“‘The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the portion of
fools.’
“‘They that be wise shall shine as the firmament.’
“‘Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom, and is rich in prudence.’
“‘The heart of the wise shall instruct his mouth and add grace to his
lips.’
“‘Take hold on instruction; leave it not; keep it because it is thy
life.’
“‘Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesseth it.’
“From this fine apartment the NORTH LIBRARY is entered by two open
archways. This room is similar in its appointments to the West Library,
and with it forms one magnificent whole. At the north-west corner of
this room (in the tower) is a charming apartment, connected with the
library by an open archway, called—
“THE POET’S BAY or ‘Poet’s Corner,’ which is one of the most charming
of all imaginable retreats. The bay window overlooks the park and the
distant country for miles away, while the side windows overlook parts
of the grounds and buildings. The ceiling is of the most elaborate
character, covered with minute tracery and exquisite pendents
picked out in gold and colours. At the west end of the library is a
stained-glass window with full-length figures of ‘Gilbert Talbot’ and
the ‘Lady Joan,’ with their arms under Gothic canopies. From this room
a door on the south side opens into the ‘Oak Corridor,’ while two open
arches at the east end connect it with—
“THE MUSIC-ROOM, the ceiling of which is an elegant example of
flamboyant tracery, the ground being blue, and the raised tracery
white and gold. The chimney-piece of white marble is elaborately
sculptured, and from it rises a majestic pier-glass. On either side are
portraits of Earl John and his Countess, life-size, surmounted by their
coronets. The furniture which remains is of remarkably fine character,
carved and gilt, and the walls are here and there filled in with
mirrors, which add much to the effect. On the south side is a large
and deeply-recessed bay window, like the rest, of Gothic design, with
stained glass in its upper portion, representing King David playing on
the harp, St. Cecilia, and angels with various musical instruments.
In front of this window is a beautiful parterre of flowers, the
Conservatory being to the left, and the state-rooms to the right. From
the ‘Music-Room,’ glass doors, in a Gothic screen, open into a small
library, with Gothic presses and stained-glass window with Talbot arms,
&c. From this room another similar door opens into—
“THE DRAWING-ROOM, a remarkably fine and strikingly grand Gothic
apartment, with a ceiling of flamboyant tracery of very similar design
to the one already named. To the right, on entering, a central door of
Gothic screen-work and glass opens into the CONSERVATORY, which, as I
have before said, connects this room and those on the north side with
the Octagon and those on the south side. The CONSERVATORY is entirely
of glass, both roof and sides, and has a central transept. It is filled
with the choicest plants, and in every part, except the vestibule,
the sweetly pretty and appropriate text, ‘Consider the lilies of the
field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin, yet I say
unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like unto
one of these,’ is painted around the cornice. In the vestibule, as I
have said, the motto is, ‘The speech of flowers exceeds all flowers of
speech.’ Over the Conservatory door, in stained glass, are the arms of
Talbot, Verdun, &c.; the crowned rose and thistle; and other devices.
Opposite to the Conservatory, on the north side, is the ‘Saloon.’
The furniture of the ‘Drawing-room,’ the chairs, couches, and seats,
are all of the most costly character, some of them draped with the
arms, supporters, &c., of the earl in gold and crimson damask. On a
table in this room are arranged the various addresses, in cabinets,
&c., presented to the late Earl of Shrewsbury on his accession to the
earldom and estates after the trial in 1860, and a magnificent ancient
casket, the outer glass case of which bears the inscription—‘La casset
Talbot presente par Jean, premier Comte de Shreusburie, sur son mariage
a Marguerite Beauclerc.’ On the walls, besides other paintings, is
a fine full-length seated figure of Queen Adelaide. The ends of the
room are Gothic screen-work, with doors and mirrors. One of these, at
the east end, leads into another small library, and so on by a small
gallery, denuded of its objects of interest, to the CHAPEL CORRIDOR
(elaborately groined and panelled in oak), from which the private
apartments are gained, and which also leads direct to—
“THE CHAPEL, which, although ruthlessly shorn of its relics, its
paintings, its altar, its shrines, and all its more interesting
objects, is still one of the most gorgeous and beautiful of rooms. It
is enough to say that it is one of Pugin’s masterpieces, and that the
stained glass is perhaps the finest that even Willement, by whom it was
executed, ever produced. It is impossible to conceive anything finer
than was the effect of this chapel when it was in perfect order.
[Illustration: _The Conservatories._]
“With the drawing-room, as I have said, an open archway connects
another magnificent apartment, the SALOON, which has a fine oak-groined
ceiling, with elegantly carved, gilt, and painted bosses. In the centre
of the west side is a fine stained-glass window, representing Edward,
the Black Prince, full length, in armour, and with his garter robes,
painted by Muss; and opposite to this a doorway opens into a corridor
leading to the drawing and other rooms. The view from the north end
of the saloon, looking down its full length, across the splendid
drawing-room, down the long vista of the conservatory, and into the
octagon at the farthest end, is fine in the extreme, and is indeed
matchless.
“THE CORRIDOR, of which I have just spoken, is one of the most dainty
and minutely beautiful ‘bits’ of the whole building. It is of oak, the
sides are panelled and gilt, and from small clustered pilasters rises
the elaborate oak groining of the ceiling, the groining being what can
only be expressed as ‘skeleton groining,’ the ribs alone being of oak,
partly painted and gilt, and the space between them being filled in
with a minute geometric pattern in stained glass. From this corridor a
door in the north side opens into the—
“SMALL or FAMILY DINING-ROOM, a fine sombre-looking apartment, about
25 feet square, and furnished with a magnificent central table, and
every accompaniment that wealth can desire. The ceiling is of oak,
panelled, and has a rich armorial cornice, with arms of Talbot, running
around it. The chimney-piece, of dark oak, is a splendid piece of
ancient carving. From the corridor another doorway leads to a staircase
connecting other private apartments above, while at its east end it
opens into—
“THE GRAND DINING-HALL, near which are the kitchens. This hall, which
was being remodelled and altered by Pugin at the time of the Earl’s
death, remains to this day in an unfinished state, but shows how
truly grand in every way it would have been had it been completed.
The roof is one of the finest imaginable, and from its centre rises
a majestic louvre, which at once admits a subdued light and acts as
a ventilator. It is of truly noble proportions, and the fire-places
and carved stone chimney-pieces are grand in the extreme—the latter
bearing the arms, crest, supporters, motto, chapeau, &c., of the Earl
of Shrewsbury. The sides of the room were intended to be panelled, as
was also the minstrels’ gallery, with carved oak, and a part of this
is already placed. At the north end is a fine large window, the upper
part of which is filled with armorial bearings, but the lower part
has never been completed, and is filled in with plain quarries. The
arms in this window are those of Talbot Earl of Shrewsbury, Clifford,
Beauchamp, De Valence, Comyn, Mountchesny, Nevile, Middleham, Clifford,
Bohun, Strange of Blackmere, Tailebot, Troutbeke, Claveringe, Buckley,
Pembroke, Borghese, Doria, Lovetoft, Mareschal, Strongbow, King Donald,
Raby, Lacy, De Verdun, Castile and Leon, D’Angoulême, William the
Conqueror, Bagot, Mexley, Aylmer, and others.
[Illustration: _The Pagoda._]
“From here a short corridor leads to a small vestibule, from which
the other private apartments extend. Of these the principal one is the
BOUDOIR of the Countess of Shrewsbury—a charming apartment, replete
with every luxury and with every appliance which taste and art can
dictate. The ‘Doria’ and other apartments are reached from near this by
a circular staircase. From the vestibule the private entrance to the
Towers is gained, and from it is the private way across the entrance
gateway into the grounds; and also through the small tower and across
the drawbridge the park is reached. The drawbridge crosses the moat,
and the entrance is fully guarded, and has all the appliances of an old
baronial castle.”[2]
And now let us speak briefly of the situation of Alton Towers, and
of its grounds of matchless charms. Situate almost in the centre of
England—in busy Staffordshire, but on the borders of picturesque
Derbyshire—Alton Towers is within easy reach of several populous
cities and towns, the active and laborious denizens of which frequently
“breathe” in these always open gardens and grounds the pure and
fragrant air.
The roads to it are, moreover, full of interest and surpassing beauty;
approached from any side, the traveller passes through a country rich
in the picturesque. Those who reach it from thronged and toiling
Manchester, from active and energetic Derby, from the potteries of busy
Staffordshire, are regaled by Nature on their way, and are refreshed
before they drink from the full cup of loveliness with which the
mansion and its grounds and gardens supply them.
The route from Derby passes by way of Egginton; Tutbury, whose grand
old church and extensive ruins of the castle are seen to the left of
the line; Sudbury, where the seat of Lord Vernon (Sudbury Hall) will be
noticed to the right; Marchington, Scropton, and Uttoxeter. Here, at
Uttoxeter Junction, the passenger for Alton Towers will alight, and,
entering another carriage, proceed on his way, passing the town of
Uttoxeter on his left, and Doveridge Hall, the seat of Lord Waterpark,
on his right, by way of Rocester (where the branch line for Ashbourne
and Dove-Dale joins in), to the Alton Station. Arrived here, he will
notice, a short distance to the left, high up on a wooded cliff, the
unfinished Roman Catholic Hospital of St. John, and on the right, close
to the station, the entrance lodge to the Towers.
From Manchester the visitor proceeds by way of Stockport and
Macclesfield to the North Rode Junction, and so on by Leek and
Oakamoor, &c., through the beautiful scenery of the Churnet valley, to
Alton Station, as before.
From the Staffordshire Potteries the visitor, after leaving
Stoke-upon-Trent, will pass through Longton, another of the pottery
towns, Blythe Bridge, Cresswell, and Leigh, to Uttoxeter, whence he
will proceed in the same manner as if travelling from Derby.
There are, besides others of less note, two principal entrances to the
park and grounds of Alton Towers. One of these, the “Quicksall” Lodge,
is on the Uttoxeter Road, about a quarter of a mile from Ellastone. By
this the “Earl’s Drive” is entered, and it is, for length and beauty,
the most charming of the roads to the house. The drive is about three
miles in length from the lodge to the house, and passes through some
truly charming scenery along the vale and on the heights of the Churnet
valley—the river Churnet being visible at intervals through the first
part of its route. Within about half a mile of the house, on the right,
will be seen the conservatory, ornamented with statues, busts, and
vases, and on the left a lake of water. A little farther on is the
Gothic temple, close to the road-side. At this point Alton Towers and
the intervening gardens burst upon the eye in all their magnificence
and beauty. It is a peep into a terrestrial paradise. Proceeding
onwards another quarter of a mile through a plantation of pines, the
noble mansion stands before us in all the fulness of its splendour.
The lake, the lawn, the arcade bridge, the embattled terrace, the
towers, and the surrounding foliage come broadly and instantaneously
upon the view—a splendid and imposing picture—a place to be gazed on
and wondered at. By this drive the Towers are reached by way of the
castellated stable-screen, and so on over the bridge and the entrance
to the gardens.
The other, and usual, lodge, is close by the Alton Station on the
Churnet Valley (North Staffordshire) Railway. This lodge, designed by
Pugin, and decorated with the sculptured arms of the family, is about
a mile from the house, and the carriage-drive up the wood is on the
ascent all the way. A path, called “the steps,” for foot passengers,
turns off from the lodge, and winds and “zig-zags” its way up, arriving
at the house opposite to the Clock Tower, and passing on its way some
charming bits of rocky and wooded scenery.
[Illustration: _The Choragic Temple._]
The gardens are entered from the park by a pair of gates (on either
side of which is a superb cedar) in an archway, under the “Earl’s
Drive” Bridge. Near this spot is the CHORAGIC TEMPLE, designed from
the Choragic monument of Lysicrates, at Athens; it contains a bust
of Earl Charles, the founder of the gardens, with the appropriate
inscription—“He made the desert smile.” From here the visitor then
proceeds along a winding path with an arcaded wall on one side, and the
valley, from which come up the music of the stream and the bubbling
of the miniature fountains, on the other. This passes between myriads
of standard roses on either side, and long continuous beds of “ribbon
gardening,” or what, from its splendid array of continuous lines of
colours, may very appropriately be termed “rainbow gardening,” and
pathways winding about in every direction, among roses, hollyhocks, and
shrubs and flowers of divers kinds, to a pleasant spot to the left,
where is a terrace garden approached by steps with pedestals bearing
choice sculptures. In the centre is a sundial; behind this, a fine
group of sculpture, and behind this again a fountain, surmounted by a
lion. The wall is covered with luxuriant ivy, and headed by innumerable
vases of gay-coloured flowers, above which, a little to the back, rises
one of the many conservatories that are scattered over this portion of
the grounds.
Passing onwards, the visitor soon afterwards reaches the GRAND
CONSERVATORIES—a splendid pile of buildings on his left. These
conservatories are three hundred feet in length, and consist of a
central house for palm-trees, and other plants of a similar nature; two
glass-roofed open corridors filled with hardy plants, and decorated
with gigantic vases filled with flowers; and, at one end, a fine
orangery, and at the other end a similar house filled with different
choice plants and trees. In front of the Grand Conservatory the
grounds are terraced to the bottom of the valley, and immediately
opposite, on the distant heights, is the “Harper’s Cottage.” At the
end of the broad terrace-walk, in front of the conservatory, is THE
TEMPLE—a semi-open temple, or alcove, of circular form, fitted with
seats and central table. From this charming spot, which the visitor
will find too tempting to pass by without a rest, a magnificent view
of the grounds is obtained. Immediately beneath are the terraces,
with their parterres, ponds, arcades, and fountains, receding gently
from the view till they are lost in the deep valley, beyond which
rise the wooded heights, terrace on terrace, on the other side, and
terminated with tall trees and the buildings of the tower. From the
temple a broad pathway leads on to the GOTHIC TEMPLE, and so to the
modern STONEHENGE—an imitation Druidical circle—and other interesting
objects. Retracing his path, the visitor will do well to descend by the
steps to a lower terrace, where he will find an open alcove beneath the
temple. From here many paths diverge amid beds of the choicest flowers
laid out with the most exquisite taste, and of every variety of form,
and studded in all directions with vases and statuary.
[Illustration: _Alton Towers, from the Lower Terrace._]
Descending a flight of steps beneath a canopy of ivy, a rosery, arched
behind an open arcade of stone, is reached. This arcade is decorated
with gigantic vases and pedestals, and from here, arcade after arcade,
terrace after terrace, and flight of steps after flight of steps, lead
down to the bottom of the valley, where the “lower lake,” filled with
water-lilies and other aquatic plants, is found. In this lake stands
the PAGODA, or CHINESE TEMPLE. Before reaching this, about halfway
down the hill-side, will be seen the “upper lake,” a charming sheet of
water, filled with water-lilies and other plants, and containing, among
its other beauties, a number of fish and water-fowl. Over this lake
is a prettily designed foot-bridge forming a part of what is called
“Jacob’s Ladder”—a sloping pathway with innumerable turnings, and
twinings, and flights of steps. Arrived at the PAGODA FOUNTAIN, the
visitor will choose between returning by the same route, or crossing
or going round the lake, and pursuing his way up the opposite side,
by winding and zig-zag pathways and small plateau, to the top of the
heights.
The ornamental grounds are, as will have been gathered from this
description, a deep valley or ravine, which, made lovely in the highest
and wildest degree by nature, has been converted by man into a kind of
earthly paradise. The house stands at one end or edge of this ravine,
and commands a full view of the beauties with which it is studded.
These garden grounds, although only some fifty or sixty acres in
extent, are, by their very character, and by their innumerable winding
pathways, and their diversified scenery, made to appear of at least
twice that extent. Both sides of the ravine or gorge, are formed into
a series of terraces, each of which is famed for some special charm of
natural or artificial scenery it contains or commands; while temples,
grottoes, fountains, rockeries, statues, vases, conservatories,
refuges, alcoves, steps, and a thousand-and-one other beauties, seem
to spring up everywhere and add their attractions to the general
scene. Without wearying the visitor by taking him along these devious
paths—which he will follow at will—a word or two on some of the main
features of the gardens, besides those of which we have already spoken,
will suffice. Some of these are:—
The HARPER’S COTTAGE, in which the Welsh harper—a fine old remnant
of the bardic race of his country, and an esteemed retainer of the
family—resided, is near the summit of the heights opposite to the
“Grand Conservatories.” It is in the Swiss style, and commands one of
the most gorgeous views of the grounds and their surroundings. It was
built from the designs of Mr. Fradgley, who was employed during no less
than twenty-two years on works at Alton Towers.
The CORKSCREW FOUNTAIN, standing in the midst of a pool filled with
aquatic plants, is a column of unequal thickness of five tiers, each
of which is fluted up its surface in a spiral direction, giving it a
curious and pleasing effect.
The GOTHIC TEMPLE, at the summit of the heights, on the opposite side
from the “Harper’s Cottage,” and closely adjoining the “Earl’s Drive,”
is a light and picturesque building of four stories in height, with a
spiral staircase leading to the top. From it a magnificent view of the
grounds, the towers, and the surrounding country, is obtained.
The REFUGE is a pretty little retreat—a recessed alcove with inner
room in fact—which the visitor, if weary with “sight-seeing,” or, for
a time, satiated with beauty, will find pleasant for a rest.
[Illustration: _The Gothic Temple._]
The PAGODA FOUNTAIN is built in form of a Chinese pagoda. It is placed
in the lower lake, and from its top rises a majestic jet of water which
falls down into the lake and adds much to the beauty of the place.
STONEHENGE.—This is an imitation “Druidic Circle” formed of stones,
of about nine tons in weight each; it is highly picturesque, and forms
a pleasing feature. Near to it is the upper lake.
The FLAG TOWER, near the house, is a prospect-tower of six stories
in height. It is a massive square building with circular turrets at
its angles. The view from the top is one of the most beautiful and
extensive which the country can boast—embracing the house, gardens,
grounds, and broad domains of Alton Towers; the village of Alton
with its church and parsonage; the ruins of the old castle of the De
Verduns; the new monastic buildings—the Hospital of St. John, the
Institution, the Nunnery, and the Chapel; the valley of the Churnet;
Toot Hill; and the distant country stretching out for miles around.
INA’S ROCK is one of the many interesting spots in the grounds. It is
about three-quarters of a mile from the Towers, on what is called the
“Rock Walk.” It is said that after a great battle fought near the spot
(on a place still called the “battle-field”), between Ceolred and Ina,
Kings of Mercia and Wessex, the latter chieftain held a parliament at
this rock; whence it takes its names. We have thus guided the reader
through the house and grounds of Alton Towers.
The district around Alton Towers is rich in interesting places, and
in beautiful localities where the visitor may while away many an hour
in enjoyment. The monastic buildings, on the site of old Alton Castle,
are charmingly situated, and deserve a few words at our hands. These
we quote from Mr. Jewitt’s “Alton Towers:”—“The monastic buildings,
which form such a striking and picturesque object from the railway
station, and indeed from many points in the surrounding neighbourhood,
were erected from the designs, and under the immediate superintendence,
of the late Mr. Pugin, and are, for stern simplicity and picturesque
arrangement, perhaps the most successful of all his works. The
buildings have never been—and probably never will be—completed, and
they remain a sad instance of the mutability of human plans. Commenced
at the suggestion, and carried out at the expense, of a Roman Catholic
nobleman; planned and erected by a Roman Catholic architect; and
intended as a permanent establishment for Roman Catholic priests, &c.,
&c., the buildings rose in great pride and beauty, and were continued
with the utmost spirit, until the death of Earl Bertram, when, after
the trials I have recounted, the estates passed into Protestant hands,
the works were at once discontinued, and the buildings have since been
allowed, with the exception of the chapel and the apartments devoted
to the residence of a priest (and the school), to become dilapidated.
The castle grounds on which these buildings are erected are situated
near the church, the buildings forming three sides of a quadrangle—one
being the school and institution, and the others the cloisters,
priest’s house, chapel, and other buildings. From this the moat is
crossed by a wooden bridge to the ruins of the castle and the hospital
of St. John. The buildings are beautifully shown on the engraving on
the next page.
[Illustration: _Part of the Grounds._]
“The erection of these Roman Catholic buildings gave rise to much
annoyance, and much ill-feeling was engendered in the neighbourhood;
and a hoax was played on Pugin, whose susceptibilities were strong and
hasty. It was as follows: One day—of all days ‘April fool day’—he
received the following letter:—
[Illustration: _Alton—Hospital of St. John._]