the many churches of Salop, by which name Shrewsbury is still known. The
present building contains examples of almost every period of English
architecture. Dr. Burney, the father of Fanny Burney, was baptized in
this church. Of Shrewsbury Abbey, which once occupied 10 acres, very
little remains, with the exception of the Abbey Church, of which only
the nave is left. The west end has a great tower with a beautiful Gothic
window. Along the banks of the river is a public park known as the
Quarry, which has a wonderful avenue of lime trees, planted in 1719 by
one Wright of Bicton, who, with the help of two men, planted them all in
one night.
[Illustration: _Photochrom Co., Ltd._
SHREWSBURY.
A group of fine old half-timbered houses.]
BUXTON AND THE PEAK DISTRICT
=How to get there.=--Train from St. Pancras. Midland Railway.
=Nearest Station.=--Buxton; then by train to Castleton, by Dore
and Chinley Railway.
=Distance from London.=--164-3/4 miles.
=Average Time.=--Varies between 3-3/4 to 4-3/4 hours.
1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=--Single 21s. 8d. ... 13s. 7d. } To
Return 43s. 4d. ... 27s. 2d. } Buxton.
=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Empire Hotel," "Crescent Hotel,"
Buxton. "Castle Hotel," "Bull's Head," Castleton.
=Alternative Route.=--Train from Euston. L. and N.W. Railway.
The town of Buxton, which is one of the best points from which to visit
the beautiful Peak Country, ranks among the best of English inland
watering-places, and is the highest town of any importance in the
kingdom.
The town is divided into two portions, the higher and lower, or old and
new, the latter 80 feet lower than the former, being the fashionable
modern resort. Here are the celebrated baths, reputed to be a sovereign
cure for all rheumatic complaints, and celebrated since the time of the
Roman occupation of Britain. The spring which supplies the baths may be
considered one of the wonders of the Peak district, for, by means of a
cleverly-arranged pump, hot and cold water are obtained within a few
inches of each other.
The neighbourhood of Buxton abounds in the most wild and romantic
scenery--steep rocks, dark chasms, and wooded hills, mixed in delightful
confusion. Among the favourite places of resort are Ashwood Dale, with
its famous Lover's Leap rock; Shirbrook Dale, with its fissure and
cascade; Diamond Hill, so called from the quartz crystals or "Buxton
diamonds" found there; Chee Tor, a huge limestone rock 350 feet high,
which rises sheer from the bed of the Wye, washing its base; and Axe
Edge, 2-1/2 miles from Buxton, rising to a height of 1800 feet above the
level of the sea. From this point, in clear weather, a marvellous view
is obtained, embracing the mountains of North Wales to the westward and
Lincoln Cathedral to the eastward. From the sides of this rock issue
four rivers in opposite directions--the Dove and the Wye, ultimately
falling into the Humber, and the Dane and the Goyle, tributaries of the
Mersey. The view north from Axe Edge extends over countless heights and
ridges to The Peak itself, the highest point of all.
Another famous resort on account of its remarkable view is the Cat and
Fiddle Inn, on the Macclesfield Road, 5 miles from Buxton.
[Illustration: _Photochrom Co., Ltd._
CASTLETON PEAK CAVERN.]
TEWKESBURY
=How to get there.=--Train from Euston. L. and N.W. Railway.
=Nearest Station.=--Tewkesbury.
=Distance from London.=--171 miles.
=Average Time.=--Varies between 4-1/2 to 6 hours.
1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=--Single 19s. 3d. ... 9s. 6d.
Return 33s. 9d. ... 19s. 0d.
=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Swan Hotel," etc.
=Alternative Routes.=--Train from Paddington _via_ Gloucester, Great
Western Railway. Train from St. Pancras, Midland Railway.
Tewkesbury is famous for its magnificent conventual church, for the
historic battle fought close to the town, and for the ancient timbered
and pargetted houses in the centre of the town and down by the
riverside, which rival even Chester. The population of the town is
decreasing; it is no longer famous for the mustard which made
Shakespeare say, "His wit is thick as Tewkesbury mustard" (_Henry IV._),
but it has a considerable local trade in agricultural produce. Situated
on the banks of the Avon, near its junction with the Severn, it is
almost insulated by these rivers and two tributaries. The old
many-arched bridge over the Avon is extremely picturesque. In a county
famed for its rich monasteries, Tewkesbury was among the most important.
The name is believed to come from Theoc, a Saxon missionary monk, who
founded a hermitage here. The abbey was originally a dependency of
Cranbourne Abbey in Dorsetshire, but being richly endowed, Tewkesbury
became the leading monastic establishment. Fitz-Hamon, Earl of
Gloucester, began the rebuilding of the church. The choir was
reconstructed in 1350 in Gothic style, but the nave and massive central
tower are Norman. The whole building is cruciform, and the choir, having
an hexagonal end, is surrounded by an ambulatory and numerous beautiful
chapels as in Westminster. The nave is extraordinarily long, and the
height of its columns has led to a squat appearance in the triforium,
but the choir has short columns and plenty of height in the triforium.
The colossal arch over the perpendicular window of the west front
forcibly reminds one of Peterborough. The Duke of Clarence and Isabel
his duchess, the king-maker's daughter; the Duke of Somerset, executed
after the battle of Tewkesbury; Abbot Alear, Becket's friend, are all
buried here. There is a fine gatehouse near the west end of the church.
At the battle of Tewkesbury in 1471, which proved so disastrous to the
Lancastrian cause, Prince Edward, Henry III.'s son, was slain while
fleeing from the field.
[Illustration: _Photochrom Co., Ltd._
TEWKESBURY ABBEY.
Its chief feature is the huge arch over the west window, just appearing
above the trees in the picture.]
EXETER AND ITS CATHEDRAL
=How to get there.=--South-Western Railway, Waterloo Station.
=Nearest Station.=--Queen Street, Exeter.
=Distance from London.=--171-1/2 miles.
=Average Time.=--Varies between 3-1/2 to 5-1/2 hours.
1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=--Single 28s. 6d. 18s. 0d. 14s. 3-1/2d.
Return 50s. 0d. 31s. 6d. 28s. 7d.
=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Royal Clarence Hotel," "Rougemont
Hotel," "Half Moon Hotel," Pople's "New London Hotel," etc.
=Alternative Route.=--Great Western Railway, from Paddington
Station, London, to St. Davids, Exeter.
Exeter, the metropolis of the west, was known as a city even when the
Romans came to Britain. There are no important Roman buildings left now,
but coins and pottery testify to the Roman occupation. The first actual
historic records date from the reign of King Alfred, whose grandson,
Athelstane, made Exeter into a strong city, fortifying it with walls.
Exeter made a stubborn resistance to William the Conqueror, but when
besieged by him was forced to yield. The city suffered siege on two
other notable occasions. In the reign of Henry VII., Perkin Warbeck, the
pretender, made an attack on the castle, but was defeated. In 1646 the
city was blockaded by the Parliamentary forces under Fairfax and
compelled to surrender.
In the centre of the city is the cathedral, which was commenced in A.D.
1107 by Bishop Warelwast, who built the massive Norman towers. Bishop
Quivil, who died in 1292, completely remodelled the cathedral, changing
the somewhat heavy Norman structure into the present graceful Gothic
one. The successor of Bishop Quivil carried out the plans he left behind
him, and the cathedral was finished in 1350, although some minor work
remained to be done. Unlike so many of the early cathedrals, Exeter has
no central tower, therefore its interior is famous for having the most
uninterrupted vista of any cathedral in England, having no tower-piers
to hinder the view. One of the most beautiful features is the carved
west front.
Standing on the highest ground in Exeter, though not now conspicuous,
are the ruined walls of the Norman castle, called Rougemont (Red Mount),
which obtained its name from the red clay found there. The High Street
contains many old and picturesque buildings, the most important of which
is the Guildhall, built in the fifteenth century, but altered during the
late Renaissance period. Many of the parish churches of Exeter are
worthy of note.
[Illustration: _Photochrom Co., Ltd._
THE WEST FRONT OF EXETER CATHEDRAL.
Exeter has no central tower, but is unique in having one over each
transept.]
MARKET DRAYTON, SALOP
AND THE BIRTHPLACE OF ROBERT CLIVE
=How to get there.=--Train from Paddington. Great Western Rly.
=Nearest Station.=--Market Drayton.
=Distance from London.=--178 miles.
=Average Time.=--Varies between 4-1/4 to 5-3/4 hours.
1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=--Single 24s. 2d. 15s. 5d. 13s. 2d.
Return 46s. 0d. 29s. 0d. 26s. 4d.
=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"The Corbet Arms," etc.
=Alternative Route.=--None.
In the parish of Moreton Say, 3 miles west of Market Drayton, is Styche
Hall, the birthplace of Robert Clive. The family of Clive took their
name from the little town of Clive in Cheshire, removing to Styche when
the heiress of the latter place married James Clive in the reign of
Henry VI. Robert Clive, the hero of Plassey, born in 1725, was educated
for a few years at Market Drayton before he went to the Merchant
Taylors' School. His father not being at all wealthy, Clive accepted a
writership in the East India Company and went out to Madras, but soon
changed his post for a commission in the army. After a brilliant career
in India, which he won for the English, raising them from the position
of mere traders to be the rulers of an Eastern Empire, he returned to
England in 1767. Worn out by the persecutions of his enemies, he died by
his own hand in 1774, when only in his forty-ninth year. "Great in
council, great in war, great in his exploits, which were many, and great
in his faults, which were few," Sir Charles Wilson says, "Clive will
ever be remembered as the man who laid deeply the foundations of our
Indian Empire, and who, in a time of national despondency, restored the
tarnished honour of the British arms."
The parish church of Moreton Say contains Clive's tomb besides other old
monuments dating from 1600, though the church itself is chiefly
eighteenth-century work. Market Drayton, sometimes thought to be the
Roman Mediolanum, still has a few timbered houses, but its church has
been much restored.
Close to the town, standing on a wooded hill, is Buntingsdale, a stately
red brick and stone house built in Georgian times, belonging to the
Tayleurs. Situated 2-1/2 miles from Market Drayton is Audley Cross,
marking the site of the battle of Blore Heath, fought between the
Yorkists and Lancastrians, when many Cheshire gentlemen were slain.
[Illustration: _Valentine & Sons, Ltd._
MARKET DRAYTON FROM THE RIVER.
Where Clive was educated before he went to the Merchant Taylors'
School.]
CHESTER
=How to get there.=--Train from Euston. L. and N.W. Railway.
=Nearest Station.=--Chester.
=Distance from London.=--179 miles.
=Average Time.=--Varies between 3-1/2 to 5-1/2 hours.
1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=--Single 27s. 10d. 18s. 8d. 14s. 11d.
Return 51s. 9d. 32s. 8d. 29s. 10d.
=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Queen's Hotel," "Grosvenor Hotel,"
"Talbot Hotel," "Blossoms Hotel," etc.
=Alternative Route.=--Train from Paddington. Great Western Rly.
The city of Chester, one of the most picturesque in the kingdom, was
known in the Roman era as the "Camp of the Great Legion," and was called
by the Romans _Deunana_ or _Deva_, being half surrounded by the Dee.
After the Conquest, the city fell to the share of Hugh Lupus, a nephew
of William the Conqueror, who was created Earl of Chester, and was the
builder of the first castle. His descendants were Earls of Chester until
the reign of Henry III., when the earldom was conferred upon Prince
Edward, whose son, Edward of Carnarvon, was the first Prince of Wales.
The title is still used by the eldest son of the sovereign.
The streets of Chester are exceedingly picturesque, Old Bridge Street
and Watergate Street being perhaps two of the best examples, abounding
as they do in mediaeval timber work and oak carving. But the most
remarkable architectural features of the city are the "Rows," which are
certainly unique in this country. These Rows, which contain the chief
shops, are level with the first floors of the houses; the second floor
projects over them, forming a covered way. The streets were cut into the
red sandstone by the Romans to a depth of 10 feet, the Rows marking the
natural level.
The old walls of the city are among the most perfect in the kingdom, and
measure nearly 2 miles in circumference, with four gates, one marking
each point of the compass. The east gate, showing the termination of the
great Roman Watling Street, was rebuilt in 1769.
Chester Cathedral, though not of great exterior beauty, should be
visited for the sake of its antiquity and its associations. It is said
to have been founded by Ethelfleda, the daughter of Alfred the Great, on
the site of a nunnery built in 875. The west front, with the Bishop's
Palace on its left, is perhaps the best feature of the exterior; while
the Bishop's Throne, in the cathedral, is a wonderfully early piece of
carving, ornamented with figures of the kings of Mercia.
[Illustration: _Photochrom Co., Ltd._
ONE OF THE MOST PICTURESQUE OF THE ROWS AT CHESTER.
The upper floors project over these covered footways.]
EXMOOR
=How to get there.=--Great Western Railway, Paddington Station.
=Nearest Stations.=--Dulverton or Minehead. For both stations
change at Taunton.
=Distance from London.=--180 miles to Dulverton; 188 miles to
Minehead.
=Average Time.=--To Dulverton varies between 5 to 6-1/2 hours. To
Minehead varies between 5-1/2 to 7 hours.
=Fares.=-- Single Return
1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd
Dulverton 30s. 9d. 19s. 3d. 15s. 4-1/2d. 53s. 10d. 33s. 9d. 30s. 9d.
Minehead 31s. 4d. 19s. 6d. 15s. 8d. 54s. 10d. 34s. 4d. 31s. 4d.
=Accommodation Obtainable.=--Dulverton--"Carnarvon Arms,"
"Lamb," etc. Minehead--"Métropole," "Beach," "Wellington,"
"Plume of Feathers," etc. Porlock--"The Ship," etc.
Simonsbath--"Exmoor Forest Hotel."
Exmoor, like Dartmoor, can be approached from many different places, but
to reach some of the finest and most typical stretches of the moor one
cannot do better than choose Dulverton or Minehead. Porlock, six or
seven miles by road (there is no railway) from Minehead, is a third
place admirably suited for getting on to Exmoor; it is the nearest place
of any size to Dunkery Beacon, which is the highest shoulder of the moor
(1707 feet). The drawing given here shows the valley of the Horner, a
small stream rising on the heathery slopes of Dunkery Beacon, which
appears in the distance. This valley is one of the most romantic spots
on Exmoor. After a long ride or ramble on foot over the open heather,
with sweeping views which include Dartmoor, South Wales, the hills
around Bath, as well as Brown Willy in Cornwall, one finds the ground
falling steeply, and before long one is climbing down a water-worn path
among sturdy oaks. The air also becomes full of the music of the rushing
Horner below. The stream is eventually discovered boiling over mossy
stones in the green shade of the close-growing trees filling the deep
valley. The quieter pools are frequently taken advantage of by a
hard-pressed stag, for this particular piece of country is frequently
hunted over by the Devon and Somerset staghounds, some of the most
popular meets of the season being held at Cloutsham farm, on one of the
slopes of the Horner valley. The neighbourhood of Dulverton includes
some fine bits of river scenery--the Barle, the Haddeo, and the Exe
meeting one another in the midst of lovely wooded hills. Many of the
villages on the margin of Exmoor are exceedingly pretty. The churches,
too, are generally of great interest.
[Illustration: ON EXMOOR.
Looking up the Horner valley towards Dunkery Beacon, which is shown
under shadow.]
KNUTSFORD
THE HOME OF MRS. GASKELL
=How to get there.=--Train from Euston _via_ Crewe. L. and N.W. Rly.
=Nearest Station.=--Knutsford.
=Distance from London.=--180 miles.
=Average Time.=--Varies between 4 to 5-1/2 hours.
1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=--Single 24s. 6d. 16s. 6d. 14s. 3-1/2d.
Return 49s. 0d. 31s. 6d. 28s. 7d.
=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Royal George Hotel," etc.
Knutsford still retains the air of old-world quaintness which Mrs.
Gaskell has made so familiar in her delightful _Cranford_. The whole of
Knutsford breathes the fresh and bright tidiness one always
involuntarily associates with such ladies as "Miss Jenkyns," and every
house rejoices in a beautifully neat garden. The Royal George Hotel, in
the High Street, is a perfect feast to the eye of panelled wainscotting,
oak settles, and Chippendale cabinets. The richness, all over the town,
of ancient carvings, staircases, and chimney-pieces, is due to the
prosperity which the coach traffic between Liverpool and Manchester
brought to the place for many years.
Mrs. Gaskell was born in Chelsea in 1810, but her mother dying soon
after, she went to live under the care of her mother's sister, who lived
at Knutsford in Cheshire. Mrs. Gaskell, as a child, was brought up in a
tall red house, standing alone in the midst of peaceful fields and
trees, on the Heath, with a wide view reaching to the distant hills. In
a green hollow near this house there stand an old forge and mill, the
former having existed for more than two hundred years. Mrs. Gaskell had
a lonely childhood, occasionally relieved by a visit to her cousins at
the old family house of Sandlebridge. This old house is now dismantled,
but contains many interesting features. A shuffle-board, or extremely
long table, with drawers and cupboards underneath, of which there now
exist scarcely any specimens, a cradle of great antiquity, and the fine
old wooden chimney-pieces in the front parlour, still remain.
A few places in Knutsford claim association with _Cranford_. One house
is pointed out as being Miss Matty's tea-shop. The Knutsford ladies
still gossip over toasted cheese and bezique. Mrs. Gaskell spent her
married life in Manchester, where most of her books were written, but
she used often to return and stay with her cousins, from whom she learnt
many of the quaint stories still told in Knutsford.
[Illustration: _F. Frith & Co._
KNUTSFORD.
The village described by Mrs. Gaskell in _Cranford_.]
TORR STEPS ON THE BARLE, SOMERSET
=How to get there.=--Train from Paddington Station. Great Western
Railway.
=Nearest Station.=--Dulverton.
=Distance from London.=--180 miles to Dulverton.
=Average Time.=--To Dulverton varies between 5 and 6-1/2 hours.
1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=--Single 30s. 9d. 19s. 3d. 15s. 4-1/2d.
Return 53s. 10d. 33s. 9d. 30s. 9d.
=Accommodation Obtainable.=--Dulverton--"Carnarvon Arms,"
"Lamb," etc.
One of the very earliest forms of bridge in England is to be seen on the
beautiful river Barle, about 7 miles above Dulverton. Torr Steps (the
name is locally pronounced Tarr) are a distinct advance upon
stepping-stones, for although the entire bridge is submerged in
flood-time, there are, in ordinary conditions, seventeen spans raised
clear above the level of the water. The great stones which form the
piers support slabs averaging from 6 to 8 feet in length. In the centre
these are about 3 feet 6 inches wide, and the piers are supported by
sloping stones to resist the force of the current. At the ends of the
bridge the slabs are narrower, and are placed in pairs side by side,
thus giving the advantage of the greatest weight where the force of the
stream is most strongly felt. No traces of cement can be found among the
stones, so that the structure has preserved itself purely by the weight
of its individual parts.
Although it is impossible to make any definite statement as to the date
of Torr Steps, it is probable that they were built by the Celtish
inhabitants of this part of the west country, the bridge having been on
the beaten track between one or two important centres. The size of the
stones does not raise any obstacle to this theory, for though of great
weight, they are not so unwieldy as the majority of those forming
Stonehenge, which is generally accepted as the work of an exceedingly
early race of sun-worshipping men. The name "Torr" is possibly derived
from the Celtic word "Tochar," a causeway, modified to "Toher" and then
to "Torr." The lanes leading from Dulverton to the village of Hawkridge,
about 1-1/2 miles from the steps, are exceedingly beautiful, and the
whole course of the river Barle is remarkable for the striking charm of
its woodland scenery, which is frequently contrasted with the wild
moorland commons on the hillsides above.
[Illustration: TORR STEPS ON THE RIVER BARLE.
An early form of bridge, probably of Celtic origin.]
CLEEVE ABBEY, SOMERSET
=How to get there.=--From Paddington. Great Western Station. To
Washford Station _via_ Taunton.
=Nearest Station.=--Washford (2 or 3 minutes' walk).
=Distance from London.=--182-1/4 miles.
=Average Time.=--Varies between 5-1/2 to 7 hours.
1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=--Single 30s. 4d. 19s. 0d. 15s. 3d.
Return 53s. 0d. 33s. 3d. 30s. 4d.
=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Luttrell Arms Hotel," "Dunster,"
4-1/2 miles from Washford. "Métropole," "Beach," "Plume of
Feathers," etc., at Minehead, 6-1/2 miles from Washford.
At Cleeve the Cistercian abbey church has disappeared, save for the
bases of the pillars in the nave, but the conventual buildings are some
of the most perfect in England, those of Beaulieu in Hampshire and
Fountains in Yorkshire being the only ones able to compare with them.
One first passes through the magnificent old gatehouse pictured here.
Inside is a large grassy space, with the mass of buildings facing one.
They are arranged in a quadrangular form, enclosing a grassy cloister
garth. On the south side is the refectory, a magnificent hall above some
small rooms on the ground floor. It is believed to have been built by
Abbot Dovell in the sixteenth century. The roof, of carved walnut, is in
a perfect state of preservation. From the refectory one may pass into
the Abbots' Lodge, then descending to the cloister garth again, one may
penetrate all the different portions of the buildings--the day-room,
where the monks did all sorts of work; the dormitory, where they slept;
the chapter-house, where they conducted the business of the abbey; the
sacristy, the parlour, and other smaller rooms. The buildings are so
perfect that it is quite easy to obtain a comprehensive idea of the
inner workings of one of these great mediaeval institutions.
The monks' day-room is a large building 60 feet long by 22 feet wide.
The upper floor, forming one half of the dormitory, has disappeared, but
there still remain the bases of the two central pillars which supported
the groined roof. The restoration of Cleeve Abbey was carried out
several years ago by Mr. G.F. Luttrell of Dunster Castle. Before that
time the whole place was used as a farm, and floors of encaustic tiles
were buried deep in farm-yard rubbish. There is practically no recorded
history of Cleeve Abbey.
One shilling is charged for admission for one person, or sixpence each
for a party of two or more.
[Illustration: THE GATE-HOUSE OF CLEEVE ABBEY.
The monastic buildings are all beyond the grassy space inside the
gateway.]
HAWARDEN
=How to get there.=--Train from Euston _via_ Chester. L. and N.W. Rly.
=Nearest Station.=--Hawarden.
=Distance from London.=--186 miles.
=Average Time.=--Varies between 4 to 5 hours.
=Fares.=--To Chester-- 1st 2nd 3rd
Single 27s. 10d. 18s. 8d. 14s. 11d.
Return 51s. 9d. 32s. 8d. 29s. 10d.
=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Glynne Arms," etc.
=Alternative Route.=--Train from Paddington _via_ Wrexham. Great
Western Railway.