point of the peninsula between the Blackwater estuary and the sea, has been named as the site of the Roman settlement of Othona and the Saxon Ithancestre. On the coast, some 2 miles to the north-east of the village, is the church of St. Peter-in-the-wall, which is Phot ST. JOHN'S ABBEY GATEWAY, COLCHESTER. This fine gateway is all that remains of the great Benedictine Abbey of St. John the Baptist, that was founded by Eudo Dapifer in 1066. John Beche, ihe last abbot, refused to surrender the abbey to the king, so in December 1539 he was arrested and hanged, and the fine buildings were completely destro>xd. 53 834 Britain Beautiful generally considered to be the actual buiklini; erected bv St. Cedd. who came on a mission to these parts in the seventh century. Epping Forest, one of the great unspoiled woodland stretches of England, occupies about 6,000 acres, and is rich in the variety of its flora, owing to the contrast of dry ridges with damp hollows. I.il\- of the valley grows wild in the shade of the forest, and other rare plants are the grass of Parnassus, the bog bean, and the sundew. The hornbeam is conspicuous among the trees, and predominates, though it is not a common tree in other English districts ; it is said to have been originally planted here for the sake of the deer, which have a liking for its leaves. Oak, birch, hawthorn, and beech are among the other trees of the forest, and the fallow deer is still to be found, though under less favourable circum- stances than when the laws of venery were among the chief observances of the kingdom. The roe deer, most beautiful of English deer, became e.xtinct in the forest, but was reintroduced in 1883. Along the Thames shore lies the great region of the Essex marshes, at one time famed as the haunt of smugglers and notorious for the ague- producing qualities. Alternating with the marshes proper are the " saltings," consisting of land which lies below high-water mark and is enclosed by embankments, and also " salt " marshes, which average about 10 feet above the high-water line. These " saltings " are covered by the spring tides, Photo by] ;.', !:>>,■■ ;..«,-/ 'r„Jn nl Press ScnUt. MARKS TEY : THE CHURCH. The fact that many of the old Essex churches are built partly uf wood is due to the expense of importing stone into the county previous to the flfleenth century, when the brick-building industry was revived. Marks Tey is 5 miles west of Colchester. and gradualh- a sediment is de- po.sited which tends continually to raise them, until in the end the embankments are no longer necessary ; the process is con- tinuous, and as the saltings rise fresh areas are embanked, thus in some measure compensating for erosion on other parts of the coast. 'I'he ri\ers of tlie count\' are numerous : the Thames bounds it on the south, and the Stour on the north. Between them are till- Colne, the Blackwater, the Clielmer, the Crouch, the Rodiug, tlie Cam, and the Ingerburn. riie Stoiir is probably most ini- ])ortant of the rivers belonging prculiarly to Esse.x — since the Thames cannot be said to be- snrll. COIM'ORD CHI RCH : (;KNEKAI, VIEW. St. Michael's Church, (^opford, is particularly rich in fiood Norman work. The whole of the Norman wulllng of the si)Undld chancel is covertil with paintings executed about long; at the mOUth of the StOUr 1150. Besides being very eiirl> Norman, the nave has much Kimian tile in the walling. Copford Is within 5 miles of Colchester. Stands Harwich, and on its Plioln bv] (\ I,. i,.,,,u-:l. SAYER MARNEY TOWERS, NEAR COLCHESTER. The house was begun early in the sixteenth century by Henry, the 1st Lord Marney. With the exception of the gatehouse, which is a valuable example of early Renaissance architecture, the building is Gothic in style. Essex 837 banks stands Manningtree, which is a fairly important town. Along the Stoiir, too. lies some of the prettiest of Essex scenery, including the Constable countrj' already alluded to. The Roding, rising in Easton Park, near Dunniow. gives its name to no fewer than eight " Rodings," separate pari.shes all. From its source to where it joins the Thames the length is over 30 miles, and in the lower reaches floods often occur, when the banks are inclined to collapse under the combined pressure of the tides and the flooded river. The River Crouch, in the south of the county, claims to flow by the scenes of three battles fought in the days of King Canute — the battles of Ashingdon, Hockley, and Canewdon. The estuary of the river has Burnham on its coast, and is a famous yachting centre. Ashingdon disputes with Ashdon the honour of being the scene of the battle of Assandune in 1016, when Canute gained his great victory •f''"'" I'y] IWilailiiu- i'- .Sf.;n, ri.L OLD WINDMILL, WALTON-ON-THE-NAZE. Chiefly on account of ils sandy beach, Walton has developed into a fine watering-place. Within the last decade the town has decreased in size owing to the encroachments of the sea. It stands on a peninsula formed by the Hamford Water Creek. over Edmund Ironside. At Canewdon traces of an ancient camp exist, and in the neighbouring parish of \^■oodham-Mortimer is a great congregation of barrows or burial mounds, supposed to mark the last resting-places of the Danes who fell in the great battle. A church, built by Canute to commemorate his victory, is said to have stood in the parish of Hockley, near Southend-on-Sea. The present church is Norman, with a massive octagonal tower, and legend is the chief ground for the claim of Canute, though it is more than likely that he was the founder of the building. No record of Essex would be complete without mention of Halstead, which in earlv davs belonged to Earl Godwin, the thorn in the side of Edward the Confessor and father of King Harold. It is the headquarters of the great crape industry, and thus ranks as the only place of importance in Essex in connection with the textile trades. s<^s Britain Beautiful In old time, the Suffolk ilint-woiking industry, which died out at Brandon shortly after the war, had its branches in Essex. There was reputed to be a flint-working establishment near Braintree many j-ears ago, but it is difficult to trace any authentic record of this. An old industry that died harder was that of smocking ; in spite of its nearness to London, the smocked frock of the shepherd and of other agricultural workers survived up to a very late date within the boundaries of Essex, which, in addition to its cultivation of cereals, is largely a pastoral county still. But the dairy farm and sheep farm of to-day are run on lines which do not favour ancient customs to any great extent ; it is to be said for the modern methods, however, that, though they may not be quite so picturesque, they are ccrtainlv more sanitary. The district adjoining the Suffolk border, including the famed Constable country, is very largely p:i<;tnral in its uses, and herds of cattle grazing in the low-lying meadows suggest the scenes that Phrilo hy] \Ju,lees', Ll.i. THE CLIFFS, WALTON-ON-THE-NAZE. The cliffs have now been adequately protected from demolition by the sea. The promontory of the Naze, on which the town Is situated, is an interesting ground for fossil-liunters. This resort is also l^nown as \\ alton-ie-Solllsh settlers. During the Revolution of lf>HS It was the home of the well-known Guslavus Hamilton, who was then Governor of Knniskillen. The ruins are situated about 5 miles from the county capital. to be distributed among the peasantry. The peasantry greeted the royal standard with delight, and accompanied the march in great numbers. The townsmen and tiieir allies, instead of waiting to be attacked, came boldly forth to encounter the intruders. The officers of James had expected no resistance. Thev were confounded when thev saw confronting them a column of foot, flanked by a large body of mounted gentlemen and \(onun. The crowd of camp followers ran away in terror. The soldiers made a retreat so precipitate that it might be calk d a flight, and scarcely halted till they were thirty miles off at Cavan." But the triumph of the men of Enniskillen at Xtwtown F.utler was even more striking and overwhelming. .Military history contains nothing inure fn akisli than so annihilating a victory over adversaries as brave and spirited. " The Irish," says Macaulay, " were drawn u]) on a hill, at the -: « 3 "" 4) V a, S I. to Z z u u z e j3 Q o5 a 3 o o u u z u « o ■e 5^ - c a IS- 5 j: b: r u < 2 -^ £ E u z d: a X o s o a. r a. t ■ -J o County Fermanagh 845 foot of which lay a deep bog. A narrow paved causeway which ran across the bog was the only road by which the cavalry of the Enniskilleners could advance. Macarthy placed his cannon in such a manner as to sweep this causeway. Wolseley ordered his infantry to the attack. They struggled through the bog, made their way to firm ground, and rushed on the guns. The Irish cannoneers stood gallantly to their pieces till they were cut down to a man." Britain Beautiful — very fortunately — has no concern in the political problems of the hour, but it may be recorded that the memory of those victories and the part played by Enniskillen at this crisis in the history of Ireland have contributed not a little to the difficulties that have arisen over the .determination of the boundary between the Free State and Ulster. fl^'o 'y] [W. Lawrence. CRLM CASTLE, LOl GH ERNE. This old castle withstood two sieges at the time of the Siege of Derry. The ruins are placed in extensive grounds on the shores of Lough Erne, 3 miles from Newtown Butler. One of the features of the demesne is a yew-tree said to be a thousand years old. with branches covering a diameter of 80 feet. From such vexed questions it is a relief to turn to the natural beauties of the county, which know no distinction of race or creed. Of the two lakes which are comprehensively known as Lough Erne much nonsense has been written. One writer who shall be nameless — a lady with more patriotic enthusiasm than good sense — solemnly assures us that the Upper Lough is the most beautiful sheet of water in Europe ! Lest any be deluded into looking for a second Killarney or Loch Lomond in County Fermanagh, it may be as well to say that the absence of mountainous shores deprives Upper and Lower Lough Erne of the finest and most characteristic features of "great " lake scenery, and that their appealing charm lies in their multitude of islands and the wealth of woodland on their banks. There are views to be obtained not unworthyto rank with some of the ghmpses of Windermere ; and what greater compliment can the most fervent of Irishmen desire ? 846 Britain Beautiful The real fact is that a hot and lazy afternoon, a boat, a pipe, and a voyage of discoverv among the islands are the ingredients of the right method of approach to the charms of the Ernes, and where those charms lie thickest is probably the narrow, southern end of the upper lake. Here is the poetic Daimh-Inis, the " Isle of Oxen," which the uncouth Anglo-Saxon tongue has corrupted into the somewhat prosaic " Dcvenish." It is a place of hoary ruin and ghostly antiquity, associated primarily with that great ecclesiastic St. Molaise, who was one of the many glories of Ireland in the sixth centurw The saint would be hard put to it to recognise his abode in its present state. Perhaps he could bring peace to warring archsologist experts by telling us whether a certain ruined fragment was riinio hy] CKO.M CA.STLE, LOUGH ERNE. {II'. Lawrence This pholniiraph shows the bfautidil surriMindln)>s In which the castle Is situated. The tine castellated huildlnii In the lirounds of Old Crom Castle Is the residence of the Earl of Erne. The older edifice was accidentally destroyed hy fire In 1764. really his " house " or onlv his " kitclun." If the latter, times in the sixth cmtury were certainly not as hard and barbarous as is popularly supposed. The Round Tower of Dewnish is one of the finest and best j)reserved in tlie country. It soars elcgantlv to its full height of luarlv 90 feet, and tlu' fancy of its architect has found expression in the shape of its windows, which varies on each floor, and in an elaborate cornice with carved heads. Then other remains comprise the ruin of the great church and the abbey, the latter with a tower containing a room which can be reaclud b\- a staircase and a curious tablet which tixes the date 1449. The portion of the county north of tlie twin lakes has some fine houses, but is not j)artieularly note- worthy from a scenic or any other point of view. On the south, however, the curious and interesting limestone formations give the landscape a character all its own, a character too which can be appreciated by the layman as well as the geologist. The hills rise to a height of over 2,000 feet, and are diversified with underground streams, caverns, natural arches, and the other concomitants of limestone regions. Z OS Ui -3 K o .J « ■P^ 1 mm rT '-'^''^^^^1 1 '?^i 1* fl^^^^^l THE CATHEDRAL, ST. ANDREWS, The ancient and royal burgh of St, Andrews has for centuries been known as the ecclesiastical metropolis of Scotland. Historians have placed the date of the earliest religious settlement here as far back as A.D. 347. FIFESHIRE u P to the present day the term " kingdom " is still used occasionally with regard to the County of Fife, a memento of the days when Fifeshire stretched from Forth to Tay, and the still earlier days when the Pictish kings had their residence within its borders ; it was then the southern and more important part of the kingdom of Pictavia. There is scarcely a phase of Scottish history that does not show some trace in Fifeshire. Macduff and Robert the Bruce, Malcolm Canmore and Mary Queen of Scots, all furnish story and legend, and castles and ruined palaces testify to the importance of this eastward-stretching peninsula between the two great lirth"S of the south. Forth and Tay. The Pictish history of the county is obscure ; it is certain that St. Serf and his fellow-Culdees laboured among the natives of the district, and they still point to a cave at Dysart as the saint's cell, and to a well at Alva as a spot that he visited. In St. Andrews •~^'^-" - -rv;^-^;:;: -. ^ the site of a Culdee monastery is "^^ still traced and pointed out, though the city itself was founded by St. Rule — the square, Byzan- tine-style tower dedicated to him is one of the principal monuments of the city. It is alleged that St. Rule brought holy relics of St. Andrew with him, and hence the name of the city, though there is only tradition to-day — if the relics were actually brought, they no longer exist. About the time of the Norman conquest of England the historic centre of Fife changes from St. Andrews in the east to Dun- fermline in the south-west of the county. In the year 1068 Mar- garet, Malcolm Canmore's queen, landed at Queensferry, on her way to Malcolm's capital, Dunfermline. 54 Pholo by] [\\iU-:iliiu- & Sons STRUTHERS CASTLE, CUPAR. This interesting old ruin is situated nearly 3 miles to the south of the town, county town is of considerable antiquity ; its charter dates from 1363. 8qo Britain Beautiful She was the granddaughter of Edmund Ironside, and her tomb and Malcohn's is still to be seen within the ruined walls of the Lady Chapel of Dunfermline. It is a massive structure, formed of great blocks of fossil-marked limestone, and about it are fine specimens of the decorative stonework of the early thirteenth century. The tomb was repaired and enclosed by Queen Victoria's command, and about it are the graves of other sovereigns, last of whom was Robert the Bruce, who died at Cardross in 1329. His tomb is under the lantern-tower of the present church, holding all but his heart. The legend of the trust he laid on Sir James Douglas, his friend, to bear his heart to the Holy Sepulchre and deposit it there, is one that will never grow old. Douglas, stopping to fight the Moors in Spain on his way, never achieved his object, for his body, together with the embalmed heart of the king, was t'l^l" '^'J [»'. F. Taylor. ST. ANDREWS CATHEDRAL. The cathcilral was founded in 1159, but was destroyed by a mob exactly 409 years later. The east -end wall can be seen in the background, framed in the arch of the west door. brought back to Scotland by Sir \^■illiam Keith, and the luart of the Hruce found a resting-ph.cc in famed Melrose Abbey. Dunfermline Priory was raised to the rank of an abbey by King David I, and at that time the buildings were of a magnificence hardly e.xceeded by any in Scotland. Early in the fourteenth century they were virtually destroyed h\ the j-'nglish invaders. The church was restored, and stood until 1560. when iconoclastic Reformers swept awav all but the nave, which thev transformed into a Presbyterian sanctuarv. The south, and part of the west, wall of the fratirv of the ancient monastery remain extant, and the latter possesses a window which is considered one of the finest e.xamples of the workmanship of its period. The ancient church is Norman in style, severely plain, but imj)ressive by reason of its great height. Its western doorway is considered exceptionallv fine, and on the walls are old monuments of great interest to the antiquary, including one erected in 1702 to the memcir\- of William Schaw, the .0 Photo by] [W. F. Tavlvi. THE PENDS, ST. ANDREWS CATHEDRAL. Before its demolition, St. Andrews was without exception tlie finest ecclesiastical building in the whole of Scotland. These stately Gothic Pends form the priory gateway. Fifeshire 853 Photo by] ST. ANDREWS CASTLE. [Valentine & Sons, Ltd. St. Andrews Castle has been a total ruin since 1685. It was built in 1200 and was mainly used as an episcopal palace. Its commanding situation and its thick walls made it a place of great strength. After the murder of Cardinal Beaton it was repeatedly subjected to attacks. king's architect. The tower gives a fine view of Edin- burgh across the Firth of Forth, and of the inter- vening valley. The reign of Malcolm Canmore and Margaret his wife — as St. Margaret, she is the last of the saints of the Scottish Church — coincides with the virtual end of Gaelic influence in Fife and the coming of Norman rule and custom. Roman Christianity super- seded the ruder worship in- stigated by the Culdees, and feudalism began with the immigration of Norman- French families to the county. St. Andrews, Cupar, Dunfermline, and Kinghorn were among the towns to which charters were granted by successive kings, and each of them was responsible for the foundation of extensive ecclesiastical establishments. Wallace drove the English out of Fife with his victory at Black Earnside ; Edward I held court at Dunfermline for the purpose of receiving the homage of the nobles of the county ; in 1318 Robert the Bruce attended the consecration of the Cathedral of St. Andrews, and just five hundred years later his skeleton was unearthed at Dunfermline, and rein- terred with national honour. St. Andrews holds many memories of John Knox, the great Scottish Reformer. In the parish church of the place, according to a con- temporary, his fulminations made fabric and congrega- tion alike tremble. "He was like to ding the pulpit to blads and fly out of it," was the exact wording of the description. Civil war came of the Reforming movement, and St. Andrews Cathedral was destroyed in good Pro- testant zeal, while the Q u e e n-M other and her French supporters were driven out of Fife, and the Protestant religion was es- tablished by the Scottish Parliament in 1560. Photo by] Ltd. [Valentine & Sons, THE "ROCK AND SPINDLE" ROCK, ST. ANDREWS. The long shelving rocks in the neigbbourbood of the town have been the scene of many a ship- The small harbour is used chiefly by trawlers, which carry on a considerable herring fishery. wreck. «54 Britain Beautiful Fifcshire was very closely associated with tlie Covenanting movement in the seventeenth century. Alexander Henderson, minister of Leuchars, was author of the National Covenant, and headed the movement that insisted on the establishment of Presbyterian Church government in place of the old- time bishops. Cromwell fought the last battle the county has known, at Inverkeathing ; Archbishop Sharp comes next among the historical figures associated with the county. He was murdered on Magus Muir, near St. Andrews, by Balfour of Kinloch, Hackston of Rathillet, and their followers, and Sharp, who had been a bitter persecutor of his opponents and had acquired a reputation for mean self-seeking even among his own friends, thus unjustly attained the halo of a martyr in the cause of the episcopal faith. Up to the time of full religious liberty, Fifeshire ranked as the scene of the most virulent controversy R F A R 'Railways Poads JdoriJfess s CarrJ)ni7<>s Tn L I T H G ^N Longitude W 3 of Greenwich H ADD INOT ON COPYRIGHT GtOGRAPHIA 923iL™ iblLiLJ SWUT LONDON t C4. MAP OF FIFESHIRE. and religious zeal in all Scotland. There is, in fact, little beyond the nlitjious wars of w(jr(ls to mark the history of the county in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries ; with tlie canny wisdom for which Scots — and Fifeshire Scots in especial — are famed, the men of the county left the rebellions of '15 and '45 to settle themselves, and profited thereby. Arch;cologically the countv is supremely interesting. In the early days, when the lowlands of the county were marsh and quag, the inhabitants dwelt in the hills and threw up eartliworks, of which traces survive in many places. Norman's Law Fort is an especially fine example of these early strong- liolds. which consists of circular earthworks, sufiicient in extent to protect the ]iasture lands for the cattle as well as the homes of human beings. A still more extensive and carefully constructed earth- work is to be seen in Abdie parish, on the Craig of Clachard. Another interesting survival is the underground earth-house, of which two specimens have been discovered in the countv. The structure is entirely subterranean, and has an entrance, strengthened by stone lintels, which admits of crawling in on hands and knees, ihe dwelling widens beyond the I'hiita by] ^ ST. ANDREWS, FROM THE HARBOUR " ' ^ ' / '. < a Id > <: o a X h KH a 5 = z ? 0. a ■so ~J < i^' . o SS X « 5 H 11 o -J ca 2 S / entrance, and increases in height to admit of a man standing upright in the chamber formed below ground level. Such of the people as lived down in the marshes in the prehistoric days of Fifeshire built their dwellings on piles, usually driven in on islets artificially constructed in lakes, and connected with the mainland by a causeway which could be interrupted or entirely destroyed in case of attack. Remains of these marsh-dweUings — crannogs, they are called — have been found at Collessie and .Stravithv, mainly constructed of stone in place of logs. Near Collessie, too, was found a tumulus which, when opened, displayed a cist or urn that contained a human skeleton and a gold-mounted bronze sword ; the tumulus was constructed of a multitude of stones, and was 14 feet in height and 40 yards in diameter. Others, found at Tayfield and examined, yielded necklets of beads and jet, and weapons and ornaments of bronze. THE HARBOUR, CRAIL. The port of Crail carried on a considerable trade as early as the ninth century, but it is now chiefly known in connection with its fishing industry, large numbers of lobsters being found off the coast. The great antiquity of this picturesque town contributes largely to its fame as a watering-place. The " standing stones " of Lundin, among the noteworthy monuments of Fife, are reputed burial marks of Danish chiefs, and there are also sculptured stones, attributed to the Culdee period, at Scoonie, Largo, and Crail. The stone of Crail has the Virgin and Child rudely carved upon its surface. Macdutf Cross, near Newburgh, is said to have been erected by Macduff to commemorate his escape from Macbeth's vengeance. The cross itself was destroyed by the Reformers — who seemed determined to reform all monuments out of existence — in 1559, but the pedestal remains to this day, and, according to legend, the cross formed a sanctuary place for all relatives, even the most distant, of Macduff. Any relative who had committed manslaughter could claim sanctuary at the cross, but a fine of nine cows had to be paid, and certain rites performed. Failing the production of the cows, the performance of the rites, and the proof of relationship with Macduff, the sanctuary was one no longer, and the manslaughterer was executed and buried on the spot. 55 858 Britain Beautiful There are legends of Roman occupation, and Lochore boasts an encampment which may have been that of Agricola, whose fleet sailed up the Tay. The finding of Roman coins is sometimes claimed as proof of Roman occupation, but it is quite possible that the inhabitants of Fifeshire had a natural affinity with coins, even of Roman origin, in the days of Agricola. Roman sword blades and spear- heads, although they point to the presence of Romans in the county, are no proof of permanent occupation, but more probably denote conflict between the invaders and the natives of the county, possibly at the time when Agricola cruised round and marched across the peninsula. One fact, of more importance than many legends, is associated with the parish of I.argo in Fifeshire. There, in 1676, was born Alexander Selkirk, who went to sea in his youth, and in the year 1703 had attained to the position of sailing master on the ship Cinque Ports. In that year, as punishment for .ST. PILL.\NS CAVE, PlTTENWEEiM. [Vaknline &■ Sons, IJ.I This little East Neuk DshlnA town probubly owes its origin to the priory that was founded here in the twelfth century, and was then connected with a large cave on the beach by a subterranean passage. Pittenweem has been interpreted to mean " the town of the cave." mutiny, he was marooned on the ishmd ot juan I'lrnandez, where he remained alone for four years. He was then rescued from his solitary imprisonment and brought back to England. A certain John Selkirk, a weaver in Largo, used to show the chest which Alexander had with him on his island, and John claimed to be grand-nephew of the man whom Defoe took as prototype for his immortal romance of Robinson Crusoe. .\le.\ander's musket, too, came back to Largo with him, and used to be .shown as his at a house in the neighliourliood. Dt-foe's genius made a hero of one who in liiinsclf IkuI little claim to fame. Historically and archa-ologically, St. Andrews ranks as one of the most— if not actually the most — interesting of Fifeshire towns. The original name of the city was Mucross, meaning " the ])roiuon- tory of boars," from mm., a boar or sow, and ross. a point or promontor\-. Then cami' St. Rule, or Regulus, a monk of Patras in Achaia, who was instructed in a vision to take some of the holy relics of St. Andrew, and carry tiiein with liiin to a distant region of the west. Having obeyed the mystic Photo by\ BOILING CAULDRON, ST. MONANCE. [I'atentine <^ Sons, Ltd. The east end of Fifeshire round Fife Ness, where this little fishing town is situated, is known as East Neuk. St. Monance, or Abcrcrotnbie as it is sometimes called, is situated on a long strip of rocky coast, 1^ mites west of Pittenweem. Photo by] NEWARK CASTLE, ST. MONANCE. ll'aleiUinc d.- Sons, Ltd. Near St. Monance are the remains of Newark Castle, now fallen into a complete state of ruin. At the height of its glory this old building was the seat of the Leslies. Photo by] KILCONOUHAR, FROM THE LAKE. [Valentine & Sons, Ltd. Kllconquhar is well known for the numerous swans which abound on the loch that lend such an air of charm to this picturesque village. Locally known as Kinneuchar, the villa<^e is situated on the north side of the loch. 4 miles from Largo. Photo by] [Valcnttn:: 6- Suns, Ltd, DALCARRES HOUSE AND CRAIG, COLINSBURGH. Three-quarters of a mile north-west of Colinshurgh is Balcarres House, a fine .Scoto-Flcmish-Gothic building, memorable as the residence of Lady Lindsay, author of " Auld Robin Gray." Ualcarres Craig has an altitude of 200 feet. Fifeshire 86 1 command, he landed in the year 365 in the neighbourhood of Mucross and succeeded in inducing Hengustus, the king of the country, to embrace Christianity. He changed the name Mucross into Kilyrmont. " the chapel of the king on the mount " (the original Latin from which this name was corrupted was " cella regis in monte"). Hengustus gave Rule and his companions a piece of ground near the harbour, and also erected a chapel and tower in honour of the monk, giving them his name. Kjlyrmont became Kilrule (the designation is still retained in the Gaelic) in view of the high sanctity of St. Rule, and the Picts of the surrounding district flocked in for conversion. It is interesting to note that the original name of St. Andrews is still retained in the village of Boarhills, as translated into the dialect of later inhabitants. With regard to Hengustus' grant of land to St. Rule, Dr. Jamieson, historian of the district, states Photo by] BUCKHAVEN HARBOUR. Buckhaven flshing town is part of the police burgh of Buclihaven, which includes the towns of Metbil and Innerleven. An extensive coi'iery trade is carried on at Methil, and there are engineering worlcs and networii factories. that " he founded a church at Kilyrmont, which henceforth received the name of the saint to whom it was dedicated." Later this tract was taken from the Culdees and given first to the bishop, and then to the prior and canons regular of St. Andrews. In the tenth century, such was the sanctity of the place. King Constantine took up his residence in the sacred institution, and died a member of the society in 953. The walls and a tower of St. Rule's Chapel were still standing in the middle of the nineteenth century, though it is generally considered that these differ from the original building on the site. The tower is square, about 108 feet in height, and extending about 20 feet on each side, with no spire. Toward the end of the eighteenth century it was covered, for protection against weather, with a flat roof and parapet, and a stair was put up in the interior to the top. The name of the place, Kilrule, endured in use till the ninth century, when the Scots finally con- 862 Britain Beautiful /';.•./(" *y I'aleitttne & Sons, l.ttt. MACDVFF CASTLE, FROM THE SHORE. The ruins of this old castle stand on a commandine eminence near the village of East Wemyss. The castle is said to have been built by Macduff, the Thane of Fife. Of the original fortress, the chief remains are two square towers and part of a wall. quered and subjugated the Picts. The new-comers gave the name of St. An- drews to the ecclesiastical settlement, round which a considerable secular city had already grown. The Cathedral of St. Andrews, founded in 1159, was finished in 1318, and was one of the most mag- nificent of Scottish eccle- siastical edifices. In June 1559 John Kno.x preached a sermon in which he "did intreet the ejectioune of the bu\-ers and sellers furthe of the temple of Jerusalem, as is written in the evangelists Matthew and John ; and so applied the corruptioune that was then to the corruptioune in tlie papistrie ; and Christ's fact to the devote of thois to quhome God giveth the power and zeill thereto, that as weiil the magistrates, the proveist and baillies, as the commonalty, did agree to remove all monuments of idolatry : quhilk also they did with e.\peditioune." \Mth respect to the cathedral, the " expedi- tioune " of the spoilers was such that one day sufficed for that which had taken 160 years to construct. Grierson's description shows that it must have been a noble pile. It "had live pinnacles or towers, and a great steeple. Of the towers, two stood on the west gable, two on the east, and one on the south end of the transept or cross-church. Two of these towers, with the great steeple over the centre of the church, have long since disappeared. Three of the towers vet remain, the two on the east gable which is still entire, and one of those on the west. The towers are each 100 feet high from the ground to PHolo by] I'tilentinf & Sons. Ltd. RAVENSCRAIG CASTLE. KIRKCALDY. Ravenscralg Castle overlooks the Firth of Forth between Dysart and Kirkcaldy. by James II, but he did not live to see its completion. It comes In .Scotfs ■ " Castle Ravensceuch." It was founded Rosabelle " as Photo by] GROUPIE CRAIG. RAITH, KIRKCALDY. [Valentine & Sons, Ltd. Two miles west of Kirkcaldy is Raith House. Its pleasure-grounds contain a very picturesque artificial loch. This pretty waterfall is one of the beauty spots in the vicinity. 864 Britain Beautiful the summit, and thev rose considerably above the roof of the church. The tv.'o eastern ones are joined by an arch or pend, fonning the great east light of the church, till they rise above the height of the roof, and it is evident that the western ones must have been in the same state when entire. From each of these towers, into the church, opened three several doors into so many galleries along the walls ; which galleries were supported by pillars, i6 in number on each side, and at the distance of i6 feet from the wall. All that now remains of this magnificent pile is the eastern gable entire, as has been said, half of the western, the south side-wall from the western gable till it join the transept, a length of 200 feet, and the west wall of the transept itself on the south side of the church." Near the cathedral stood the priory, or Augustine monastery, founded in 1144 by Bishop Robert. Photo by] OLD MILL DAM. KIRKCALDY. [I'aUtttine & Sons. IJJ. Kirkcaldy is certainly the largest and perhaps the busiest town in Flfcshire, and is the centre of the linoleum industry in the lilngdom. The seaport was created a royal burgh as early as 1644 by Charles I. but its history extends bacit to St. Columba's time. John Hepburn, prior of St. Andrews, in 1516 built a magnificent wall round three sides of the monastery grounds ; the wall was 22 feet in height and 4 feet thick ; portions of it still remain, but very little is left of the buildings it once enclosed. The castle of St. Andrews was built toward the end of the twelfth century by Roger, bishop of the diocese. It stood to the north of the town, on a point projecting toward the sea — north-west of the cathedral. It was enlarged and strengthened at the beginning of the fourteenth century, and in 1336 Edward III of England })laced a garrison there to overawe the town and surrounding country. After Edward had returned to England, Sir Andrew Moray of Bothwell, the regent of Scotland, besieged the stronghold, carried it after three weeks, and entirtl\- demolished it. Bishop Traill rebuilt it toward the end of the fourteenth cent ry, and died in it in 1401. James III was born in the castle, and, until Beaton was murdered in 1545, it continued as the episcopal palace. Ruins only remain to-day ; Kno.\ Fifeshire 865 and his successors left little use in Scotland for episcopal palaces. The site of the old castle has suffered greatly from the encroachment of the sea, which is gradually washing away the whole promontory on which the fortress once stood. Associated with Wallace, with the convening of Robert the Brace's first parliament, and with many burnings of heretics in the early days of the Reformation, St. Andrews can lay claim to having witnessed many of the most stirring scenes in Scottish history, but the incidents surrounding the deaths of Wishart and Cardinal Beaton stand out as of particu- lar interest. In March 1545 Wishart was burned before the castle, then the archiepiscopal residence of Cardinal Beaton ; cushions of velvet were laid in the castle windows for the cardinal and his friends to enjoy the spectacle in comfort, and Beaton's arrogance and cruelty, culminating in this event — in which he did not even invoke the aid of the civil power — led to the formation of a plot to murder him. Norman Lesley, John Lesley, Kirkaldy of Rothes, and fourteen others, assembled in the churchyard at three of a May morning in that year of 154.5, and, having gained admis- sion to the castle, they turned out the servants by small parties, and forcing their way into the cardinal's room, stabbed him with their daggers. One among them, Melville, finally killed Beaton with his sword, at the same time exhorting him to " Remember that the mortal stroke I am now about to deal is not the mercenary blow of a hired assassin, but the just vengeance which hath fallen on an obstinate enemy of Christ and the Holy Gospel." It was nine months later before the body of the cardinal was interred, and, concerning this, John Knox himself wrote: " as his funeral could not be suddenly prepared, it was thought best to keep him from spoiling, to give him great salt enough, a cope of lead, and a corner of the sea tower (a place where many of God's children had been 56 BLZ PWB* Photo by] 1' "■'''■ THE DOVECOT, BOW BUTTS HOUSE, KINGHORN. Bow Butts House, to which this pretty dovecot belongs, is situated close to Kinghorn royal burgh, standing on the coast of the Firth of Forth opposite Leith. an ancient 866 Britain Beautiful tUwto hy\ [\\,U. THE PALACE, DUNFERMLINE. Dunfermline, or ** The town of the crooked linn '* as it has been quaintly nicknamed, is the one- time capital and the second largest town in the county. Towering above the Pittencrieff Glen, the magnificent ruins of the palace are a striking reminder of the former importance of the town. The building is said to date from the reign of Alexander III. imprisoned before) to wait what exequies his brethren the bishops would prepare for him." The conspirators, joined by over a hundred of their friends, held the castle for a year, and then Leo Strozzi, a knight of Rhodes and prior of Capua, entered the Bay of St. Andrews with a fleet of sixteen galleons, and made a breach in the castle wall, compel- ling surrender. In 15S3 James VI of Scotland escaped from the captivity to which the Earls of Mar, Gowrie, Glencairn, and others had condemned him, by gaining admission to St. Andrews Castle. Once inside, he closed the gates and refused admission to his escort, when he was joined bv his supporters and asserted his independence. He came to convene an assembly of the clergy at St. Andrews in 1617, visiting Scotland from what he termed " a salmon-like instinct to see the place of his breeding." He was the last monarch to pay a state visit to the city. Wemyss, on the south coast of Fifeshire, is of inter- est bv reason of its castle, in which is preserved a large silver basin, given by the King of Norway in 1290 to Sir iNIichael Wemyss, who came to the Norwegian court to bring home to Scotland llie Princess Margaret. The family descends from the family of Macduff, who flour- ished in the reign of Malcolm Canmore, and the lands of the parish are said to have been jiari of his estate. Legend, well supported, has it that Gillimichael, third in descent from Macduff, had a second son named Hugo, to whom the lands Wemyss were granted, but according to a pliolo ftyj THE MONA.S INCIICOI.M I.SLAND. This small Istund lies nearly 2 miles south of Aberdour in the Firth of Forth. The ruin of this one-time important abbey lends an air of romance to what would otherwise be an uninteresting island. The monastic building was founded in 1123 by Alexander I. DOUBLE ARCH BRIDGE, PITTENCRIEFF. The beautiful park of PIttencrlefT was ftlvcn to the town by Dr. Andrew Carnefiie. This curious bridge attracts much comment on account of Its unusual appearance. Fifeshire 869 manuscript account of the family, the first of the line is said to have been Michael, second son of Duncan, Earl of Fife, who died in 1159. Somewhat to the east of the village of East Wemyss are the ruins of an old castle known as Macduff's Castle, and said to have been built by Macduff. Set up on an eminence near the shore, the castle commanded a wide view, and, from the character of the two square towers and part of a wall that remain, the place was one of immense strength. Falkland Palace, a building commenced by either James III or James IV, and now used as a dwelling-house, was enlarged by James V, and was a favourite resort of the ill-fated Queen Mary. It was in a dungeon of the old Falkland Castle, a stronghold of the Earls of Fife that was forfeited to the P>ioto by] l\-a!fntinc & Sons. TULLIALLAN LOCH, KINCARDINE. The town of Kincardine is the most important in the parish of Tulliallan. This loch lies 2 miles to the north of the town. The parish is situated in the detached portion of Fifeshire. Up to the introduction of railways, Kincardine owed its importance to the tine ferry which crossed the Forth here. Crown in 1424, that David, Duke of Rothesay and eldest son of Robert III." was starved to death by the Duke of Albany, the king's brother, and by the Earl of Douglas, in 1402. In 1745 Rob Roy garrisoned the palace, and exacted contributions from the village and surrounding country. Cupar, the county town of Fife, is a place of considerable antiquity. The Macduffs, thanes of Fife, had a castle here in the early days. It has little to recommend it to the attention of the historical student, except for various visits from Scottish and English monarchs, among the former being included Mary, who had a great liking for the place. Charles II of England also paid it a visit, of which it is recorded that " He came to Couper, where he gat some desert to his foure houres ; the place where he satte doune to eate was the Tolbooth. The towne had appointed Mr. Andro Andersone, scholemaster ther for the tyme, to give him a musicke songe or two, while he was at table. Mr. David 8/0 Britain Beautiful Douglysse had a speech with him at his entrie to the towne. After this he went to Falkland all night. All this tyine the most part of the gentelmen of the shyre did go along with him.' From all of which it is evident that Falkland Palace was capable of accommodating a good number at need. Fifeshire as a whole presents characteristics more English than Scotch, topographically speaking. Its gentlv undulating plains contrast strongly with the bolder and more striking scenery generally associated with Scottish counties. Two ranges of hills, the Ochills, which skirt the northern border, and the I.omonds. which run nearly parallel to the southward of the Ochills, divide the county into three districts. The fertile and well-wooded valley of Stratheden lies between the two ranges, giving Cupar a beautiful situation, and to south of the Lomonds an irregular plain stretches southward to Photo by\ [Valenthtr & Sons. SPA BRIDGE, KENNOWAY. Most of the streams in the parish of Kennoway are tributaries of the I. even. This scene was taicen near the viilagc of Kcnnoway, where one of these iittle burns passes throujih a very picturesque ravine. the Forth. To the cast the " moors of Fife form a table land, and to the north the Ochills exhibit peaks rising to over 2,000 feet, but so sloped and grassy as to be elevations from the plain rather than definite heights, for the most part. The Maormors, or chiefs of I'ife in old time, cnjoved premier privileges in the Scottish kingdom. It fell to them to place the king on the inaugural stone, to lead the van of the king's army into battle, and to have the privilege of a sanctuary for all the members of the Clan Macduff. The family of Macduff, and the fierce fanaticism of John Kno.\ may be said to share greatest prominence in the annals of the county. Mary and Darnley first met at \Vcm\'^s ; and just tjver the border, in Kinross, is Toch Leven with its castle — another landmark in tin- life of the lx;uit\- of Scotland. Though the county caimot boast the crags and glens that characterise the Highlands, its dales and heights h;i\<' their own beauty, tinged ever with the glamour of romance. I r^e-^.'-^T fc.. Photo fry] r.i;,.,/j.,'.- >nii>\ THE CLOISTER GARTH, LINDORES ABBEY, NEWBURGH. The monastery was founded by the Earl of Huntingdon, brother of William the Lion, in 1178, and, at the height of its glory, it was evidently a magnificent building of great architectural beauty. The vestibule of the church, in the centre of the ruin, is the best preserved part of the remains. ^\. ■^s ^ ji^ I ^r<,i .«i*#' ,,.■;» :w Photo by] [VaUntine &■ Sons. TUNNEL IN MASPIE GLEN, FALKLAND. Though many parts of the parish are still beautifully wooded, the fine forest which existed here and was used as a hunting-ground by Scottish kings was utterly destroyed by Cromwell. The Incident Is described by Lamont : " the English beganne to cutt downe Fackland wooil ; the moist palrt of the tries were oakes." Phcto by] [yaleniitte & Sons. FLINT CASTLE. Built in 1277 by Edward I, Flint Castle was originally a square building with four circular towers, one of which is among the most curious structures in Wales, having two concentric walls 6 feet thick divided by a space of 21 feet. FLINTSHIRE nPHIS, the smallest of Welsh counties, presents a familiar but by no means truly characteristic aspect to the casual traveller from Chester to the coast resorts of Denbigh or Carnarvon. The Dee — with the somewhat dull Cheshire shore on the farther bank — and the more or less uninteresting strip of plain immediately south of the railway give little promise of the charming regions to be found farther afield, the beauties of the Vale of Clwyd, the glorious reaches of the Dee in the oddly detached portion of the county which borders on Shropshire, the innumerable views and vistas to be obtained from the hills, and the wayward delights of many a secluded dell and^ dingle. To those who really know it, this county stands high on the varied list of beautiful districts in the British Isles, and its historical associations, its memories of ancient feuds between Celt and Saxon, and the still existing remains of its former power and dignity give it that aura of romance which makes all the difference between an old country and a " new " one. In A History of the Deposition of Richard II, in French verse, in the Harleian MS., there is a quaint illumination of the meet- ing of the King and Bolingbrokc at Flint Castle in 1399. Within a towered and turreted enceinte the unfortunate monarch, dis- guised as a priest, is being re- ceived by Bolingbroke. all the gentlemen present being several sizes too large for the edifice. It must be presumed that the artist was not copying from nature, as the existing fragmen- tary ruins of Flint Castle imply ^,^_^^^ ^,,^^^,_„„^ ^ ^„,,^_ that the stronghold must have the front, hawarden castle. been exceedinelv formidable. The present Hawarden Castle is a comparatively modern building, dating from the o .' _ ■ middle of the eighteenth century. The town of Hawarden is well known as the home Apparently it had seen its best of Wllliam Gladstone, who was four times Premier of England. riwlo by] CASTLE RUINS, CAERGWRLE. [VaUnlme i- Sons. This picturesque old ruin was once an important castle guarding a passage to Tegeingl. During its occupation in 1242 by Queen Eleanor, a flre partly destroyed the interior. The ruin stands on a hill close to the right banlt of the River Alun. PItcIo by] Moel Fammau or ' Ofnbighshlre. MOEL FAMMAU TOWER, MOLD. ' mil of Mothers " is the highest point In the Clydian range on the mutual border between Flintshire and The tower was erected In 1810 In honour of George Ill's Jubilee, but was blown down by a gale in 1862. Flintshire 875 days even at the time of the tragic incident referred to, as Shakespeare, in King Richard II, makes Bolingbroke say : and No wonder " Go to the rude ribs of that ancient castle," " Let's march without the noise of threatening drum, That from the castle's tatter'd battlements Our fair appointments may be well perus'd." Poor Richard was on his way to a forced abdication and a violent and shameful death, the still more tattered battlements of the ruin wear a forlorn and sinister look ! Flint's crowning glory as the " county " town vanished to some extent when the assizes were removed to Mold. Even that badge of dignity, the gaol, has lap.sed into the unex- citing respectability of a private house. But though industry has its foot on the neck of the old place, the sea has to some extent aban- doned its association, and it has little to show commensurate with its ancient dignity. Flint still has a niche of its own in a work of this kind. Holywell, too, is an ancient place, and the " well " to which it owes its name is credited with miracles as miraculous as befell St. \\'inifred, through whom it came into existence. This seventh-century lady had the misfortune to be ardently loved by a fierce and unruly Prince of Wales, whose rough wooing, apart from other considerations, made him exceedingly distasteful to her. When pleading failed the Prince resorted to violence, and when violence failed he incontinently smote off her head. The head rolled down the hill and came to rest by the church. \\'onder of wonders ! A vast spring welled forth from the blood-stained ground ! Recognising the portent, St. Beuno came forth from the church, reattached the head to the trunk, and as the result of much prayer and sup- plication the lady returned to life. Such is the legend. The fact is that the spring, which became known as " St. Winifred's Well," has for ages been visited by afflicted pilgrims on account of the miraculous powers with which it is credited, and Holywell has become a British Lourdes to thousands of sincere and deeply religious men and women. Those who do not accept the spiritual significance of the place can thoroughly appreciate the beauties of St. Winifred's Chapel, built by the Countess of Richmond, Henry VH's mother, at a time when the Perpendicular style had reached its apogee. Railways Roads COPYRIGHT HROPSHIB,E GECGRAPHIA..9;3iL"' SSFLCHT S1RL[T LONDON ECf MAP OF FLINTSHIRE. Photo by] ^I'alcntittc & ifOtis. NANT-Y-FFRITH NEAR BWLCHGWYN. The oeautlful filcn of Nant-y-Ffrlth, seen In the photneraph. is traversed by a small tributary of the River Alyn. The large building a! the top of the picture is a family seat. Flintshire 877 Faith in the heahng powers of the well has also found expression in the numerous Roman CathoUc institutions and establishments which have come into being in the little village of Pantasaph, hard by. The Earl of Denbigh who was mainly instrumental in the " adoption " of the place for these sacred and charitable purposes, sleeps his last sleep in a hne tomb in the church. What remains of Rhuddlan Castle is far more picturesque and impressive than the fragmentary ruin of Edward I's fastness at Flint. The angle towers, mantled with ivy, rear their battered but majestic heads and still witness proudly to a time when Rhuddlan was a name to conjure with on the " border." It was on Rhuddlan Marsh that the first of the epic contests between Celt and Saxon took place in .\.d. 795. Fierce Offa captained the Saxon host, while mighty Caradoc performed prodigies of Photo by] [Valentine & Sons. THE LEETE, MOLD. Known as the Leete, this beautiful piece of scenery is the picturesque glen of the upper Alun. The best part of the Leete lies between Rhyd-y-Mwyn and Cilcain. valour as leader of the Welsh. Discipline and such military science as the age could boast prevailed over untutored courage, and good Welshmen still think mournfully of Rhuddlan Marsh. The first castle on the site (though " castle " is perhaps a complimentary term) fell before the fierce onslaught of King Harold in 1063, and its successor changed hands more than once before Edward I erected the existing structure in 1277. That great ruler and soldier made the new stronghold his headquarters during part of his Welsh campaigns, and it played no small part in his official and domestic life. It was here that he persuaded the Welsh leaders to accept his Carnarvon-born son as " Prince of Wales," with the guileful promise that they should have a prince of blameless character who had been born in Wales and could speak no English ! Of more practical importance to Wales in general and Flintshire in particular was his " Statute of Rhuddlan," which gave the former a constitution and the latter a name. 8/8 Britain Beautiful As one wanders among these splendid ruins memories of that epic period, so glorious for Edward, so tragic for Wales, crowd thick and fast. Time has healed those ancient quarrels, and Rhuddlan remains a splendid monument to the genius of the greatest of English sovereigns and that patriotic heroism of an ancient race which animates and inspires the natives of the Principality even to-day. For all practical purposes Dyserth Castle, Rhuddlan 's neighbour (and daughter of its predecessor) is little else but a memon,'. For all its strength and the natural advantages of the site, it was besieged and destroved bv a \\'elsh Prince worthy to rank with Edward I on the scroll of fame. Llewelyn-ap- Grvffvdd. It is not on this barelv recognisable relic that Dyserth bases its claim to distinction. \Miat Ptulo by] ■Valentine & Sons. ST. MARV'S WELL, ST. ASAPH. St. Asaph, or Llancluv as It Is sometimes called, has the distinction of beinfi the smallest •• city " in Britain. It occupies one of the most charming situations in North Wales in the middle of the Vale of <:l»yd. The cathedral at St. .\saph is the smallest cathedral of old foundation in the country'. raises it above nonentity is its church, largely a \'ictorian restoration, but the proud possessor of a glorious east window with a remarkable " Tree of Jesse," which is said to have come from the much-despoiled Basing%verk Abbey. St. Asaph enjoys the distinction of being the smallest " city " in Britain and possessing the smallest cathedral. But it can also claim to occupy a delightful situation in the beautiful Vale of Clwyd, where visitors feel a wholesome contempt of that spread of industrial civilisation which has done so much to make large areas of British countryside an eyesore. The cathedral itself arouses mixed feelings, due mainly to its very mixed history. No edifice, however beautiful in its original state, could be expected to survive the ravages of English and Welsh armies and a " drastic " restoration by Gilbert Scott (necessary though that may have been) without paying toll to such vicissitudes. Frankly, the existing structure, for its plainness, has lost most of its fine features, though in all Flintshire 88i fairness it must be added that Scott added a few which redeem him from any charge of being an official Philistine. Nevertheless, St. Asaph is a place of appealing memories. Its story carries us back to the dim but splendid days when Christianity was taming the savage character of the primitive Saxon. For the place and its church were founded by Kentigern, whom all good Scots know better as St. Mungo of Glasgow, and who flourished mightily in the sixth century. Curiously enough the new religious settlement took its name, not from the great missionary himself, but from one of his followers and aides-de-camp, Asa ; before that good man passed to his eternal rest the new church was the cathedral of a new diocese. From an architectural point of view the palm in Flintshire must certainly be awarded to the parish church of Mold. Here is a striking example of the high standard attained by the Perpendicular A GLEN NEAR YSCEIFIOG. [I'aUnline & Sons. Mentioned in the Domesday Book, Ysceifiog is situated on a tableland 4 miles south-west of Holywell. The stream which runs through this picturesque glen is a tributary of the Wheeler. style, even in what are comparatively minor buildings. Many other churches in the county deserve mention for beautiful or interesting features, but to do them justice requires more space than the limits of this survey will allow, and a mere catalogue would frustrate the underlying purpose of this work. Nothing has hitherto been said about the domestic architecture of the county, which does not, however, rank high compared with that of other counties in England and Wales. No doubt the stormy centuries through which the county — a border region — passed, made building for defence rather than appearance a necessity. The result is that with one or two exceptions the ancient mansions of Flintshire are not renowned for any special architectural or decorative features. From the historical point of view perhaps the most interesting is Mostyn Hall, mainly a Tudor edifice, though the earliest work can probably be assigned to the middle of the fifteenth century. 57 882 Britain Beautiful It was the scene of an occurrence which undoubtedly had an enormous effect on the course of British history. For it was through what is known as the " King's Window " that Henry Tudor leaped to safety when a part}' of Richard Ill's supporters made their way into his retreat and all but caught him. No man of lesser calibre would have been any match for crook-backed Richard, and yet there was no one else of Henry's calibre in the political field at the time. The moral is obvious. As a spectacle, Emral Hall is perhaps the best in the county, but few will refuse a measure of affectionate interest in Downing Hall, if only because it was the home of old Pennant, whose books of travels in Great Britain are packed with learning and wisdom, and still of unfailing pleasure to all who are interested in our country. He died in 1798 and was buried at Whitford. Flintshire also shines by \'irtue of its associa- tion with the ■■ G.O.M.," ("ihidstone, who made ll.iwardcn Castle his country home. The dav has perhaps gone by when a picture of Glad- stone felling trees in his park formed part of the (licorativc scheme of half I he cottages and humble (Kvelling-houses in the I'lincipality, but the 11,1 me and fame of the J I rat statesman are un- Mniibtedly something of which the county is still justly jiroud. It may also be proud of tiie riMnains of the fine lulwardian stronghold at Ilawarden, not to l)c confounded with tlie eighteenth-century mansion which is the courtesy " castle " in these days. The detached portion of the county can show some beautiful landscapes in and around tlic Dee Valley. Historically, its most interesting spot is Bangor-is-y-Coed, once famed for one of the largest and most flourishing monasteries in the four kingdoms. But e\-rn ;is i-;irl\- ;\s tli(^ sixtemth century its epitaph was " Ichabod." fholo liy] ST. WINIFRED'S WELL AND PLINGE BATH, HOLYWELL. St. Winifred's Well has often been called the " Lourdes of \\alcs " and is one of the " .Seven Wonders of Wales." The popular tradition is that the spring pushed forth from the spot to which .St. Winifred's head rolled after it had been struck ofT by Caradoc, the \\'elsh i*rince, in the seventh century. t'hoto by] [Valentine & itoiu,. FORFAR, FROM BALMASHANNER HILL. A place of great antiquity, Forfar is the county town and a royal burgh. The town had a considerable ancient standing and was a favourite residence of Canmore and Queen Margaret. Three Scottish kings are said to have held parliaments within its walls. FORFARSHIRE A COUNTY which includes within its borders the best of the second-best of the Grampians, the grandest of the all but grandest of the Highland glens, a picturesque strip of the Sidlaw Hills, the beavitiful vale of Strathmore, and a whole series of notable antiquities, from primitive defences down to the noble relics of castles and abbeys, has a right to expect justice in a work of this kind. Within somewhat restricted, and necessarily restricted, limits, an attempt will be made to convey some idea of the beauty and interest of a county which can offer an all-round selection of attractions difficult to match in any part of the British Isles. The plan followed here will be to make a start with the coimtv town, strike south over the Sidlaw Hills to Dundee, then contiiiue up the coast (on which nearly all the towns arc situated), and so end our journey in that mighty tangle of Highland mountain and valley which comprises the northern half of the county, and forms u very distinct and highly- characteristic geographical and historical region. The ancient castle of Forfar has to be imagined rather than seen, for not a vestige remains — which is hardly surprising, seeing tliat it was destroyed earl\- in the fourteenth century and within a few years of the visit of Edward I on Plvitrt hy] BALCAVIE LOCH, NEAR FORFAR. [Valci'.tlut- There are several picturesque lochs in the neighbourhood of Forfar. Balcavie Loch is situated 5 miles to the eastward of the town and is one of the smallest. cSS4 Britain Beautiful MONTROSE, FROM ROSSIE BRAES. [I'ulinUiit: & iuHS The royal burgh of Montrose stands on a peninsula at the point where the South Esk forms an estuary known as the Montrose Basin. Fishing, shipping, and shipbuilding are now the chief industries, but the town was a seaport in the later Middle Ages. his conquering tour through the county. An old poem gives a quaint description of its capture by " PhiHp the forestar of Platane " : " The castell of Forfar was then Stulfit all with Inglismen, But I'hilip the forestar of Platane Had of his frendis with him tane. And with ledderis all prevelv Till the castell he can him hy, And clam out our the wall of stane, And sagat has the castell tane Throu fait of wach with litill pane ..." and after various doughty deeds by the amazing eleven : " And all the towris tumlit war Down till the erd." " yiiecn Margaret's Inch." the island in Forfar Loch, recalls the name of the saintly and learned wife of King Malcolm Canmore. The jialace or castle that was once her residence has gone the way of its companion in the town, and the city, as it stands to-day, has nothing to recall its past greatness or its association with many of the leading spirits in Scottish history. Nor does it particularly suggest that it was for long a stronghold of Royalist principles and the bootniaking industry. Yet when the rest of Scotland was hard on the heels of Montrose, Forfar produced a jirovost, .\le.\ander Strang, Forfarshire 885 who represented the town in the Parliament of 1647, and made a vigorous protest to a hostile assembly against the surrender of Charles I to his enemies : " being asked his vote, Did with a tongue most resolutely denote In loyal heart, in pithie words, tho' few — ' I disagree, as honest men should doo.' " As to Forfar's prowess in the shoemaking line, it need only be said that the famihar "brogue" was for long a special product of the place. So much so that a scoffing chronicler records that : "By Handycrafts the Vulgar-sort do live : they pull off Bullocks-hydes and make them meet, when tanned, to cover handsome Virgins feet." Another sphere in which the town earned fame (or notoriety) was in the gentle art of witch- burning. James VI of Scotland and I of England put an immense amount of his rather silly and pettifogging erudition into a work on Demonology and Sorcery. Fired by this august example, the legislators of Scotland issued a famous statute for the prevention and punishment of witch- craft, and the towns vied with each other in diligence in carrying out the law. Jervise (whose Memorials of Angus and Mearns is of high interest) remarks that " there is scarcely a presbytery or session book of contemporary date that does not bear record of these deplorable proceedings ... or in the significant intimation of the ministers of rural parishes being present in the chief town of their neighbourhood ' at the tryal of witches and charmers ' instead of attending to their parochial duties." A relic of those grim days remains in the shape of a fearsome contraption of iron, known as the " witches' bridle," by which the wretched victims were not only hauled to the stake but actually pre- vented from making speeches or uttering any kind of sound while the horrid business was in progress. flwlu by\ ROCK OF ST. SKAE, NEAR MONTROSE. This curious rock on the shore near Montrose is typical of the variety of feature that the coastal scenery of Forfarshire presents. 886 Britain Beautiful The playfulness of the good citizens of Forfar also found vent in quarrels with their neighbours. It is recorded that as late as the middle of the nineteenth century the " sutors " (bootmakers) of Forfar and the weavers of Kirriemuir were at daggers drawn ; and " though now prompting only hard words and contemptuous nicknames, expressed itself, during a less civilised period, in acts of violence and deeds of clanship." The historian Drummond of Hawthornden quotes an absurd instance of the length to which feeling was carried. In 1648 he was turned out of Forfar for the double crime of defending King Charles and writing poetry. He made his way to Kirriemuir, whose views on these sins were just as harsh as Forfar's. But out of pure spite towarrl<- the common cnemv thev gave Pholo by] [l'aUnti)te (S- Sons. THE NEEDLE EYE, ARBROATH. This quaintly perforated rock Is situated a few miles to the east of Arbroath. That part of the Forfarshire coast which lies to the north of .\rbroath is the most interestinfi, on account of the many curious caves which pierce the cliffs. Drummond a royal reception, a courtesy he reciprocattd by writing an ode in which the sutors of I'orfar were damned as heartily as the weavers of Kirriemuir were praised ! It is recorded in Fullarton (1840) that Dundee " makes up by a dash of the picturesque, by its displays of opulence, and by the romance of its crowded quays, full apparently of plots which issue in the startling but delightful denouement, what it wants in the neat forms and elegant attractions of simple beauty. Its exterior, also, and its general grouping, and its richness of situation in the core of a brilliant landscape, eminently render it, as seen from the Fife side of the Tay. or from Broughty ferry-road, the justly lauded ' Bonny Dundee ' of song, and Ail-kc, ' the pleasant ' or ' the beautiful ' of Highland predilection." The Fifeshire view of the city is still a good sight, and there are some minds that can see romance in anything, but the least imaginative would admit that the last eighty years have played 1 E Q Z 3 « O u S & " a. = 'H 2 o I S Forfarshire 889 havoc with Dundee's claim to the title of " bonnv " in an aesthetic sense. It is busy and prosperous, with public buildings worthy of one of Scotland's greatest cities ; but ' beautiful," as Edinburgh is beautiful, it is not, pace the patriotic men of Forfar. Nor has it retained much of antiquarian or historical interest. To expect anything else would be to forget that it was stormed and sacked twice within a few years by those ruthless warriors the Marquis of Montrose and General Monk. Curiously enough, such ancient buildings as have survived seem associated mainly with memories of horror or violence. It was at the Old Port, the last relic of the city gates, that stout George \Vi.shart, the Reformer, preached to the sound and the stricken alike, when the plague was wreaking havoc in the city. Very shortly afterwards he suffered death by the stake at St. Andrews. The great Gothic tower which soars above the conglomeration of three Photo by] THE TAY BRIDGE, FROM BALGAY HILL. The present Tay viaduct replaces an older bridge that was destroyed during a terriiic gale in 1879. The new bridge carries a double line of rails and is one of the longest in the world, having a length of nearly 2 miles. churches under one roof (Town Churches), pleasantly known as " Old Steeple," was the scene of the last stand of the Royalist garrison against Monk's infuriated troopers in 1651. The old Castle of Dudhope in Dudhope Park enjoys a gloomy celebrity among the faithful in Scotland as the residence of the " bloody monster," Graham of Claverhouse. To turn from these grim memories of warring factions and mad passions to a triumph of modern engineering, Dundee is the northern terminus of the great Tay Bridge, successor to the ill-fated structure of which the centre portion collapsed during a terrible gale on the night of December 28, 1879, involving the destruction of a train and a heavy loss of life. The extraordinary expansion of Dundee during the last hundred years has a parallel (and, indeed, it is a case of cause and effect) in the growth of Broughty Ferry, now its best residential suburb. A century ago a few fishermen's huts clustered round what remained of the old castle, which was captured by an English force after Pinkie in 1547, and suffered the indignity of recapture by a motley host of 890 Britain Beautiful Scots, Germans, and I'rcnrh three years later. Tlie writer of a certain guidebook puljlished but a few years before the Great War records that the castle had recently been " repaired and fortified to guard the entrance of the Tay," One wonders whether the thought of the guns of Broughty Ferry struck terror into the hearts of the German nayal authorities ! In the yariegated story of its history Arbroath has an incident picturesque enough to be worth relating. At the height of the American War of Independence (1781) a French privateer, commanded by a bold sailor of the name of Fall, appeared off the town, fired off a few rounds at it, and then sent a messenger ashore with a flag of truce and a letter which docs credit to his linguistic ability : " Gentlemen, I send these two words to inform you, that I will have you to bring to the I'rench tese^a rliclo lyi CLAMIS CASTLE. This stately old pile is the finest example of the Scottish baronial style in e.\istence. For many generations It has been the chief scat of the Earis of ,Strathniore. Accordinj* to tradition. Maicolm II met his death c. 1033 in one of the rooms here, if true. this fact alone bears testimony to the (Jreat antiquity of the castle. colour, in less than a (piarter of an hciur, or I set the town on fire directly ; such is the ordrr of my master the King of I-'rance I am sent by. Send directly the mair and chiefs of the town to make some agreement with me. or I'll make my duty. It is the will of yours. "To Monsieur Mair of the town called .\rbr(iut,'lit. (ir in his absence, to the chief man after jiiiii in Scotland." The wily m.agistrates, plaN'ing for time while tlie\' scoured tlie connt\' for troops, re])lied tliat tlie important little matter of tiie figure of ransom had not bwn mentioned. The gifted l-'iciu Imian then sent a second letter : " Here are my terms ; I will iia\'e /30.000 sterlin-,' at least, and (> of the chiefs men of the town for otage. Be speedy, or I shoot your tnwn awav direclK', and 1 set liiv to it. I am. gentlemen, your Pholo by] THE SUN-DIAL, GLAMIS CASTLE. [Valentine & Sons. John, Earl of Strathmore, completed the older part of the present building in 1621. The quaint sun-dial near the entrance and the fantastic figures on the north and south gateways helong to this period. Forfarshire 893 servant. I sent some of my crew to you ; but if some harm happens to them, you'll be sure will hang up the main-yard all the preseners we have abroad. " To Monsieurs the chiefs men of Arbrought in Scotland." By the time this document arrived the magistrates were in a position to defv him and ordered him to do his worst. The " worst " turned out to be a heavy bombardment of so innocuous a character that we are told his cannon-balls merely plaved skittles with the chimney-pots and injured a few rash individuals who were foolish enough to pick them up while still hot ! But Arbroath has even greater claims to fame than this exciting (but too little-known) occurrence and the possession of the striking ruins of its ancient and magnificent abbey. As " Aberbrothock " it Photo by] ntine & Sons. THE DEN, NEWTYLE. Newtyle is a comparatively modern village that owes its origin to the opening of a railway to Dundee from this locality in 1832, The parish of Newtyle is situated on the south-west border of Forfarshire. appears in Southey's stirring ballad of " The Inchcape Rock," which every schoolboy has tried to recite at some time or other. It was the .\bbot of Aberbrothock who " placed that bell on the Inchcape Rock " which the wicked Sir Ralph the Rover removed out of sheer devilry. As we all know, the heartless criminal paid for his inhuman folly by subsequently losing his ship and his life on the selfsame reef. In the old legend on which Southey's ballad is merely an improvisation the evildoer was a pirate ; it is poet's fancy which has turned him into a gentleman thief with an Anglo-Saxon name. The placing of the bell was by no means the only inspiration or service of the Abbots of Arbroath. For centuries they were father and mother, guide, philosopher, and friend to the ancient town, and the abbey buildings were in every way worthy of their importance and dignity. For good or ill the 894 Britain Beautiful Reformation put an end to a rule which was on the whole beneficent, and the abbey was burnt in 1559 and then suffered to go to decay. It is onK^ in the proper order of things that the sur\i\-ing portions include the famous rose-window, the " O of Arbroath," which still serves the purpose of a guide to ships at sea, and it is only bare justice that time has preserved the grave of William the Lion, the eminent ruler who founded the abbey in 1178. On the whole, though the remains are fragmentary, there are many who can exclaim with Dr. Johnson that " I should scarcely have regretted my journey had it afforded nothing more than the sight of Aberbrothock." Not long after Johnson's encomium Walter Scott introduced Arbroath into The Anliqiiarv as " Fairport," so that its cup of fame may be regarded as full. Photo ^vl 1 :, . THK ENTRANCE HALE, CORTACHY CASTLE. The vHlaftc of C:nrtachy is 5 miles north of Kirriemuir. Cortachy Castle In the vicinity was not completed until the middle of the last century, and is a scat of the Earl of Airlie. The King's Room in the castle was occupied by Charles II in 1550. Those who tire of the intrusion of history into the field of nature will find the coast in tlie neighbour- hood of Arbroath all that the heart could desire. The great promontory of Red Head, beetling cliffs and romantic caves— the haunt of long-forgotten smugglers— give this part of the county a flavour of maritime wildness and grandeur which forms an effective contrast to the varied scenery inland. The old traveller Ochterlony sized up the merits of Brechin in his time very compendiously : ■' Lying very pleasanllie upon the north s\de of the water of Southesk, which runneth by the walls. The towne is tollerablie well built, and hath a considerable trade, by reason of their vicinity to Montro.ss, being fyvc myles distant from it ; but that which most enriches the place is their frequent faires and mcrcats, which occasion a great concour.se of people from all places of the countrey . . . they having a wecklv mercat every Tuesday throughout the yeare, where there is a great resort of Highland rnen ---I ^' [I'alentiite & Sons. THE DEN OF AIRLIE. This exquisite piece of Scottish scenery is situated in the parish of Airlie, on the western border of the county. The Den of Alrlie is one of the grandest ravines in this part of Scotland, and the waterfall is one of the most picturesque places on the course of the Isla. 896 Britain Beautiful with timber, peats, and heather, and abundance of muirfuull, and extraordinarie good wool in its seasone." The merits of Brechin as a feature of the landscape has also been summarised in an ancient rhyme with a quaint ring about it : " The finest view of Brechin may be got I-'rom a soft rising ground beyond the bridge, Where vou mav see the county every spot, And the town rising up a sudden ridge ; The castle, old cathedral, and what not. And the spire's griffin 'minished to a midge." Pholo In'] AIRLIE CASTLt. [Valentine & Sons. In the days gone by. Alrlle Castle ranked as one of the strongest fortresses in Central Scotland. A seat of the Earls of Alrlle. It was the " Bonnie House o' Alrlle " of .Scottish sonfi. Traces of the old building are to be found in the modern mansion erected on the site. The famous Round Tower of Brecliin, unless roped in with the " cathedral." appears to fall into the category of the " what not." With some justice, too, for these exotic structures (there are only three in Scotland) wear a curious, foreign look in the land of the Gael, and one's first instinct is to scan the horizon for flapping coat-tails and shillelagh. But though obviously related to the round towers of Ireland Brechin's specimen is bv no means unworthy of its nationality or its common ancestry in earlv Christianitv. It remains a striking example of the gract- and beauts' to which a perfectly .simply archi- tectural form can attain in the hands of a master of design. The cathedral, no part of which is as old as the tower, has to thank the twentieth century for a rescue from the indifference and philistinism of the eighteenth. In tiie strip of lowland, or indeed in the whole county, between the Grampians and the Sidlaws, none of the many country man.sions can vie in splendour and interest with the noble pile of Glamis, Forfarshire 897 the architectural features of which have become somewhat familiar since a notable recent event. The true secret of the attraction of Glamis has been put so well by Scott (in his Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft) that a quotation may be forgiven : " I have been myself, at two periods of my life, distant from each other, engaged in scenes favour- able to that degree of superstitious awe which my countrymen expressively call being eerie. " On the first of these occasions, I was only nineteen or twenty years old, when I happened to pass a night in the magnificent old baronial castle of Glammis, the hereditary seat of the Earls of Strathmore. The hoary pile contains much in its appearance, and in the traditions connected with it, impressive to the imagination. It was the scene of the murder of a Scottish king of great antiquity ; not indeed GLEN I.SLA, FROM TILCHAN LODGE. Sous. The River Isia rises near the borders of three counties and flows south-east through Glen Isla, 9 miles west of Milton of Clova, to the Tay near Cargill. Trout abound in the upper reaches of the river. Tulchan Lodge is a seat of the Earl of Alrlle. the gracious Duncan, with whom the name naturally associates itself, but Malcolm the Second. It con- tains also a curious monument of the peril of feudal times, being a secret chamber, the entrance of which, by the law or custom of the family, must only be known to three persons at once, viz. the Earl of Strathmore, his heir apparent, and any third person whom they may take into their confidence. The extreme antiquity of the building is vouched by the immense thickness of the walls, and the wild and straggling arrangement of the accommodation within doors. As the late Earl of Strathmore seldom resided in that ancient mansion, it was, when I was there, but half furnished, and that with movables of great antiquity, which, with the pieces of chivalric armour hanging upon the walls, greatly contributed to the general effect of the whole. After a very hospitable reception from the late Peter Proctor, Esq., then seneschal of the castle, in Lord Strathmore's absence, I was conducted to my apartment in a dis- 58 SgS Britain Beautiful tant comer of the building. I must own. that as I heard door after door shut, after my conductor had retired. I began to consider myself too far from the living, and somewhat too near the dead. We had passed through what is called ' the King's room,' a vaulted apartment, garnished with stag's antlers, and similar trophies of the chase, and said by tradition to be the spot of Malcolm'.s murder, and I had an idea of the vicinity of the castle chapel. " In spite of the truth of liistorv. the whole night scene in Macbeth's castle rushed at once upon my mind, and struck my imagination more for- cibly than even when I have seen its terrors represented by the late John Kemble and his inimitable sister." It would certainly not be feasible — even if possible with- out a breach of good manners — to give any idea of the magnifi- cence of Glamis or the innumerable historic scenes and stories with which it is associated. If an Englishman's home is his castle a Scotchman's castle is his home and should be safe from prying eyes, or pens. The true secret of its at- traction is that it is, and looks, a baronial fortress of the ap- proved picture-book pattern so extended and adapted as to form a comfortable modern mansion. The ancient keep, core of the whole edifice, still " frowns,'' as all well- brought-up keeps should, but the altera- tions and additions of the seventeenth and later centuries give promise of that luxury and magnificence properlv crrdiud id one of the noiiUst ami most ancient families of the land. It has had its tragedies too— and tiic most simple-minded knows that a tragedy or two is essential to give these ancient places the proper (ii(ra. Malcolm 1 1 , as has been said, was supposedly murdered here, though the veracity of the authorities on that iKirticular piece of scandal has been bitterly attacked, while the legend that makes Glamis the scene of Duncan's assassination by Macbeth is a piece of pure invention on the part of someone. Hut there is nothing doubtful about the cruel fate of Lady Glamis COPYRIGHI ge:ogt?aphia «3iL" MAP OF FORFAR.SHIRE. bbFULIblRLLlLOHDOHLC'i 1 ..■ 7^ " Forfarshire 901 in 1537. That unhappy lady was executed by burning on a charge of using witchcraft and sorcerous devices to compass the death of her sovereign, James V. On the post-mortem estabhshment of her guih- lessness Majesty was good enough to decree that the forfeited estates should be restored to the family ! Notwithstanding the romantic predominance of Glaniis, Kinnaird Castle has still a good claim to be what Ochterlony called its predecessor ; " without competition the fynest place, taking altogether, in the shyre ; a great house, excellent gardens, parks with fallow-deer, orchards, hay meadows, wherein are extraordinare quantities of hay, very much planting, ane excellent breed of horse, cattle and sheep, extraordinare good land." Its mediaeval features more or less vanished in the holocaust kindled by Earl Beardie in the middle of the fifteenth century, and the nineteenth century saw the replacement Photo by] [I'uUnliite & SoHi. ON THE NORTH ESK. That part of the North Esk which lies to the south of Battock Mount is known as Glen Esk. For about half its course the Esk forms the boundary of Kincardineshire; it enters the sea 3 miles north of Montrose. of what was left by the present Gallo-Scottish edifice. Though a somewhat exotic plant in the stern North it has a beautv and dignity all its own. This Earl Beardie. alias Alexander Lindsay, 4th Earl of Crawford (and likewise " Tiger "), was a true example of the type of picturesque but fierce and despotic titled ruffian with which the mediaeval history of Forfarshire abounds. The scene of one of those little incidents which illustrated the least pleasing side of his character was Finhaven Castle, now a ruined fragment, but in his day a baronial lair of the approved pattern. An ancient ballad tells how a minstrel, who had strayed into the grounds of Finhaven, was guilty of the indiscretions of his kind by chanting a gloomy prophecy of the defeat of Earl Beardie in an approaching encounter. Beardie's lady happened to hear this pessimist, and thinking she was doing both a good turn, introduced him to her lord. The bard repeated in plain 902 Britain Beautiful prose what he had put into verse, but his only reward was a horribly vindictive outburst on the part of the Earl : " ' X() more of thy tale I will hear ; But high on Finhaven thy grey head and lyre Shall bleach on the point of the spear ! ' The Ladie craved pity ; but nane wad he gie — The poor aged minstrel must die ; An' Crawford's ain hand placed the grey head and lyre On the spikes o' the turret sae high." Pholo try] [I'aUittme & Sons. EDZELL CASTLE. Tbe ruins of Edzell Castle stand near the entrance to Glen Esk, and fortii one of the most impressive relics of a mediaeval fortress in the county. Once a seat of the Lindsays, it is now the property of the Earl of Dalhousie. Small wonder that the gods took an avenging hand in the matter and produced, so tradition says, a frightful landslide which crumbled l'"inhaven into ruin 1 Montrose gave its name to one of the greatest and most picturesque personalities the seventeenth century produced — the " great " Marquis— and it can still show the house where he entered a very stormy world. But otherwise it has little to recall its ancient and honourable history — a history honoured by august figures such as John Baliol, Edward I, and the Old Pretender, in addition to the Royalist hero — and its tine public buildings and streets are mainly the product of the last century. It is to be feared that the horde of visitors who throng the town for the sake of its excellent golf links are mainly unaware that it was the scene of the Old Pretender's departure from Scotland on February 4, 1716. when the curtain fell on the tragi-comedy of the first Jacobite Rebellion. Photo by] LANDING ON TOWER STAIRS, EDZELL CASTLE. [Valentine & Sons. The ruins consist mainly of two tall towers, in different styles of architecture, connected by an extensive wall. The " Stirling Tower," the more Intact of the two, has a height of 60 feet and is the most imposing part of the ruins. Ph-ylo by] THE RIVER ESK FROM GANNOCHY. EDZELL. [Valentine & Sons. The bridlie, which spans Ihc Esk at this romanllc spol. dates from 1732. Gannochy is situated on the borders between Forfarshire and Kincardineshire, 1 mile north of Edzell. Forfarshire 905 Among the Grampian glens which are such a feature of the northern portion of the county Glen Esk takes a high place, if only because the North Esk has had the charming fancy to derive its being from tributary torrents which rush down from the higher slopes in picturesque and romantic ravines. In olden times it may be asserted with some confidence that Glen Esk's inhabitants had too much to do to spend time in admiring the view, for the valley was one of the main highways from the Highlands into the county, and down it poured raiders intent on " cattle-lifting," and diversions even more disturbing to the. law-abiding. The ruins of at least two ancient strongholds — Edzell Castle and the Tower of Invermark— remain as a witness to the effort to preserve Forfarshire for the cansf of civilisation. Photo by] THE ROCKS OF SOLITUDE, EDZELL. This is one of tlie pretty scenes which relieve the somewhat unsheltered aspect of the parish of Edzell. half in Forfarshire and half in Kincardineshire on the other side of the Esk. [Valentine 6- Sons, The parish is situated Edzell, battered and a fragment as it is, is still a splendid relic. Its great keep, the " Stirling Tower," commands a glorious view, and among those who have enjoyed that view was Mary Queen of Scots, during her memorable visit to the castle on August 25 and 26. 1562. The destruction of Edzell by rifling farmers and greedy speculators makes painful reading, but a grain of comfort can be snatched from the well-known story of the fate of a covetous individual who climbed to the top of the tower and began to lay about him with a crowbar in the hope of discovering buried treasure. The stairway gave way and left him insecurely perched on the wall, where he remained throughout a particularly wet night ! What Edzell is to Glen Esk, Inverquharity is to Glen Prosen and Glen Clova. Like Invermark, this ruined tower retains its iron gate or " yett," a form of defence which was not permitted without a special licence from the King. In The Land of the Lindsays, Jervis reproduces the document 9o6 Britain Beautiful in which " James be the grace of God Kinge of Scottis . . . haue gcvin andc grauntit full fredome facultez and spele licence to our loued familiare sqwier Alex of Ogilbv of Innerquharadv for to fortifie his house and to strenth it with ane Irne yhet Ouharfor [Wherefore] we straitly bid and commaunds that na man take on hande to make him impediment stoppinge na distroublace in the makinge raising hyngingc and upsettinge of the saide yhet in his said house ..." It will no doubt be gathered that its ancient strongholds are a special feature of this county. The list is by no means exhausted, for much might be said about Clova and Cortachy, Vayns and Hatton, and the interesting group in the south, Affleck, Mains, and Claypotts. But a mere catalogue of special features is dreary reading, and the writer must hope that his short survey will inspire some interest in a county which is of many-sided appeal and far too little known. :-^^^^' '^^ jf ^NRsk^ J'liulo by. BRECIUN CA.STLE. Wdcninit & Smis. The present Imnclsonie edince that has been erected on the site of the ancient castle is the chief seat of the Earl of Dalhousie. Before coniinft into the possession of its present owner the castle was the seat of Lord Panmurc. One aspect of the county which is probably lost on the ordinary traveller — and even the native — but of high interest to all who hnd pleasure in the rise of civilisation out of the mire of barbarism, is its wealth of antiquities of pre-Christian times. Quite an illuminating picture of tlu- manner of life of our primitive forefathers can be pieced together from the remains to be found in the county. Cairns, barrows, and mounds show what they did with their dead. Clearly they had not yet coined the saying " Out of sight, out of mind." Relics of the ir dwellings, whctlur " crannogs " (lake huts) or " weems " (houses dug in the earth with concealed entrances), show that insecurity of Hfe was ever present to their minds. But perhaps the most interesting remains of their activities are the hill forts, of which two striking examples are to be found in the Brown Catirlhun and the White Caterthun. Perhaps it is only to be expected that the ordinary traveller sliould care for none of these things. Ml we can say is that a little knowledge and curiosity in such matters open the door to a true world of romance. I'hoto by [Wllenline 6- bun^. DOORWAY IN ROUND TOWER, BRECHIN CASTLE. Some idea of the age of the original Brechin Castle may be gathered from the fact that Edward I occupied it for some time in 1296 The castle was built in a strong position on a rock overhanging the Esk. Pholo by BRtCHlN CA IHtDRAl,. Said to have been founded by David I, the Calliedral-church of St. Ninian is llie oldest ecclesiastical building in Scotland that is still used as a place of worship. With the exception of the one at Abernethy, the round tower on the left of the cathedral is the only building of its kind on the mainland of Scotland. The interior contains seven stories connected by a series of ladders. 1 PMo by] raltnttne 6- Sons. ON THE NORAN, BRECHIN. The Noran Water Joins the Ksk 4 miles south-west of Brechin. One of the oldest cities in Scotland, IJrechIn was " dedicated to the Lord " in the tenth century. It is situated on the South Esk, nearly 9 miles west of Montrose. t I COUNTY GALWAY GALWAY is very definitely one of the " parson's egg " counties of Ireland. But although the dullness of some of its scenery is beyond redemption the goodness of the " good " parts is beyond praise, and as even the drearier regions contain no lack of interesting antiquities, and the whole county is steeped in that atmosphere of wistful tradition and legend so dear to every Irish heart (and every romantic heart, for that matter), Galway deserves a high place in the affections of every Briton. Entering the county from the centre of the Island the traveller soon finds the village of Aughrim Photo by] I^''- Lawmice. SKY ROAD, CLIFDEN. Clifden is a seaport town of modern origin. In 1815 Mr. John D'Arcy bouglit a large property here and built Clifden Castle ; since then the place has rapidly grown into a market town and carries on a considerable trade in fish. and its famous battlefield in his track. Macaulay's spirited account of the action in his History is worth reading, not only as a good battle story, but for a vivid record of the condition and appearance of southern Galway at the close of the seventeenth century. His description of the scene at the close of the encounter is worth quoting : " The English slept that night on the ground which had been so desperately contested. On the following day they buried their companions in arms, and then marched westward. The vanquished were left unburied, a strange and ghastly spectacle. Four thousand Irish corpses were counted on the field of battle. A hundred and fifty lay in one small enclosure, a hundred and twenty in another. But the slaughter had not been confined to the field of battle. One who was there tells us that. 9IO Britain Beautiful from the top of the hill on which the Celtic camp had been pitched, he saw the countrw to the distance of near four miles, white with the naked bodies of the slain. The plain looked, he said, like an immense pasture covered by flocks of sheep. As usual, different estimates were formed even by eye-witnesses. But it seems probable that the number of the Irish who fell was not less than seven thousand. Soon a multitude of dogs came to feast on the carnage. These beasts became so fierce, and acquired such a taste for human flesh, that it was long dangerous for men to travel that road otherwise than in companies." Pholo by [M*. L' and takes a high place among the beauty spots of Ireland. The lake is 3 miles long and occupies a beautiful valley a little above Lough Derryclare, 11 miles east of Clifden, wwMsww^^w^ y:-^&- :^m^^ ^y -; .-v..^. : i-:--y^iitri.i«fa,ij^ [W. Lawrence. LEENANE. Lying at the head of Killary Harbour, Leenane is a small fishing hamlet, chiefly known as a tourist centre for those intent on exploring the beauties of Connemara. Photo by) ST. JARLATH'S CATHEDRAL, TUAM. [iV. Lawnnce. This fine edifice Is built In the Perpendicular style. Both the exterior and interior are richly and expensively decorated. Outside the cathedral are statues of Archbishop McHale and William Hurke. Tuam was founded as a religious establishment in the sixth century by St. Jarlath. GLAMORGANSHIRE READERS of Wild Wales will remember how a burst of sunshine after rain roused old Borrow to rhapsody a mile or two on the right side of the Glamorgan border. " As I looked on the bright luminary I thought of Ab Gvvilvm's ode to the sun and Glamorgan, and with breast heaving and with eyes full of tears, I began to repeat parts of it, or rather of a translation made in mv happy boyish years." The ' part " that Glamorgan men must like best runs : " A land I oft from hill that's high Have gazed upon with raptur'd eye ; Where maids are trained in virtue's school, Where duteous wives spin dainty wool." Pholo by] CARDIFF FROM THE AIR. Aerofitms. Ltd. The largest coal port in the world, Cardiff is the principal town in Glamorgan. A town of considerable antiquity, it was known as " Tibia Amnis " in Roman days, and was a military station of importance. No doubt the eulogy is as well deserved now as seventy years ago, and though King Coal has grievously disfigured the fair countenance of Glamorganshire it remains full of charm and interest to those prepared to seek out its beauties. Busy Cardiff has little to detain us. The stronghold which Giraldus Cambrensis called the " noble castle of Caerdyf " has given place to an elaborate modern mansion, and only the skeleton of the ancient keep remains as a war memorial of the martial past. That si.xteenth-century Baedeker, Leland, records that " the towne of Cairtaphe is the principale of all Glamorganshire, is well waullid, and is by estimacion a mile in cumpace. In the wauUe be 5 gates. . . . The castelle is in the north-west side 922 Britain Beautiful of the town waulle, and is a great thing and a strong, but now in sum ruine." But, with the exception mentioned, all these things have gone, and the only other substantial record of Cardiff's mediaeval career is the Church of St. John's, with a beautiful Perpendicular tower. The neighbourhood, however, abounds in places of interest. A few miles north stands the splendid ruin of Caerphilly Castle, a glorious relic of one of the largest fortresses in the country. The picturesque and varied story of the great pile contains a full quota of battles, sieges, celebrations, and what not ; to linger over it is a temptation sternly to be resisted. But there is one incident in its career that deserves to be recorded for the light it throws on himian nature, and not merely the character of our rude forefathers. When the castle was captured by Queen Isabella and Mortimer early in the fourteenth century, we are told that " the quantity of live stock, provisions, etc., found within the walls is scarcely to be i- J- OLD ROMAN WALLS NEAU WHITCHURCH. The parish of Whitchurch stands on the River Tafl, a little to the north of LlandalT. Besides these old Roman walls there are traces of a barrow and a Roman camp, which are of interest to the antiquarian. credited. There arc said to have been taken here two thousand fat o.xen, twche thousand cows, twenty-five thousand calves, thirty thousand fat sheep, si.x hundred draught horses, two thousand fat hogs, besides two hundred beeves, si.x hundred sheep and one thousand hogs, salted ; two hundred tons of French wine, forty tons of cyder and home made wines." Small wonder that the garrison became slightly lethargic towards the close of the siege ! The old city of Llandaff has now become absorbed as a suburb of Cardiff, and its cathedral, which can trace its ancestry to a church founded in the seventh century, is now a medley of work of various styles with a strong flavour of nineteenth-century renovation and restoration. As might be expected in the circumstances, symmetry is not its strong point, but there arc attractive features in the Norman, Early I-Inglish, and Decorated styles ; and considering that the building was a ruin in the sixteenth century and merely a kind of outhouse to a scandalous Italian temple in the eighteenth. [H. J. Smith. ''""'" ' "^ OLD BEAl PRE CASTLE. This fine old Elizabethan ruin is situated a few miles from Cowbridge. The photograph shows the Palladiao porch. The castle is the ancient seat of the Basset family. Hhaio by] [H. J. Smith. A FIREPLACE, IJEAIPRE CASTLE. The impulur belief Is that the castle occupies the site of an early Welsh fortress, which was enlarfteJ b\ the Normans. The bulidlnfi was designed by a Welsh artist called Twrch, and is a quaint mixture of Gothic and Greek architecture. Glamorganshire 925 the wonder is that the nineteenth-century restoration was so successful in recovering and restoring the ancient beauties of the edifice. The old castle of St. Pagan's has been absorbed into the modern mansion of the same name. St. Pagan's is also famous locally for a stiff action in the Civil War (May 8, 1648) described by the Parliamentary commander, Colonel Horton, in the following terms : " This day about nine of the clocke it pleased God that wee engaged with them [a ' generall conjunc- tion of most able bodied inhabitants of the counties of Pembrook, Carmarthen, and Cardigan, and many of Glamorgan '] at a place called Saint Fagons . . . and for two hours had a very hot dispute, but at length by God's mercy they were put to a totall rout, many slaine upon the place, and about three thousand prisoners, great store of armes, and ammunition, and many colours." The coast between Cardiff and Swansea, though comparatively tame compared with the finest cliff scenery of the country, has much to show of beauty or interest. The visitor to Barry Docks will Pholo by] NEATH ABBEY. Neath Abbey was founded in IIU by Richard de Granville for the Cistercians. Little remains of the church but the outer walls of the nave and part of the west front. The building has been described by Leland as the " fairest abbey in Wales." be surprised to learn that Leland was quite accurate when he said that " the passage into Barrey Isle at full se is a flite shot over, as much as the Tamise is above the bridge. At low water, there is a broken causey to go over, or else over the shalow streamelet of Barrey Brook on the sands. The isle is about a mile in cumpace, and hath very good corne, grasse and sum wood. T/ure ys no dwelling in the island, but there is in the middle of it a fair little chapel of St. Barrok where much pilgrimage is usid." St. Donat's Castle, west of Barry, has had the luck to remain in occupation throughout its career, with the result that a portion of the original Norman fortress and its e.xtensions remains, and has been skilfully combined with sixteenth-century additions to form a very interesting example of the baronial mansion of old Several features of the internal decoration are unusual and remarkable, particularly the Grinling Gibbons carving. The ancient castle of Dunraven has completely vanished, to the regret of all familiar with its picturesque history. To the usual crop of tales of secret dungeons, mysterious murders, and kidnapped Q26 Britain Beautiful maidens it adds a pleasant variant in an odd stor\- of one of the owners of Dunraven which is related in Grose's Antiquities. This gentleman, it is to be feared, was greatly addicted to the pastime of wrecking, devices such as displays of lights along the shore being his method of attracting ships to shore. But one day retribution overtook him. Two of his sons rowed out to the Swiscar Rock, forgot to secure their boat properly, and were duly drowned in sight of the house. Unfortunately the spectators included the nurse of the youngest son, who was just able to walk. In her agitation she left her charge unattended for a few moments, during which the young hopeful fell into a tub of whey and was also drowned. This particular portion of the county is studded with ancient remains, ecclesiastical and otherwise, and there are few such happy hunting-grounds for the archseologist. Of the churches, facile princeps is the church of Ewenny Priory, notable as perhaps the best specimen of pure Norman work in Wales. " So far as it exists at all," says Freeman, " it exists very nearly as it was originally built, and it con- Pholo hy] OYSTERMOUTH CASTLE, SWANSEA. [G. W. Riy. The present structure is supposed to have heen completed by the De Braose family in 1287, but it was partly restored in the nine- teenth century by the Duke of Beaufort. The building was used more as a residence than as a fortress, and the remains form an interesting specimen of the Edwardian castles. sequently shows us what a religious edifice raised by invaders in the midst of a half-conquered country- was required to be. . . . The western limb formed the parish church ; the choir, the presbytery, and the appendages formed the church of the priory. . . . The parish church could not be concealed within the monastic enclosure : the parishioners must have free access without passing through the gateway of the monastery, consequently the whole north side was exposed, while the monastic buildings were attached to the south. The result is that the church itself becomes part of the lino of defence, and hence the extent to which it assumes a castellated character." But by far the most picturesque ecclesiastical ruin in the county is Neath Abbey, a refreshing oasis of decayed loveliness in a wilderness of modern industrial ugliness. " Somewhat to the south," wrote Borrow — and he might be writing to-day — " rose immense stacks of chimneys surrounded by grimy diabolical buildings, in the neighbourhood of which were huge heaps of cinders and black rubbish. From this pandemonium, at the distance of about a quarter of a mile to the south-west, upon a grey meadow, stood, looking darkly grey, a ruin of vast size with window holes, towers, and arches." N Ct:: ^ - iifj » I'h.j!.. /,;. C. KaJ. t:AERPlllLLY CASTLE. This famous custic Is the largest In Wales, and In fact is second only in size to Windsor among the castles of Great Britain. It •*as built In 1272 by Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester and Hertford, and came a great deal into prominence during the Civil War. It is now the property of the Earl of Bute. renowned far and wide for its picturesque combination of the beauties of wood and water, and the curious Gower Peninsula has much fine coast and abounds in interest. VVliat makes Gower of such fascination (certainly to a chauvinistic Englishman, or perhaps we should say Belgian) is that it is in Wales and yet not of it. In the far-away days of the first Henry, a colony of Flemings made this remote region their home, and their descendants have ever displayed a most mulish obstinacy in keeping themselves apart and preserving their national characteristics. The modern virtue of " being matey " has never appealed to them, with the result that Welsh names in this peninsula are quite a rarity, and the visitor experiences quite a shock at finding himself in a spot such as that whirh is called— in the homeliest Anglo-Saxon — Blackholc Gut. GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL AND THE SEVERN. The cathedral is almost as well known as the city to which it belongs, and it forms a fine feature of the surrounding country. The building stands on the site of a nunnery founded in the eighth century, and has been a cathedral since 1540. During the last century it underwent a thorough restoration by Gilbert Scott. GLOUCESTERSHIRE 'T^'HE noble city of Gloucester traces its descent through the Saxon Gleawanceastre and the Roman ■*■ Glevum to the British Caer Gloti, and it need hardly be said that its ancient lineage is worthily matched by its long and interesting story and the by no means unimportant part it has played in our history. When the Roman invasion penetrated to the line of the lower Severn the great imperialists found a hardy and warlike people, the Silures, settled in what is now known as the Forest of Dean on the western bank. Against their inroads they erected a strong fortress. A man who stands at the crossing of Southgate Street, Westgate Street, Northgate Street, and Eastgate Street is sharing the road with the ghosts of Roman legionaries who built and manned the camp of Glevum. The military importance of the site ensured Gloucester a place in history until war became an extinct pastime in England. Right up to the seventeenth century its name is continually cropping up in our annals, and generally, be it said, to its credit. Perhaps the only stains on its scutcheon — for which it cannot be held responsible — are King John's predilection for the place, and the fact that it unwittingly accepted a charter from wicked crook-backed Richard at the very moment that monster was issuing a secret order from Gloucester Castle for the murder of his young nephews in the Tower. The " great " event in the history of the city is undoubtedly the famous siege of 16.43, for it was the failure of Charles to capture the Parlia- mentary stronghold at this critical juncture that marked a turning-point in the Civil War. A very picturesque account of the event may 60 THE CLOISTERS, GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL. The cloisters date from 1351-1412. A feature of interest are the sculptured recesses constructed for the writing of manuscripts. The north side is adorned with a large amount of tracery. 930 Britain Beautiful be fonnil in William Sanderson's Complcat History Herbert l-ellon. MEDLBVAI- HOUSE. PHUn by] f,ntr\nc;f, to ci.oistkrs, thk As fur as Is knawn, the (un-lracery In the cloisters Is an original Idea of the Gliucester masons. The beautiful "Little Cloister" Is reache.-l by a vaulted passage at the end of the cast walk. of the Life and Raignc of King Cliaiies from His Cradle to his Grave. His description of the town at that time shows " the Works large, and not perfected from the South Gate eastward to the North Port, defended with an old Wall lined with earth, with a slender Work at the end thereof, with a Stone Barn that commanded several ways ; upon the lower part of the City from the North to the West Gate, there was a \\'ork newly raised, and the advantage of ;\larshgrounds without, and a Line drawn within from the inner North Gate under the College Wall to the Priorie of St. Oswalds, the West side defended by the River, the meadows beyond level with the Town, from the Castle to the South Port with a firm and lofty Work which commanded the ground in the Suburbs ; the Ditches narrow, but full of \\'ater round about." That the citizens were of high mettle is shown by their reply to the royal summons to surrender, in which His Majesty was " graciously pleased to let all the Inhabitants, Souldiers, and others to know, that if they yield, all shall have pardon. . . ." We the Inhabitants, Magistrates, Officers and Souldiers icitliin this Garison of Glocester, unto his Majesties gracious message return this humble Ansiver, That we do keep this Citie According to our Oath and Allegeance, to and for the use of his .Majestic and his Royal Posteritie, and do accord- ingly conceive our selves "d'holly bound to obcv the Commands of His Majestic, signified by both Houses of Parliament, and are resolved bv God's help to keep the Citie accordingly. Gloucester has always moved with the times and refused to rest on its historic oars. The atmosphere of sleepy tranquillity wliicli is so characteristic of an ancient " cathedral " city is w holly alien to its tastes and purposes, and where antiquity and progress have irremediably clashed anticjuity has had to give way. The result is that, with a few e.xccptions, the evidences of its great age must be sought for either below ground or (like the remains of the Roman walls) in cellars. Fortunately its finest media;val monument, the cathedral, lias escaped not only destruction but drastic restoration, a blessing for which we must thank the Parliamentarian svmpathies of the citizens in the Civil War. l-"or in view of their eminent services in the struggle, Cromwell had no option but to grant their request that their beautiful church should be spared. Pholo bv] [UnderwQoi Press Service. THE CRYPT. GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL. The crypt dates from the same time as the nave, and extends beneath the choir transept and Lady ChapeL The canopied tomb of Edward II gives an added importance to the cathedral. Fholo 6v; /'I'iA I'lmla Co. THE NEW INN, GLOUCESTER. This Inn was built In the fifteenth century, and ha? been almost entirely preserved In Its orliJInal form. In Elizabethan days, plays were often performed at these Inns by strollint> players, on a temporary stafie erected In the courtyard. It Is from this design that the Elizabethan theatre has been modelled. Gloucestershire 933 As it stands, the edifice exhibits remarkable work in the Norman and Perpendicular styles, one very interesting feature being the manner in which the Perpendicular architects and masons used the existing Norman choir as a kind of framework for a complete recasing in the style of their day- Thus, while the greater part of the nave is characteristically Norman with its huge and lofty cylindrical piers, the choir appears to be pure Perpendicular, unrivalled perhaps in the beauty and delicacy of its wealth of ornamentation. The tower may claim to be the finest in the country, and the cloisters certainly have no rival in the British Isles. The fan-tracery of the roof loses the effect of distance which makes that of King's College, Cambridge, such a wonder, but in purity of design Gloucester triumphs over its famous rival on the Cam. '^ m ■''"^.''HS^ I;' ■^JS:C2shWf»'^'VM II \ King. '' ' THE CHANTRY, BERKELEY. This curious structure is known as Dr. Jenner's Summerhouse. Dr. Jenner was a native of the town, and his ashes have been burled in the fine Early English church. The town of Berkeley has an interesting history, and figured in Domesday as a royal Even the most summary and selective recital oi the beauties of this fine church must include the great east window, the largest in the country. Its stained glass is a miracle of fourteenth-century crafts- manship. Of the many monuments the most notable is the elaborate tomb of Edward II. ^^■hen that wretched monarch came to his ghastly end at Berkeley Castle the Abbot of Gloucester gave his corpse a burial-place after his brethren of Bristol, Malmesbury, and Kingswood had refused to receive it on any terms. For once, human feeling met with its reward, for the murdered monarch's shrine became a great place of pilgrimage, and much of the glory of Gloucester was made possible by the accumulation of their offerings. A somewhat curious feature of the church is the passage behind the east v/indow known as the 934 Britain Beautiful " Whispering Gallery." The name calls for no explanation, especially as an inscription in the wall enforces a useful little moral lesson : " Doubt not but God, who sits on high, Thy secret prayers can hear. When a dead wall thus cunningly Conveys soft whispers to the ear." The ancient castle of Gloucester was already in ruins in the eighteenth centm-\', when its last fragments were removed to make room for a new County Gaol, which was " commenced," we are Photo !)vl CLIFTON DOWNS, BRISTOL. CIKUin Is Ihc high-ljlng residential suburb situated at the west end of Bristol. It is perhaps best known in connection with the fatuous public school founded there in lKb2. told, " from the designs, and uiidrr the direction, of Sir George Onesiphorus Paul, Bart., who.se indefatigable attention to the interests of .society, as manifested in the plan of this structure, and a code of laws drawn up for its government, merits the most unlimited aj^probation " {Brayley and Britlon). Of the other mediaeval relics of the city the most important arc the iiicturesque New Inn (a characteristic timber house of the middle of the fifteenth century), the churches of St. Mary-de-I.ode, which covers the site of a Roman timple, St. Mary-de-Crypt, and St. Nicholas, fragments of the (irey Friars and Black Friars and of I.lanthony Priory. From Gloucester one's thoughts stray naturally to that other outstandin.n tnuinph of church architecture. Tewkesbury Abbey. Norman ecclesiastical art has never touclud a higher point tiian Ph.Jo by) ABBEY GATEWAY, BRISTOL. [U nderwooU Press Sefvice. This fine sculptured gateway was built as an entrance to Fitz-Harding's Abbey of St. Augustine, founded in 1142, and remains to this day practically in its original state. HHHH' ' ii J ' JI^HHf / 'ZW ■ ^'^ '' j^jim^^^^^^^ aSLi /^''f-..: . ^■^ ■-i ■ ,- i||i ..y ^^m ^SB9S^1^<^^&tV^Si^^^9K^m^^w^^^^^^ ■*^>. -.•"•■' ".*i^^ M^ VyTl^ZBMB^v ^f?JBgrMi nP^Si^'^ Js^^^ffi '-'^ .,■'■ .^■-.■|<-; ^Mff1if^^^^M:^HWP^S if^Kfc. S4 ^ j^lk^'.. '^■.-' ■^'^- '^""^ , ^;. . "^^i^; "k ' ^^ Jmmst^ till :■■ id \ wBKm ^■-^^: T^^^^' 4tf^jfiftD ^' ^ 1^ Ui^ -1" Tt war .^ 4^ ^ k. \ _ 4 Gloucestershire 937 in the noble nave and tower of this beautiful edifice, and the Decorated choir, with its windows and the elaborate groining of the roof, is a dream in stone and blends admirably with the plain but stately work of the eleventh century. The fame of its monuments is equal to that of the building itself. Here lie Sir Guy de Brian, the standard-bearer at Crecy, Hugh Despencer II, unhappy Edward II's unhappy favourite, and a multitude of other worthies. Whether Prince Edward, son of Henry VI, was buried in the abbey church after being foully done to death at the close of " Tewkesbury Field," is a vexed question. Tradition assigns him a grave beneath the tower, but " authority " inclines to the view that his mangled corpse was cast into the common pit which closed on the other victims of that horrid carnage. Plioto by SYMOND'S YAT. [Herbert Fellon. The station of Symond's Yat is in Gloucestershire, and so may be said to come within the scope of this county : but the famous beauty spot, or which a part is shown in the photograph, overlaps into the adjoining county of Herefordshire. Peaceful Tewkesbury ' No English town wears a more placid and old-world air, and the grass grows gi^een and kindly on "Bloody Meadow," where the frightful passions roused by the Wars of the Ro.ses were translated into slaughter and murder most foul. In the course of the action Prince Edward, last hope of the House of Lancaster, was taken prisoner by Sir Richard Crofts, good soldier and honest man. The sequel shall be left to the quaint but vivid words of Grafton's Chronicle : " After the field ended. King Edward made a Proclamation, that who so ever could bring Prince Edward to him alive or dead, should have an annuitie of an hundred pound during his life, and the Princes lyfe to be saved [the italics are mine]. Sir Richard Croftes, a wise and a vaHant knight, nothing mistrustyng the Kings former promise, brought forth his prisoner Prince Edward, beyng a goodly feminine, and a well featured yong gentleman, whom when King Edward had well advised, he demanded of him. howe he durst so presumptuously enter into his realme with banner displayed. 6i 93^ Britain Beautiful Photo by\ [Herbert l-dton. EAST END, DEERHURST CHURCH. A portion of this ciiurcli represents tlie remains of an eighth-century Saxon monastery founded in 715 by Duke Dodo. Canute and Edmund Ironside met here and made their plans for dividing the Itingdom. The prince being bold of stomack, and of a good courage, answered saiy- ing, to recover my father's Kingdome and enhcritage, from his father and grandfather to him, and from him, after him, to me Hneally disccnded. .\t these wordcs King Edward sayde nothing, but with his hand thrust him from him, (or as some sav, stroke liim with his gauntlet) whom incontinent they that stoode about, which were George Duke of Clarence, Richard Duke of Gloucester, Thomas Marques Dorset, and WiUiam Lord Hastyngs, sodainly stroke & cruelly murthered hirn. . . . His bodve was homely en- terred with the other simple corses, in the Church of the Monastery of blacke Monkes in Tewkesbury. This was the last civile battaile that was fought in King Edwarde? dayes, which was foughten the thirde day of May, then beyng Sat- urday. And on the Monday next ensuying was Edmond Duke of Sommerset, John Long- strother Prior of saint Johns, syr Garvays Clifton, svr Thomas Tressham and xij. other Knightes, and gentlemen behedded in the market place of Tewkesbury." Fortunatelv or r.nfor- t u n a t c 1 y , T e wkesbury bears hardly any trace of this melancholy inci- dent in its career. Its ancient sixteenth- and seven tee nth -century houses (hardlv any Eng- lish town possesses so many) have an air of ancient peace totally Photo bv] [Herbert Felton. . -i i i -.i » THE SAXON CHAPEL, DEERHURST. irreconcHablc With wars Anciently known as Deortyrst, the village of Deerhurst stands on the River Severn, 2 miles alarms, south-west of Tewkesbury and close Ifi the Worcester border. The church has the distinction of i ■ i being said to be the earliest In England. The third great Taylor. Photo by-[ TEWKESIU RV ABBEY. Tewkesbury is well known for its fine Norman parish church, which is aU that remains of the celebrated monastery that was founded there in 715. The Abbey Church was begun about 1102 and the nave was completed in 1150. Pholo 6y" TEWKESBURY ABBEY. /■". Tiiylor. As well as for Us ecclesiastical associallons. Tewkesbury Is well known as the scene of a battle In I47I, In the " Bloody Meadow." The town Is the " Nortonbury " of Mrs. Cralk's '• .John llulifax. Gentleman." and Mr. Pickwick once patronised the Hop Hole in company with Bob Sawyer and Ben Allen. Gloucestershire 941 church of the county is the cathedral of Bristol, in which a modern nave is united to Norman transepts and a Decorated choir, the whole being crowned by a Perpendicular tower. Though quite in the second rank of British cathedral churches, Bristol indubitably has its points : the Norman chapter-house is a gem of its kind, much of the ancient glass is as good as any to be found in the country, and several of the monuments are of great interest and beauty. There are several ancient churches — or churches incorporating ancient work — in Bristol, a description of which cannot be condensed into the compass assigned to the county, but an exception must certainly be made in favour of the " Mayor's Chapel," which can trace its origin back to the early thirteenth century and possesses a vestry of late Perpendicular work which can hold its own with any examples of the style to be found in the country. THE BLACK BEAR, TEWKESBIRV. Il.rbert Felton. This quaint old building is a coaching inn, dating from 1650. Tewkesbury streets are full of ancient half-timbered houses, a number of which have been preserved by the citizens and restored to their original form, exposing many fine bits of old archi- tecture, that had long been concealed under ugly plaster fronts. Evidences of Bristol's militarv and maritime importance in the Middle Ages have tended to vanish with those of its religious importance. Its castle has long since disappeared, but the arts of peace yet flourish and the city can still claim to lead the van of progress in the West Country. Its citizens have a reputation for their high degree of civic spirit, and have no doubt long lived down the stain on their scutcheon earned by unholy activity in the slave trade. An ancient writer speaks feelingly of the energy Bishop Wulfstan threw into combating that ignoble business at the beginning of the eleventh century : ' There is a seaport town called Bristol, opposite to Ireland, into which its inhabitants make frequent voyages on account of trade. Wulfstan cured the people of this town of a most odious and inveterate custom, which they derived from their ancestors, of buying men and women in all parts of England and exporting them to Ireland for the sake of gain. The young women they seduced, and carried them 942 Britain Beautiful to market in their pregnancy, that they might bring a better price. You might have seen with sorrow long ranks of j-oung persons of great beautj', tied together with ropes, and daily exposed to sale ; nor were these men ashamed, O horrid wickedness ! to give up their nearest relations, nav their own children, to slavery." Every visitor to Bristol soon has it brought home to him that in early days the Lord of Berkeley was more or less the local " King." Berkeley Castle, their stronghold, lies up the Severn just before the great bend of that river opposite Newnham is reached. Every schoolboy knows that the Castle was the scene of the murder of Edward II in 1327, but it is fortunate that history can show practically no parallel to the manner in which the atrocious crime was carried out. In order that the ENTRANCE GATEHOUSE TO .STANWAY HOUSE. //,../.: Stanway House belongs to the Earl of Wcmyss. The village is situated in tlle Wincliconilt district, SI miles south-west of Campden. corpse could be exhibited as displaying no sign of death Ijy violence, tliosr arch-liends, .Maltra\-crs and Gourney, thrust a hollow tube into the King's body and through the tube a red-hot iron was then forced ! But no one was deceived. The horrid deed has often been commemorated both in prose and verse : " Mark tlie year and Uiark the night. When Severn shall re-echo with affright ; The shrieks of death through Berkeley's roofs that ring — Shrieks of an agonising King ! " But Holinshed's prose, ghastly in its very simplicity, has a far more effective ring than Gray's somewhat pompous verse : " Miscrie did move manv within the castiU and town of Berkelei to compassion, plainelic hearing him utterawaileful noyse, as the tormentors were about to murder him ; so that dyvers being awakened 5 Railways Roads LongiUjde W of Greenwich g COPYRIGHT Qi.0Qrt>.pm/«.,2vi'^ ssnar smar L0ND0N.EC4. MAP OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE. Photo by] ^Hcrhcrt Fdto THE DEVIL'S CHIMNEY, LECKHAMPTON. The hill on which this curiously shaped rock is situated commands an exquisite view of the surrounding country. In the photo- firaph, the outline of c:heltenham can be seen in the distance. Lcckhampton village stands under the c:otswolds. 2} miles south of Cheltenham. Gloucestershire 945 Photo by] THE MARKET HOUSE, CHIPPING CAMPDEN. Jl.ibcl idtun. Situated 9 miles soutii of Evesham, Chipping Campden is a marlcet town of considerable antiquity. It was once the centre of the Cotswold wool trade. The market hall is situated on an '* island " in the wide main street. therebye (as they them- selves confessed) prayed heartilie to God to re- ceyve his soule, when they understode by his crie how the matter went." It is but common justice to add that the Lord of Berkeley of the time, though nominally Ed- ward's keeper, was entirely innocent of all complicity in the crime. The tower, and perhaps the very room, in which the ghastly deed was done, yet remain, and as there has been little substantial alteration to the structure in the course of the centuries, Berkeley Castle is perhaps the most illuminating example of a feudal stronghold still left to us. Thornbury Castle could hardly hope to rival Berkelev, as it never had more than a start. But that start was certainly a " fair " one, for the Tudor editice, the completion of which was prevented by the tyrannous execution of its builder, Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, in 1523, is even now one of the finest things of its kind. Its splendid bay windows and elaborate chimneys an remarkablv characteristic and beautiful work in that style. The unfortunate victim of Wolsey's ruth- less jealousy has claimed the authorship of this work of art by an inscrip- tion on the gateway which runs : " Thys gate was begon in the yere of our Lord Code MCCCCCXl. The ii vere of the Reyne of Kynge Henri the \TII. By me Edw. Due of Bukkingha, Erlle of Har- forde, Stafford, and Northampto." And twelve years later the headless corpse of this gentleman of many titles " ^ '^ ^ was tumbled into a name- "" ' grevil-s house, chipping campden. locc (Traiw in tVip Tnwpr nf William Grevil is one of the distinguished men especially associated with this town. A brass less grave Ul Uie lowtl ui ,j, ,^,3 ^g^o^y in the chancel of the local church bears the inscription " flos mercatorum tocius London ! Angiie." 62 94 6 Britain Beautiful \'ving with Gloucester itself in antiquity is the picturesque countrv town of Cirencester, the Roman Corinium and a place of considerable importance until the end of the medieval era. Considering its fame and fortunes, it is a little odd that so little in the way of tangible evidence of its greatness remains. But its castle was destroyed in the eleventh century and its splendid mitred abbey demolished, stone bv stone, at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, so that of its ancient splendour there is little to show but the parish church. But what a church it is, of the dimensions of a minor cathedral and the possessor of a magnificent tower and a south porch which is one of the architectural treasures of the country ! Between Cirencester and Gloucester lies the full width of the Cotswolds, a name which almost reduces the plain biographer of the county's beauties to a numb silence. For there is hardly a hill region in Great Britain which has inspired such a torrent of rhapsodical prose, verse, and song. And even the most unemotional of Anglo-Saxons must admit that, to say the least, these fair green slopes certainly Pholo 6>1 D^nms Mos<. RO.M.\N \1LLA, CHEUWURTH. The remarkable remains of a Roman villa at Chedworth are one of the most important in England. They were discovered and excavated in 1864, and are of great Interest to arcbi£ologists. They stand on the property cf Lord Eldon, who has given them for preservation to the National Trust. Stimulate any inborn tendency to lyricism. It is not merely that they produce an endless succession of highly characteristic and charming landscapes ; their atmosphere of peace and colour seems to ha\'e infected the villages, the farms and cottages, and even the very roads, which become avenues of enchantment instead of merely utilitarian channels of communication. To convey even a suggestion of the charm and interest of the Cotswold villages is a hopeless task where space is limited. Even a bald summary— unadorned by comment or rhetoric— of their best fea- tures, here a church and there a market-hall or a manor house or a collection of cottages, would be beyond the scope of this article. Round the Cotswold churclies alone, quit-e a formidable body of literature has grown up, and all that can be done here is to single out a w of the finest " sights " for special mention. No one with a love of great artistic achievement will deny the church of Fairford the highest place on such a list. It has acquired a world renown for the stained glass of its windows, a marvel of fifteenth- century workmanship which is said to have won from \'an Dyck the encomium that " many of the figures were so exquisitely well done that they could not be exceeded by the best pencil." The subjects FAIRFORD : RIVER COLN. n . Ileum. Mo This town was the birthplace of John Keble, the clergyman and poet. On account of its favourable position on the River Coin, Fairford is well known to anglers. UIllL'RY : UIVKK COLN. [ir. Dennis Moss. Btbury stands on the River Coin, 7'. miles north-east of Cirencester. The village Is close to Icknleld Street, and some Roman pavement and other relics have been found here. Gloucestershire 949 are mainly scenes from the Old and New Testa- ments, and it may contidcntly be asserted that these windows have no rival, not even the glass of King's College, Cambridge. Two names deserve eternal commemoration in this connection : that of John Tame, who procured the windows, and that of William Oldysworth, who had them removed and concealed during the Civil War and thus saved them from certain destruction. Memorable, too, is the little town of Painswick, and memorable not onlv for the beauty of its situation, the distinction of its old-world houses and cottages, its fine Perpendicular church, and the fact that Charles I once slept in its interesting Court House. In its churchyard is a famous assembly of yew-trees, which, incidentally, no one seems able to count properly, for the number varies in every account. The only thing certain is the falsity of an ancient tradition that there are ninety-nine, and that every attempt to complete the number up to the round hundred has alwavs been frustrated. For a gem of village scenerv the traveller need penetrate the county no farther than Bibury, where everv ingredient of rural charm is to be had for the seeing. Northleach, Bibury's northern neighbour, has probably forgotten that it was once one of the centres of the county's woollen industry, but it is not allowed to forget the dignity conferred Pholo by] [G. Long, A PORCH IN CIRENCESTER CHURCH. This fine parish church, mainly a Perpendicular structure, is 180 feet long, inakinft it one of the longest in England. The south porch has three stories and dates from 1500. CIRENCESTER PARK. This beautiful public park belongs to Cirencester House, a seat of the Earl of Bathurst. The grounds have been frequently visited by Pope and Swift, and were formerly known as Oakley Park. upon it by its beautiful church of SS. Peter and Paul. It is the local Westminster Abbey in more senses than one, for here generous and prosperous " woolmen " lie in fitting state in the edifice they did so much to raise and adorn. It is wholly refreshing to find a church which worthily com- memorates the arts of peace in this way, and where the mer- chant is found worthy to occupy the space usually devoted to the armoured knight or the feudal " bigwig " of the locality. If we must be a nation of shopkeepers, at least we need not be ashamed of the fact. Northleach is not. At Chedworth, not far distant, are the remains of one of the best Roman villas to be found in the country. 950 Britain Beautiful Few stronger contrasts can be imagined than the agreeable but somewhat urbane modernity of Cheltenham, a veritable hive of learning, and the old-worldly, unworldly air of ancient Winchcombe. Yet the latter was flourishing mightily and of high renown at a time when the famous spa did not exist. Of the celebrated mitred abbey of Winchcombe. nothing, alas, remains. " The more's the pity," for it contained the celebrated shrine of St. Kenelm, round whose name one of the best of the medieval stories centres. The saint was the young son of Kenulf, King of Mercia. and his very youth should have secured liim against the murderous designs of his sister. Ouendreda. However, the devil was mighty powerful in those times, and the lady thought nothing of ha\ ing her brotlicr .secretly despatched and buried out of sight in Clcnt Wood. " Murder will out," the\- say, and on this occasion the manner of its " out- ing " was passing strange. A dove fly- i n g over Rome dropped a note on the altar of St. Peter's, and in the note the place of the voung prince's inter- ment was given in remarkably concise and lucid Latin verse ! Sudeley Castle, which has been re- stored and made habitable, is not too far away to be the real Winchcombe " lion." It paid the penaltv for resistance to the Parliamentary forces in the Civil Wars by suffering " slighting," a pro- cess varying from dismantlement to total demolition. Fortunatelv, enough remains to make it not too difficult to conjure up the figures of Thomas Boteler, Lord Sudeley, Oueen Llizabelh, Baron Cliandos (■ King of the Cotswolds "), and other notables whose names figure prominently on its historical record. In describing the little town of Chipping Campden as the pearl of the Cotswolds, the author appreciates that he may give offence to several close ri\als. But if all but one of the Cotswold towns and villages were to be suddenly doomed to engulfment his candidate for sur\iv(jrsliip would unquestionably be this delightful old place, with its delicious assemblage of ancient houses of all sorts, shapes, and sizes, its tine Perpendicular church, and its memories of fat and prosperous wool-merchants. Nor must the corner acrcss the Severn be forgotten. The coal-stricken region is soon left behind and much delightful country can be foutid on the left bank of the Wye. THE TI1AMF..S NEAR ITS SOURCE. In the background of this photoiSraph may be seen the first bridge Mhich spans the Thames on Its way down from its source. The Thames is the longest and the inost important river In the British Isles. Photo 6j'] THE TRUE SOURCE OF THE THAMES. [ir. Dennis Mos- The River Thames has its source in four headslreams on the east side of the Cotswold Hills, the Isis, Churn. Coin, and Leach. These four streams unite and form the Thames, in the vicinity of Lechlade. z ■< X f- « o -1= S i - /Vn./r- l>y] CRAIGLEITH ISLAND. Graigleith is a small and rocky island in the Firlh of Forth^ situated 1 mile off the coast at North Berwick. place-names in Haddingtonshire, Graigleith is Gaelic. [C. Reid. Like many of the HADDINGTONSHIRE IF this short account of the main features of beauty and interest in Haddingtonshire (or East Lothian) begins with the ancient burgh of Dunbar, it is not out of any disrespect to places in the county which to any normal human being are more attractive. It is simply because the ancient castle, now a fragmentary ruin, pla\ed as large and important a part in the history of Scotland as any in the country. The town and its surroundings has never been put in a rosier light than that in which Carlyle {Oliver Cromwell's Letters and Speeches) saw it : " The small town of Dunbar stands, high and windv, looking down over its herring-boats, over its grim old Castle now much honeycombed, — one of those projecting rock-promontories with which that shore of the Frith of Forth is niched and van- dycked, as far as the eye can reach. A beautiful sea : good land too, now that the plougher understands his trade ; a grim niched barrier of whin stone shel- tering it from the chafings and tumblings of the big blue Ger- man Ocean. Seaward St. Abb's Head, of whinstone, bounds your horizon to the east, not very far off ; west, close by, is the deep bay and fishy little village of Belhaven : the gloomy Bass and other rock-islets, and farther the Hills of Fife, and foreshadows of the Highlands, are visible as you look seaward. . . . Landward a^ you look from the Town of Dun- bar there rises, some short mile ££ J 1 i- ^ X 1_ Photo bv] Jni^).nil '/n;,' off, a dusky contment of barren johp, knox-s house. HAnDiNGTON. heath Hills ; the LammermOOr, 30,1, Haddington and Moram claim to have been the birthplace of John Knox, the where onlv mnnntain-shepn ran tamous Scottish Reformer. The former town, however, has this house to support Its wnere omy mouniain sneep can ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^1^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^.^ ^^^, weii-known work was be at home." •• The Historic of the Reformation in Scotland." 954 Britain Beautiful \\'bidi is the geography of lialf the county in a nutshell ! Beyond the great monument of the Earl of Dunbar in the comparatively modern parish church the only real " sight " in the town is what remains of its Castle. It would be easy to write a volume on the extraordinaril\- romantic and \ivid story of this stronghold, its many sieges and its close associa- tion with the dramatic moments in the lives of many a Scottish sovereign, notabh- Mar\- Stuart. But pride of place must be given to the momentous action fought between Cromwell and David Leslie on September 3rd, 1650, for it had no small bearing on the course of British history. Cromwell's rhapsodies on the subject of the battle of Dunbar appertain to literature rather than history, and perhaps the best summary account of the action is to be found in Ludlow's Memoirs : " Our army, through hard duty, scarcity of provisions, and the rigour of the season, grew very Pholo by] [ln°rmn 'lordoii & Co. THE TVNE AT HADDINGTON. Haddington was overwhelmed by a disa-strous Hood from the Tyne in 1775. The town stands within a bend of the river on the left banl4. The Tyne is 23 miles in lenftth, and rises In Midlothian. sickly, and diminished daily, so that the\- were necessitated to draw oft, to receive supplies from our shipping, which could not come nearer to them than Dunbar, distant from Edinburgh about twenty miles. . . . But the enemy, upon confidence of success, had possessed themselves of all the passes, having in their army about thirty thousand horse and foot, and ours being reduced to ten thousand at the most There was now no way left but to yield themselves prisoners, or to fight upon these un- equal terms. In this extremity a council of war was called, and after some dispute it was agreed to fall upon the enemy the next morning, about an hour before day, and accordingly the several regiments were ordered to their respective posts. Upon the first shock our forlorn of horse was somewhat dis- ordered by tlieir lanciers ; but two of our regiments of foot that were in the van behaved themselves so well, that they not only sustained the charge of the enemy's horse, but beat them back upon their own foot, and following them close, forced both horse and foot to retreat up the hill from whence they Photo by] ON THE TYNE, EAST LINTON. [Valentine & Sons. At East Linton the Tyne is spanned by a great viaduct, which carries the North British Railway. Linton is situated in the heart of a rich cornfield country, and a corn niarltet has been established in the village. Photo by] THE LINN, EA.ST LINTON. \t East Linton the Tyne forms a pretty cascade over a sill of volcanic rock into a deep linn, from which the name of Linton arose. The village stands on the London Edinburgh road 5 miles east of Haddington. i Photo hy, THE EARL OF DUNBAR'S TOMB, DUNBAR, [I'uUntiiie & Sons. Situated In the parish church, this fine marble monument is the tomb of Georj»e Home, Earl of Dunbar, who was for some time the Lord Hlfth Treasurer of James VL Haddingtonshire 957 had attacked us. The body of the enemy's army finding their vanguard, which con- sisted of their choicest men, thus driven back upon them, began to shift for themselves, which they did with such precipitation and disorder, that few of them ventured to look behind them till they arrived at Edinburgh. . . . Many were killed upon the place, and many more in the pur- suit : all their baggage, arms, artillery and am- munition fell into the hands of our army. ..." There is very little about the Bass Rock to-day to suggest mar- tial activities, though some traces remain of the fortifications which prompted a sixteenth- century chronicler to the following outburst ; " Now, the island in this posture are mounted up by by any other means. Formerly, Dunbar century. which the castle stands is itself an impregnable rock, of a small e.xtent and ov-al figure, cut out bv the hands of nature ; it has only one avenue that leads to it, and that is towards the castle, but so very difficult and uneasy, that by reason of the hidden sands that sur- round the rock, nothing can approach it but one little boat at a time. The island is so exor- bitantly uneven, that till one reach" the wall of the castle, he cannot have sure footing in any one place ; so that — as I have often ob- served — those that enter it must climb up by the help of a strong cable thrown down for the purpose ; and when they have got with much ado to the foot of the wall, they sit down in a wide basket, and in strength of hands. There is no getting into this wonderful fortress it had a postern gate which facilitated the entry, but it is now thrown In'uiiii l.in.lnn ,'■ Cu. THE TOWN HALL, DUNB.\R. Town Hall is believed to date from the si.xteenth The fine spire and crow-step gables add greatly to its architectural beauty. w iip ijiii jw f J i'jM ff>ne ffjiiw y . 'iwjj J H ' .;. <*.xtf -,(,-,„. Photo by] OLD CASTLE, DUNBAR. [Ingram Gordon & Co. Dunbar Castle has been going to ruin since it was dismantled after Bothwell's flight from if in 1567. The remains were badly damaged during blasting operations in 1842. The castle is of great antiquity, dating from the eleventh century. The most outstanding incident in its chequered career was the six weeks' defence by the Countess of March against the English army. 958 Britain Beautiful Photo by] PRESSMENNAN LAKE, NEAR STENTON. [Ingram Gordon deep ravine, this lake owes its origin to tiie formation of a strong breastworlc between Lying in the hill-screens bounding it. One of the most picturesque resorts in the country, Presmennan Lake was formed in 1822, and is 11 miles long and 300 yards broad. down, and fortified in .such a manner as is incredible." This " incredible " stronghold may ni i longer be visible, but the ordinary visitor (who is spared the acrobatics described above) will be quite satisfied with the amazing marvel of the myriads of sea- birds which swarm on everything that can possibly b e called a foothold. On the mainland opposite the Bass Rock is the pic- turesque ruin of Tan- tallon Castle, most famous of the county's military remains. For its present condition it has to thank Cromwell's lieutenant in Scotland, General Monk. Even the most untutored eye can see what a formid- able place it must have been, with the sea for its defences on three sides. As Scott wrote : " And round three sides the ocean flows, The fourth did battled walls enclose, And double mound and fosse." Marmion. West of Tantallon, the coast stretches away past North Berwick (" Edinburgh-on-Sea " and Mecca of golfers), Dirleton, with its line ruined castle, Gullane, and Aberlady to Prestonpans, a name which sends an uncomfortable thrill up the English spine by recalling the disastrous defeat of George II's regulars at the hands of I'xiiniic Prince Charlie's wild Highlanders on Si pteml)cr 21, 1745. Few military engagements have enjoyed a larger measure of the glamour of adventure, and not the least of its romantic features was that the Highland chieftains were shown the way through Tranent Marsh by a Scottish gentleman, " unversed in military iilTairs." But as Prestonpans is now the centre "f a mining district it takes no small effort to CDiijure up the scene on tliat September morning. Even this mining district boasts its treasures, to be had for the seeking. Seton House is a very degenerate modern representative of the famous residence of Mar\' Queen of Scots. James I, and Charles I, but the church has man\- Photo 6yJ [Ingram Gordon & Co. ROOD WELL, STENTON. This line old rood well Is in a slate of excellent preservation. .Stenlon village Is situated on Sauchcl Water, 4 miles south-ea.st of East l.lnton. Pholo by] [Insram Gordon •!> Co. OLD AVENUE, WHITTINGHAME. WhiUinghame House is we,, known as the sea, of Ear. Ba.four .he Viscoan. Trapra.n ot Whminghame. The park contains a yew- '' tree reputed to be the oldest and finest in Scotland. jaafj^;,'..';.'--.! Flwlo by] In'iniui l,n,Jon .- I'. RED SCAR, WHITTINGHAME. Whittinghame village stands on the left bank of Whittinghame Water, 6 niiles south of Haddington. STONEVI'ATH TCIWER. I tt^nitn (I'lht'in Situated near Garvald, Stoncypath Tower Is In a snincwhnt illlapldateil condition. A curious feature of the hall Is the double fireplace which was Intended to serve both the hall and the kitchen behind it. Haddingtonshire 961 ii.tcresting and beautiful features, and the whole place is alive with memories of one of the greatest and most ancient families in the country. W'inton House, on the other hand, is an excellent e.xamjilr of Renaissance work, grand in its plan and scale, and beautiful and harmonious in its decorative detail. Haddington, the county town, stands in the centre of a delightful, if not exactly exciting district. It is an ancient place, though few memorials of its adventurous past remain, as it more than once paid the penalty of lying on the great eastern highway between Scotland and En;,'- land. Indeed, it might almost be said that the Englisli, when foiled in their attempts to bring the Scots to action or otherwise discomfited, took their revenge by trying to reduce Haddington to ashes. Sometimes, however, the carelessness of the citizens was responsible for their misfortunes, as clearly appears from an ordinance of about 1598, which decreed that a crier should patrol the streets on winter nights and issue instructions to the inhabi- tants. A specimen of the quaint rhyming injunction.- is given in Fullarton : " A' guid men's servants where'er ye be, Keep coal an' can'le for charitie ! Baith in your kitchen and your ha' Keep weel your fires whate'er befa'. For often times a little spark Brings mony hands to mickle wark I " PI;ol:, hy] -h:-,.,;: .,,,.. - - ENTRANCE TO GOBLIN HA', YESTER CASTI.E. Yester Castle was built by Sir Hugti de Gifford in 1268. The Goblin or Bo' Hall is a massively constructed under- ground chamber connected with the castle by a sloping passage partly cut out of the rock. The photograph shows the entrance from the stream outside. [Iii'iiam i,o,floii . ■■ Cu. THE CASCADE, DANSKIN GLEN, YE.STER. : pretty scene was taken near Danskine Inn in the parish of Yester, 5S miles south- east of Haddington. Haddington church is the best in the county, an out- standing example of the fifteenth- century Scots style that corre- sponds to the English " Decor- ated." The nave, in use as the parish church, was thoroughly and judiciously restored towards the end of last century, but the choir, transepts, and tower are but a skeleton, though a charming skeleton. In the tower are the .series of long and narrow windows which earned it the name of the " Lamp of Lothian." Such a spot seems no fit restin.g - place for Lauderdale (Macaulay's " savage old tyrant Lauderdale "), but there he lies in the family mausoleum in a tomb far too good for his wicked bones. It is the cemetery out- 63 962 Britain Beautiful sidi' which, as Fullarton tells us, " embosoms the remains of much departed worth ; and in particular, those of the devout and illustrious John Brown, whose excellencies long shed a lustre over the town, and whose pious and useful writings have embalmed him in the affections of the truly Christian of every denomination." The existence of a " Knox Institute " in the town, built in 1S79, would appear to have settled the vexed question of John Knox's birthplace in Haddington's favour. How there could have been any dc'.ibt about the matter in the case of so famous a stormy petrel passes understanding. Yet even though the citizens point out the traditional site of the house in which he was born, there are those who still maintain that the honour rightfully belongs to Morham or Gifford. Lennoxlove, a mile or so south, is one of the most ancient and honourable hotises of the county. Its core is a great and elaborate tower dating from the fifteenth century. An excellent story centres round its change of name two hundred years later from Lethington to Lennoxlove. In one of those outbursts of feigned magnanimity to which human nature is so prone the lord of Lethington offered to sell his house to Lord Blantyre. Now Blantyre had no money, as all men knew ; but he had a daughter, as all men still know who take the trouble to look at some of our coins. For she was Frances Duchess of Lennox, the original of Britannia there por- traved, and a lady of mark at Charles II's court. The dutiful daughter promptly sup- plied her father with the necessary cash, and when the offer was renewed Blantyre at once accept- ed it, to the mortification and disgust of the mock- ing vendor ! Gifford, in the foot- hills of the Lammer- muirs, is a wholly de- lightful village, even if COPYRIGHT zioc~uiPWk..,n\.^bbrLaiSiPLLT LONDON LC.4: j„i,n Knox Was not born MAP OK HADDiNGTON.sHiRE. there Its " Hon " is the antique Yester Castle, and the " lion " of the castle is the crecpily named " Bo' Hall," i.e. Bogey Hall. This subterranean chamber is reached through a passage in the solid rock, and is certainly eerie enough to justify the nickname of its builder, Sir Hugh Gifford the Wizard. For centuries no good Scot would allow that it could have come into existence through any agency other than the black art, and Sir Walter Scott himself makes full use of the story in " Marmion." But a hidden entrance leading to the stream hard by lets the cat out of the bag, as it seems reasonabh clear that the chamber was built to enable the garrison to obtain water in an emergency. The Wizard of Gifford also figures in the curious story of the " Coalstoun Pear," Coalstoun being just south of Lennoxlove. A daughter of this celebrated gentleman was being married to the heir of the Coalstoun family. On their way to the church, Hugh de Yester stopped the little cavalcade, plucked a pear from a pear-tree, and gave it to his daughter, remarking that he was too poor to give her a dowr\-, but the pear would bring her and her descendants good fortune as long as it was retained in their pos- session. The pear was accordingly jealously preserved by successive generations of Coalstouns in a silver box, and we are told by a chronicler of 1845 that " about two centuries ago, a maiden lad\- of the family chose to try her teeth upon it, and very soon after two of the best farms of the estate were 2iS 3 o W w a» h •= «< a as u -■go a o -o Is 10 C « B 5 — c 'dv'L' pg a .S s 2 « •05' ~ H . Haddingtonshire 965 lost in some litigation : the only misfortune that has befallen the inheritance of the Coalstouns in six centuries." Athelstaneford, a village on the slope of tlie Garleton Hills, has a name that rings curiously among Scottish place-names, though, as might be expected, the historians have not been slow to find a reason for it. It is, thev say, the scene of a great battle between a Danish freebooter, Athelstane, and Hungus, King of the Picts. The conditions of the conflict were by no means equal, for Hungus had not only been secretly promised the victory by St. Andrew, who appeared to him in a vision on the previous night, but was also assisted in more practical fashion by Achaius, King of the Scots. As the result of this pooling of resources and the miraculous appearance of a St. Andrew's cross in the sky at the critical Photo by] [Valcuiinc & Som. C.\STLE GARDENS, DIRLETON. Parts of this magnificent ruin are over seven centuries old. The castle has been restored several times, but has been in ruins since 1650, when it was badly damaged by General Lambert. Dirleton is one of the most beautiful villages in the whole of Scotland. moment, Athelstane was worsted and slain. Unfortunately, those who delight in destroying pretty legends are emphatic that this picturesque story, even if true, has nothing to do with the name of the village. Athail means a " stone ford " in Gaelic, and " Athelstaneford," they say, is merely the Gaelic form with the Saxon equivalent superadded. Which is quite unromantic ! The ancient castle of Dunglass, just inside the county border, has completelv vanished, and its vivacious history is a matter of memories, traditions, and rummaging among moth-eaten papers. It was one of the many lairs of the Earls of Home, and then seems to have passed into the hands of the Douglases, for it was certainly a Douglas who sustained a siege during Somerset's irruption into Scot- land in 1548. An ancient scribe tells us how " my lord's grace, willing to lose no time, and that the 966 Britain Beautiful enemies as well bv deed as by brute [riimoKr] should know he was come, sent an herald to summon a castle of George Douglas, called Dunglass. that stood at the end of the same valley nearer the sea, and a mile from the place of our passage. ..." When Douglas's Captain, Matthew Hume, attempted to parley with " my lord's grace," the latter was very curt : " .\nd therefore be ye at this choice — for we will take none advantage of your being here now — whether ve and your company will render your holde and standc, bodv and goods, at the order of our will, or else to be set in it again as ye were, and we will assay to win it as we can." Hume, " being about this riddle brought in great doubt what answer well to make," decided to surrender, and the chronicler of this event tells us that " this captain came and brought with him his band to my lord's grace, which was of .\.\i sober soldiers, all so apparelled and appointed, that, Pholo by') THE COAST AT NORTH BERWICK. [.•1. R. r.duurds. North Berwick is weli Icnown as a lioinni centre. The town, altiiou^h not boastin:^ much in itself, is surrounded by picturesque scenery. On the south towers North Berwick Law, surrounded by a thick beit of wood, while to seaward the firth is dotted with rocky islands. so God lulp mo — I will .say it for no praise — I never saw sucli a bunch of beggars come out of one house together in my life 1 A pilgrimage to Dirleton, away by the northern coast, means traversing some of the ground already covered in this survey, but the writer offers no apology, both because Dirleton is perhaps the most attrac- tive village in the county, and because the ruin of its castle is a sight second only to Tantallon. " I care not," wrote Logan of Rtstalrig in his letters, " for all the other land I have in the kingdom, if I may grip of Dirleton, for I esteem it the pleasantest dwelling in Scotland." And as it was held out to him as a bribe for his assistance in the Gowrie Conspiracy, we may be certain he meant what he said. It was written in Fullarton nearly a hundred years ago that " we know not a lovelier scene than is pre- sented by this village — with its fine green, its noble pile of ivy-clad ruins, and the distant rock-gemmed frith — especially in a summer eve, or when the light is resting upon the fading landscape." And witti the exception of trifling and immaterial details, that description holds good to-day. Photo by] [A. R. Edwiirds. THE BASS ROCK, NORTH BERWICK. This lar^e rock is a mile in circumference and stands 420 feet above sea-level. The Bass has had a very eventful history, and has been a strong fortress and a state prison in its time. To-day it is in the possession of thousands of birds, who make their nests along the shelves in the precipitous cliffs. Pliolo by] nlncent reredos beyond the lectern was beijun in the fourteenth century, and Is said to be the finest Kpecimcn of tabernacle-work in the world. Hampshire 973 ments for haste. After that, they sold the household stuff ; whereof there was good store, and the country loaded awav many carts ; and they continued a great while, fetching out all manner of house- hold stuff, till they had fetched out all the stools, chairs and other lumber, all which they sold to the country-people by piecemeal." Seeing that all this was followed by a devastating fire and that Cromwell himself insisted upon a thorough " slighting " of the house, it is hardly surprising that so little remains to recall the famous incident. And let no man leave the site of the Royalist fortress without a visit to Old Basing Church, which suffered .severely in the siege, but unlike its neighbour had the luck to be restored. The signs of succes- sive restorations and rebuildings and the monuments of Winchesters and Boltons give one plenty to think about, but the most surprising feature is a figure of the Virgin and Child over the west door. It was there when the stern and iconoclastic Roundheads were bombarding the mansion from the church tower ! It is to be feared that the fpS^^^E^jS motorist " doing evens " on the r.- Salisbury road misses practically all *: that is worth seeing in this part of the county. It is true that the con- version of the Aldershot region into a " Soldier's Corner " — notwith- standing the glamour of military activity — has deprived it of ver\' much of its natural charm, and that villadom is spreading its ugly tentacles wide upon this side. Equally true is it that it requires an effort of the imagination to find country towns such as Basingstoke or Andover, picturesque in the or- dinary sense, though each has memorable features, of which more anon. It mav further be said that the interest of many of the churches hereabouts is confined mainh' to the trained archaologist. But the fact remains that the stretch of Hamp- shire all along the Berkshire border is replete with interest and natural beauty of a small-scale, but fascin- ating kind. The undulating character of the district, its wealth of timber, the charm of its secluded villages, and its man\' associations make it well worth investigation from end to end. It is little short of a crime to neglect such a gem as Bramshill Park with its delightful Jacobean house, perhaps the best specimen of its kind in the country and almost entirely in its original condition. To describe it as a mansion fit for kings is literally true in this case, as there seems little doubt that its first occupant was intended to be James I's son, Henry, Prince of Wales, who died liefore he could take up residence. It was building between 1607 and 1612. at a time when domestic architecture in England was flourishing mightily, and there is hardly a feature of the Jacobean style which is not displayed to perfection in this delightful house. If the place has no ghost, it certainly ought to have, for within a few years of its completion the park was the scene of a dire tragedy. The Primate of All England accidentally shot a keeper ! Another old house of great fame in these parts is the " Vyne," near the village of Sherborne St. John. No less a person than Inigo Jones was called in to make considerable alterations in the original mansion built by Lord Sandys in the time of Henry VIII, and the present edifice is much as the great man left it. Its beautiful chapel, " the most heavenly chapel in the world," as Horace Walpole called it, is Photo (>)'] [£. Bustard. THE FONT, WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL. The fine Norman font is situated in tlie middle bay on the north side. It is built of Tournai limestone, carved with the story of St. Nicholas, and dates from the twelfth century. 974 Britain Beautiful 1. nolo hy] WINCHESTER COLLEGE BUILDINGS. Winchester College, or St. Mary's College, was founded in 1382 by William of Wykeham, and is the oldest of our great public schools. Extensive modern buildings have been erected to the west of the old. muiiKirabk' for its staiiird glass (stolen, it must be confessed, from Boulogne after the siege of 1544) and the Italian tiles in the floor, but equally attrac- tive and interesting is the picture-gallery, decorated with the arms of manv ( ininciit families. Xor must Strathlield- saye be forgotten in this selection of great houses. It is an eighteenth-century production and cannot boast of either style or beauty, but as a habita- tion of famous ghosts it takes high rank. Shadowy Dabridgecourts, the Earl of Chatham, and \\'illiam Pitt are among the spirits of the place ; but greatest of all is the " Iron Duke." to whom a grateful nation presented the estate as some recognition for his triumphs in the Peninsula. In this peaceful corner the old warrior took much delight. " He had the propensity of cheerful minds to be satisfied with his own pos.sessions and acquisitions," says Lord I'.ljesmere in Personal Rc'iniitisci-iiccs of tlic Duke o f ]\' cl I i ngton. " H e thought S t r ath lieklsaye perfect as a residence. His horse and his gun were in his opinion better than anybody's. His guns were .Moore's manufacture, and when he made a long .sliot. which, liriiig at every- thiiii;, he .M)metimes did, hr would laud and e.xtol thr maker." So with this sjiirit brooding over it, its Wtllintit on treasures v.itliiii and tlir grave of ■' (' II ]) f n hage n " ( t he Duke's chargiT - but need line say so ?) without, the lioiise will ever ha\e an abiding interest. Odihani is somewhat of an exception to tht' Hampshire rule liiat in Pholo fc>] ,.b. M. Uuii. THE COl'KT HOl'SE, CASTLE lU'lLDINGS, WINCHE.STER. I'urt of the castle buildings are now used as a court house. For some time after the reign of Wllllain the Conqueror, Winchester rivalled London us the capital of England. I £■5 ^1 n a ■s ' £■2 0§ 9/6 Britain Beautiful its smalltr towns the " good " bits must be looked for. There is an agreeable air of purposeful pur- poselessness about the curve of its main street and a pleasant lack of sameness about its ancient houses, distributed equally and inipartiallv over the centuries. Long ago it was the abode of kings, or, to be more accurate, its castle (a mile away, and now a picturesque ruin) stands on the site of a resi- dence of the royal masters of Wessex. It has been said that the best features of the larger towns of the county are apt to be overshadowed bv masses of unattractive modern buildings, and lost in a mist of drab same- ness. Certainly Basing- stoke's greatest friend would hardly boast of her comeliness of countenance, and there can hardly be a doubt that the place was far more picturesque in the old coaching days. But there are one or two speci- alities not to be missed, apart from the remarkably fine I'erpendicular church with its good glass taken from the Holy Ghost Chaprl. The latter, now a ruin, alas ! is a living memoir of a sixteenth-cen- tury brotherhood, which was dissolved and revived repeatedly during that momentous period. Adjoin- ing the chapel is one of the most ancient cemeteries in the country, and said to date from the time of the inderdict in the reign of John. Many Hampshire worthies sleep peacefully in this deserted spot. The name of Sandys, Blunden, and Cuffaud strike a familiar note, ^^"as it not a Culfaud who conducted himself so valiantly at the -Major Harrison, that godly and gallant I*hoto by\ .SOI rilAMPTON. This photofiriiph, taken from imder a ship's stern, shows a fiicat liner al(>n<.iside a quay of one of the largest and best-e()uippe(l doctis in the world. The.v occupy the lower end of a peninsula In .Southampton Water and were opened In 1843. and was 1)\' the iiands of siege of Basing House gentleman." The fate that has overtaken Basingstcjke has also been the lot of Alton. It is a pleasant enough place in its way. but modernised to the point of dullness. Not that any town can be really dull which ?3 '<5^ M ■■ » i" > £a H •- « 1 = H ■^ 4/ < o j: -0* D <« c i '5 t; t:-l X a o f- o-C « 3 X '-' ■2 C P a. " u C J= (0 *- ■2 c tfl 0* >H <:> U 4^ B-S fl o , £ o H > *- >i yj cu t« £■1 ■=« *■•■' *->^'^'V'-t*'--^ ■«» Hampshire 977 can boast of such an incident in its career as the epic fight which raged in the parish church of St. Laurence on December 13, 1643. The essentials of the story are given in the tablet to the Royalist Colonel Boles, which is to be found in Winchester Cathedral (Alton church only possesses a copy) : " A MEMORIALL " For this Renouned ISIartialist Richard Boles of y" his last Action, to omitt all others was at Alton in this County of Soughthampton, was sirprised by five or six Thousand of the Rebells which Caused him there Quartered to fly to the Church with near Fourscore of his men who there Fought them six or seven Houres. and then the Rebell Breaking in upon him he slew with his sword six or seven of them and Pholci by] THE WEST GATE, SOUTHAMPTON. [Pholochlam Co., Lid. In ancient times Southampton was surrounded by walls, pierced by six principal gates. The West Gate is one of the three still remaining, and dates from the thirteenth century. It originally formed the access to the town from the old quay, from which the ** Mayflower " sailed in 1620. then was slavne himselfe, with sixty of his men aboute him. His gratious Soveraigne hearing of his death gave him his high comendation in y'' pationate expression Bringe me a moorning Scarffe, i have Tost one of the best Comanders in this kingdome." The bullet-marks in the south door of the ancient church show that the great fight is indeed no fiction. The actual building has been much transformed and restored, but a certain amount of interesting Norman work has survived, so that .\lton church is emphatically not to be missed. Notwithstanding the encroachments of villadom and the distant tentacles of Aldershot, the country between Alton and Petersfield is full of the charm of hill, dale, and woodland which makes Hampshire so dear to all who know it. In its verv heart lies that delectable village of Selborne, made immortal by the life and writings of Gilbert White, whose white soul was a verv mirror of the county's tranquil 64 9/8 Britain Beautiful beauties. His Natural History and Antiquities of Sclborne is a delightful picture of the world about him, a picture drawn by a man who was not only a great naturalist but saw deep into the human heart. Its pages furnish many an attractive glimpse of a countryside which has not altogether faded away. ■' The soils of this district are almost as various and diversified as the views and aspects. The high part to the south-west consists of a vast hill of chalk, rising 300 feet above the village ; and is divided into a sheep down, the high wood, and a long hanging wood called the Hanger. The covert of this eminence is altogether beech, the most lovelv of all forest trees, whether we consider its smooth rind or bark, its glossy foliage, or graceful pendulous boughs. The down, or sheep-walk, is a pleasing park-like spot, of about one mile by half that space, jutting out on the verge of the hill-country, I'holo by] f'lTiwy: BMifai NETLEY ABBEY. [Lindner. By permission o/] Netley Abbey wa.s built in the time of Henry III at the beginning of the thirteenth century as a Cistercian foundation, and was occupied by monlis from Beautleu. NETLEY ABBEY. Keats. Bowles, and other poets have written verses about the abbey ruins. The jlreat gate on the south opens into the fountain court, which is still in a tolerable state of preservation. where it begins to break down into the plains, and commanding a very engaging view, being an assemblage of hill, dale, wood-lands, heath, and water. The prospect is bounded to the south-east and east by the vast range of mountains" [a little local pride comes in here!] "called the Su.sse.\ Downs, by Guild-down near Ciuildford, and by the Downs round Dorking, and Ryegatc in Surrey, to the north-east, which altogether, with the country beyond Alton and Farnham, form a noble and extensive outline." The writer is tempted to let White describe all this beautiful corner of the county for him in words so singularly simple and yet free from that journalistic taint which attempts .so much and achieves so little. But Selbome is small and Hampshire large ; Of the existing memorials of this most attractive of human beings the chief are his house, " The Wakes " (which a later proprietor thought fit to " embellish " with a modern wing), and a simple grave in the churchyard. XP R E faUsbun] S^CathermesF Poi/wqys Poaas Scale or Miles COPYRIGHT: \°X' Longitude W of Gneenwich GLOGRAPHIAmjjiL™ birUU SWEULOhOON r.c* MAP OF HAMPSHIRE. »*»'*.% -.. • ^ ^ ^- .i*^-'""^-^ «.:i.!S«" f^c';^**'^ f'V ^^^T'.'"*: "Nx ,■■■■■: ■^^^^;-: •■"■■ ,^- ''^ap**' .-O^. .^ ''*•"» *"' A WOODLAND GLADE IN THE NKU J OKEST. The large .rac. n, .an.. kno«„ as ,h. New ..or.s. He. in .he sou.h-wes. corner of "''-P^;-'--„-;^/°"" »"""• "'•'"'"' ''^"''• ^ 65.000 of «l>kli helc.nii lo the Crown ; the remainder bein^ privately owned. Hampshire 981 Petersfield must be classed with Basingstoke and Alton as somewhat anxious to conceal its antiquity under a veneer of modernism. The " old " bits can be found, good Norman fragments in the church and pic- turesque houses here and there, but on the whole it is no small feat of imagination to visualise the town even as a centre of stirring activities in the coaching days. To do anything like justice to the immense and many-sided interest of Winchester is quite impossible within a reasonable compass, as quite a formidable body of literature has grown up around its history and antiquities, and a mere condensation of that mass of information would make highly indigestible reading. An attempt will, however, be made to deal faithfullv with the features and story of its " lions," though the writer Fholo by] THE KNIGHTWOOD OAK, M- J. NEW FOREST. The Knightwood Oak is the largest tree in the forest, having a girth of 20 feet. Knightwood is on the Christchurch to Lyndhurst road. The chief trees in the forest are oaks, beeches, yews, and hollies. I'liolo by] IE. Bastard. RUFUS STONE, NEW FOREST. This fatnous stone is situated about a mile east of Stony Cross village. It marks the site of the tree from which the arrow fired by Sir Walter Tyrell is said to have glanced and slain William Rufus in 1100. Another account, however, states that he was murdered by a disloyal Saxon. has little hope of escaping the wrath and contempt of the rabid archaeologist, the datemonger, and the statistician. All right-minded Englishmen must deeply regret that though the . city's antiquities cover almost every phase of its story, from Roman and even pre-Roman times onward, there is a glaring excep- tion in the shape of anything save a modern statue to associate her with that greatest of men and rulers. King Alfred. Nay, worse than that. For when the tomb of the noble Saxon warrior and lawgiver came to light during building operations in the eighteenth century the City fathers scattered ills remains and mended a wall with portions of the stone coffin ! It is only fair to add that Win- chester's " Alfred Millenary " of 1901 did some- thing to efface the memory of that iniquitous; and ungrateful act of vandalism. The first and incomparably greatest of the city's antiquities is the famous cathedral. Let others dole out statistics of dimensions and revel in dates of this feature or that, till the poor reader's vision is bounded by a haze of swimming figures. The glorv of Winchester is not to be measured by the fact that it has the longest Gothic nave in Europe, or matter of that kind. It is certainly not contributed to by that admixture of styles which interests and excites the student of architecture pure and simple. The writer, for one, regards the exterior view of the great church as very disappoint- ing, the poor effect being no doubt due to the low. 9cS2 Britain Beautiful squat tower. The Norman transepts are a feeble achievement for a race that produced the naves of Durliam, Ely, or Tewkesbury Abbey. Yet the edifice is rightly regarded as one of the masterpieces of Christian art, mainly as the result of the wonderful transformation of the original Norman nave into a triumph of the Perpendicular style bv \Mlliam of Wykeham and his successors, Bishops Beaufort and W'aynflete. The great ecclesiastic rests, as he should, in the midst of his handiwork, in a chantry which is itself an excellent piece of Perpendicular decorative work. The next really memorable feature of the church is the choir-stalls, elaborate and finished examples of design and carving, and surmounted by canopies worthy to rank with anything of their kind any- l'hnustcry built by King Athelstan. and was converted Into an Augustlnian priory in ILSO. This view was taken from Wick Ferry. [Judges', Lid. Photo by] CHRISTCHURCH PRIORY. kvi;nin(, on tiik sroi k, at ciikistchikch. {Judges', Ltii. The Stotir rises In Somerset and flows rijiht across Dorset to Hampshire, where it joins the Avon at Cbrlstchurch and Hows into the sea. At the point where the two rivers Join there Is a beautiful inland lalreatly to Its scenic charm. The charitable intent also extended to the provision of a daih' meal to one hundred other poor men. The story of the vicissitudes through which the institution has passed makes interesting, and sometimes painful, reading. All that concerns us here is the hospital buildings which comprise two quadrangles and the great church, the latter one of the " lions " of the county, with its interesting specimens of Transitional Norman, the style of the bulk of the fabric, and Early English and Decorated work. The rest of the buildings is strongly reminiscent of an ancient college at Oxford or Cambridge, but by no means the least remarkable feature of St. Cross is the attractive costume of the brettiren, an old- world touch which completes the picture of old-world peace. It will surprise many people to learn that Southampton, though not exactly picturesque— and it is hardly fair to ask for picturesquencss from a busy seaport in the twentieth century— is in its own wav not inferior in interest to the county capital. To a maritime nation, of course, these doorways Pholo by] [Herbert Felton. BOURNEMOUTH PINES. . . „»,i„i, 0,0 n^nctlv Of recent introduction, and are said to number about three million. rsTnVeVrvry::icL%^prar^!'a:d""er^^^^^^^ -^ -en covered wi.b tb«m witbln tbe last *ui!. .jH hundred years. 1 ' *^.%'^ Phcio by] AT RINGWOOn. {Judges', Ltd. Lonji funnel for Its woollen filovcs, Rlnfiwooil is an undent market town stan(Hni> on the banks of the River Avon at the western end of ihe New Forest. In Domcs«Ia.v It was known as KIn-wadc, after the "wade" or deep ford which crossed the Avon at this spot. Hampshire 993 to the great world beyond must ever have a mystic appeal, even though the ocean greyhounds may end their romantic journeys in grimy docks set in acres of smoke-blackened squalor. The traveller arriving at Southampton has no such devastating vision awaiting him, but still the " scenery " of the town and its docks is not such as to invite comment, much less praise. (The glories of Southampton Water are another matter.) But the great port still has so much to remind us of the earliest days of our existence as a nation that few towns in England will repay the investigator more thoroughly. As might be expected, it is mainly as the scene of famous comings and goings that the town figures in history, though for the first four centuries after the Conquest the town also derived its importance from the fact that it was the port of Winchester and perhaps the most important connecting link between I'lwlu hy\ [lleibcl I-cllin, THE AVON, NEAR HALE. The Avon is really a Wiltshire stream, rising as It does near Devizes. Hale village is situated about 3 miles north-east of Fordingbridge, not far from the point where the Avon enters Hampshire. England and France, whether for friendly intercourse or military operations. One episode of its pre- Conquest career deserves mention if only because it is still commemorated in " Canute Street." Constant tradition affirms that Southampton was the scene of that monarch's famous rebuke to his courtiers, who tried to persuade him that " divine right " included a right to control the forces of nature ! Perhaps the most impressive relic of Southampton in all its mediaeval glory is the very substantial remnants of its ancient circle of walls. They appear to date from Norman times, though one well-known section, popularly known as the " Arcades," are an interesting reminder of the modernisation of the fortifications after the terrible raid of 1338, when the French and their allies burnt and sacked the town, and many of its citizens fell in a bloody massacre. Linked with the walls are the three gates which have survived— Bar Gate, South Gate and West 65 994 Britain Beautiful Gate. The first, one of the most picturesque medieval relics in the country, is apparently about to fall a victim to the traffic problem. Anyone seeing High Street on a busy day must admit that it is a formidable " obstruction " in these days of hurry, but it is devoutly to be hoped that some solution can be found which does not involve the disappearance of this ancient feature. In the southern part of the town are some very old houses — including one which is claimed to be the earliest Norman house in the country, and rejoices in the title of " King John's I^alace " — and several modern houses have Gothic cellars beneath them, relics of the days when prosperous Southampton merchants kept goodly stores of heady liquors — for trading purposes, we will say. The castle of this famous city has vanished, and in a manner not a little shameful, for stingv AN OLD MILL AT FORDINGBRIDGE. The ancient villu^e of Fordlngbrldge stands on the River Avon near the outskirts of the New Forest. Although it has lost much of its former importance, it still has several industries. At this point the Avon is joined by a small tributary itnown as the Allen. James 1 was not above making a very good thing out of selling the site. Its " glorie," according to Leland, was the " Dungeons, that is both long, fair, and very stronge, both by Worke and the Site of it." So the nineteenth century, which has rightly been held responsible for so much destructive vandalism, may escape with an unblemished reputation on this occasion. Another famous and familiar antiquity in the town is the so-called "God's House," officially the Hospital of St. Julian. Not much in the way of fabric has survived the chances and changes of the centuries, and restoration has played havoc with what is left. But the chapel, even in its present form, is of considerable interest. In the first place it recalls an event that made no little stir in its time, the discovery of the plot of Cambridge, Scrope, and Grey against Henry V on the very eve of the Agincourt campaign, and their execution at the Bar Gate and interment in this edifice. Subsequently it has acquired fame as the church of Flemish .settlers and a French Protestant temple. Photo hy] :j3ii3iim!»f^s! :ia»*"'^WI>r^ -"o. -/.'^;:'_.; s:7 IN ROMSEY ABBEY. .™i [jHdges\ Ltd. The abbey stands on the site of a Benedictine nunnery, of which traces remain ; the present abbey church, however, dates mainly from the twelfth century. The two great east windows belong to the fourteenth century. [VaUntine & Sons, Ltd. f'ftolo by\ ROMSEY ABBEY. Hampshire 997 Southampton Water needs no introduction as one of the noblest ocean highways in the world. From the decks of an incoming steamer the ])rospect on all sides is one that interests or pleases, a goodly stretch of the New Forest on the left and on the right, inter alia, the mouth of the Hamble River and Netley Hospital and Abbey. The story of the famous monastery of Nctlcy would take too long in the telling, and it must suffice here to say that it was founded by King Henrv III in or about 1239, ^"^ started Hfe a^ a kind of overflow from Beaulieu Abbey on the other side of Southampton Water. During the three cen- turies of its existence it appears to have been well conducted on the whole and a centre of light and learning to the country round. But its good record did not save it from the fate of the other abbeys of the king- dom when the reins of power were in the bad hands of Thomas Crom- well. It was gi\X'n to the first Marquis of Win- chester, and the larger part of the buildings ultimately became little better than a quarry. But even in decay the ruins inspired Horace Walpole to one of the most famous passages in his Letters : " The ruins are vast, and retain fragments of beautiful fretted roof pendant in the air, with all variety of Gothic pat- terns of windows wrapped round and round with ivy. Many trees are sprouted up among the walls, and only want to be increased with cypresses. A hill rises above the abbey, encircled with wood. The fort, in which we would build a tower for habitation, remains, with two small platforms. This little castle is buried from the abbey in a wood, in the very centre, on the edge of a hill. On each side breaks in the view of the Southampton sea, deep blue, glistening with silver and vessels ; on one side terminated by Southampton, on the other by Calshot Castle ; and the Isle of Wight rising above the opposite hills. In short, they are not the ruins of Netley, but of Paradise. RUINS OF BASING HOUSE, NEAR BASINGSTOKE. Basing House was built by the 1st Marquis of Winchester in the reign of Edward VI. It was made famous by the 4} years' siege it withstood during the Civil War. only giving in to Cromwell himself. The photograph shows a sentry-box in the ruins. Q98 Britain Beautiful Oh ! the purple abbots ! what a spot had thev chosen to slumber in ! The scene is so beautifully tranquil, yet so lively, that thev seem onlv to have retired into the world." The actual ruins comprise a substantial remnant of the abbey church — a beautiful illustration of the fine work of the Early English and Decorated styles — and certain easily recognisable portions of the monastic build- ings. The south-eastern corner of the county is less famous for scenery than for places of social, historical, or antiquarian interest, or, at any rate, places with some feature well worth notice if more space were available. If it is impossible here to do more than [Ofofgt* Long. GATEWAY, BASING HOUSE. rilnlii liy] ROMAN WALL AT SILCHESTER. The ancient vHluCe of .Silehester is (he site of the Homan city of Calleva Atrebalum, the walls of which 2 or 3 miles In circuit are still standing. Hiillt ctf Hint and hewn stones, they arc in places nearly 20 feet hi>ih. anti more than 25 in thickness. This bit of wall is near the .South (jatc. This photograph shows the original garrison gateway, which, with a few walls and mounds, is all that remains of the castle. -Many interesting relics of the siege, including cannon-balls and skeletons, have been found in the vicinity. name such spots as Titchfield (with its fine church and remains of a famous abbey and a Tudor mansion which rose on its site), or Bishop's Waltham (with its memories of William of Wykeham and attractive frag- ments of the great palace of the Bishops of Winchester in which he died), or Hambledon (where the noble game of cricket was born : liroadhalfpenny Down should be the Mecca of all lovers of this king of sports), or the quaint little townlet of \Mckham from which the famous ecclesiastic took his name, or many a village where a glimpse of old England can be obtained, it is solely because con- centration on the most striking and famous nolahilia of the county is cs.sential. It does not mean that any visitor may omit them from his itinerary. Portchester Castle cannot, however, be dismissed in so summary a fashion, for its memories go back, not to the twelfth or thirteenth ccnturii's, but to a period even antecedent to the Dark Ages. The casual passer-by sees a mediieval keep of not un- familiar Norman features, but a large part of the adjoining walls was at least seven centuries iild wln'n tln' Xonnans set fnot in this country. riu'V are the handiwork of the Romans, who built a stronghold on what was then the seashore to kee]") the ni.irauding Sa.xons in check. Of Portsmouth, the premier naval arsenal [(-icot^t: Lani:. Photo by] KING JOHN'S CASTLE, ODIHAM. In Saxon times Odiham had a royal villa for Wessex kings. The ruins of the Norman castle are about town. King David of Scotland is said to have been confined here. mile north-west of the lOOO Britain Beautiful ot the iimpirc ^■olumes could be written, though its interest is rather modern and practical than aesthetic or antiquarian. The town and its outliers sprawl in unloxely fashion on both sides of the harbour, and even those who succumb to the seaside "attractions " of Southsea or Hayling Island could hardlv screw themselves up to belauding the " scenery " of the district. In the extraordinarv process of evolution which has made Portsmouth what it is almost every sign of its anliquit\- has vanished, the most prominent of the exceptions being the Church of St. Thomas of Caiiterbur\- and the Garrison Chapel. The former was built in iiSo in memory of the luckless archbishop, and the chancel and transepts still survive from that period. The nave and tower date from the end of the seventeenth centurv and are as bad as anvthing that era produced. To the Photo M EVER.SLEY CHURCH AND RECTORY. [f,l/,-M(l)U- Eversley is sltuateu on me north-east border, 5i miles nortti of W'inclilleld. Cliarles Kingsley was curate and rector of tile parisii from 1842 to Ills deatll In 1875. average schoolboy the only feature of interest will be the monument of George ^'illiers, Duke of Buckingham. liven the most unimaginative of our school histories manage to get a mild thrill into their description of the Duke's murder by John Felton in High Street on August 23, 1628. The Garrison Church has seen some extraordinary vicissitudes and occurrences, perhaps the most notable of the latter being the marriage of Charles II to Catherine of Braganza in 1662. The church was originally the thirteenth-century hall and chapel of the Hospital of St. Nicholas. At the time of the Reformation it was adapted to lay uses, and it is only in comparatively modern times that restoration has given us back some remarkably attractive Early English work and made the building worthy of its long and interesting history. The south-western corner of the county contains scenery which is not merely the hnest in Hampshire, Hampshire lOOl J By fit'inii^^io}! of] JANE AUSTEN'S HOUSE, [Tilt: rmUiuoocl Ptess Service. CHAWTON. A tablet on this house commemorates the fact that Jane Austen, the novelist, lived here from 1809 to 1817. It was during this period, the last eight years of her life, that she wrote her most famous works. but some of the most beautiful in the British Isles, thanks to the boundless and varied attractions of the " New Forest " and the charms of the Lvmington and Beaulieu Rivers. Reallv extensive areas of woodland are hard to find in our country, and it is harder still to convey any idea of their peculiar fascination in a descrip- tion which does not and cannot go over the ground step by step. Mr. Charles Co.\ has attempted, with brilliant success, a short survey of the New Forest in his account of Hampshire in the Little Guides series, a book which every visitor to the country should carry in his pocket, and there is, of course, the magnum op its on this subject, Gilpin's Forest Scenery. Over all this region, too, hangs the somewhat charmingly sinister atmosphere which is the legacy of the extraordinarily severe penalties imposed by the Norman despots on all who transgressed their iniquitous " Forest Laws." That schoolboy who recalls the as.sassination of Buckingham in a Portsmouth inn will also remember the fascinating phrase seldom omitted from our history books. Wil- liam the Conqueror " loved the tall deer as if he were their father," and his love, as we know, led him to decree penalties of death or bhnding for all who killed the game. Out of this ferocious legislation sprang a whole litera- ture of blood and horror, and early chronicles are full of hair-raising stories of judicial murders and the devastation of whole regions to provide more cover. No doubt much of it is grossly exaggerated, but the fact remains that when Red William came to his evil end at Stony Cross (the " Rufus Stone " records the occurrence) the Anglo-Saxon world cer- tainly regarded his end as a judgment of God. Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst are the popular centres for visiting the Forest, but its true beauties are only realised by the happy vagrant who spurns the roads and cares nought for any fixed destination. Apart from the Forest, this portion of the county is pre-eminent for two magnificent churches, the Abbey Church of Romsey and Christchurch Priory. „, , , , ,^ ,, , ,. ' Romsey contains as beautiful and impres- Plioto ov] [C. Vchter Knox. - ^ AN OLD STILE AT FROYLE. givc Normau work as any to be found in the These quaint old Hampshire stiles are very rarelv to be seen. Froyle , j-^ ^-ii-i i- village is 3 miles north-east of Alton. country, and its nave IS particularly interesting I002 Britain Beautiful as illustrating the gradual evolution of the Early English style through the so-called " Transitional." The church is in every way worthy of the great nunnery which was founded some considerable time before the Conquest and became of such tame and eminence that the highest ladies of the land were only too glad to find spiritual peace within its walls. Curiously enough, the rapacit\ of Henry VIII is responsible for the fact that this beautiful church is still left to us, for when he determined upon the dissolution of the establish- ment — in direct violation of a solemn compact with the nuns — he sold the church to the townsfolk of Romsey. The building teems with interesting and unusual features worthy of tlie most careful study, though their description demands more space than can be given here. Christchurch Priorv shares with the New Forest the first attentions of visitors to busy and prosperous Bournemouth. Both externally and internally it presents a blending of styles which, on the whole, makes an attractive composition, though the tower is quite inadequate for so vast an edifice. The Norman work of the nave is good, though not of the same superlative standard as tb.at at Romsey, but the famous porch is a wonderful relic of the Early English period, and the Perpendicular choir. Lady chapel, and tower (the latter subject to the observation about its size) are worthy of the great days of English architecture. The rood-screen, the fine reredos, the Countess of Salisbury's and other chapels, and many of the monuments are also features which would make Christchurch Priory a memorable church, even in a county of memorable churches. Christchurch also possesses the fragmentary remains of its ancient castle and an extremely interesting Norman house which 1 Photo by] IS. Mortimer Lewis. •' THE W.\KES." SELBORNE. Selborne is famous as the birthplace and home of Gilbert White. the naturalist, and author of ** The Natural History and Antiquities of .Selborne." He was born at " The Wakes " in 1720, and died here in 1793, being buried in the churchyard. must be earliest buildings Photo by] .\LRESFORD I'ONI). iVillis. This firoat dam was marie by Bishop (Jodfrey de l.ucy between old Alresford and New Alresford in the twelfth century. The p<>n lane which runs alonti by the shore and connects Hillhcad with Lee-on-the-Solent. Four miles uway. across the .Solent, the Isle of Wi^ht is just indistinguishable in tlle haze. Those who look for imperial magniiicence in the State .Kpartnients at Osl)orne will be .grievously disappointed, for whatever the artistic shortcomings of tlu' rooms and theii' contents mere ostentation is not one of their vices. It is as a museum of \"i('lorian art and the country retreat of a ruler burdened with the cares of tlie State that Osborne will always kee]) its place in the affections of the nation. Newport, though the site of the Kdiuan "Meda," has littii' beN-ond a lew seventeeiuh-ceiiturv houses to ])roelaim its great antiquity, and even its church is a nineteentli-centurv successor of a building which dated from the se\enteentli century. In the chancel of tlie earlier building was buried the hapless daughter of Charles I, and the fact that this tifteen-year-old \ictiin of the storms and stresses of her time has been rescued from unileserved obscurity is one of the manv merits of Queen Victoria. Witness the inscription on the monument : PORTCHESTER CASTLE. .a [E. Dastard. Portchester was built on the site of a Roman fort by Henry I, and exhibits specimens of Roman, Saxon, and Norman architecture. Anciently Itnown as " Portus Magnus," the viilage is believed to have been once the principal station of the Roman navy in Britain. Herbert Felton. RUINS ON FAREHAM CREEK. Fareham is a busy market town and a small port at the extreme end of Portsmouth Harbour. The ruins in the foreground are of an old tide-mill. COUII AMPTON CIURCll. Ktiox. Parts of the picturesque church at <:orhanipton are suld lo date from early Saxon times. The building has been described as one of the oldest wt'I! -preserved churches in the world. An interestlnt> feature of the interior is the ancient sanctuary or " frilhstool." The villaf^e is 4 miles north-east of Bishop's Waltham. Isle of Wight 1009 " To the memor\- of the Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King Charles I, who died at Carisbrooke Castle, on Sunday, September 8th, 1650, and is interred beneath the chancel of this church, this monument is erected, as a token of respect for her virtues and of s\-mpathy for her misfortunes, by Victoria R. 1856." Carisbrooke Castle, or the splendid ruin which once fully deserved that description, is of course the real " lion " of the island. It cannot exhibit any long and picturesque record of sieges and battles, for the simple reason that prior to the confinement of Charles I within its formidable walls it had had little or no history. p, , , , [Airco AeriuU. ' "° ° '' CARISBROOKE CASTLE. The castle covers the top of a hill, I mile south-west of Newport. It dates from Norman times, and was built as a fortress for the defence of the island by William Fitz-Osborne, but it has since been at various times rebuilt, enlarged, and restored. Readers of Carlvle's Oliver CronnccU's Letters and Speeches will remember how the curious story of the King's coming to the island is dramatically unfolded ; " Mondav, i^ih November 1647. Letter from Colonel Robert Hammond, Governor of the Isle of Wight, Cowes, if Novemhris, signifying that the King is come into the Isle of Wight. The King, after a night and day of riding, saw not well whither else to go. He delivered himself to Robt rt Hammond ; came into the Isle of \A'ight. Robert Hammond is ordered to keep him strictly within Carisbrook Castle and the adjoining grounds, in a vigilant though altogether respectful manner." But the keeping was not always strict enough, as we learn from a letter from Oliver to Hammond, dated April 6, 1648 : ■• Intelligence came to the hands of a very considerable Person, That the King attempted to get out of his window ; and that he had a cord of silk with him whereb\- to slip down, but his breast 66 lOIO Britain Beautiful was so big the bar would not give him passage. A gentleman with you led him the wa\', and slipped down. The Guard, that night, had some quant it \' of wine with them. ..." Tile rooms occupied by the un- fortunate monarch and the collection of Stuart relics naturally come in for the lion's share of attention from the visitor, but the architectural features of the castle are also of the highest "interest. The Norman keep is one of the finest examples in the country. Nor must it be forgotten that within the walls are the ancient British earthworks, which conclu- sively prove that Carisbrooke was a fortified site even long before the Roman Conquest. Ryde, too, has memories of a fallen sovereign. One night in Sep- tember 1870 a very beautiful but sadlv harassed lad\' arrived bv sea I'Imlo by] CARI.SBROOKE CASTLE. [ra(.-ii(i MC tr ^ti THE KEEP -STEP.S, [Photochrom Co. CARI.SBROOKE CASTLE. By far the most tntcn-stlniS pan cif the casllc Is the tall Norman ki'tp in the north-t-asl corner of tlu* inner court. The pfipuliir t>elief Ls that II WHS huilt 1)> Richard de Redvers. in the time of K3ftK*si,' -C.-- lioin the PuiHliitg by] CASTLE RUSHEN, CASTLETON, ISLE OF MAN. iLiiihcfutc Chamncy. Tradition has it that Rushen Castle was founded by Guthred the Dane in about 945. The castle occupies a commanding position near Castleton Harbour. The most stirring event in its history was its defence by the Countess of Derby against the Parliament, after the execution of her husband* 23 Herefordshire lOI size, however, is a vulgar criterion when deahng with works of art, and as a work of art much of Hereford Cathedral, with its interesting blend of styles, is of very high quality. It would have been of even higher quality had not that highly-paid professional vandal, Wyatt, been let loose upon the church to perform a horrible operation of '■ restoration " at the end of the eighteenth century. Fortunately, some of the worst results of the operation were effaced by a recent restoration which has been carried out with due regard for style and imity. The bulk of the fabric is Norman, of a plain and massive but dignified character. The nave, choir, south transept, and supports of the tower are in that style. In the next century the building was e.xtended eastwards to take in the retrochoir and charming Early English Lady Chapel, and the .^on',n [G.W.Rly. OLD COTT.\GES, HEREFORD. Hereford is a town of considerable antiquity, owing its origin to tlie catliedral founded liere in 676. Tliis site was chosen on account of it being adjacent to an important passage over tlie river. Tliese picturesque old cottages are probably of great age. Norman north transept was replaced by Decorated work, which is one of the best achievements of the style. Decorated, too, is the tower, which forms a not inconspicuous feature of the landscape in the vicinity of the county town. In the Perpendicular period the efforts of builders were in the main confined to the embellishment of the edifice by chantry chapels, though the fine porch of Bishop Booth also dates from the close of that era. The monuments of the church commemorate ecclesiastics and others who were in the main minor notables. Unfortimately the splendour of their tombs was gravely marred at the close of military operations in Herefordshire in the First Civil War. The Puritan .soldiers appear to have acted on the principle which Cromwell put into words when speaking of images : " they that make them are like unto them." Among the interesting monuments in the church, perhaps the most notable is the shrine of Bishop 67 ioi8 Britain Beautiful Cantelupe. who was canonised at St. Thomas of Hereford in 1310. If it be really true that he was the last Englishman to be canonised prior to the Reformation, it is a sad comment on the British medieval Church. The possession of the relics of the saint was, of course, a vast advantage to the cathedral. It made the church a place of pilgrimage. In fact, it is recorded that a large number of miracles took place at the tomb within a very short time of its erection. Most of the cathedral buildings and town churches of Hereford suffered very severely in the Civil Wars, either through the ■■""' '"'' ^^^ actual operations or the malevolent activities of iconoclasts. The Church of All Saints, however, has some fine details, good stalls and roofs, and an interesting li- brarv of ancient chained books. Another ancient relic is the stone pulpit of the Monastery of Black Friars. Its present re- markablv trim and neat appearance shows that a considerable work of restoration has been car- ried out, for in topo- graphical works of a century ago it is shown as picturesquely weather- ^^^—^^^^—^ ^^_ ,^^^^^^^ ^^_ worn and crumbling, I^^H?^^^ff BB '"'!|B BS w^^^^^^^iam v>'< ^^1 ^ alder-tree ^^■--^^^■1 ^E^^^m^ ^^^^^^^r^^ ^^1 sprouting manfully ^^M P^^K^ ' ^^B^^S r^^^^^H ^^1 through the steps ! Hard by is the Hos- pital founded by Sir riiomas Coning.sby in 1614 as a retreat " for two cf the most valuable characters in .society, (although generally the most neglected) the worn-out-soldier, and the superannuated, faithful servant." The hospital was decreed to be known as " Coningsby's Com- pany of Old Servitors, in the Suburbs of the City of Hereford." The statutes of tlie bodv regulated even the dress of the inmates ; for the founder directed that " each Servitor should have on his admittance, a fustian suit of ginger colour, of a soldier-like fashion, and seemly laced : a soldier-like jerkin, with half sleeves ; and a square shirt down half the thigh, with a tnoncado, or Spanish cap. . . ." The rations were to be on a generous scale : " two loaves of good wheaten bread, weighing four pounds each, weekly; two full ale-quarts of beer every day ; also two cheeses of the best Shropshire .sort, of fort\- jwunds weight ; and three gallons of good and wholesome butter, to be delivered yearly," and so forth. Phcio by] THE CRYPT, HEREFORD CATHEDRAL. [L. llOiUird. The access to the crypt Js by stairs on the north side of the I.ady Chapel. Known as Golgotha and consisting of two aisles, the lofty Karly KnviMsh crypt Is the only one founded later than the eleventh century. I l:.,n /,, [/".'ffs', Lid. THE CHOIR LOOKING WEST, HEREFORD CATHEDRAL. The choir was mainly built between 1275 and 1282 by Bishop Cantelupe. The stalls and the Bishop's throne date from the fourteenth century. The fine enamelled choir-screen was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott. I'holo by] ,\\iUiilUtc <■'- Sons, Lid. THE I.AOYVS ARBOIR, HEREFORD. The rollefte ot Mcars-Choral encloses a quadrangle .00 feet square and Is reached through the I-ady Arbour. The square to«e at the south-east corner has alivays been known as the " Ladye Arbour. Herefordshire I02I At least two natives of Hereford have attained world fame. Eleanor Gwynne captured the heart of a king (no difficult matter in the case of the gentleman in question), and David Garrick the hearts of the playgoers of his own age and the homage of posterity. Another Hereford name deserves mention, if onlv for a .somewhat curious coincidence that will readily occur to every reader. Of James Cornewall, the captain of the Marlborough in the naval action off Toulon, it is recorded that ■' both his legs were struck off by a chain-shot, as he was gallantly recei^ ing the lire of the whole Spanish line. ..." One of the most interesting spots in the vicinity of the county town is the seventeenth-century mansion of Holm Lacv, famous for its associations with the ancient family of Scudamore. Not only did the first Scudamore come over with the Conqueror, but it was Sir James Scudamore, whose son WILTON CASTLE, ROSS. [Judges', Lid. Wilton Castle was the residence of the Grey family from the time of Edward I to the Civil War, when it was destroyed. The bridge which crosses the Wye at Wilton dates from the days of Queen Elizabeth. was made the first Viscount, who is the original of " Sir Scudamore " in and whose restless, sleep-bereft night is amusingly described in canto v : Spenser's Faerie Queen, And if bv fortune any litle nap Upon his heavie eye-lids chaunst to fall, Eftsoones one of those villeins him did rap Upon his head-piece with his yron mall. That he was soone awaked there withall. . , The house is also memorable for the fact that Pope was a guest of the last Viscount Scudamore while writing his third Moral Epistle. The pictures include important examples of the work of Holbein and Vandyck, and the carved woodwork of Grinling Gibbons shows that great artist at his best. The " Man of Ross " is, of course, the celebrity and hero of the town of that name farther down the Wye. Readers of Pope's strange poem will remember how " each lisping babe " answers " The Man I022 Britain Beautiful E E OF Koss " when quustiont-d as to " \\'ho Imng with woods yon mountain's sultry brow ? " " ■WT:iose causeway parts the vale with shady rows ? " " Whose seats the weary traveller repose ? " " Who taught that Heav'n directed spire to rise ? " and so forth. This ■■ Man of Ross," John Kyrle, memories of whom are thus one of the " sights " (if one may use that term) of the town, was actually a native of Gloucestershire, but he made Ross his home, and spent his life as a philanthropist to his adopted fellow-citizens. The fact that he was " Of debts and ta.\es, wife and children clear," no doubt made the financial side of his activities easier. He died in 1724, and was buried in the church, which is also notable for its remarkably fine monuments of the Rudhall family, its six piscinas, and the grand spire which soars to a height of two hundred feet or more. Kyrle's house still e.xists — transformed — and the most interesting ancient domestic building in the town is the market hou.se, a production of the period following the Restoration, and comprising a hall supported on stone pillars. This useful public institution does not seem to have been treated with the respect it deserved, for at the end of the eighteenth century it is described as "in a very decayed state." The nineteenth century was seldom kind to anything its predecessors neglected, but fortunately this attractive old building was one of the exceptions. The stretch of the W'ye between Hereford and Ross has always suffered by com- parison with the world- famed beauties of the reaches between Ross and Monmouth, but it has a great charm of its own and many of the most interesting and attractive spots in the county lie close to the lirst- 3 Longitude W.of Greenwich""^ GLoTjCESTER | named sector. Holm Lacy COPYRIGHT oiCQMPmh, K2iV^5bni:i.rsif/n:nomo.vi:c.4. we have dealt with; but there MAP OF HEREFORDSHIRE. IS also Mordiford, pleasantest of villages, at the junction of the Lugg with the W_\e. .Mordiford has its place in History— or should it be I'iction ? I^or was it not the scene of a most ferocious combat betwten the Mordiford Dragon and a criminal who had been promised a full jiardon if he freed the countryside from this dire pest. The beast was duly slain, but his dying breath was even more jiotently poisonous than his living breath, and the slayer succumbed in the nimncnt of victory ! In |)roof of all which, a vast green dragon was painted on the end of the churcii, and remained there as late as iSSi, when the present west tower was built. Tlie beauties of the " Wye Valley " (by which is meant the sector below Koss. so far as this county is concerned) have been so rapturously and vociferously sung bv all maiincr of min, from poets down to the hired .scribes of railway companies, that the writer feels there is little to add to what is common knowledge. The ingredients of its beautiful scenery are of course the deep wooded r^ !•< H 2 [*3 4; ^ S E ta s h Z A - Herefordshire lo: gorges, the immense loop of the river in the neigh- bourhood of Symond's Yat, and above all the gieat cliffs which here and there peer through the foliage. In the midst of a most charming bend of the river stands the ruin of one of the county's finest border fortresses. Goodrich Castle, which brings home more clearly than any other military building in Herefordshire the simple fact that in the incessant regular or guerilla warfare so beloved of the wild men of Wales this county was indeed a front-line trench. Goodrich has some unusual features in addition to the normal ones of a fortress comprising work of several periods. The chapel was in three stages : a cellar at the bottom, above it the chapel proper, and above that a chamber for the priest with a hooded ftreplace. The keep is of such early date that it was long and strenuously maintained that this, the oldest part of the castle, dated from Saxon times. " The original windows are the most truly Saxon that can be," runs Munimenta Antiqua. But the truth is that the keep is unquestionably Norman. Of the history of this fine ruin much might be said, but its epitaph, as recorded in Whitelocke's Memorials, must suffice here : " On the third of August [1646] Colonel Birch entered some of the works of Gotherich Castle, whereupon the garrison hung out a white flag for parley, which Birch refused, and went on storming, and they all submitted to mercy. In the Castle, besides the Governor, Sir Henry Lingen, were fifty gentlemen, and 120 soldiers, with arms, ammvmition, and provisions." After which the stronghold was " slighted " in the approved style. Photo by] \E. BastarJ. THE MARKET HOUSE, ROSS-ON-WYE. The Market House, which was erected in 1862, was built of stone in the Jacobean style. The apartments include reading-rooms and a mechanics' Institute library. 68 Photo by] [H. ]. Smith. IN THE CHURCHYARD, ROSS-ON-WYE. The church at Ross is famed as the burial-place of John Kyrle, the '* Man of Ross." mentioned by Pope in his poem the " Third Moral Essay." The fine cross in the tore- ground dates from the fourteenth century. Close to the great rampart of the ilalvern Hills stands '<.hat Herefordshire treasure, the little town of Ledbury, famous for the number of its picturesque half-timbered buildings. Of these the chief is the Market Hall, a delightful " black and white " chamber, perched proudly on pillars of what ancient photographers call oak, and modern authorities chestnut ! An even more attractive example is the mansion of Ledbury Park, as delightful a late Elizabethan building as the eye could wish to behold. The old almshouse known as St. Kalherine's Hospital is also one of Ledbury's celebrities. In an ancient record we find that " Katherine Audley, or, as she is commonly called, St. Katherine, was a religious woman in the reign of Edward the Second, and had a maid called Mabel, and not being fixed in any settled place, she had a revelation that she should not set up her rest till she came to a town where the bells I026 Britain Beautiful should ring of themselves. She and her maid coming near Ledbury, heard the bells ring, though the church doors were shut, and no ringers there. Here then she determined to spend the remainder of her days, and built an Hermitage, living on herbs, and sometimes on milk. The King, in considera- tion of her birth or piety, or both, granted her an annuity of £30." To her memory Bishop ffolliott dedicated the hospital he founded in 1232 for " si.\ single men, two men and their wives, and two widows." The present living quarters of the inmates date onl}- from the last centurv. but the chapel goes back to the time of the original foundation. The church, a building of all the styles, is particularly notable for its detached belfry tower (crowned with a spire) and its splendid Decorated baptistery. Photo by] BARONIAL HALL, GOODRICH C.A.SILE. [I'aUntinc 6- Sona. It was Ion'.i the This fine old castle Is now one of the most Interesting ruins in Herefordshire and dates from very early times, residence of the Tulbots, Earls of .Shrewsbury, and the De Greys. During the Civil War it was the last castle In the county that held for the KIniJ. This photonraph was taken before the recent restoration by the Office of Works. Leominster is probably more ancient than Ledbury, but far less picturesque. Its one excursion into the limelight of history was just before the accession of Queen Mary, when the citizens earned the undying affection of that dour and disappointed lady by scattering the supporters of Lady Jane Grey. .■\ little more than a century later, however, there must have been further mild excitement in the town, to judge by a curious work published in 1679 : " Strange News from Lemster, in Herejordshire ; being a true Narrative, given under several Person's Hands there, of a most strange and prodigious Opening of the Earth in divers Places thereabouts. Also a true Relation of several wonderful Sights, viz. a Hand, an Arm, and Shoulder of the Bigness of a Man's ; and Sadies of Blood-colour, which were seen to rise out of the l.arth. Photo by] [^- B'"""-''- THE SOUTH DOOR, KILPECK CHURCH. Kilpeck Church is one of the most perfect examples ot the Norman style of architecture remaining in England. It was completely rebuilt in about 1853, every stone being carefully put back in its original position without a single one being left out or refaced. The south door is a particularly fine specimen of Norman work and moulding. I y^ / Plioto fcy] /•;. Hiulur.t. IN ABBEY DORE CHURCH, oisiercian anu , palnlinU of a HHurc of Father Time, above the font. Herefordshire 1029 and ascend up to the Skves. Likewise, a strange and terrible noise of Fighting, which w-as heard during ihis miraculous Accident. All attested by several Persons of \\'orth and Reputation ; and exhibited for public Information." Leland records that " the toune of Leonminster is metely large, and hath good buildinges of tymbre " — a description that is not altogether inaccurate even to-day. Unquestionably the best of the surviving " buildinges of tymbre " is the beautiful Grange Court House, the work of one of the most renowned Elizabethan architects, John Abel. It has had a curious history. Prior to the middle of the last century it stood on a different site, performed the functions of a town hall, and was popularly known as " Butter Close." It is now a private house. I'h.Mj hy, BRIDGE OVER THE WYE AT BREDWARDINE. {E. Bastard. The little village of Bredwardine is very picturesquely situated close to this fine stone bridge, 71 miles east of Hay. The castle, now in ruins, in the vicinity of the village was the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, a member of the Bredwardine fainily, in 1349. But here, as elsewhere in nine cases out of ten, the chief monument of antiquity is the church. It is one of the largest in the county and not unimpressive, but externally at least the mixture of stvles produces an effect which is not altogether happy. Its origin is to be found in a curious legend to the effect that on the same night on which a local holy man dreamed that a lion came and ate out of his hand, Merewald " the Lion," King of Mercia, dreamed that he received a visit from a monk. The next morning the two met and exchanged experiences, with the result that the King became another man, founded a nunnery, and built a church. At the Conquest the nunnery gave place to a monastery, and the nave of the church then built is now one of the aisles of the present edifice. (It may be remarked that Leland barely suppresses a scoff at another version of the legend : 1030 Britain Beautiful " it is supposed of Clerkes, that the old name of the towne take beginning of the Xunncs, and was called in Welch Llan-Uheny, that is, locus vel faiiiim moniahim, and not of a lion that is written to have appeared to King Merwald. upon which vision lie began, as it is said, to build this Nunnery "). The western doorway of this Norman portion is a particularly fine example of the work of the period, the carving of the capitals being elabor- ate, and yet not over-decorative. In the three centuries that followed the church underwi^nt great extension and modification, and in 1700 there was a catastrophe which plaved havoc with its splendours and left it a dismal relic for a century and a half. " The old church " we are told, was " partly destroyed bv an accidental fire, occasioned bv the carelessness of some plumbers, who had been emplovcd in repairing the leads. The particular cause of the fire was the leaving of a pot of ignited charcoal during breakfast : the wind being strong, blew the flame upon some peas-halme, which had been laid under the roof." Not far from Leominster is the attractive little village of Kingsland, and close to the village is the scene of the famous battle of Mortimer's Cross, one of the fiercest engagements that took place in the Wars of the Roses. Curiously enough, it was not until 1709 Photo oy THE OLD MARKET HALL. LEOMIN.STER. I'holo iy] THE .SEI'.\RA TE HEI.rU\ . PEMBRIDGE. [Hethtrl Fcllon. There arc allntjothcr iihotit six of these ** detached " helfrlcs in the county, but tiiis one is probably the most unique. It is built partly of wood and partly of stone. The interior la constructed entirely of ma.s.sive timbers. The church to which it belonj^s dates from the fourteenth century. Now l^nown as Grange Court House, this fine old Tudor edifice Mas originally the butter-cross, and stood on the site of the new marlvet hall. It was built by John Abel. In 1855 it was taken down and re-erected on its present site, and is now used as a residence. that anyone thought of com- '■'^ memorating the event by j some sort of monument. In that year an obelisk was ; erected, bearing the following inscription : " This Pedestal is erected to perpetuate the memory of an obstinate, bloody, and decisive Battle fought near this spot, in the Civil Wars between the ambitious Houses of York and Lancaster, on the 2nd Day of l-'ebruary, ' 1460." .'\mong the smaller towns of the county (and bevond its borders it might be deemed a village !) is Wcobley, " black- and-white " Weobley as it deserves to be stvled, in view of its wealth of half-timbered houses and cottages. Nowhere does an old-world air linger Photo by] Herbert Felton. BUTTHOUSE FALCONRY, NEAR CANON PYON. This interesting falconry is of great antiquity, and is the most beautiful of all the numerous specimens that abound in this part of Herefordshire. It was built by a man whose initials G. F. appear in the plaque over the door. The unique barge-boards over the door are probably the most ornate in existence. Pholo 6)] AN OLD HOUSE AT LEINTWARDINE. \H. J. Smith. l.eint%^ardiiie occupies the site of the ancient Roman station of Bravinium, some remains of wliicli are stil! visible. Close by the village the River Clun joins the Teme, a river that abounds in fish, and is well known to anglers. Pholo by] WIGMORE VILLAGE. JlctbeH I'cllon. Wlgmore village is prettily situated 7 miles south-west of Ludlow. Just distinguishable on the right are the ruins of the twelfth- century WIgmore Ciastle, for a long time a stronghold of the Mortimers. Herefordshire lO so pleasantly, unless it be in some of the other delightful villages hereabouts, such as Eardisland or Pembridge. Weobley's castle has vanished, but there is still something to see of the mediaeval fortresses at Snodhill, Clifford, Wigmore, and Brampton Brvan, which were the terror of evildoers and welldoers alike in their vicinity. All of them are in an extremelv dilapidated state, but enough remains of \Mgmore at least to give some idea of the functions these strongholds performed in times, when lawlessness was the in- ternal, and the pugna- cious Welshman the external, foe. Clifford, though less than the shadow of its former self, is interesting as the birthplace of " Fair Rosamund," Henry 11 's mistress, and the heroine of a tragedy which ex- cited a good deal more sympathy than the ladv really deserved. Bramp- ton Bryan possesses a heroine whose memory has a better claim to be kept green. At the out- break of the Civil War the castle was in the possession of Sir Robert Harley, whose .sym- pathies were on the Par- liamentarian side ; but when the tide of war swept up to this far corner of the county the knight happened to be away, and the defence was organised and directed by his wife. After some months of victorious resistance under very difficult cir- cumstances this coura- geous ladv succumbed to the strain, and earh' in 1644 the castle sur- rendered to the Royalist forces. Most of the churches on tbe western border are of considerable interest to the antiquarian but as this work is not primarily intended for the archaeologist it is not possible to do more than touch on one or two which could not conceivably be omitted from any list of Hereford- shire's notabilia. The first is the church of Abbey Dore, a little village in the poetically named " Golden Valley," through which the River Dore flows to join the Monnow. This church is the choir, transepts, and two bays of the nave of the abbey church of a noted and important Cistercian monastery, which was founded in the middle of the twelfth century. Its special charm and interest lie in the fact Photo iwl '£■ BasliiH. LEDBURY CHLRCH l.ANE, LEDBIRV. This narrow lane looks very picturesque with its old half-timbered houses. Ledbury church has one of the few " detached " lowers in the county. This one has been surmounted by a tall modern spire. 1034 Britain Beautiful that the building is wholly in the Early English style. The other ecclesiastical " specialty " in this part of the county is the church of Kilpeck, where the Norman carving exhibits an elabora- tion which can only be ascribed to some alien influence — whether Irish or not we must leave the experts to decide. Some of the villages in the Golden \'allcv and the valley of the Monnow are also well worth visiting, whether for the beauty of their situation, their quaint, unworldly air, or some feature of antiquarian interest. Dorstone. for example, is famous for its cromlech, familiarly known as " Arthur's Stone," and the only example of the species to be found in the county. Ewyas Harold also derives something of its attraction from an alleged association with the great and tragic figure of the " Last of the Saxons." Nothing but the mound remains of a castle which had some note in its day. It was first built by one of the Confessor's Norman favourites, and no small portion of Harold's popularity was gained by his casting down this nest of foreign vipers in 1052. Then came 1066, and soon after the evil thing was rebuilt, to the immense sorrow of the country- side around. I'lwto hv' LEDBURY M.\RKET HALL. Photo b\' , I '.'-rjint: C' Son>. TJiE (;kk\t mall, ea.stnor castle. The castle Is a comparatively niod«Tn mansion, built on the plan of ancient baronial castles. Besides this line collcctloii of armour, the interior contains some f^ooil paintings and w'00d-carvin e.xecution he w,i\((l liiijhly jovial, called for a pipe and invited llir sheriff to drink his health on the steps of the scaffold. He was buried at Welsh Newton, and the village keeps his memory green in this appro])riate fasiiion. HERTFORDSHIRE HERTFORDSHIRE, like other counties on London's doorstep, must pay the penalty for such august company, a penalty which consists of providing house-room and a playground for the thousands whom modern transport has enabled to live at quite considerable distances from their work. No humane indi\-idual can deplore this fact, though inevitably the scenery of the southern edge of the county (particularly along the line of the railways) has suffered considerably from the relentless advance of suburbia over the Middlesex border. Fortunately the advance has not yet progressed very far. and the larger part of the county is Pliolo by] [Phoiocluo.u I , / (,(. HARTHAM WALK, HERTFORD. The county toHn of Hertford stands on the River Lea, 21 miles by road north of London. The construction of locks and other improvements have made the Lea navigable to the Thames at Blackwall. It is connected with its chief tributary, the Stort, by a canal, still real " country," full of the charm which makes the EngHsh landscape deservedly famous, and having certain special attractions of its own, notably an alternation of hill and dale which is beautifully diversified with a wealth of woodland that any of our shires might envy. So that though there is nothing grand or spectacular about the scenery of thj county, it is almost everj'where interesting and attractive, while the ancient villages, churches, and fine country houses harmonise with the landscape in a peculiarly fascinating manner. Hertford, the county town, is frankly somewhat disappointing. Though one of the oldest towns in the country, and possessing a history by no means lacking in romance and picturesqueness, the existing evidences of its antiquity are with few exceptions mere remnants. There was once a great castle at Hertford associated with much local, and some national. i03^S Britain Beautiful history. A King of France and a King of Scotland both passed some time in captivity within its formidable walls, and down to the seventeenth century at least there were few sovereigns of England who did not honour Hertford with a visit at some time or other. Some portions of walling and a gateway are now all that remain of this historic building. Equally unfortunate was the ancient church of All Saints, which fell a victim to a disastrous fire thirty-three years ago. ^'er^• different has been the fate of St. Albans, unquestionably one of the most interesting towns (or should it be cities ?) in the country, as a link not only with Roman Britain but the beginnings of Christianity in our Islands. For anyone who gazes at the splendid Norman tower of its cathedral is looking at the very material of which Roman Vendaiuinin, who.se pathetic remains still stand AN OI.I) MALT-HOLSE AT WARE. Ih-ibert l-dtun. This picturesque old building is situated on one of tiie t>ucks of tiie River Lea. Tlie ancient town of Ware is tiic centre of the malting Industry in Hertfordshire. The number of dryin^-lciln cowls Is indicative of its great extent, and they form conspicuous objects in the district. forlornly in the meadows below the hill, was built. .\n(l tlial is a spectacle seldom \ouchsafed to us nowadays and worthy of high respect ! Most of what is left of the Romano-British city lies underground, for all that is visible is highly characteristic patches of walling, telling a tale eloquent enough to tho.se familiar w^ith the appearance of Roman masonry. Among the treasures under the turf is the theatre, said to be the only Roman theatre that has been discovered in the country. Beyond the fact that Verulam was the headquarters of the Roman occupation ot sduthern Britain and the scene of Boadicea's frightful vengeance in .■v.d. Oi, little is known of its story during its career of four centuries and more. How, then, did tlie modern town on the hill come by its very ecclesiastical name ? Ph'to by\ {Herbert Fdlon. THE LEA AT WARE. The Lea is the longest and most iiiipurtant river in the county, and at Ware there is a considerable amount of barge traffic due to the malting industry. The town will be well remembered owing to its association with John Gilpin, the hero of William Cowper's famous poem. Hertfordshire Somewhere about the close of the third century Christianity claimed its first victim in this country, a converted Briton of the name of Alban. According to tradition the scene of the martyrdom was the spot on which the cathedral now stands, and there seems little doubt that a church was built in the saint's honour very shortly afterwards. Towards the end of the eighth century this church gave place to the im- portant Benedictine monastery founded by Offa, King of Mercia, but the earliest part of the existing fabric dates from shortly after the Xorman Con- quest, when Abbot Paul of Caen rebuilt the monastic church on a scale which was princeh' even for those spacious times. With the ruins of Verulam close at hand the question of building material was hardly a problem, and the finest feature of Abbot Paul's work is the great tower finished with Roman tiles from the ancient city. Part of the nave is also of this period. The great " draw " of the church was of course the shrine of St. Albans, I'liulu hVj Hiibeil l-'dlon. WALTHAM CROSS. This is one of the three remaining crosses that were erected to commemorate the spots where the body of Queen Eleanor rested on her journey to London for burial. The cross was built by Edward I and has been much restored. I 04 I which was progressively en- larged and enriched by succes- sive abbots, and in the next century this place of pilgrimage became even more renowned when the remains of St. Am- phibalus were transferred from Redbourn after their strange discovery there. The increasing fame of the abbey church seems to have inspired the abbots with a fierce determination to make it truly worth\' of its place in the affections of Christian men, for right down to the close of the fifteenth century there was building and rebuilding, restor- ing, decorating, and beautifying, until the fabric became one of the most notable in Christen- dom. Then came the Dissolu- tion and a period of darkness descended upon the church, from which it emerged, after a none too happy restoration, in quite recent times. Within, the whole building has " restoration " writ large all over it, and most of what has not been restored is in a state of mutilation. The shrine of St. Amphibalus is a frag- mentarv affair, but that of /i/ji,/(; /.vi [^- ^- Robinson. OLD TEMPLE BAR, CHESHUNT. This interesting structure was taken from the .Strand, London, and erected at the entrance to Theobald's Park, a one-time royal residence situated about \\ miles west of Waltham Gross station. 69 1042 St. Alban is still a thing of beauty. Both werf knocked to pieces at the Reformation, but the pieces were d i s- covered and put together again in the last century. The great altar-screen of Abbot Wallingford is one of the finest in the country, not- withstanding the fact that its original statues were Britain Beautiful OLD PALACE, HATFIELD HOUSE. l'aUntiti€ & Sons. Pholo by] Old HatBeld Palace was built In 1496 by the Bishop of Ely. It afterwards became a royal residence, and is now used as a stable and ridinft-school. Princess Elizabeth was an inmate here for some time before her succession. destroyed in the sixteenth century. Of the domestic buildings of the monas- tery the only substantial surviving relic is the Gate House. For a long period after the Dissolu- tion it was put to base uses as a gaol, but fifty years or more ago the Grammar School was transferred here from the Lady Chapel of the Abbey Church. The school itself claims to be the first in point of date in the country ; it is, at any rate, certain that it was estabhshed before the close of the eleventh century. The interest of St. Albans is by no means confined to its cathedral. Of equal antiquity is the Church of St. Michael, and, unlike its great neighbour, its earliest visible work dates from Saxon times. Many of its features command great respect— and not from antiquarians only— and its chef d'ceuvre, which even the plainest of plain men can appreciate, is the remarkable monument of Francis Bacon, who selected the church as his final resting-place on the ground of its propinquity to his much-loved home at Gorhambury. The old philosopher and statesman is represented reclining in a chair with an air of detachment he can seldom have adopted in his busy life. Gorhambury House it.self is a ruin, and somewhat too poignantly reminiscent of the fate which overtook its famous owner. But even in decay its porch remains an interesting and characteristic Phcio by] HATFIELD HOUSE. [A . fl. Robinson. Tht<» fine Jacobean mansion was built In I61U und nas been the seat of the Cecils. Marquises of Salisbury, since its erection by Sir Robert Cecil the first Earl. It stands In an extensive and beautiful park a little to the east of the town. Photo by] THE GRAND STAIRCASE, HATFIELD HOUSE. [Valentine & Sons. The interior of Hatfield House is full of interesting features. Among the chief are the grand staircase hung with portraits, the marble hall with its oak-panelled walls covered with tapestry, the long gallery, the magnificent King James's drawing-room, and the beautiful chapel. Plioto l^y] \Hahnl leUon. CLERGY HOUSE, HATFIELD CHURCHYARD. The ancient church of St. Etheldreda contains, besides the chapel of the Earls and Marquises of Salisbury, an elaborate tomb of .Sir Robert Cecil, and monuments of the Botelers, Brockets, and Reads. Robert Cecil, first Earl of Salisbury, died in 1512 and was the son of the famous Lord Bur^hley. nolo tyj \Herl,ert hdtmi. THE •• FIGHTING COCKS," .ST. ALBANS. Originally called the Old Round Hnrso Inn. this undent huildlnc stands on the site of a boat-house built for the ancient monastery fountled by KlniJ 0(la about the year 795. Hertfordshire 1045 architectural monument of its time, both the actual details of the work and the medallions of Roman emperors showing how far the spirit of the Renaissance had penetrated English art by the end of the sixteenth century. Another famous ruin near St. Albans is Sopwell Nunnery, a relic with a freak name not easily explained. Perhaps the most plausible story is that put forward by Matthew Paris, to the effect that prior to the foundation of the nunnery two pious ladies lived in seclusion on this spot and were in the habit of dipping their bread in a neighbouring spring. It seems an odd custom, and so the Abbot of St. Albans regarded it, if he really did (as the chronicler tells us) found the nunnery with a view to providing these holy women with better accommodation. Pliolo by] ST. ALBANS ABBEY. [Herbert Felton. St. Albans Abbey was begun at the end of the eleventh century and became a cathedral in 1877. It stands on the site of a monastery founded by King OHa II in 793, and is the highest situated cathedral in England, standing as it does .?20 feet above sea-level. This photograph was taken from the walls of Verulamlum, an important Romano -British town on the site of which St. Albans now stands. St. Stephen's Church has some Norman work surviving, but a Scott restoration in the sixties of the last century robbed it of a familiar air of antiquity. St. Peter's Church was even more thoroughly restored by Lord Grimthorpe, but is still of interest, inter alia as the burial-place of many who fell in the two battles of St. Albans. Anyone visiting the city in these days of peace will find it hard to visualise the place as a scene of horror and carnage. Yet the two actions of which it was the theatre in the Wars of the Roses were among the most ferocious and bloody engagements in that long era of civil strife. The first was fought in May 1455, and after severe street fighting the Lancastrians were routed with frightful slaughter. King Henry VI was wounded and taken prisoner, and the Yorkists, maddened with blood-lust, vented their fury on the houses and their unoffending occupants. Five years later the tables were turned, and the victorious Lancastrians treated the citizens and their town in the same barbarous fashion. 1046 Britain Beautiful Pholo hv ABBEY GATEWAY, ST. ALBANS. Herbert Fi-Uon. Dating from 1380, the Abbey Gate-house stands a few yards beyond the west end of the cathedral, and is the only relic, with the exception of the church, of the monastic buildings. It was used for many years as a gaol, but is now occupied by the Grammar School. Having dealt with the principal antiquarian relics in and near St. .\lbans, it remains to add that there are all kinds of delightful nooks and corners where a picture of Old England can be had for the asking — ancient houses in the market-place and else- where, the yards of old inns, and above all that charming relic " The Fighting Cocks." Many will rise up to denv its claim to be " the oldest inhabitant house in Eng- land," but it is quite old enough to give one a pleasant feeling of taking one's refreshment with shadows that saw the cathedral in its proud and sturdy middle age. In our precipitate leap from Hertford to St. Albans we have passed the ancient and not unpicturesque little town of Hatfield. Perhaps its chief service to British economics at the moment is as a railway junction, for times have changed since linghsh monarchs made Hatlield Palace one of tlieir principal residences, and the ccnintr\' man- sions of even the greatest in the land now ha\'e far less iioliticil importance than in days gone by. I'"or all the over- shadowing ]ire-eniinence of llattield House the true starting-point for a survey of the little town is tile church, for it is I crtaiii that some portion at least of the fabric was old wlun even the Bishop's Palace across I lie way had barel\- left ^^^ Uie hands of the builder. ^IB*. J \Vi' will If.iNv the arehi- I'l'i'lo hy] THE OLD WALLS Of" VERULAMIUM. [Herbert Felton. tCCtUral fcatUrCS (SUCh aS Vcrulamlum was founded soon after the Roman Conquest of 43 A.D., and still shows some haVC SUrvivcd a drastiC Interesting remains in the city of St. \lbans. .■^mong the chief are fragments of Ihe Koman walls, a theatre excavated In 1817, and part of a town hail brought to light over thirly years rCStOration) tO the ar- laler. The present citv owes its name to .St. Alban, a soldier unil martvr who was beheaded i_ 1 • x i ii 1 • here in 303 A.D. ChiCOloglStS ; to tile plain „, , , '■hoto Co. Photo /'I' „ ., - SCREEN IN ABBEY, ST. ALBANS. This magnificent altar-screen was built by Abbot William de WalMngford at the end of the fifteenth century. It recently underwent a thorough restoration. Photo bv\ Herbert Fe'.ton. ON THE RIVF.R COLN NEAR ALDENHAM. Ihe River Coin rises near Hatfield and flows past Aldcnham. Watford, and I'xbrldf^e to the Thames at Staines. Aldenham village Is situated to the north-east of Watford. Hertfordshire 1049 by peiniisfiW)t of} WHITE BRIDGE IN CASSIOBURY PARK, [The Underii'ood Press Service. WATFORD. Half a mile to the north of Watford, the largest town in the county, lies Cassiobury Park, which has been the seat of the Earls of Essex for many generations. Previous to this the estate belonged to the Morrisons and Capels. man the interest ol the fabric is in the Salisbury and Brockett Chapels. The former contains the tomb of Sir Robert Cecil, first Earl of Salisbury, great son of an even greater father. He was the first English statesman to make the nearer acquaintance of James I after the lattcr's succession to the throne of England. How the canny Scotch- man w-as r o y a 1 1 \' entertained by Cecil at Theobalds, and took such a fancy to his host's house that he induced him to exchange it for Hat- field, is an old and well-known piece of history. The result is that Burghlev's famous son gives the lustre of his departed presence (if one may use the phrase) to the church which adjoins the palatial mansion of his successors. The Brockett Chapel, too, is a link with another illus- trious local family whose name still sur- vives in Brockett Hall. 3 miles away. The remains of the old episcopal palace is a reminder that Hat- field has suffered the indignity of losing its prefi.x. The palace was one of the many residences of the Bishops of Ely, and in those prosperous times the town was '■ Bishop's Hatfield." In Henry VIII's time the amenities of the place attracted the attention of the sover- eign himself, and all his children who suc- li\- peiinisswii of] [The Vnden^uoJ Pre into Buckiniihanishire, and shows the position of Chenics behind the wooded mount on the left. In the distance near the horizon is the spire of Latimer Church. so good flower^, nor so great gooseburys, as big as nutmegs." A fortnight later its glories actually inspired him to crime. " At Hatfield, we bayted and walked into the great house through all the courts ; and 1 would fain have stolen a pretty dog that followed me, but I could not, which troubled me." Of course the mansion has grown since Pcpys's day, and acquired such a collection of treasures, artistic, literary, and historical, that it is celebrated on that score alone. The research student's eye gleams when he thinks of the historical portraits and all the Cecil papers which are the very material of histor\- ; the art critic freely concedes Hatfield's masterpieces of Van Dyck, Reynolds, and other painters a high place in the golden book of artistic achievement, and the vast rooms are themselves a whole library on domestic decoration in England. Speaking of Pepys and Hatfield carries the mind inevitably to the observations of his fellow- flioto by] [J, T. Neumian. THE VALLEY OP THE BOURNE. This small stream rises on the southern slopes of the Chiltern Hills and joins the Bulbourne at Bourne End, a village 1 mile to the west of Boxmoor in the district of Bovingdon. y.r fit'/misiiuii ul. THE RIVER AT BOXMOOR. I'iu- ViJcr^-auj /',,i- .s,,, ,.,. Boxmoor is a small town on the Grand Junction Canal about 2 miles south-west of Hertiel Hempstead. Close by the Bulbourne stream joins the River Gade. I'hotn hy\ SOUTH-EAST FRONT, BERKHAMSTED CASTLE. Newman. Datlni^ from Norman times, and one of the oldest buildings of its kind in the county, Berkhamsted Castle was a Royal residence in the time of the Black Prince. It was here that William the Conqueror was offered the English Crown. The photograph shows the double moats. Photo ty] AN AVENUE OF I.IMES IN GREAT BERKHAMSTED PARK. J. T. AV.t Berkhamsted Park Is well known as contafnln(3i some of the most beautiful lime-trees In Hertfordshire. One of the oldest towns In the county, Berkhamsted has an intcrcstinfi history and was once the residence of the Klni^s of Mercia. Hertfordshire lO .■>J) diarist, Jolin Evelyn, on anotlirr of tiie great aristocratic residences of Hertfordshire, Cassiobury, near Watford. As the present mansion is one of Wyatt's efforts (well above his usual standard), and dates onh- from the beginning of the last century, it is not of course that " house at Cashiobury " which Evelyn visited on April i8, 1680, and found " new. a plain fabric, built by my friend, Mr. Hugh May." He noted " divers fair and good rooms, and excellent carving by Gibbons, especially the chimney- piece of the library. . . . One room pargetted with yew, which I liked well. Some of the chimney mantels are of Irish marble, brought by my Lord from Ireland, when he was Lord Lieutenant, and not much inferior to Italian. ... I do not approve of the middle doors being round : but, when the hall is finished as designed, it being an oval with a cupola, together with the other wing, it will be a ve.ry noble place." Cassiobury should be haunted by a messy ghost, for the Eari of Essex, who built the house (a " sober, wise, judicious, and pondering person," as Evelj'n describes his host), came to a tragic end. He was thrown into the Tower for alleged complicity in the Rye House Plot, that piece of Hertfordshire history to which we are coming. On July 13, 1683, Evelyn records " the astonishing news of the Earl of Esse.v having cut his throat. . . . It is certain the King and Duke were at the Tower, and passed hv his window about the same time this morning, when my Lord asking for a razor, shut himself into a closet, and perpetrated the horrid act. Yet it was wondered by some how it was possible he should do it in the manner he was found. . . . There were odd reflections upon it." Perhaps this baneful spectre vanished when the old house was taken down and Wyatt's palace rose upon its site. Rickmansworth close by is already part of " Metroland," and its picturesqueness, if not its antiquity, is fast vanishing at the tramp of suburbia's legions. Even Moor Park (that house of Photo by] [J. T. Nentnan. OLD WELL HOUSE, THE RECTORY. BERKHAMSTED. William Cowper, the famous poet and son of the Rev. John Cowper, was born in the rectory in 1731, and there is a memorial window to him in the church. "The Task," his best-known work, was published in 1785. I054 Britain Beautiful memories, though most of them are borrowed from predecessors on the same site) is destined — if it has not already succumbed — to a commercial fate, and it may confidently be anticipated that a future chronicler of Hertford's beauties will find little over which to linger in this corner of the county. Bamct too has become a " residential " district, with all it implies. The industrious antiquary will of course seek out the Church of St. Mary at East Barnet, and there are picturesque bits here and there, but in the main all that can really be said for this rapidly developing quarter is summed up in Mr. Herbert Tompkins' remark {Hertfordshire : Little Guides Series) that " the whole district is excellent ground for the student of modern domestic architecture, the examples of diverse schools and styles being endless." It is certainly an effort to cast one's mind back to that Easter Sunday of 1471 when Yorkist and Lancastrian hammered each other relentlessly for several hours, the " King -maker " was slain, and among the wounded was Sir John Easton, whose letter to his mother is one of the original au- thoiities on the action. The object of the ordinary visi- tor to the Rye House (not far from Ware) is not so much to cogi- t a t e on the famous plot to which it, or rather its predecessor, gave its name, as to inspect the equally famous " Great Bed of Ware," a monster affair in which a round dozen full- grown humans could take their rest. This historic piece of furniture has had the honour of notice from both Shakespeare and Byron, a notable achievement ! The story of the Plot is more reputable than that of tlic bed. In the year of Grace tlie then Rye House was occupied by a certain Colonel Ruuibold, whose republican opinions the Restoration had not changed. Into the morose and muddled heads of this man and his fellow-conspirators there entered the design of assassinating King Charles 11 and the Duke of "N'ork on their return from Newmarket to London. The plan was on a real WWd West .scale, and to be carried out in true Wild West fashion by putting an obstacle in the road by which the loyal party approached ; in the ensuing confusion it was hoped that the monarch and his brother could be easily dispatched without much risk to the malefactors. As is well known, the intended \-ictims escaped this ])retty trap by unintentionally leaving Newmarket before the scheduled time. Quite a number of places hereabouts have secured notice from j)oets or men of letters, and that charming old gentleman, Izaak Walton, high-i)riest of the rod, wlio has endeared seventeenth- century Hertfordshire to thousands who have never tried to catch a fish in their lives. Hoddesdon, Long v^ a^ Gr. Long L.of Gr COPYRIGHT GEOGRAPHIA .9:3iL™ 55«ff rSW^f 7'iO/VW/Vi"C'? M.\P OK HERTFORDSHIRE. Pholo by] [Airco Aerials. GREAT GADDESDEN. Great Gaddesden village stands on the River Gade, 5 miles north-west of Great Berkhamsted. This pleasant locality contains several country seats, of which Gaddesden Place is the most notable. The seat of the Halsey family, it was burnt down in 1905. but has since been rebuilt. 1056 Britain Beautiful which was one of his haunts, has also been preserved from obscurit}- in Matthew Prior s '• Down Hall " : " Into an old inn did this equipage roll. At a town they call Hod'sdon the sign of the Bull, Near a nymph with an urn that divides the highwav, And into a puddle throws mother of tea." Great Amwell is well known to all readers of Charles Lamb ; and Ware, if all other claims to distinction failed it, would still secure immortality for its part in that immortal ballad of John Pkolo 6j] [P. ir. Farmborouili. AYOT ST. LAWRENCE. This is one of the prettiest vlllaf^es l^i be fountl in the county famed for its *' ^reen fields and pieasant piains." Here tived Sir William Parr, brother of Catherine Parr, the last and most fortunate consort of Henry VIII. Gilpin, whose ad\cntures can still he \-isualist(l from the \-antagc-point of the " Johnny Gilpin " Inn. As a matter of fact, Ware has few other claims to distinction. Though as " old as the hills," or at any rate Domesday Book, it has kept sufficiently abreast of the times to display an elderly spinster's sensitiveness on the point, for the reallv patent relics of antiquity in the shape of houses and so forth must, generally speaking, be searched for. liven the church has been pretty drastically restored. In the extreme corner of the county, which is hedged in bv Essex and Middlesex, there remains a monument of a man's devotion, which gains interest from the fact that the man was a king — and perhaps the greatest of English kings — and the memorial he raised to his dead Queen is among the outstanding artistic achievements of the thirteenth century. Most people are aware that only CATHEDRAl,. Commenced in 1070 by Archbishop Lanfranc, Canterbury Cathedral has been the principal edifice of the Church nearly a thousand years. The beautiful St. Michael's or Warriors' Chapel contains many interesting monuments to Margaret Holland and the coffin of Archbishop Laniiton. 21 in England for , including one Hertfordshire 1057 three Eleanor Crosses have survived, but the fact that this is incomparabl\- the best of them is not as well known as it should be. Close to Waltham Cross is Theobalds Park, where old Temple Bar, that famous object which was so picturesque and yet so inconvenient, has been doing duty as a gate since its removal from Fleet Street more than thirty years ago. The present house is not the famous Cecil mansion which, as has been mentioned before, attracted the covetous eye of James I, and inspired that canny Scotchman to secure it by offering the first Earl of Salisbury Hatfield in exchange. As we go farther north from the southern border, suburbia loses its stranglehold altogether, and the county unfolds all those chaims for which it has been rightly celebrated since Time began. To get the true atmosphere of this region, even from an armchair in a smoky city, one need do no more than dip into Charles Lamb's Essays, for Lamb was one of the county's most ardent and constant lovers, and he never tired of singing its praises. \Vho can forget his essay on Mackery End : " The oldest thing I remember is Mackery End ; or Mackarel End, as it is spelt, perhaps more properly, in some old maps of Hertfordshire ; a farmhouse— delightfully situated within a gentle walk from Wlicathampstead. . . . The sight of the old farmhouse, though every trace of it was effaced from my recollection, affected me with a pleasure which I had not experienced for many a year." That ability KNEBWORTH HOUSE, KNEBWORTH. [A. H. Rvbinsoij. Photo by\ This fine sixteenth-century mansion has been for many years the seat of the Earls of Lytton. The house has been much altered and restored, and the present building occupies the site of one of the four wings of the original mansion. to affect one with a pleasure not experienced for many a year is the secret of Hertfordshire's subtle appeal, or at any rate of that part of it which still escapes the visible and invisible embrace of London. What Lamb is to Mackery End, Bulwcr Lytton is to Knebworth, with the difference that the great house was truly Lytton's " home," and it is impossible to doubt that its long and honoured storv, and the associations brought home to him so vividly by such a relic of Old England as its splendid banqueting-hall, inspired that love of antiquity which has given us his lengthy series of historical novels. Literary fashions have changed in the last forty years. No one reads Lytton to-day, they say, and no doubt his work has a false and artificial ring about it which jars on the iconoclastic spirit of the twentieth century. But we can still appreciate this splendid example of the English countrv home and agree with his well-known description : " The place has something of the character of Penshurst, and its venerable avenues, which slope from the house down to the declivity of the park, giving wide views of the opposite hills, crowded with cottages and spires, impart to the scene that peculiarly English, half stately and wholly cultivated, character which the poets of Elizabeth's day so much loved to linger upon." Stevenage, a much-welcomed spot in the old coaching days, has had its complexion spoilt by more than one disastrous fire. Its first experience of the kind is responsible for the fact that it has removed from the immediate vicinity of the ancient church to its present position directly on the Great North Road. To the later fires we owe the destruction of very many of its ancient 70 I058 Britain Beautiful houses, though such as have sur\-ived are good. As might be expected, one of the great features of the town is its old inns, or houses that were once inns. l-'rom Stevenage it is but a short wav to Hitchin, where the lingerer may profitably spend many a happy hour, for its age is something between " very respectable " and " hoary," and the mantle of antiquity, though freely patched with modernity, is still worn. Very becoming it is, too. One may search further and fare worse than the courtyard of the Biggin Almshouse for a sight of what old England looked like, and a very slight stretch of imagination will turn the venerable dames whose retreat it is into the nuns who had their spiritual and temporal fastness in the Gilbertine convent of which it is a relic. Our ancient towns can afford to be unafraid of admitting their less respectable associations, and so at the end of a list of notables with which Hitchin has been connected (a list which includes Bunyan), Eugene Aram must have his place. This accomplished man and even more accomplished murderer lived in a house in Golden Square, and carried on the profession of schoolmastering. Local society no doubt regarded him with a certain awe — for one engaged in compiling an English— I.atin-Greek-Hebrew-Welsh— Irish dictionary is not as other men — totally unsuspecting that their learned usher had the crime of homicide upon his conscience. II. Rnbinson. THE L.\KE AND CH.XI.ET, KNEBWORTH HOUSE. The mansion stands on a sllt^ht hill and Is surrounded by a large thickly wooded park. Before passing to the Lyttons it originally belonged to the Hoos and the Hotofts. It was here that Bulwer l.ytton wrote inany of his novels. Away in the e.xtreme north-eastern corner, and all but scooped into Cambridgeshire, is Royston, possessing a goodly quota of ancient houses, the somewhat piteous relic of James I's hunting-lodge, and a remarkable curiosity known as the " Royston Cave." Before we conclude our survey with the Buckinghamshire side of the county we must call at Bishop's Stortford, if only to see some ancient inns of which even Hertfordshire — so rich in this feature — may well be proud. Their very names, e.g. the "Boar's Head," the "Black Lion," the " \\'hite Horse," are as nuisic to the ear of the thirsty or tired traveller with an eye for picturesque antiquity. But one most famous hostelry has gone, Pep\-s's " Ravne-deere. where Mrs. Aynsworth, who lived heretofore at Cambridge, and whom 1 knew better than tlu\- think for, do li\-e. ' It has been said above that our old English towns can afford to admit their uiuU-sirahle associations. Mrs. Aynsworth was Bishop Stortford's blackest sheep. She was expelled from Cambridge — and very properly — as a most disreputable character, a she-wolf among the undergraduate lambs. The abiding interest of the eastern and north-eastern regions of the county has left us with no space in which to do justice to the Buckinghamshire border. Nor must the traveller on what was formerly the L. & N. \V. Railway imagine that he has " seen " it merely because tlie train traverses this side. Tring, Berkhamsted, and the two I.angleys have much tliat the mere ni.ui will appreciate, while for the mere archaeologist there is enough and to spare. ^'""° '''1 [C. Hose, D.Sc. F.R.G.S. UNDER BUNTINGFORD BRIDGE. Buntingford is a market town of considerable antiquity, standing on tlie Rib 13 miles north of Hertford. It was given a marltet by Edward III. THE NUNS' BRIDGE, HUNTINGDON. This ancient bridge spans the Ouse at Hinchingbrooke about one mile to the west of Huntingdon. It probably owes its name to the fact that a Benedictine nunnery was founded near here by William the Conqueror. M HUNTINGDONSHIRE ODERX Huntingdonshire, the Huntedunescyre of Saxon times, has been raised out ot wood and water. The reclamation of the fens is a matter of a couple of centuries or so, but the disappearance of the forests takes us back at least to the days of Edward I. Leland, the official geographer to Henry VIH, writes that " in old time " the county " was much more woody than it is now, and the dere resortid to the fennes : it is full long sins it was deforestid." It was no doubt when the " dere resortid " that the county gained its name from the sport of hunting. There arc still patches of wood in Huntingdonshire, but on the whole it is not well timbered, and its general aspect is that of a quiet agricultural district where towns of any size are conspicuous by their absence. Its scenery is anything but devoid of charm, the charm of a peaceful, colourful English landscape, but without striking features or marked con- trasts. Huntingdon itself will pass as the county town of one of the smallest shires in the countrv. but judging by standards of population it is only a large village. History seems to have been steadily applying a reducing- glass to the place. It once had a large number of churches, of which only two have survived. It also had a fine castle, of which the only relic is a mound. I'hoto by] ENTRANCE GATEWAY, HINCHINGBROOKE. .V. King Hinchingbrooke lias been largely altered and rebuilt, and is now the seat of the Earl of Sandwich. Given at the Dissolution to the Cromweiis, it was the only nunnery in Huntingdonshire. io62 Britain Beautiful GOn.MANCHESTLK. Godmanchester is a town of great antiquity situated about half a mile to the south of Huntingdon. It is supposed by many to be the site of the Roman station of Durolipons. Its four renowned religious houses have all but vanished without trace. Even Cromwell's birthplace has been rebuilt. If one asks the why and wherefore of these things, the answer must be pestilence, warfare, and — Henry VIII, for Huntingdon was unaffected by the Industrial Revolution which changed the face of so many of our towns during last century. As Cromwell's soldiers have gcnerallv been held responsible for all depredations in the Civil Wars of the seventeenth century, it is onlv fair to add that Huntingdon furnishes proof that the boot was not always on one leg. Readers of Whitelocke's Memorials will remember how he records that " on Sunday last, in the afternoon, the King's forces entered Huntingdon, after some resistance made at the bridge by Captain Bennet, with his foot, till he, his lic'Utenant, and many of his men, were slain ; the King's souldiers miserahh- plundered Phoio by] SA. H. Kobinson. OLD HOl'.SES, GOOMANCHESTER. The town consists mainly of cottages, although it contains several quaint old half-timbered houses. The borough had its first charter during the reign of King John. A •A H ■A U E y z < c o a: 3 5 i Huntingdonshire 1065 tilt" town, and the coun- ties of Bedford and Cambridge, and took away their horses and goods." The visitor who now seeks for antiquity in the town must be con- tent with its thirteenth- centurv bridge tht HARTFORD CHURCH. This interesting cliurch is partly Norman and formerly belonged to the Augustinlan priory of Huntingdon. It was thoroughly restored in 1851. and it was during this operation that some interesting Norman relics were found, Including several stone coffins. churches of St. Marv's and All Saints, some slight remains of the Hospital of St. John the Baptist, and a few old and not unattrac- tive inns and houses. Of course there is a plentiful crop of pictur- esque traditions : the story of the infant Oliver Cromwell being carried away over the roofs by an ape being a fair sample. As has been said, the house in which he was born has disappeared and a modern one reigns in its stead, but his uncle's house, " Hinchingbrooke," remains, and though greatly modified and enlarged is still the "show place" of the town. The Hinchingbrooke Cromwells were ardent Royalists. Did not that same uncle, Sir Oliver Cromwell, entertain James I in princely (and literally ruinous) fashion on his progress from Scotland to London in 1603 ? He even carried his fervour in the cause of Charles I to such a point that he was eventually compelled to sell the house, which thus came into the po.ssession of the family mmmmMmmm)mmm.^^^^>^-*mt ,,,.^^^ of its present owner. Few old mansions in this country embody a goodlier slice of re- corded history. Just across the Ouse from Huntingdon is Godmanchester, whose claim to be the site of Roman Durolipons is even more vociferous than that of Hunting- don. A ripe flavour of respectable antiquity have the streets and houses of this pleasant place, a proper setting for an ancient custom which is said to have astonished James I, an incident described thus in an ancient work : BR.\.MPTON VILLAGE. The pretty little village of Brampton lies in a charming situation on the River Ouse, 2 miles south-west of Huntingdon. It was here that .Samuel Pepys the famous Diarist resided, and his house may be still seen In the village. io66 Britain Beautiful 30' ^^^^.Prtrfbor^hn^,- Railnqys Roads ■' They met him with seventy new ploughs, drawn by as many teams of horses ; and when he inquired the reason he was answered, that they held their lands immediately from the Kings of England, h\ the tenure of so meeting them on passing through their towne." Godmanchester's passion for originality took other forms, as may be judged from a passage in the Cotton MS. to the effect that " men children shall be of full age, so that they may gyve, sell, or assigne their land and rents, when they come to the age of xx yeares, and women at the age of xvi yeares." At the neighbouring village of Brampton, in a house which still exists, was perhaps born Samuel Pepys in 1633. A very delightful and interesting picture of this corner of the county can be gleaned from the innumerable references to it in the famous Diary, but there is one scene at Brampton which cannot be passed over with a mere generalisation. It will be remembered that in 1667 there was much talk of a Dutch naval attack on London. Pepys, ever ready to take Time by the forelock, sent his father and wife to Brampton with a large sum of money to be buried in the garden. When the scare was over the Diarist himself went down to retrieve his worldly treasure. " My father and I with a dark lantern, it being now night, into the garden with my wife, and there went about our great work to dig up my gold. But Lord ! what a tosse I was for some time in, that they could not justly tell me where it was ; but by and by poking with a spit, we found it and then began with a spudd to lift up the ground. But, good God ! to see how sillily they hid it, not half a foot under ground, and in the sight of the world from a hundred places, if any body by accident were near at hand, and within sight of a neighbours' window : only my father says that he saw them all gone to church before he began the work, when he laid the money." Buckden village is memorable for its substantial remains of Buckden Palace, one of the most frequented residences of the Bishops of Lincoln. The splendid brick tower which is the most striking portion of what is left appears to be the work of Bishop Rothcrham, who also, according to Leland, " clene translated the Hall, and did nuuii coste there beside." His successor. Bishop Russel, built the gate-house. Like Kimbolton, Buckden is associated with the hapless Queen Catherine of Aragon, who was lodged in one of the corner turrets of the tower before her removal to the castle of the Wingfields. There is now a mdckrn house in the grounds, but the most captious critic must admit that, as an ensemble, P)Uckden Palace is still eminently satisfactory. The ancient castle of Kimbolton has given place to a splendid mansion, in the fashioning of which Sir John Vanbrugh had a great part. In Leland's time it was " doubk' diked, and the building of it metely strong : it longed to the Mandevilles, Erles of Essex. ... Sir Richard \\'inglield built new fair lodgyns and galleries upon the old foundation of the Castle." It was here that poor Catherine, infamously divorced by her brutal husband, came to end her sad days. A century later the house was again in the public eye as the seat of the Parliamentary General, Edward Montagu, Earl of Manchester. He fought with considerable success and distinguished himself particularly at Marston Moor, but then lost influence owing to the greater energy and capacity of Cromwell. lx)ng WofG.OLongE of 6. COPYRIGHT MAP OF HUNTINGDONSHIRE. * o >• CO I?. z o H CL. S n o < h h O O z H Q :<: o n w o Huntingdonshire 1069 PI'olo by) [H, Walker. RUINED GATEWAY, RAMSEY ABBEY. What little remains of Ramsey Abbey, founded in 969, has been embodied in the modern mansion, which is now the seat of Lord de Ramsey. An important agricultural centre, the marl may be obtained. i INVERNESS-SHIRE AN attempt to compress an account of the manifold beauties and interests of this magnificent highland county into the space necessitated by the scale of this work is a most difficult task, lightened perhaps by the reflection that Britain Beautiful is not a geography, much less a guide- book. If the writer can stir his readers with a wild desire to see how Nature, in her untamed and imposing loveliness, can look in this famous region, and prime them with a store of literary and political associations and other incidental lore such as brings dead things to life, he will have courage to think that his main purpose has been achieved. Inverness, the capital of the countv and, as many say, the capital of the Highlands, enjoys a situation which has been the theme of many a rhapsody. Even Ruskin, who ever sighed, consciously or unconsciously, for the colour of the south, was pleased to remark that it was " by the shore of one of tb.e loveliest estuaries in the world ; placed between the crests of the Grampians and the flowing of /,. 1 [I'liUntine & Sons. THE AFFRIC RIVER AND SGURR NA LAPAICH. That part of the River Glass which flows out of Loch Affrlc is known as the River Affric. The loch is 7 miles long and averages about a mile wide. Its deep waters abound in many different kinds of fish, and the surrounding strath is noted for its beautiful scenery. The Sgurr na Lapaich Mountain (3,773 feet) is 3 miles south of Loch Mooar. the Moray Firth, as if it were a jewel clasping the folds of the mountains to the blue zone of the sea." With the approval of the Victorian prophet the county capital may well consider that the seal has been set on its fame. The town itself is pleasant enough, though the course of a not unexciting history has obliterated most of the memorials of the past. Of those that are left perhaps the most eloquent are the scanty remnants of the strong fort which Cromwell built in 1652, partly to overawe the malcontents but also as a centre of light, leading, and godly life. Readers of Carlyle will reiuember a memorable passage in Cromwell's Letters and Speeches : " ' Scotland,' thus testifies a competent eye-witness, ' was kept in great order. Some Castles in the Highlands had garrisons put into them, which were so careful of their discipline, and so e.xact to their rules,' the wild Highlanders were wonderfully tamed thereby. Cromwell built three Citadels, Leith, Ayr, and Inverness, besides many little Forts, over Scotland. Seven or eight thousand men, well paid, and paying well ; of the strictest habits, military, spiritual and moral : these it was everywhere a kind of Practical Sermon to take note of ! " I078 Britain Beautiful ^. I'h,' 6vl THE RIVER SPEY AND CAIRNGORM. ■I', Rising 8 miles from Loch Lochy and flowing 107 miles to the Moray Firth at Kingston, the Spey is the most rapid river in Scotland, and ranks second only to the Tay in length and volutne. On its course along the Banffshire border it passes the Cairngorm Mountain (4,084 feeti, seen in the photograph. must have been something more than a " Practical Sermon," if we may follow the authorities, who maintain that the excellent English now spoken by the citizens was originally taught to their Gaelic-speaking ances- tors by the foreign soldiers in their midst. The ancient castle, which played no mean part in thf history of the countv, wa.-. blown up by Prince Charles Edward in 1746. Military reasons he could no doubt urge for his action, though it showed a lack of historic sense. One would fain see some relic of the stronghold which succeeded the castle in which Duncan perished at the hands of Mac- beth, the stronghold which once defied Mary Queen of Scots, and paid for its temeritv with the life of its governor. But it has gone and the existing " castle," which looks so agreeably medifeval, is only an impostor dating from the first half of the last century. " Queen Marv's House " still remains as a link with the boisterous year 1652, when that beautiful and imperious lady was refused admittance to the Castle. Anothi-r ancient relic is a curious stone. incorporated in the Town Cross, which is known as the " Clach-na-Cuddin," or " Stone of the Tubs." And thereby hangs a tale. For in ancient days, when water- mains and such like were in the lap of the gods, the water-supply of the town had to be drawn from the river, and invoh-ed the coming and going of many tub-laden vouths and maidens. What more natural than that they should lighten their labours by a rest at the stone which lay in their track ? One of the greatest celebri- ties of the town is the hill of Tomnahurich, the " Hill of the l-"airies," where one of the world's best cemeteries is to be seen. But he who imagines that Tomnahurich is merely a place of melancholy Photo by] [Photochrom Co., iMt. mOl^HART CASTLE, LOCH NESS. The ruins of Urquhart Castle stand on a peninsula overlooking Loch Ness. !.S miles from Inverness. The building dates from the fourteenth century, and tradition attributes its erection tn the C^omyns. Its [»urpose was undoubteilly the protection of the Highlands against invasion by the natives of Koss and Moray, and In Its time it was evidently an extensive fortress of great strength. % its; Hi-'. J-'hol-> by\ THE FALLS OF FOYERS, LOCH NESS. IValentine & Sons. Much has been written about the Foyers River and these beautiful falls, which are situated amid some of the most romantic scenery in Scotland. In 1895 they were acquired by a factory for wattr-power, and the bulk of the water is now diverted through leaden pipes. In describing the spot in its natural state Professor Wilson says, '* The Fall of Foyers is the most magnificent cataract out of all sight and hearing, in Britain." tti q: > u o 5 I* S 1 E Z I w 5 ~ a ■I a* InvernesS'shire 1081 ^■rsr- INVERLOCHY CASTLE, FORT WILLIAM. Little remains of this one-time important castle but tlie mere shell, standing near the mouth of the River Lochy. Its exact age is somewhat obscure, but tradition upholds its antiquity by stating that a treaty was signed here between Charlemagne and King Achaius in the eighth century. The present ruins are evidently of a later date. memories is grievously mistaken. It is a part of fairyland itself, and the mass of fairy lore which has grown up around it is approaching the diniensions of a literature. One of the best of the fairy legends associated with Tomnahurich is the story of two strolling players, Grant and Gumming, who were beguiled into the interior of the hill by the legendary Thomas the Rhymer on a promise of a large reward for performing for one night at a fairy festival. But the " one night " turned out to be a hundred years, and when the two men returned to Inverness they found a town and generation that knew them not, but regarded them as mania,<38f returned from the dead. Not far awav is a cemetery of a very different kind where the gallant dead of Culloden field have mingled their dust with the earth of Drummossie Moor. Considering that Culloden was the last action fought in Great Britain, and that it sealed the fate of an ancient dynasty (not to mention the destinies of an attractive but unbalanced young man), it is rather surprising that the inscription on the principal cairn should run so unemotionalh' : THE BATTLE OF CULLODEN w.\s fought on this moor, i6th April, 1746. The region due west of Inverness is one of the grandest parts of the Highlands — such names as the Beauly River, Druim Pass, Strath Glass, and Glen Affric need no introduction — but a volume would be required to do justice to its manifold beauties and we must now strike south-west by the far-famed Caledonian Canal. Pholo by} FORT WILLIAM. [A. H. Robinson. The original fort was erected by General Monk during Cromwell's regime I^to exterminate the elusive Sir Ewan Cameron of Lochiel, who continued to defy the Commonwealth long after the other chieftains had given in. The fort was rebuilt in a smaller form during the reign of William III, and has extensive barracks. The adjacent town, lying under the towering Ben Nevis, has grown up round the fort. io82 Britain Beautiful Loch Ness, the statisticians tell us, is the largest volume of fresh water in Great Britain, a statement that only becomes impressive when one remembers that its width never exceeds a mile and a half. But it is mighty deep, nearly eight hundred feet in the middle ; hence the fact that it has never been known to freeze. A more attractive but less plausible explanation is that the waters of the lake are always kept in motion by earthquake shocks in various parts of the world ! Earthquakes or no earthquakes, Loch Ness is a true slice of dreamland, and as dreams mock at plain prose no attempt will be made here to describe its beauties, the beauties of its silvery nappe (an untrans- latable but oh so expressive word !) and the noble hills that sweep down to the water's edge. Meal- fourvonie, with its height of over twenty-two hundred feet, would indeed scoff at being styled a " hill," and the spirit of the noble mountain must be placated with an addendum that it is only a " hill " by .MONAINE FALLS, FORT WILLIA.M. [Sf,,!,! Situated near Fort William, this pretty waterfall is typical of the wild and romantic scenery to be found in the picturesque f^lens which are so numerous in this part of the county. comparison with tin' tlinc-thousarul-foot monsters of which the county can give so impressive a display. Drumnadrochit, one-third of tlic way down from the Inverness end, is a little \illago with a great reputation. It stands at the mouth of lovely Glen Urquhart, the inspiration of more than one lyrical outburst. It even moved solid John Bright to a triumph of doggerel which he perpetrated in the visitors' book kept at the old Drumnadrochit Inn : " In Highland glens, 'tis far too oft observed, That man is cha.sed awa\- and game preserved, Glen Urquhart is to me a lovelier gU n — Here deer and grouse have not supplanted nun. ■s S S E E S - S z i- Z E 3 I InvernesS'Shire 1085 Photo by] [A. H. Kuhimon. PRINCE CHARLES'S MONUMENT, LOCH SHIEL. Prince Charles first raised iiis standard iiere in 1745 on ills gallant attempt to recover tile tlirone. Tills column was built by Alexander Macdonaid to commemorate ills bravery; it was finished after his death in 1815 and so also becomes a monument to its founder. And in i860 the humorist of the day wrote to Punch (apropos of the village) in the following terms : " The inn whence these lines are dated faces a scene which, happily, is not too often to be observed in this planet. I say happily, sir, because we are all properly well aware that this world is a vale of tears, in which it is our duty to mortify ourselves and make everybody else as uncomfortable as possible. If there were many places like Drumnadrochit, persons would be in fearful danger of forgetting that they ought to be miserable." Urquhart Castle, on a tongue of land which projects into the lake at this point, is as picturesque as its e.xceedingly ruinous state allows. In its present form it dates from the time of Edward I, who transformed its predecessor, a stronghold the siege of which is associated with an attractive story of heroism and husbandly love. The Scottish garrison, it is said, were reduced to their last crust, and the only thought of the Governor, who knew that no mercy could be expected on surrender, was how he could save his wife from the general massacre which would follow. The lady was therefore clad in rags as a beggar and driven forth contemptuously from the gates, for all the world as if she were merely a super- fluous mouth to feed when supplies were running short. The English took her for what she purported to be, and as soon as the Governor saw that she had escaped he and his men came out boldly to meet their death. The far-famed Falls of Foyers are the next " celebrity " on our trip down (or should it be " up " ?) Loch Ness. There arc two falls, and, as is probably well known, they have been turned to commercial purposes, somewhat to their detriment. But the greater fall, seen under favourable circumstances, is still a noble sight, and it is not difficult to realise the impression it made on the mind of Burns : Photo by] [A . H. Robinson. ARISAIG. Arisaig village takes its name from a promontory on the west coast of the mainland opposite the island of Eigg and between Loch Morar and Loch Aylor. The village itself stands on the north shore of Lochnanuagh at a short distance from the rugged and mountainous coast. io86 Britain Beautiful " Among the heathy hills and ragged woods, The roaring Foyers pours his mossy floods, Till full he dashes on the rocky mounds. Where through a shapeless breach his stream resounds ...''' and so forth. Not in the best Burns' mannei, perhaps, but still a notable tribute. A little farther down a beautiful glen debouches at Invermoriston, and the southern end of the loch is soon reached at Fort Augustus. If ever there was a case of swords being beaten into ploughshares it is here, for all that is left of the fort which General Wade built after the first Jacobite rebellion in 171.5 is now incorporated in the buildings of a modern Benedictine Abbey. Pholo by II liJ',„^,„,, MORAR F.\LLS, MOR\R. These picturesque falls are situated in the Morar district, which occupies an area of the coast between Loch Nevis to the north and Arlsaig. The territory is divided Into North and South Morar by Loch Morar, which is 1,017 feet in depth, making it the deepest loch in Scotland. Loch Oich, besides its own remarkable natural beauties, has two celebrities to exhibit. One is the highly picturesque ruin of Invergarry Castle, with memories of " Bonny Prince Charlie " (who took refuge here on the night after the disaster of Culloden) and his conqueror, the Duke of Cumberland, to whose guns the castle owes its present dilapidated state. The other place of pilgrimage in this quarter is the curious monument known as ^he Tober-nan-Ceatm, or "Well of the Heads." The seven human heads carved at the top and the inscription — in English, French, Latin, and Gaelic — on the sides tell its storv well enough : " As a memorial to the ample and summary vengeance which in the swift course of Feudal justice, inflicted by the orders of the Lord Macdonnell and Aross overtook the perpetrators of the foul murder of the Keppoch family, a branch of the powerful and illustrious Clan of which his Lordship was the chief, this nioiiiinunt is erected by Colonel Macdonnell of Glengarry, XVH Mac-Mhic ■a M 0) :i u c « ~ a S S h 2 Inverness-shire 1089 Alastair, his successor and representative, in the year of our Lord 1812. The heads of the seven murderers were presented at the feet of the noble chief in Glengarry Castle after having been washed in this spring, and ever since that event, which took place early in the sixteenth century, it has been known by the name ' Tobar-nan-Ceann,' or the Well of the Heads." The Caledonian Canal meets the sea near Fort William, under the very brow of mighty Ben Nevis, the highest but by no means the finest of British mountains. .-\11 traces of the fort, originally built bv General Monk and subsequently reconstructed by William III, have now vanished, for the coming of the railway speedily converted Fort William from a military post into a busy centre of tourist traffic. Old Inverlochy Castle has received better treatment at the hands of Fate, for even in ruin it ■li^^.. „^,taam^JltUi 1 "*^^^HB ^%S^ ^ .Liz..:.; -^J^EUBEBSSt flu.lo hv\ l' • '''■!''- IN THE ISI.E OF SKYE. Skye is chiefly characterised by its beautiful mountain and cliff scenery. The island is the largest in the Inner Hebrides, having a length of 48 miles. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in the important fisheries and in the breeding of black cattle and sheep. is impressive and picturesque. It seems probable that it was originally built by Edward I to overawe the wild Highlanders, but nothing very noteworthy seems to have marked its career until February 2, 1645, when a fierce action was fought beneath its walls between Montrose and the Earl of Argyll. The latter entirely failed to distinguish himself ; in fact, he viewed the fight from a boat in Loch Linnhe, and there can be little doubt that this pusillanimous conduct contributed in no small degree to the discomfiture of his force. It was after this victory that Montrose wrote to Charles I, announcing that he would soon be on English soil with an army of deliverance. Great results can be traced to small causes. That letter induced Charles to break off the negotiations then in progress at Uxbridge, a step which led almost immediately to the complete ruin of his cause, and a loss of faith in his bona fides which was to be far more disastrous than many lost battles. 72 MAP OF of Greenwich GE0GRAPHIAi«ulL'!'55fZ«/5tt'fl"7i0/W»ViT-J INVERNESS-SHIRE . 1092 Britain Beautiful Photo by] CASTLE MOIL, SKYE. This Is one of the historical remains on the rugged coast- line of Skyc. In different parts of the island there are also numerous ruins of Danish watch-towers or forts. LOCH EPORT, NORTH LIST. The whole of the coastline of North L'ist is indented with sea lochs and bays. Loch Eport runs 6 miles inland on the west side, close to Lochmaddy, the chief town. Between the Caledonian Canal and the Spey \'alley lies the magnificent group of the Monadhliath Mountains, a fine, wild region replete with all the features that make up real " Highland " scenery. It was here and in the district of Badenoch that the stoutest and most prolonged resistance was offered to the advance of civilisation and progress from the south and east. This indeed is a fitting theatre for such a drama of intertribal conflict as is associated with Castle Raits. The storv might have come straight from the Italy of the Quattrocento. Comyn, the Lord of Raits, being bent upon the destruction of the jMacphersons, invited them to dine, and placed each Macpherson next to one of his own followers. The signal for the massacre was to be the appearance of the boar's head. Unfortunately for the Com\-ns, the JIacphersons got wind of their hospitable attentions, and when the appetising dish was brought in they got their blow in first, with the result that all the hosts weltered in their blood, while all the guests rejoiced exceedingly. It is to be feared that the ordinary traveller by the Highland Railway to Inverness does not see the finest and wildest portion of the country, though even the scenery glimpsed from a railway carriage would ])ass as magnificent in any other part of the world. The country also includes some of the best of the western islands, notabh' Rum, Eigg, Skye, and the two Uists. All of them are worth a visit, but Skye stands apart. The extraordinary contortions of its coast, the brooding melanchoh- of Loch Coruisk, and the sombre magnificence of its mountains are the elements of a spectacle which Nature may have matched, but never .surpassed. ^^ KIESSIML'LL CASTLE. BARRA. This old castle stands on the Barru promontory at the southern extremity of the Isle of Bcrnera. Photo by\ [\'iileni\nf C' Sons. THE SOUND OF RAASAY. The Sound of Raasay separates Skyc from Raasay Island and varies In breadth from I to 5 miles. Photo hy] WATER-WHEEL IN GROLDI.E GLKN, DOUGLAS. This picturesque gien opens on to Port Groudle Harbour, 3 n.iles north-east of Douglas. This photograph is typical of the strildne scenery to be found in the vicinity of the capital ^' s < ci ^ a a J ■3 E < k. ■y; at •; < .2 3 -1 O -o ■J (A < Si a ca S S a 0- a> M a U SI b: VI Z ca ts o a 71 £5 z h1 u (B « (« 3 — KSl ■s "O O "T ki >>d « -. XI 2 x> £ . . ■ROM pictu 1 cient warat 1 ERBLRV I ew of this ir most ani " Cant m CANT El distant vl : one of ou ; ?' ^1 fit s? i « a e9 a O *r f 1 1 tT: - 3 k. > 3 — / Isle of Man 1097 need to cross the sea to find it. But the fit of intelUgent curiosity is usually a short-lived sensation ! The writer hopes that this survey may do something to prolong it. Castletown is a good point at which to enter the ancient land which old Robertson found so strange and thrilling. For one thing it has steadily refused to disfigure its ancient face by accumulating boarding-houses and other badges of " civilisation." Its population has declined, and its castle and an air of dignity are about all that is left to remind the visitor that it was once the administrative capital of the island. Rushen Castle is still one of the most illumina- ting feudal fortresses left to us. Owing to the hardness of the stone of which it is built it looks curiously new, though it certainly dates back to Norman times, and per- haps earlier. It is all very plain, bare, and grim. The keep " frowns " in the approved style, the dungeon is as dank, gloomy, and sunless as the most fervent medie- valist could desire, and even the " State Apart- ments " show that their occupants put security well before comfort. The number of popular stories that have grown up round this fortress is legion. Perhaps the best is a wondrous tale, a belief in which seems to have been regarded as a test of sanity and patriotism, as Walrond tells us that " ridiculous as the narration may appear, whoever seems to disbelieve it is looked on as a person of weak faith." In the days before Merlin, so the story runs, the castle was inhabited Pholo by] CASTLE RLSHEN, CASTLKTOWN The present building Is believed to date from the thirteenth century in the time of Magnus. Part of it is now used as the seat of legislature. The most famous of its many prisoners was Bishop Wilson, who was confined here in 1722. by fairies, who were driven out by giants. Most of the latter were in turn expelled by a magician, who bound the rest in eternal spells in subterranean chambers. The truth of this fact was proved to demonstration by a bold person who obtained permission to explore for himself. This gentleman made his way down a long and dreary underground passage, at the end of which he came to a beautiful house. Through this he passed and down another gloomy tunnel to a second house, even finer than the first. Lamps were burning in every room, and he summoned up courage to peep through a window. What he saw was "a vast table of black marble, and on it extended, at full length, a man, or rather monster ; for, by his account. 73 io()S Britain Beautiful lie covild not be less than fourteen feet long, and ten or eleven round the bodv. This prodigious fabric lay as if sleeping, with his head on a book, and a sword by him. of a size answerable to the hand whicli it is supposed made use of it." After seeing this horrific spectacle our explorer had, in vulgar parlance, " had enough," and was only too glad to return by the way he came. But if all this is pleasant moonshine, there is nothing unhistorical about the associations of the castle with the Karl of Derby, whose reply to Ireton's deferential summons to surrender the island in 1649 has become a classic : '■ I scorn your proffers ; I disdain your favors ; I abhor your treasons ; and am so far from delivering this Island to your advantage, that I will keep it to the utmost of my power to \our destruction. Take this final answer, and forbear any further solicitations ; for if you trouble me with any more messages upon this occasion, / will burn the paper, and hang the bearer." Two vears later this dauntless warrior was captured and executed in England, but his wife made preparations to defend Castle Rushen, and was only prevented from per- sisting in her design by a Manxman, Captain Christian, who induced the garrison to surrender the fortress to save the island the horrors of war. The Countess never forgave him, and after the Restoration he was shot on Hango Hill, a mound hard bv which is now on the very edge of the sea. It is recorded that Christian " died most penitenth' and couradge- ouslv. made a good end, prayed earnestly, made an e.xcellent speech, and the next day was buried in the chancell of Kirk Malew." The oft-told tale that there is an underground passage between Rushen Abbev and Rushen Castle carries the mind back to another piece of Manx history — or perhaps we should say tradition so firmly rooted as to have taken on the colour of history. It is the story of wicked King Reginald of Man and his well-merited death at the hands of the Knight I\ar. The knight was in love with a maiden — young and beauteous, of course — .Matilda bv name. His affection was returned, and though she was of comiwratively humble birth Ivar regarded that as no obstacle to their union. The last barrier which .separated them from eternal bliss was the royal con.sent, and consent was apparently never granted without inspection of ilu' bride-to-be. This particular inspection had an unexpected and disconcerting result ; the outrageous sovereign immediately conceived a violent passion for .Matilda, incontinently banished the knight on a trumped-up charge of crime, and immured the hapless lady in a remote chamber of Rushen Castle until such time as despair might induce her to yield to his will. Ivar, finding all his attempts to secure redress of no avail, became a monk and entered Rushen Abbey. He had long given her up for lost when one daj', in one of his aimless and melancholy walks in the Abbey grounds, he discovered the entrance to a secret subterranean passage. Following up his discoverv he exjiiond COPYRIGHT MAP OF THE I.SI.E OF MAN. Isle of Man I lOI for a great distance, until he at length heard the scream of a female in distress proceeding from the other side of the wall, in which there was a convenient chink. What the agonised voice said was, " Mother of God, save Matilda ! " and what the chink revealed was his Matilda on the point of being overpowered by the ruffianly Reginald. Love lent our hero strength to batter down the intervening barrier, and he rushed upon the tyrant, who had obligingly — but somewhat carelessly — left his sword upon the table. The work of vengeance was soon over ; the lovers es- caped through the secret passage, and soon afterwards they crossed the sea to a Happy-Ever-After in Ireland. It need hardly be said that the " au- thorities" frown severely on this story, and what is claimed to be the true version is recorded at the ab- bey ruins in the fol- lowing terms : " May 30th, 1249. Reginald II, son of Olave II, King of Man, was killed by Ivar, a knight, in a meadow south of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Rushen, and was buried in St. Mary's Church (the Abbey), Rushen." The ruins, such as they are, are at Balla- salla. Recent exca- vation has revealed the foundation o f most of the principal buildings, but the visible remains are confined to parts of the church, the watch- tower, the guest house, and a remarkable dovecot. It seems little less than a tragedy that so little should be left of a religious house which was of high renown and importance, and not merely because its church was the burial-place of kings. The Abbot of Rushen was a Baron of the Isle in his own right, and had his own temporal jurisdiction and court. To-day " Rushen Abbey " means jam and honey. Very excellent they are too, whether exported or consumed in situ at a neighbouring cottage. In Ballasalla the patois of the manufacturing towns COLBY GLEN. [Valentine f'lioln by] This pretty scene was taken near the village of Colby, 3 miles north-west of Castletown In the parish of Kirk Arbory, I 102 Britain Beautiful of nortlu-rn England can be studied with ease, for the village is a famous meeting-point of " trippers " of every clime and hue, some bound for Castletown, others for some good vantage-point Hke South Barrule or Cronk-ny-Irey-I.haa, and yet others for the southern extremity of the island, where Port St. Mary, Port Erin, and fine, wild coast scenery make a pleasant change for the dance-surfeited tourist from Douglas. What an extraordinary mixture of the primitive and the sophisticated this remote corner is 1 There are times when Port Erin seems to be struggling desperately to catch the " tone " of the island's capital or Blackpool, a tone of blare, bluster, and restlessness. At others it seems to have slipped back into the days when it was a mere fishing-village and quite content with the name of " Purt Shearan." Less than eighty years ago it could only muster forty houses, and those were By permission of] I'OKT .ST. M.\RV, FRO.M TIIK .SEA. lI.O.M.Inf. The chief charm of this picturesque town is the beautiful coastal scenery amidst which it is situated. Once u small flshlng village known as Port-le-Murra, it has now become a large and attractive resort. the times when this grand piece of coast was left to the birds, the rabbits, and a few hardy mariners and their kind. Some idea of this region in the old days can still be obtained by a visit to the lonely Calf Island. Apart from the lighthouses, about the only sign of human habitation is the ruin of " Bushell's House." I'ortunately we are not left guessing why Bushell cho.se to li\-e on the edge of nowhere, as he gave his reasons pretty clearly in a petition to Parliament somewhere about 1630 : ■• The cmbrions of my mines proving abortive by the sudden fall and death of my late friend, the Chancellor Bacon, in King James's reign, were the motives which persuaded mv pensive retirement to a three year's unsociable solitude, in the desolate island called the Calf of Man, where, in obedience to m\' dead lord's philo.sophical advice, I resolved to make a perfect experiment upon myself, for the obtaining a long and healthy life (most necessary, for such a repentance as my former Fhutt Vane " means the White .Spout. BALLAUGH CHURCH. , /-(/. The older of the two churches at Ballaugh stands on the shore some distance from the village. It was recently restored, and contains In its churchyard a beautifully carved Runic cross. Ballaugh is situated on the west coast, 7 miles from Ramsey. 1 1 14 Britain Beautiful I^hoto 6yj THOLT-E-VVILL BRIDGE, GLEN SULBY. The Sulby River rises among the high mountains of the island and flows down to the sea at Ramsey through one of the most beautiful glens in the Island. The river is well known to anglers as being an excellent trout stream. " Tynwald Day " is of course the chief date in the .Manx political calendar, and the ceremony still has its ancient importance and something of its ancient picturcsqueness. But a description of a modern " Tvnwald Dav " would read tamolv by the side of Robertson's account of the ceremonies in 1417, which is worth quoting: "On the summit of the Mount," it runs, "was placed a chair of state, canopied with crimson velvet, and richly embroidered with gold. In this chair he [the Sovereign, at the time spoken of one of the Stanleys] was enthroned, his face fronting the east, and a .sword in his hand, pointed towards Heaven. His Deemsters sate before him, and on the highest circle his Barons and beneficed men. On the middle circle were seated the twenty-four Kcvs, then styled ' the worthiest men in the land ' ; and on the lowest circle, the Knights, Esquires, and Yeomen ; while the Common People stood without the circle of the hill, with three Clerks in their surplices. The hill was guarded by the Coroners and Moars. armed with their swords and a.xes ; and a proclamation was issued by the Coroner of Glanfaba, denouncing those who should in the time of Tynwald murmur in tlie King's presence. Accordingly the people waited, with an awful silence, the future fate of tluir nation, in the promulgation of those laws which had for so many ages been industriously concealed from tluin. The venerable Deemsters then rising, with an audible voice, alternately published to this assembly several laws ; which, though more an assertion of the King's prerogative tlum the rights of his subjects, were received by the people with reiterated acclamations." An odd feature of the mound is that it is said to be composed of soil from every ]iarish in the island. Douglas can hardlv expect to loom large in a work such as this. The bay is beautiful, of Isle of Man I I I course, but the merrymaker has cast his unpleasing varnish over Nature's craftsmanship, and serried ranks of boarding-houses and apartments do not exactly improve a landscape. No doubt the business of entertaining a veritable horde of visitors — of the class that most deserve all a " holiday " can mean — is useful, if not noble work, but it is incompatible with the preservation of those beauties which made old travellers speak of Douglas with bated breath. Anyone who looks at the picture of " Douglass " in the Beauties of England and Wales (i§02) will realise that its deterioration has been commensurate with its growth. The genuine relics of the past hereabouts are all but non-existent. The deceptively mcdic-eval " Tower of Refuge " on an island in the bay has not yet celebrated its centenary, for it was built in 1832 at the suggestion of Sir William Hillary, who founded the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. It was none too soon, for the island then had a sinister reputation for the number of wrecks on its coast. The citizens were still under the impression of a terrible marine catastrophe that took place in Douglas Bay in September 1787. Of that disaster, which plunged a high proportion of the fishing population into mourning, Robertson has given a graphic description in his Tour. Old Kirk Braddan falls into the undateable category, though the tower is a reconstruction of the late eighteenth century. But it is still of high interest for its collection of Runic crosses, antiquarian objects in which the island is singularly rich. Some of them are remarkably elaborate and beautiful, but the business of deciphering them would appear to have been painful and controversial, judging by the extraordinary variations in the versions given at different times. A more or less modern house and a restored chapel are all that is left to represent the famous W ^' M tf^^ fajBMJ^^^'i 'itii^ ^^TgMW^WffBl^^B^^^^^^^^^^^^^^BB^BIW^^^^ft ^^^^Sm ^- > 1 .--^'^r^^ J" js Mp&s- ^ ^ [B^^ # V * :■ ■ - V k . - Photo by] Lid. OLD GLADDAGH BRIDGE, SULBY. Sulby village Is very cbarmlngly situated at the mouth of Sulby Glen, 5 miles from Ramsey, lis nearness to the river has made it a favourite resort for anglers In the summer. 1 1 i6 Britain Beautiful Nunnery of St. Bridget, of which it was once recorded that " few monasteries ever exceeded it either in largeness or fine building. There are still some of the cloisters remaining, the ceilings of which discover they were the workmanship of the most masterly hands ; nothing, in the whole creation, but what is imitated in curious carvings on it. The pillars supporting the arches are so thick as if that edifice was erected with a design to baffle the efforts of time, nor could it in more years than have elapsed since the coming of Christ have been so greatly defaced, had it received no injury but from time. ..." Memories of Bridget carry the mind ine\itably to Maughold, for it was St. Maughold who first turned the Irish lady into a nun, and that at the tender age of fourteen ! Maughold himself was one of the most famous of repentant sinners. He was the chief of a gang of Irish freebooters until Pliolo by] THE P.\.S.S. .SII.BV. 'riic beautiful scenery in .Sulby Glen has earned It the name of the " Manx S«itzerlan(l." ,\ll alone the course of the i its source to Sulby, the vale is bounded by an almost continuous range of high and rugged hills. his conversion by St. Patrick ; and the manner of his coming to the island was odd. It is .said that " he embarked in a wicker boat, which drifted before the north wind towards the Isle of Man, where he was cast ashore at thi; headland, .still known by his name, near the place wluTe a city is said once to have stood, but of which there are now no remains visible." Maughold died in 554, but no part of the existing church goes back earlier than the eleventh century. Here again there is an interesting collection of Manx crosses, including a particularly line one w-hich was the pari.sh cross of the \-illage and therefore in a different category to the many Scandinavian crosses. Another reminder of St. Maughold's activities is the so-called " W'ishing-Well." It takes some discovering in these times, but during the Middle Ages it was almost as great a place of pilgrimage OLT WATERFALL, GLEN SULBY. In passing through Sulby Glen the river is augmented by five small tributaries, two of which have fine lofty waterfalls. Sulby is the largest river in the island, having a course of 10 miles. Photo by J POINT OF AVRE AND LIGHTHOUSE. ,1'aUntim iT' Sons, Ltd. The Point of Ayre is the northernmost extremity of the Island. The alternating light on the lighthouse Is 106 feet above ground and has a visibility of 16 miles. About a mile off the point is a dangerous bank, marked by a gas buoy, and in between this and the pofnt the current of the north channel flood-tide can often be seen flowing very strongly south-east round the end of the spit. M>*ft '." >^Vw Photo by\ OLD MILL IN BALLURE GLEN This picturesque old ruin Is situated In the Bullure estate, not far from the town of Ramsey. Within the last half-century the Industries which account for the large number of corn and woollen mills in the district have practically died out, and the majority of buildings stand Idle or are In ruins. Isle of Man I I 19 as the shrine of the saint himself. " It is still resorted to," records an ancient chronicler, " as was the pool of Siloam of old, by every Manks invalid who believes in its efficacy . . . and it is held to be of the greatest importance to certain females to enjoy this beverage [i.e. its water] when seated in the saint's chair." Hardly any part of the island is better known to the English-speaking world than Sulby Glen, thanks to its prominence in one of the most famous of Sir Hall Caine's novels. In The Manxman this delightful ravine at the foot of Mount Karrin is described in language which could not be improved upon : " Sulby Glen is winding, soft, rich, sweet, and exquisitely beautiful. A thin thread of blue water, laughing, babbling, brawling, whooping, leaping, gliding, and stealing down from the mountains ; great boulders worn smooth and ploughed hollow by the wash of ages ; wet moss and lichen on the By permission of\ GLEN AULDYN RIVER. This small but beautiful river is a tributary of the Sulby, which it joins near its entrance to the sea at Ramsey. At Braid Foss, one of the tributaries of the Auldyn, there is a very fine waterfall. \^the 1,0. M , InfortnatioH Bureau. CLAUGHBANE, RAMSEY. Glaugbbane House is one of the several country mansions in the vicinity of Ramsey. Most of the large houses in the island are of comparatively recent date, and none of them have any characteristics peculiar to the island. channel walls ; deep, cool dubbs ; tiny reefs ; little cascades of boiling foam ; lines of trees like sentinels on either side, making the light dim through the overshadowing leafage ; gaunt trunks torn up by the winds and thrown across the stream with their heads to the feet of their fellows ; the golden fuchsia here, the green trammon there ; now and again a poor tholthan, a roofless house, with grass growing on its kitchen floor ; and over all the sun peering down with a hundred eyes into the dark and slumberous gloom, and the breeze singing somewhere up in the tree-tops to the voice of the river below." Kirk Michael is a quiet and attractive village mainly famous for its collection of ancient carved crosses and stones dating from the period of the Norse occupation. One of the most celebrated is a pillar the inscription on which has been the subject of a famous controversy, the strong differences of opinion being well illustrated by the translations offered by various experts : (i) For the sins of Tvalfir, the son of Dural, this cross was erected by his mother Aftride ; (2) Waltar. son I I20 Britain Beautiful Wilfntni,' . >ons, Ltd. VIAIGHOLD OLD CROSS, KAMSF.V. This Intert'Ntlnii parish cross stands oulside the church\arcl of Kirk Muui^hoid. it iielonfts to (iie late fourteenlli century or Decorated perl4i(l. and is ttie oniy one ^enlainin^ in tlic parish. The erection of the cross has been variously ascribed to Furncss Abbey and the Priory of St. Hees. of Thurulf, a knight right valiant. Lord of Frithu, the Father, fesns Christ ; {3) the most modern version, Joalf, son of Tlwrolf the Red, erected t/iis cross to his mother Frida. Bishopscourt, the residence of the Bishop ot Sodor and Man, has been almost completely modern- ised, and only a tower remains to remind the \-isitor that it has been the home of the ecclesiastical head of the island for considerably more than six cen- turies. The house is also notable as virtually the solitary exception to the rule that the island is destitute of examples of purely domestic mediseval architecture. Ballaugh village is much haunted for its curious church. It looks most agreeably primitive and undoubtedly the bulk of the fabric is of high antiquity, though restoration has to a great extent transformed its original appearance. Ramsey's reputation as a seaside resort suitable for those who find Douglas too strenuous and noisy seems somewhat inconsistent with the exciting historical events ot which it has been the theatre in times long past. Who could think that this paradise of placid pleasure-seekers was the scene ot the fierce action in which Godred Crovan, the Norseman, worsted the islanders, thanks to an ambuscade of three hundred men skilfully concealed in a wood on Sk\- Hill ^ .And how many visitors realise that the lovely bay has often been thronged with the ships of men of war (in the most literpl M'nse) bent on conquest or plunder ? Times have changed, and the only "invasion " Ramsey knows now is the daily assault by battalions of visitors, which is one of the features of the summer season. The arch Ecological highbrow will no doubt be grievously disappointed with what he finds, for the ancient streets have given place to quite an up-to-date " lay-out," and it is certainly no longer pcssible to record, as Wood did in the eighteenth century, that ■■ the houses abound with broken panes of L;hiss, the want of which is .supplied by pieces of old tea chests, etc." Geographically, the most striking feature of this end of the island is the extraordinary contrast its flat, marshy plain jiresents to the niountainoiis region farther south. Experts tell us tliat the responsible agent is the action of the sea, but what- ever the cause the effect is curious enough. 75 Phcio by] [I'akntitie & Sons, Lti. MOLLY Ql IRK-S GI.EN, ONCHAN. Onchan Is a small rcsidcnllal vlllafie charmlnijly situated at the north end of Douglas Bay, 3 miles from the capltaL It Is believed to have taken Its name from St. Conaghan, who was Bishop of Man in 600. Photo bv] lAirco Aerials. LEEDS CASTLE, NEAR MAIDSTONE. Situated 5 miles north-east of Maidstone, Leeds Castle is one of the most interesting buildings in the county. It was founded in the twelfth century, but has been continually altered and restored, and much of the edifice is now modern. In the past it was frequently visited by our Sovereigns, and Richard II was imprisoned there. The castle was the home at one time of Lord Culpeper and his grandson Lord Fairfax. KENT As Kent lies in the track of the vast majority of Continental visitors to this country the patriotic Briton must thank the powers that be that the county thoroughly deserves its title of the " Garden of England," a garden, tco, which presents nearly every variety of natural attraction, girt on three sides with a silver wall of sea and gladsome to the eye for an almost unique blend of hill and dale, wood and water. It is also a garden of great "memories, some grave, many gay, memories of bygone happenings which have found their way into legend and tradition or passed into recorded history ; and, happilv, there is much to see which is closely associated with those memo- ries and has survived all the changes and chances of the passing centuries. The " Old England " which is fast becoming merely something to dream of or write about can still be glimpsed in many a corner of this fortunate shire ; it lingers, as every traveller between Dover and London well knows, even alongside the railway highway which has done so much to transform the face of the countryside elsewhere. Suburban Kent — gripped in the fell clutches of the Metropolis — and Thames-side Kent — too busy with its multifarious activities to have much thought for its outer garments — can only be regarded as a stepping-stone to higher things in a work of this kind, so with a mental note that much pleasant tramping can be had in the region of Chislehurst and the Grays, we must make for the valley of the Darent, a mighty trough through the heart of the North Downs and a kind of outer moat to the business end of the county. The Darent sees a good deal of Kentish life in Plwlo by] ALL SAINTS' CHURCH, Herbert Felton. MAIDSTONE. This fine old collegiate churcli stands on the left bank of the Medway. a little to the south of the modern bridge. It dates mainly from the fourteenth century and owes its origin to Archbishop Courtenay, who founded it at the same time as the secular college, of which some remains are stJll to be seen on the south side of the church. I I 24 Britain Beautiful •*• -^ : ^, m ALLINGTON CASTLE. The present buildlni^ is now the seat of Sir Martin Conway. It stands on the site of an ancient Norman castle which was one of the seven chief castles in Kent, and part of the extensive possessions of Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. Sir Thomas W'yatt the poet was born here in I.S03. and lived at the castle for some years. The photograph was talcen from above the moat. its career from Westerham to the Thames, and judging by what the .spade has turned up close to its banks at different times its valley has been a scene of human habitation at any rate from Roman times. Westerham itself was obviously " not born yesterday," to use a vulgarism, though it is less proud of its age th;in its fame as the birthplace of that great national hero James Wolfe, whose only crime is to have been the author of a much-quoted tag about Gray's F.legy. Sevenoaks, further east, dominates the gieat northerly bend of the Darent, and lies in the midst of some of the most beautiful Dowiiland scenery. Some there are who find the old town dull, though the writer is not one of tluni. But the great glory of the place is indubitably the adjacent Knole House, with its wonderful park where the splendour of the oaks and beeches almost puts even that of the historic mansion into the shade. The full stor\' of Knole and its treasures has recently been told by the lady best qualified to do .so. To her book all must go, whether for information or entertainment. But it would not be altogether out of place to reproduce here the famous description in which the cynical and iconoclastic Horace Walpole aired his impressions of the great house in 1752 ; particularly as there have been few important changes since that time. " The outward court has a beautiful, decent simplicity that charms one. The apartments are many, but not large. The furniture throughout, ancient magnificence ; loads of portraits, not good nor curious ; ebony cabinets, embossed silver in vases, dishes, etc., embroidered beds, stiff chairs, and sweet bags lying on velvet tables, richly worked in silk and gold. There are two galleries, one very small ; an old hall, and a spacious great drawing room. There is never a good staircase. . . . In the chapel is a piece of ancient tapestry : saint Luke in his first profession. . . . Below stairs is a chamber of poets and players, which is proper enough in that house ; for the first earl wrote a play, and the last carl was a poet, and I think married a player." Kent 1125 It should be added that the house was originally a palace of the Archbishops of Canterbury, and has remained substantially in its present form since the seventeenth centurv. Erith and Dartford and Gravesend have their name and place in history, but the\' have not Swanscombe's power to make the man of Kent's face glow with pride, for here was given the first striking demonstration of Kentish courage and independence, in a scene which has been immortalised by old Lambarde : " After such time as Duke \\'illiam the Conqueror had overthrown King Harold in the field, at Battell in Sussex and had received the Londoners to mercy, he marched with his army towards the castle of Dover, thinking thereby to have brought in subjection this Coimtry of Kent also. But Stigande, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Egelsine, the Abbot of St. Augustines, perceiving the danger, assembled the Countrymen together and laid before them the intolerable pride of the Normanes that invaded them and their own miserable condition if they should yield unto them. By which means they so enraged the common people, that they ran forthwith to weapon, and meeting at Swanscombe, elected the .Archbishop and the .\bbot for their Captains. This done, each man got him a green bough in his hand and beare it over his head, in such sort, as when the Duke approached, he was much amased therewith, thinking at the first that it had been some miraculous wood that moved toward him. But they, as soon as he came within hearing, cast away their boughs from them, and at the sound of a trumpet bewraied their weapons, and withall despatched towards him a messenger, which spake unto him in this manner : ' The Commons of Kent (most noble Duke) are ready to offer thee cither Peace or \\'arr, at thy own choice and election : Peace with their faithfuU obedience, if thou wilt permit them to enjoy their ancient Liberties ; Warr, and that most deadlv. if thou denv it them.' " ;-A'.W~ir^-Sl*S*!«K.i'; I'ltolo by] THE MEDWAY AT AYLESFORD. Jh-itvil Idlun. The bridge spanning the Mcdway here is built on the site of an ancient ford. The church in the background is principally Norman and contains several elaborate monuments. It was at Aylesford that the British king Vortimer was victorious against Hengist and Horsa in 455. 1 1 26 Britain Beautiful The Medway is a stream which has played a notable part in the history of the county, and on at least one occasion figured prominently in that of the country. For every schoolboy knows of the shame and humiliation inflicted on us in 1667 when the Dutch fleet sailed up the river, burning and destroying in most vengeful fashion. The " Three Towns," Strood, Rochester, and Chatham, are now mighty busy and populous, but Rochester in particular still retains a good deal to remind one forcibly that it is among the most ancient cities of England. In the first place it can show substantial remains of the walls which the Romans erected to protect their settlement of Durobrivce, though they are blended with English work of the Angevin period. Then there is the massive and magnificent keep of the Norman castle built by Archbishop Corbeuil, in its way as impressive a monument to Norman power as any to be found in the country. The story of this feudal stronghold is too long to tell here, but it may be accepted that it contains a full quota of sieges, forays, and alarms, and its grim walls have witnessed many a murky deed. The cathedral, though only a " minor " one, is of distinct interest, archaeologically and otherwise. It can show work in all the styles, most of it of a high order, though it is extremely doubtful whether anything remains of the first church on the site which was erected at the instigation of St. Augustine himself. Among the many monuments arc that of St. \\'illiam of Perth and the plain tomb of Bishop Gundulf, who designed the White Tower in the Tower of London. To the presence of St. William's bones the cathedral owes much of its fame and no little of its beauty, for the saint was a Scotch baker of some eminence who was murdered near Rochester early in the thirteenth century when on his way to Canterbury. His shrine soon became a place of pilgrimage, and the offerings nf tlu- iiilgrims provided a handsome fund for the enlargement and beaut ilication of the great church. In addition to these attractions Rochester possesses some remains of its Priory, many quaint old houses, and the Bull Inn. a sub- stantial representative of " Dickens Land." Strood, just acro.ss the river, is of no particular note, but appears in an odd story told of Pholo by] [R- H. Coodsall. OYSTER BOATS RETURNING TO WHITSTABLE. W'hitstable will be well known as one of the chief centres of the oyster industry. The town stands on the north coast, 6 miles north-west of Canterbury. Photo by] [R. H. Gaodsall. SUNSET AT SEASALTER. The .Scasalter district includes part of W'hitstable, and Is situated to the westward of the town. In Norman times it was a boroufth, and the viilaijc was known in Domesday as Le-saltre. The ancient church here has fallen into disuse and is only occasionally used for burials. Photo by] THE REFECTORY, CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL. [Herbert Felton. The monastic buildings founded by St. Augustine are situated on tlie west and nortli-west side of the cathedral. In the background Is the covered passage-way known as the •' Dark Entry," leading from the west end of the cloister to the Prior's Gateway and the Green Court. This place has been immortalised in the story of " A merry Canon and his Niece " in the " Ingoldsby Legends." -~1 ^■, ,v;?''. ^ -^..^5 kf '■■>, PWo 6y] SOI TH-WEST TOWER, CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL. The ca.hcdru. H,„ „ cen.ra. .„«„ and .«„ „.e.,or„ ,„„ers „h,ch are >30 fee, h,«h. The area, centra. ca.hedrai In .49S and ,he nor.h-wes.ern one was rebuilt In ',840 [Herherl lellon. tower was added to the Kent I 129 Hy permission of\ [S.E. & Chatham Hly- INTERIOR, CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL. The nave and transept were rebuilt in 1378 by Chillingden. The choir is one of the longest in England, and was built by William of Sens and embodies many of the features of Sens Cathedral, completed in 1168. must be doffed as the county town. But the doffing need not be on formal grounds alone, for though Maidstone is busy and prosperous (it has quite a number of industries, with patent evidence thereof) it has carefully preserved many of the memorials of its long and interesting past. The citizens have obviously been enlightened as well as public- spirited, for the old palace of the Archbishops of Canterbury, parts of which date back to the end of the fifteenth century, has been fitted up as a science and art school, and the town museum, containing a notable selection of county antiquities, is housed in the delightful Elizabethan mansion which was once Chillingston Manor House. There are also some interesting and substantial remains of the famous mediaeval college, whilst the Church of All Saints is a notable building in more ways than Thomas a Beckct by I.ambarde, the Kentish topographer : " When as it happened him upon a time to come to Stroude the Inhabitants thereabouts (being desirous to dispite that good Father) sticked not to cut the tail from the horse on which he rode, binding themselves thereby with a pcrpetuall reproach : for after- ward (by the will of (iod) it so happened, that every one which came of that kinred of men which plaied that naughty prank, were born with tails, even as brute beasts be." Further memories of Dickens are brought to mind by Gadshill Place, the novelist's famous Kent home in which he died on June 9, 1870, and again by " The Leather Bottle " at Cobham, one of the most attractive of villages. But Cobham is also notable for that splendid example of Jacobean and Stuart architecture, Cobham Hall, set in a park which is English rural loveliness at its best. All honour to the splendid collection of pictures which Cobham houses ; thev include the highest achievements in the realm of painting, but to the initiated the house itself is at least as great a work of art as anything within it. Another memorable feature of Cobham vil- lage is the almost unique series of mediteval brasses in its ancient church. From the " Three Towns " the Medway Valley winds south to Maidstone, to which hats Photo by] AERIAL VIEW OF CANTERBURY. This ancient city was known as Durovernum in Roman times, being an important commercial post at the junction of the military roads to the coast. To-day there are still traces of the ancient walls which encircled the city, but of the six gates only one, the West Gate, remains in existence. I 1 ^o Britain Beautiful ) one. It is one of the largest parish churches in the country, and a fine example of the Perpendicular style. The founder of the college was the builder of the chancel, and the fabric contains several features to remind one of the fact that it was the chapel of the brethren. Maidstone figured prominently in our history in 1648 — when Fairfax stormed the town in a fierce and desperate struggle — and many of her sons have written their names on the scroll of fame ; one at least on the scroll of notoriety, for is it not written of Thomas Trap- ham, surgeon to Fairfa.x and Cromwell, that he was " a bitter enemy to Charles the First, to whose body, after his decollation, he put his hand to open, and em- balm : when that was done, he sewed his head to his body ; and that being done also, he brutishly and insolently said to the company, that he had ' sewed on the head of a goose.' " The charming en- virons of Maidstone have gained further renown through the fame of Leeds Castle, whose his- tor\- is not merely aristo- cratic but for many centuries royal also. The earliest portion dates hack to the earlv years of tin- twelfth century, though the original for- tress has been much altered and greatly en- larged. But it remains what it has ever been, one of the " show places " of Kent. Further up the ]\Ied- wa\- \'alley is Tonbridge, whose famous inn, " The Chequers," figures promi- nently on the itineraries of American and other vcjnicious travellers. There are several other ancient houses in the town, which is becoming pro- gressively less picturesque as modern " improvements " sweep away traces of the past. For Tonbridge objects to remaining in an old-world, " stick-in-the-mud " category, and plays its part in the economic life of the county. Tunbridge Wells, on the other hand, still seems to reflect remini.scentl\- on the glories of the time when it was the Bath of the East, and the world of fashion, from the Court downwards, used to seek diversion while taking its famous waters. Defoe summed up its functions adequately enough Pkolo by] NORMAN STAIRWAV. CANTERBIRY CATHEDRAL. [Herbert FiUon. The buildlnii exhibits styles of architecture viirvinil froin Early Norman to Perpendicular, but It Is particularly rich in Transition Norman and Perpendicular English. Plwlo by] "THE WEAVERS," CANTERBURY I" "^ \V.™,„(,,. These pretty old houses, which arc known as " The Wcav»r« •• ,„h k ■ Walloon and French Protestant refugees, who ^amJ ove^^ h 'sirenth ce„.'':r:and%f'°";- T^ " ""' '""' '■"■''"'^'' "y the Of the weaving industry ,1 Cteval England. ' '""' "" """"•"■" ""' '» '"^ S™"*" Pkolo ("y] GREY FRIARS, CANTERBURY. 'Phoiachrom Co., Ltd. \'cry mile remains of this old monastery, which was the ftrst home In England of the Franciscans, who established themselves here in 1224. Kent I 133 when he wrote that " tlu' coming to the Wells to drink the water is a mere matter of custom ; some drink, more do not, and few drink physicalh- ; but company and diversion is in short the main business of the place ; and those people who have nothing to do anywhere else, seem to be the only people who have anything to do at Tunbridge." The far-famed Pantiles remain as a vivid memorial of those halcyon days. This corner of the count\' cannot be left without a reference to two famous mansions. Hever Castle, though much restored, is a grand old building, in every way worthy of the persistent tradition that it was the scene of Henry VIII's wooing of the hapless Anne Boleyn. Penshurst Place, one of the -^-ery finest manor houses in the realm, has the attractions of continuity an interesting and I'hntft by] CLIFFS NEAR MARGATE. [A. H. Hall. Margate was originally a small village called Mer-gate, signifying " an opening into the sea,'* but is now well known as one of the most frequented summer resorts in the Isle of Thanet. wholly successful combination of work of many periods, the glamour of much picturesque history and tradition and, above all, the glory of being the birthplace of the immortal Philip Sidney. The Sheppey region has seen some queer things in its interesting and variegated history, but nothing more notable in its way than the attempted escape of James II in December 1688. Macaulay has told the tale in his inimitable style, and it would be sacrilege to attempt to cast it in another form : " James had travelled \\\t\\ relays of coach horses along the southern shore of the Thames, and on the morning of the twelfth had reached Emley Ferry near the island of Sheppey. There lay the hoy in which he was to sail. He went on board : but the wind blew fresh ; and the master would not venture to put to sea without more ballast. A tide was thus lost. Midnight was approaching ii34 Britain Beautiful Pholo hy] fl'aleiitin CLIFFS AT WESTGATE. before the vessel began to float. By that time the news that the King had disappeared, that the country was without a government, and that London was in confusion, had travelled last down the Thames, and wherever it spread had produced outrage and misrule. The rude fishermen of the Kentish coast eyed the hoy with suspicion and with cupidity. It was whispered that some persons in the garb of gentlemen had gone on board of her in great haste. Perhaps they were Jesuits : perhaps they were rich. Fifty or sixty boatmen, animated at once by hatred of Popery and by love of plunder, boarded the hoy just as she was about to make sail. The passengers were told that they must go on shore and be examined by a magistrate. The King's appearance excited suspicion. ' It is Father Petre,' cried one ruffian ; ' I know him bv his lean jaws.' ' Search the hatchet faced old Jesuit,' became the general cry. He was rudely pulled and pushed about. His money and watch were taken from him. He had about him his coronation ring, and some other trinkets of great value : but these escaped the search of the robbers, who indeed were so ignorant of jewellery that thev took his diamond buckles for bits of glass. At length the prisoners were put on shore and carried to an inn. A crowd was assembled there to sec them ; and James, though disguised by a wig of different shape and colour from that which he usually wore, was at once recognised." But it is to be feared that for the ordinary sightseer Sheppey has little but the high ground near Minster, and the parish church of that village, part of which was once the church ot the famous nunnery founded by a King of Kent's wife in the seventh century. The archjEologically-minded can find much that is noteworthy in the old building, but the popular fancy is the elaborate tomb of Sir Robert de Shurland, ot which the most remark- able feature is the carving of a horse's head, emerging from waves. Presumably it commemorates some episode in the knight's career. The extravagance of various conjectures on the subject called forth the wrath of old Philpotts : " His tomb is become the scene of much fal.sehood, and popular error ; the vulg.ii having digged out of his vault maii\ wild legends and romances, as namely : that he buried a priest alive ; that he swam on his horse two miles on the sea to the King, who was thcil near this Isle on shi)i-board, to purchase his jiardoii ; and having About 3 miles to the west of Margate, Westgate has risen from an obscure little village to a much-frequented summer resort. Photo fr>) CMKFS AT WF..STGATE. The Inroads made upon the Kentish coast by the sea have reached as much as 3 feet in a year In some places. The hlgiiest losses have occurred between .Sheppey and Rcculver. All along the north coast of Kent the cliffs arc now protected by groynes, and at the towns by sea walls. Photo by] I ■ ■ ,^ , y , . , A PRETTY PEEP NEAR KINGSGATE. ' ' ' °"^' '' The village of Kingsgate was originally known as Bartholomew Gate and guarded a pass through the cliffs to the sea. It derived Its present name from the landing here in 1683 of Charles II and the Duke of York. 1 136 Britain Beautiful Photo by] THE BARBICAN GATE, SANDWICH. [C. Uchter Knox. This ancient Tudor gate-tower is one of the few surviving relics of the town walls. Sanrlwich was a seaport of great importance and one of the (Cinque Ports up to the reign of Edward \'l, but the harbour became choked with sand, and the town is now 2 miles from the sea. obtained it, swam back to the shore, where being arrived, he cut off the head of his said horse, because, it was affirmed, he had acted this by magick ; and that ridins;' a-hunting a twelvemonth after, his horse stumbled and threw him on the skull of hi.s former horse, which blow so bruised him, that from that contusion, he contracted an in- ward impostumation, of which he died." Though Faversham has ex- tended its business at the expense of its beauty, it has not yet reached the stage when it is impossible to imagine that it is one of the most ancient towns in the king- dom. A few somewhat pitiful fragments remain of the abbey which King Stephen founded in 1 147, and selected as his burial- place. But Faversham's fame on this score is quite overshadowed by the prestige of its caiixe celeljre of 1.550 (I-'ebruary 15), when " one Thomas Ardern, gentleman, was heynously murderetl in his own parlour, about seven o'clock in the night, by one Thomas Morsby, a taylor of London." Morsby v.as the lover of Ardern 's wife, Alice, who was a party to the plot ; " which Alice the said Morsb}- did not only carnally keep in her house in this towne. but also fed liim with delicate meats, and sumjituous app-irell, all which things the said ArdtTU did well know, and wilfully did permit and suffer the same, by reason whereof she pro- cured her said husband's death, to th' intent to have married the said Morsby." It is a long and horrible story, told in the Ward- l\Iote Book of F"aversham, and it is gratifying to learn tliat all the participants in the black deed paid the full penalty for their crime. Canterl)ury is so memorable a place from every point of view that the attempt to compress an account of its wonders and interest into the scale dictated by the character of this survey is a most formidable task. The great church, which is to Anglican Catholicism what St. Peter's is to Roman, is trul\- worthy of the jiroud position it holds in the affection of Christian people. Of course, no part of it Pholo by] ■ Soits, IJti. RICHBOUOLGH CASTLE. Klchhorough CUistle was the ancient Roman Rutoplic, which guarded the southern entrance to the channel originally divhiing the Isle of Thiinet from Kent. C'lose by, on the estuary of the .Stour. is the huge dt'relict port of Ric'iborough. created for military transport in 1916. ■ae-; J3 -O C o Is 5 = - •o ■ ' a e u . aj ritf i - -1 = « * o ?* a - - ■= £ J, £ -a £ a 2 '7 = = - s - s; "5 U' is 4, S - ■= i a c ill a a, s i: "a .H 2 = ana V ES •^ "S ** ^ ^ -■ •= 5 n «> ' - n ^ = * i 2 - -o f£f _S '^ a Z ^ ^ n -it > C3 . 1-' "" a! o a -Of ■a 5 c f = S a « aj > i EA ** "c c c O Kent I I 0/ ;■;„,(,, f.v) >.'.. . ■ . A\(i/.. i ..1 • r ■/■ villajie was anciently known as Theln-warden, and it became a member of the veneration. But the annus mtrabilis „„ cinque port m .he reicn of Henry m. I'hoto b\\ H. /. Smith. THE BELL-TOWER, BROOKLAND CHURCH. This curious belfry stands in the parish churchyard, and is constructed of massive timber. The church is Early English, and has an interesting Norman font. Brookland village is in the Romney Marsh district, 3 miles south of Appledore. Photo by] [Valentine & Sons, Ltd. SCOTT'S TOWER, HORSMONDEN. The stately tower at Horsmonden was erected in 1856 to the memory of Sir Walter Scott, and contains most of his works. The structure stands on a hill overlooking the village, 3 miles north-east of Lamberhurst. Photo fry] THE TOAD ROCK, TUNBRIDGE WELLS. This curiously sho.K.I rock stands on Rusthall Common, a sl>ort walk to the north-west of the town Tunbridge "'•■''^ ^^^ '';" ma"y years one or our most picturesque and well-known watering-places. In the pas, the town has often been >.s..ed by royalty. many years one of ^ ^ ^^J^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ Henrietta Maria stayed here. Kent 1145 TONBRIDGE CASTLE. Tonbridge Castle was built by Richard de Tonbrigge in the time of William the Conqueror, and was greatly added to in the thirteenth century. The ruins stand in public grounds close to the River Medway. 01 the place must have been 1574, when all the world talked of a monster fish which ex])ired on the shore here after being stranded for twent\--four hours. Some idea of the fish's dimensions can be gathered from old Ivilburne's account of the occurrence : " His roaring was heard above a mile. . . . One of his eyes was more than a cart and six horses could draw, and a man stood upright in the place from whence it was taken. . . . His tongue was fifteen feet long : his liver was two cart-loads ; and a man might creep into his nostrils." Ramsgate is in the main a nineteenth- century production, at any rate in its present form, but Margate has a notable history as a port of embarkation which goes back to Elizabeth's time. Its fame as a watering-place has dwarfed all its other claims to notice for the last centurv and a half, and it must not be forgotten that this place was the first in the country to be favoured with the sight of a bathing-machine. The imaginative inventor of this homely and useful contrivance was a Quaker of the name of Ben- jamin Beale, and considering the indispensable part played by the bathing-machine in our seaside life it is startling and deplorable to find that Beale ruined himself in trying to popularise his new toy. Times have changed sadly since Sandwich could be styled Sandwich qui est omnium Anglorum Portitum famosissiinits, for the same natural process which ruined Richborough in favour of Sandwich ruined Sandwich in turn. The sea retreated farther and farther, and so this proud member of the " Cinque Ports " ceased to be a port and is left to us as a delightiul relic of old Eng- land and a Mecca of the golfing fraternity. Of Sandwich in its palmy days one should write with bated breath, so to speak. It was the assembly ground of armies, the gathering-place of fleets, the scene of Edward Ill's embarkation for the campaign of Crecy, and of his son's landing after the astounding victory of Poitiers. No wonder the French spent so much of their energies in trying to burn out this nest of hornets. In Henry VI's reign their efforts met with consider- able success, and Edward IV accordingly had the town " new walled, ditched and fortified with bulwarks." By Leland's time the decay of the harbour had set in, and his account says nothing of its ancient fame : " Sandwich, on the farther syde of the ryver ot Sture, is neatly welle walled, where the towne stonddeth most in jeopardy of enemies : the residue of the town is dichcd and Pholo by] [S.E. & C, Railway. AT TONBRIDGE. This photograph shows a path through the high rocks at Tonbridge. The town is of great antiquity, which fact is borne out by the number of ancient buildings. It was held at Domesday by Richard Fitzgilbert, afterwards known as De Tonebridge. I 146 Britain Beautiful Photo by] ■:?TOSMBffl5J!i THE SMITHY AT PENSHURST. (_H. J. Smith. Penshurst village stands at the junction of the Eden and Medway, and is far-famed for its picturesqueness and rustic charm. mudde waulled. Ther be yn the towne iiii principal gates, iii paroche churches, of the which sum suppose that St. Maries was sumtyme a nunnery. There ys a place of \Miite Freres, and an Hospital withowt the town, fyrst ordeined for maryners desesyd and hurt." Most of the walling has van- ished and the " place of White Freres " has become a house, but the Hospital still exists and carries on its good work. The destruction of the walls on three sides of the town must be ac- counted unto the nineteenth century for sin, but the streets are still so charmingly irregular and there is .such an abundance of ancient houses that Sandwich is a treasure-house for the artist and even for the plain man who cannot put his appreciation into pictorial or literary form. Next we reach a portion of the coast which has always been of considerable importance, owing to its pro.vimitv to the narrowest part of the Channel. Henry VIII was the first sovereign to fortify it systematically, for we learn from the old Peramhiilation of Kent that he " determined, by the aide of God, to stand upon his owne gardes and defence, and therefore, with all specde, and without sparing any cost, he builded castles, platfourmes, and block-houses, in all needefull places of the realme : and amongst the other, fearing lest the ease and advauntage of descending on land on this part, should give occasion and hardiness to the enemies to invade hiin, he erected (neare together) three fortifications, which might at all times keepe and beate the landing-place ; that is to say, Sandoune, Dele, and Wamere." Deal Castle still remains as a reminder of those stirring times, and one could wish that there were some tangible memorial of Julius Cjesar's landing here — if only to put a stop to the incessant bickering of the " au- thorities " over the e.xact site of that momentous occurrence. In tliese da\s the invasion comes from the other side, for Deal has developed into a popular watering- place, and much of its quaintness has suffered accordingly. .V century and more ago the town enjoyed renown as a l>reeding-ground of skilful smug- glers. Gentlemanly fellows they must have been, as we are told that the Government winked at their crimes against the revenue laws on account of their prowess Photo ttyi I.YCH GATE I'ENSHl K.ST lUilicrl Itll.m. The photograph shows another of the quaint old corners of Penshurst, to which also belongs the stately mansion of Lord de I'lsle and Dudley, one of the best-known country scats in the county. ^ :^' >T n n ^ ^ Photo by] OLD HOUSES AT OHIDDINGSTONE. \Htrhcrt l-dlmu Amonft the chief charms z 3 b: X S < *' .J 4> V >« § •*-■ c ^ £ s u CQ n u <( u i/) irt « £ 0. m ir •o a: u >^ c t1 o x: c, g ^ o Is Pholo by] [Valentine & Sons, Ltd. BLENERVILLE BRIDGE. TRALEE. Tralee is the largest seaport on the south-west coast of Ireland. It is situated at the mouth of the River Lee on Tralee Bay, about 30 miles north-east of Dingle. A ship canal communicates with the bay and admits of vessels of 200 tons to reach the quay. COUNTY KERRY A GREAT artist in language has described the scenery of County Kerr\' in words which may well serve as introduction to this survey. " The south-western part of Kerry is now well known as the most beautiful tract in the British isles. The mountains, the glens, the capes stretching far into the Atlantic, the crags on which the eagles build, the rivulets brawling down rocky passes, the lakes overhung by groves in which the wild deer find covert, attract every summer crowds of wanderers sated with the business and the pleasures of great cities. The beauties of that country are indeed too often hidden in the mist and rain which the west wind brings uj:) from a boundless ocean. But, on the rare days when the sun shines out in all its glory, the landscape has a freshness and a warmth of colouring seldom found in our latitude. The myrtle loves the soil. The arbutus thrives better than even on the sunny shore of Calabria. The turf is of livelier hue than elsewhere : the hills glow with a richer purple : the varnish of the holly and ivy is more glossy ; and berries of a brighter red peep through foliage of a brighter green." And then follows an even more vivid passage in which Macaulay tells us that " during the greater part of the seventeenth century, this paradise was as little known to the civilized ,„ , , ,,,, , world as Spitzbergen or Greenland. If ever it interior, mucxross abbev, killarney. ,. „ 1 .. ^ .„.„4-;„„,^l ., - ., t^^^^;k1^ The abbey contains inany interesting tombs ; one of the largest in was mentioned, it was mentioned as a horrible ^^^ ^^J^^^ ,^ ,^^, „j o-Donofihues of the Giens. An almost desert, a chaos of bogs, thickets, and precipices, unreadable inscription on the west wall of the abbey runs: "Here , , ,. .,,1.,, 1 1 1 lies Anne Miagh, James Barrett's virtuous wife, * obit 11 Die Feb. where the she-wolf still littered, and where some Anno Domini i70 »,."• I 1^8 Britain Beautiful FHolo by] I'uUuliiit: COLLEEN BAVVN CAVES, KILLARNEY. The curious caves are to be found on the northern shores of Muckross Lake. They are the scene of Gerald Griffin's " The Colleen Bawn," which will be remem- bered as the story upon which Boucicault's famous play was based. half naked savages, who could not speak a word of English, made themselves burrows in the mud, and li\ed on roots and sour milk." ^lacaulay, as we see, had no hesi- tation in allowing the Killarney dis- trict to be " the most beautiful tract in the British Isles," a bold statement worthy of his unfailing assurance. But even the more temperate and critical twentieth century will admit that though the charms of Killarney may be equalled elsewhere in these Islands, they are certainly not sur- passed. For those charms arc of the most bewildering variety. High and noble mountains encircle the Upper Lake and form a grand background to the island-studded nappe of Lough Lcane (or the Upper Lake). Fasci- nating streams pour down the hill- sides amidst a fairyland of greenery. And enough is left of the dim and troubled Ireland of long ago (perhaps one should ruefully add, " and more recent times! ") to create that atmosphere of haunting memories and mystery which goes so well with Nature's finest pageantry. Killarney town some might regard as a blot on the landscape, a necessary evil since tourists have to be housed, fed, and provided with the necessary transport facilities. But such a judgment does the place less than justice. It may be uninteresting, but it is not ugly or squalid, and in its Roman Catholic Cathedral it possesses at least one building that is a work of art, all the more notable because it dates from a singularly unfelicitous period of the nineteenth century. Pride of place among the anti- ,ii,wva;.A>-.--^.rt.ii-t-.,:vitJi-sT'. .-. • - :\%i'C'->^j (juities of the district must be awarded to the Island of Innisfallen, which many regard as the most perfect gem in this gem-studded area. For Innis- fallen, through the ruins of its ancient oratory and monastery, carries one back to the very earliest days of Christianity in Ireland, and particu- larly to that Golden Age when St. Mnan made the island a centre for his gracious activities, and through him its monastery attained such a reputation for learning and .sanctity that it was visited by crowds of hungry seekers after the eternal truths. The island gave its name to the famous " Annals of Innisfallen," and it was here that, according to tradition. St. Finan earned the honoiiralilr title of " Lobhar " (the Leper) tlirough curing an unfortunate leper at the cost — as he knew be- forehand — of contracting the loath- Pholoby] il\i!,-nl,n,' ,-■ ,S,„,(. /,;,/. OLD WEIK IlRIIXiK. KILLARNEY. The old Weir Bridge Is at the north end of (he lonft strip of water known as the Lone Ranee, connecting the I'pper Lake with Muckross Lake. The current is very swift here, and the passui>e under the bridttc is one of the most excllinn moments in the journey between the two lakes. The boatman in the phuto- tiraph Is about to shoot the rapids. fr^':; Photo by] ROSS CASTLE, KILLARNEY. [ir. iM-uifuce. ■ Jo .,„rr,»n,hat ohscure but it was probably built in the fourteenth century by an The exact age of this Pi^^«^"---^'«^'J\°'/,,;-:4^„,^°„Tj'^: e:r rs i\s^ in .652 'o Lud.ow. Cro.nwe.rs general. It was Anglo-Nortnan baron. The^--t^surring^even.^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ .. ^^^ p^,_,^^^^,. County Kerry I i6i some disease himself. The Innisfallen ruins are not particularly notable in themselves, but they will ever have a singular appeal to all thinking men. On the northern shore of the Upper Lake is the ancient church of Aghadoe, a somewhat unpoetical corruption of words meaning the " Field of the two Yews." The leper saint is said to have been responsible for the first church on the site, but it is very doubtful whether any portion of the existing ruins dates from his time. The adjacent Round Tower is but a fragment. Coming to more recent times, the conspicuous and famous ruin of Ross Castle speaks, not of those glorious days of triumphant Irish Christianity, but of the stormy centuries when every man's hand was against his neighbour, save in those rare intervals when there was some attempt at combination Photo by] [Valentine & Sons, Ltd. ON THE MIDDLE LAKE, KILLARNEV. Although it is only a quarter of the size of the Lower LalSS8»!«55Wi??*««'^«HW«!'3'*!*^i!'»;i«S*ffi'^ ''jaBHMta i [P. W. I-armhorough. THE LONG RANGE FROM OLD WEIR BRIDGE. The famous lakes of Killarney are connected by a winding stream. Sir Walter Scott con- siders this tortuous stretch of water to surpass in beauty anything to be found in his beloved Scotch lake scenery. ii66 Britain Beautiful From Derrynane round to Cahirciveen by the coast furnishes an interesting succession of fine bays, mostly dominated by splendid cliffs, but undoubtedly the greatest centre of interest until Valencia Island is reached is the island of Great Skellig, or Skellig Michael, so called from an early religious house named after that saint. The island is remarkable from at least four points of view. In the first place it is frequently quite an adventure to get there ; the elements have to be on their very best behaviour to make a landing at all possible. Secondly, it is all but the nearest point to America, a geographical fact which seldom fails to inspire a faint thrill in the breast of even the most unimagina- tive. The island is also a grand object in itself, an imposing pyramid split into two peaks between six and seven hundred feet, rising steeply from the sea. Lastly, it is for ever memorable as a sacred Pkolo by] IViilentitte & Stun,, Ltd. INNISFALLEN CHAPEL, KILLARNEY. This little church or oratory stands apart from the abbey on a cliff ovcrlookinB the lake, and Is considerably older than the main ruins. The photograph fiives a ftlimpse of the fine sculptured doorway. The abbey stands on Innisfallen Island In the centre of Loufth Leane, and was founded by St. Finlan the Leper In the sixth century. place of human pilgrimage to the monastery whose remains are among the most interesting antiquities in Ireland. Legends and stories innumerable have gathered round the little church, oratory, and cluster of beehive cells that are so vivid a reminder of the golden days of Irish Christianity, but in reality no creation of fiction or fancy, not to mention legend or tradition, could be more eloquent than the rough, primitive architecture of these famous buildings. At Ballinskellig on the mainland is the ruin of the churcli of the abbey to which, so tradition relates, the monks of Great Skellig came when that outpost of Christian civilisation was abandoned. Like many of the other ruined ecclesiastical buildings with which this part of Kerry abounds, it is practically impossible to assign a date to the foundation of the abbey. \'irtually nothing is known of its history, and the same may be said of the battered castle hard by. _0 s & si So I s ll *S J3 J3 *- o . Eg h5 County Kerry I 169 Cahirciveen has associations with Daniel O'Connell (he was born in Carhan House, now in ruin) and enjoys a tine situation, but is otherwise notable mainly for its proximity to the island of Valencia and two remarkable ancient relics, Ballycarbery Castle and a very early fort somewhat similar to that at Staigue. Ballycarbery's gaunt pile is a grand sight. It was one of the fortified residences of the famous MacCarthy More, and presents a striking example of Irish military architecture in the fifteenth century. Next to Killarney, Valencia is probably the Kerry name most familiar to the average Briton, for the simple reason that even those who know nothing of the mighty deeds of Firm MacCoul, or the triumphs and sorrows of the Geraldines, have heard of the laying of the Atlantic cable and the great part played therein by the freakish Great Eastern, with her battery ot funnels, masts, and AT PARKNASILLA. Famed as a health resort, this pretty little town stands in a sheltered cove between Kenmare Bay and Knockanamadane Hill. Parknasilla means '* meadow of willows,'* and many varieties of sub-tropical plants flourish here. paddle-wheels. The name " Valencia " has an odd foreign ring about it, and your true Irishman rejects it in favour of the native " Darrery " (from Dairhohe, " forest of oaks "). The excitements over the unsuccessful attempts to lay the cable would alone give Valencia a little history of its own, but it has many other attractions besides this journalistic interest. It has memories of freebooters, pirates, and smugglers galore ; it can show where Cromwell fixed his iron heel ; it has magnificent cliffs at Fogher and Bray Head. But, above all, it has marvellous view-points, from which Kerry's splendours of sea and land furnish one of the finest panoramas the world can show. All along the Dingle Bay side of this promontory Nature has been prodigally lavish with her landscapes, \^'hat could be finer, wilder, or more remote than that trio of dream lakes with the musical names of Coomnacronia, Coomasaharn, and Coomacullen ? What could present a more 78 1 1 70 Britain Beautiful attractive combination of form and colour than the wood-encircled Though Caragh ? The answer is : nothing save similar scenes which this amazing and inexhaustible country can furnish elsewhere. Milltown has little claim to fame save for its abbey of Kilcolman, frequently and absurdly confused with the Kilcolman Castle in Cottnty Cork, which was burnt over poor Edmund Spenser's head. Castlemaine, too, is more or less undistinguished since its important castle was finally destroyed bv Cromwell's fortress-eaters in the middle of the seventeenth century. It stood on the old bridge — which still survivcs--and figured prominentlv in all the troubles of this troublous region for manv centuries. Such was its importance that in the time of Elizabeth it was thought unsafe to leave it in the hands of an\- Irish familv, and a special royal Constable was appointed as its governor. DERRVyi IN CASTLE. This picturesque old country seut stands in a charmint^ situation on the shores uf Kenmare Bay, opposite Rossdahan Island, 2 miles south-east of Sneem. Tralee is as full of history as it is devoid of tangible signs of it, perhaps because it continues to play an active and vigorous part in the affairs of the nation. It has its full complement of ecclesiastical and municipal buildings, ami in the season is called upon to cater for the large number of visitors who e.xplore the Dingle promontor\- and insi)ect the ancient remains in which this part of the county is .so extraordinarily rich. Tralee 's history is much too lengthy a matter for these pages, even though its castle takes a prominent place in the story of the county as the headcjuarters of the Desmonds. It was situated in the centre of the town, but has utterly vanished, thanks to its barbarous demolition in times of peace in 1826. Its " great event " was the siege of 1642, when the English garrison under Sir Ihomas Harris held out for si,\ months, but were compelled to surrender — shortlv after the deatli of their gallant commander— by failure of supplies and water. i'luitv by i THE COAST AT VALENCIA ISLAND. fir. A. (riet-n. All along the coast of Valencia Island are a number of isolated rocks, and it is an awe-inspiring spectacle to watch the great Atlantic rollers dashing against them with a never-diminishing fury. Photo by] ill'. Lawrence. THE LIGHTHOISE, VALENCIA ISLAND. This flnc lli^hthouse stands on an imposing elevation at the entrance to \'alenciu Harbour, between Valencia and Begintsh. and the light has a visibility of 10 miles. The headland on which the lighthouse stands is known as Cromwell's Fori, after the strnniihold iliat the Protector erected he-re to protect the Island against foreign privatetrs. County Kerry 11/3 Tralee also had a Dominican monastery of considerable note, which was established in the thir- teenth century. but has also vanished. From Tralee the Dingle promon- tory shoots out westwards, and offers grand sea and mountain scenery of the most varied descrip- tion, while its prehistoric antiquities are perhaps the most remarkable in the British Isles. Of the natural " sights," the Slieve ^lish Moun- tains, the magnificent mass of Brandon Hill, and the rugged cliffs about Sybil Head and Slea Head are perhaps the chief. though selection is an invidious matter where almost everv considerabk' elevation gives an unrivalled panorama of land and ocean. It is to be hoped that the good citizens of Dingle will not take offence if their little town is described as somewhat of a " Has-Been " ; considerations of veracity forbid any other description. For it is difficult to conjure up from this quiet and rather unattractive place a vision of the walled port which in its hej-day had a nourishing and important trade with Spain. Dingle's main function in these times is to serve as centre for excursions to the exceedingly interesting portion of the promontory which lies west of a line drawn from Bulls Head to Castlegregory on Tralee Bay. Here are many relics of the early Christianity of Ireland, and even more of the first civilisation in these Islands of which we have any knowledge. To take the ecclesiastical an- ''''"'" '■■ [l-aU-iiliiie & Sons, Ltd. CARHAM BRIDGE, CAHIRCIVEEN. Carham Bridge crosses the Carham River close to the ruins of O'Donnel's house o-i the Cahirciveen to Killorgin road. This district offers plenty of sport to those in search of shooting or fishing, while many days may be spent in exploring the rugged scenery which is such an attractive feature of the promontory. tiquities first, there is the remarkably perfect Oratory of Gallerus, the rugged simplicity of which brings to mind in the most forceful manner the character and lives of the early missionaries who made Ireland a land of light and learning when the rest of the western world was grop- ing in thick darkness. Equally worthy of reverence is the ruined cathedral church of Kilmalkedar, with its interesting Irish-Romanesque architecture of pre-Norman times. All this region is indeed holy ground, for it was the scene of the labours of St. Brendan and his followers, and the famous " Saints' Way " from Kilmalkedar up to the very summit of Brandon Hill is but one of the visible signs of that affection for him which has found expression in the most beautiful and striking legends. J'holo hy] [Valentine C- AO i TlVVl i/\V\'