the year 1377, ‘Johannes de Burgham’ is said to have had ‘Capellam apud
Browham, Sancto Wilfrido sacrum, ab antiquis temporibus fundatam,’ and
that a Chaplain attended divine offices at it. Through process of time
it becoming ruinous and neglected, it was lately repaird and beautify’d
by the piety of Anne, Countess of Pembroke, A.D. 1659.”[69] In this
chapel there was formerly a holy well, dedicated to St. Wilfred, which
rose through the ancient font by a hole bored through the shaft (in
which also was the waste-pipe) into the bowl. The hill near the chapel
was cut through about fifty years ago, for the purpose of lowering the
road, and from that time the spring which supplied the well was cut off,
so that the water now only rises to the height of the chapel-floor: the
loss of this singular remnant of antiquity is much to be lamented. There
still remains the shrine, or a considerable portion of it, now fixed at
the west end of the chapel, noticed by Leland in his “Itinerary,” and to
which he says there was a great pilgrimage. The shrine at the east end
consists of three compartments, of very remarkable carving, said to be
by Albert Durer, but apparently, from the architecture of the canopy
work, of an earlier date. It is said to have come from the church of St.
Cunegonde at Cologne. The windows at the east end are early
Anglo-Norman, and are filled with the earliest stained glass known in
England. Two appear to have been repaired, and the broken parts replaced
with glass of a more modern date. At one side of the altar, in the north
wall, is the ancient “ambrie,” or small cupboard cut in the solid wall,
in which were kept the vessels; some of these are still preserved, and
are of great curiosity--the pix, now very rarely to be met with; the
remonstrance, a small oblong box, either used as a reliquary, or, more
probably, to contain the cruet or phial of sacred oil. These are gilt
and finely enamelled, and are in a state of good preservation. The
chalice and paten (silver gilt) are of great antiquity, and are also
well preserved. The door of the ambrie is of black oak, curiously
carved; on the back is fixed a very singular gilt and enamelled
crucifixion, with a very remarkable representation of a glory above the
head of our Saviour: this cross is of the very earliest age, probably of
the sixth or eighth century. The sedilia, of black oak, still stands
upon the raised part of the floor, on the south side of the altar; and
the old drain, or piscina, is still to be seen. The oak carving,
especially some of the stall ends, and the screen, are very fine, but
have been extensively repaired. Some of the oak and stained glass, which
appear formerly to have belonged to the chapel, are now in the great
dining-hall; but what is left, still shews a richness and abundance of
carving rarely to be met with in so small a space. Service is performed
here whenever the family are resident, and generally by the Rector,
after his duty at the parish church is over.
The situation of the parish church is remarkable. It is placed on the
borders of a meadow, close to the river Eamont, at a point where there
is a ford, in a direct line from the Roman way to Carlisle, and nearer
than by Brovoniacum. It is above two miles from the nearest village,
called Woodside, and still further from the place where the town of
Brougham formerly stood: there is no trace of any habitations having
ever existed near it.
Stukeley, who visited this part of Westmorland about 1724, and wrote his
account of it in 1725, after describing the British circus or camp on
the banks of the Lowther, called King Arthur’s Round Table, directly
opposite to Brougham, says,--“This is the most delightful place that can
be imagined for recreation; the rapid river Louther runs all along the
side of it: the Eamont joins it a little way off in view. Beyond is a
charming view of a vast wood, and of Brougham; beyond that the ancient
Roman city, and the Roman road going along under the high hill, whereon
is the beacon.”--Vol. II. p. 43.
After describing various British remains which abound in this
neighbourhood, he proceeds:--“In the pasture on the eastern bank of the
Louther, in the way to Clifton, are several cairns, or carrachs as the
Scotch call them, made of dry stones heaped together; also many other
monuments of stones, 3, 4, 5, set upright together. They are generally
by the country-people said to be done by Michael Scott--a noted conjuror
in their opinion, who was a monk of Holme Abbey, in Cumberland. They
have a notion, too, that one Turquin, a giant, lived at Brougham, and
that Sir Lancelot du Lake lived at Mayborough and slew him.”--P. 45.
Stukeley accompanies his description by a view of Brougham, as seen
rising from the midst of fine old trees (most of which are now cut
down), with King Arthur’s Round Table in the foreground.
[Illustration:
From a drawing by F. W. Hulme. Day & Son. Lithʳˢ to The Queen.
]
SIZERGH HALL,
WESTMORLAND.
Sizergh Hall, with its venerable towers, presents to the traveller
journeying from Lancaster to Kendal an appearance peculiarly impressive.
After passing Levens Hall, famous for its antique gardens and other
vestiges of the olden time, two miles bring us to Sizergh, which a
sudden turn presents to view, standing about half a mile from the main
road, on a fine natural terrace of considerable elevation above the
general level of the surrounding country. Fine time-honoured trees are
thickly spread around; among them are some noble elms, whose stateliness
is, however, rapidly giving way before the inroads of age. The park is
small, and not particularly well ordered; it has also the appearance of
being much diminished in size, the main turnpike-road having, in all
probability, been cut through it, as in the case of Levens, where the
house is on one side of the road and the park on the other.
The palmy state of this place belongs to other days; nevertheless much
is left to shew what it has been, with the added interest of increasing
years and antiquity to throw its halo of mystery around the scene. The
hall front faces the east: the lithotint view will shew that it is
singularly irregular and picturesque in its general outline, the whole
being a collection of parts belonging to various eras; exhibiting here
and there incongruities of style, particularly in the ugly modern
windows, which, about eighty years ago, were introduced to supplant
those that were mullioned. These abominations, we were informed, are
shortly to be removed, and their places supplied by windows in keeping
with the structure. By far the oldest parts of the building are the two
southern towers, of the erection of which, it is said, no record
remains; these towers are embattled, and are of amazing strength, the
walls and the floors that divide the several stories being of great
thickness and solidity, displaying a lavish use of materials in their
construction: the beams are particularly remarkable in this respect.
The smaller tower rises considerably above the other: in the upper part
there is a guard-chamber, capable of containing a dozen men--a necessary
precaution in feudal times to prevent sudden attacks. Behind, is a large
square courtyard, one hundred and eighty feet from side to side, and
enclosed on three sides by the back buildings of the mansion. These
large yards were a necessary part of the old Border strongholds; they
were generally large, as in this case, fortified by strong walls, and
were used to protect the cattle, which were regularly secured therein at
night, and during the frequent inroads of the turbulent and
ever-watchful enemy, whose visits were not by any means either few or
far between. In front a double flight of steps leads from the
garden-terrace to a second terrace, leading direct into the Hall, a
large room fifty feet in length, hung with rich tapestry and some good
family pictures, many of the latter being of considerable artistic
merit, as well as of historical interest. Among these the most
“noticeable” are--Sir Robert Strickland, a zealous adherent of the
Royalist party in the civil wars of the time of Charles I.; Sir Thomas
Strickland, knight-banneret, and one of the privy council to James II.;
and of his third son, Roger Strickland; Thomas Strickland, bishop of
Namur, and ambassador to England from the Emperor Charles VI., by
Rigaut. There is also a good portrait of Mary Queen of Scots, said to be
by More. The drawing-room contains portraits of James II. and his queen,
and one of Charles II., a royal gift from James himself to the family.
[Illustration]
In the Great Tower are two rooms of much beauty and importance; one is
the drawing-room, the other is called the Queen’s Chamber. Both these
rooms are profusely decorated with rich carving, particularly in the
chimneypieces. Of that in the drawing-room we procured a sketch. It is
exceedingly rich and quaint, the centre compartment being occupied by a
well-executed carving of the arms of the Stricklands. The fireplace is,
as the reader will perceive, of recent date, and quite out of harmony
with the more ancient part above. There is scarcely a room of any
importance in the Hall that is not decorated with a rich chimneypiece
and other carvings, all of great merit, and some of them of rare beauty
and originality. These carvings are of the time of Elizabeth, in whose
reign Walter Strickland, Esq., the then owner, refitted the greater
part of the rooms. They are all exceedingly interesting. The Inlaid
Chamber--a bedroom in the great tower--is, perhaps, the most curious of
all; it is panelled with rich dark oak, inlaid with holly in curious
arabesque devices. The bed is of the olden time, exceedingly massive,
and magnificently furnished, the pillars being quaintly carved and very
elaborate, supporting a canopy covered with rich draperies. There is not
much old movable furniture, but some chairs attracted our attention; on
the back of one was carved the date 1571. In one angle of the tower we
were shewn a deep dark hole, constructed in the wall, with which
tradition has connected some strange stories of secret violence
committed in times when might was right; of which, however, there is no
more direct evidence than rumour and the suspicious look of the place.
No ancient Baronial Hall could be complete without its ample kitchen,
and accordingly we find Sizergh in this respect well supplied. The
important adjunct to hospitality is of large dimensions, with an
enormous fireplace, in which, no doubt, was once placed an old-fashioned
and most capacious cooking apparatus: all this has given way to the
modern range, which had a look so undeniably recent and _patent_ as to
preclude all particular examination from us. The kitchen is low, and
approached from the corridor by a broad flight of stairs.
Sizergh Hall has been for many centuries the property and place of
residence of the Strickland family. At what time they first came here is
not exactly known; they were originally from Great Strickland, in the
parish of Moreland. “The son and heir of Walter de Stirkland was a
hostage, in 1215, for the good behaviour of Roger Fitz-Reinford.” The
erection of the great tower is attributed to Sir Walter de Stirkland, in
the reign of Edward III., during which he procured from the king a
license “to enclose his Wood and Demesne Lands on this estate, and to
make a Park here.” This supposition is supported by the sculptured
shield of arms on the north side of the tower, “placed corner-wise,
D’Aincourt quartering Strickland: three escallops, the crest a
full-topped holly-bush on a close helmet.”[70] Sir Walter was thrice
returned to Parliament, an honour which several of his descendants also
enjoyed. This was in the time of Edward III., when the name was spelt
Sirezergh. The family took part in the Border Wars; and it is said that
in the time of Henry VI. they mustered “bowmen, horsyd and harnessed,
lxix; bylmen, horsyd and harnessed, lxxiiii; bowmen, without hors
harnesse, lxxi; bylmen, without hors harnesse, lxxvi; totalis numerus,
cclxxxx.” The Sir Thomas Strickland, whose portrait is mentioned above,
went into France with the king, where he died, and was buried in the
church of the English nuns at “Roan” in Normandy. “His third son, Roger
Strickland, was page to the Prince of Condé, when he went from France
to be elected king of Poland.” The fourth son was the already mentioned
Bishop of Namur. In Kendal church, “Strickland’s Aisle” contains tombs
of members of this family; “one of them is remarkable for the figure of
Walter Strickland, a fat lad in a loose gown, with a most fulsome
epitaph, dated in 1656.”
There is a tradition that Sizergh was once the property of the Crown;
and this supposition seems in some degree supported by the fact of the
royal arms being placed among the decorations of one of the chambers,
and placed there it is said by Catharine Parr: but for this there is no
sufficient authority.
For some years Sizergh has been the residence of D. Crewdson, Esq., in
whom the old Hall has had a worthy and careful keeper, shewing its
various matters of interest with a courtesy and kindness not too common
among custodians of English antiquities. There is a moat in front of the
house. This place was visited by the poet Gray when on his tour of the
Lakes, in 1769, and its fine situation and antique appearance seem to
have had a powerful impression on his mind--proved by his letters to Dr.
Wharton. From the Hall two avenues diverge to the highway, one towards
Kendal, and the other southward, in the direction of Levens, Milnthorpe,
and Lancaster. The gardens are on the southern end of the terrace, and
contain, in addition to the usual modern flowering plants, some fine old
trees, clipt into the fantastic forms of other times, and also an old
summer-house, fast falling to decay. Altogether the old place is a
deeply interesting relic of times now happily gone by. The feudal
tower--the varied and somewhat rude magnificence of the time of
Elizabeth and James--the spoliating barbarism of the eighteenth
century--all mingle here in curious contrast; carrying the mind rapidly
through a long series of years, and exhibiting, as if in mockery,
memorials of men, whose works remain, but whose hands--many of them, at
least--had mingled with the dust before the arrival of periods of which
even the antiquary speaks as “the past.”
[Illustration:
From a drawing by C. J. Richardson, F.S.A. Day & Son, Lithʳˢ. to The Queen.
CHARLTON HOUSE, WILTS.]
CHARLTON HOUSE,
WILTSHIRE.
Charlton House, the seat of the Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire, stands in
the centre of a spacious park, a short distance from the ancient town of
Malmesbury. The manor in “old times” belonged to the abbey of
Malmesbury, and subsequently passed to the family of Knevit. Thomas
Howard, the first Earl of Suffolk,[71] having married Catherine, eldest
daughter of Sir Thomas Knevit, the estates became the property of that
noble house; and the Earl, soon after entering into possession,
commenced building the mansion we here engrave. It is considered an
excellent example of the style of architecture of the time of James I.;
the house was, however, enlarged and modernised by Henry Earl of Suffolk
and Berks., who was Secretary of State for the Northern Department, in
the reign of George III. The principal front is ancient, with the
exception of the attic over the centre portion between the two towers. A
plan of the building preserved by the family shews the colonnade quite
open, and forming one side of a large quadrangular court, sixty-five
feet square, in the centre of the building: at the end of this court was
the porch leading into the entrance-hall, which appears to have been in
the style of Inigo Jones (the reputed architect of the building). This
court-yard is now enclosed, and is formed into a saloon, which still
remains unfinished, the works before their completion having been
suddenly interrupted, probably by the death of the Earl in March 1799.
The only portion of the interior retaining its original character is the
gallery; it runs through the whole front of the building immediately
over the colonnade: the ceiling, which is ancient, is an extraordinary
specimen of elaborate decoration; it is 115 feet in length, and between
the edges of the cornice, 17 feet in width. An old fire-place, with the
arms of the first Earl of Suffolk, brought from the Charter House,
London, has been placed here. A collection of superb full-length
portraits of this illustrious family adorn this fine apartment. It is
said that the ceiling of this gallery once saved the building from
destruction: previous to the alterations, the Earl, not liking the
situation of the house, thought of having it pulled down, and rebuilt in
another part of the park; the impossibility, however, of removing the
ceiling determined the rejection of the idea. The additions externally
(with the exception of one front) are closely copied from the older
portions of the structure. The house abounds in furniture of antique
character, in harmony with the character of the interesting building.
One of these examples, consisting of a clock and cabinet, we here
engrave.
[Illustration]
The architect under whose directions the repairs and additions were
made, is well known among the profession as an “Architectural
Plagiarist,”--one who was accustomed to affix his name to the designs of
other men. This person, thinking probably that the architecture of James
I. would never be studied, put up the following inscription at Charlton;
it is inscribed on an iron plate inserted in the wall above the roof of
the saloon:--
“This edifice was rendered such as it is under the skilful direction
of Matthew Brettingham, Architect, and the careful superintendence of
James Darley, Clerk of the Works.
(Thomas Carter, Steward.)
Began A.D. 1772, finished A.D. 1776, by Henry, Earl of Suffolk and
Berkshire, the principal Secretary of State to the best of Princes.”
The mansion, taken altogether, is of fine character and of very
considerable interest: as the baronial residence of the noble
representative of an illustrious family, it retains some of the most
striking and important of its ancient features, conveying the (at all
times pleasant) idea, that antiquity is reverenced for its actual
worth.
[Illustration:
From drawing by C. J. Richardson, F.S.A. Day & Son Lithʳˢ to The Queen.
THE DUKE’S HOUSE, WILTSHIRE]
THE DUKE’S HOUSE,
WILTSHIRE.
The Duke’s House, at Bradford, in Wiltshire, is so called from the Duke
of Kingston, to whom it formerly belonged. It subsequently descended to
Earl Manvers. It is now a dilapidated farm-house; but even in its
present condition of neglect, approaching ruin, it exhibits interesting
indications of its early architectural character. In its pristine state,
when the whole of its ornaments were perfect, it must have presented an
appearance peculiarly imposing and grand; for it is seated on the side
of a steep hill, with a lofty terrace in front, approached by a flight
of steps, adorned with balustrades and vases: there were other terraces,
walled gardens also, and orchards in the rear and on either side of the
house, which is built of the fine white stone of the district.
The principal front--to the south--exhibited in the annexed view, is
divided into two stories, with attics in the gables. The entire front
is, as it were, one window: the three projecting bays are crowned with
boldly sculptured open balustrades. The effect is remarkably striking
and picturesque. The windows have all the mullions and transomes of
stone like the rest of the building. The centre bay, on the
ground-floor, serves as a porch, and has a fine large sculptured
doorway, the upper part of which is seen in the print.
At the time John Aubrey visited Bradford, in 1686, he described this
house as inhabited by John Hall, a wealthy clothier of the town,
connected by marriage with the family of Sir John Thynne, of Longleat.
Mr. J. Britten supposes that Bradford House was built by the architect
who erected the grand mansion of Longleat, the foundation of which was
laid in 1567; but the style of the building is that of a much later
period; it was probably built by the Duke of Kingston. A shield of arms,
with what appears to be a ducal coronet above it, is over the fireplace
in the entrance-hall, and the same shield is repeated in the other
apartments. This shield, no doubt, belongs to the nobleman who erected
the mansion.
The palace at Longleat is a structure in style almost pure Italian, and
the architect is well known to be John of Padua, a very celebrated man.
It is the fashion with the antiquaries in Wilts, so proud they are of
the name, to ascribe to him every building and every separate fragment
of Elizabethan architecture in the county; but the Duke’s House is not
by him: it is pure English architecture, of the latest and most polished
period of the style of James I. Aubrey’s description of the house is
curious; he calls it “the best house for the quality of a gentleman in
Wiltshire.” The house has two wings; two, if not three, elevations or
ascents to it, adorned with terraces, having either rails or stone
balustrades.
[Illustration]
The interior contains numerous fragments of the old building: the
entrance-hall has a noble stone fireplace in two stories; one of the
upper rooms had, till within the last few years, a very handsome oak and
stone fireplace, elaborately carved. Some of the rooms contain oak
panelling; and there are a few ornamented ceilings, in which are
pomegranates, the fleur-de-lis, English rose, &c. The desertion of the
house appears to have been caused by the increase of the town, which
rendered it anything but a rural retreat.
Bradford is situated on the banks of the Avon, near the middle of the
western boundary of Wiltshire, on the borders of Somersetshire, within a
cove formed by the surrounding small hills, which screen the town from
the cold northern winds. The Avon here is generally called the Lower
Avon, and is considerably increased by the waters of the Were from
Trowbridge. The name is supposed to be derived from the Saxon word
Bradenford, signifying the broad ford. Over this ford there is now a
handsome stone bridge. The Duke’s House is close to the town, which
contains more than 10,000 inhabitants, of whom the greater part are
employed in the cloth-manufactories. The church is a large and ancient
building, in the chancel of which is an antique altar-piece, coarsely
ornamented with a painting that was intended to represent the Last
Supper. In the church are two windows of painted glass, said to exhibit
the actions of Christ and His Apostles. These windows were a present
from John Ferret, Esq., of London, a native of Bradford, who died in
1770. Near the church is a charity-school, for the education of
sixty-five children, which was opened in January 1712. There is an
almshouse at the west end of the town, founded by John Hall, Esq., the
last of a family which had resided at Bradford ever since the reign of
Edward I.
[Illustration:
From a drawing by F. W. Fairholt, F.S.A. Day & Son, Lithʳˢ to The Queen.
WESTWOOD, WORCESTERSHIRE]
WESTWOOD HOUSE,
WORCESTERSHIRE.
Within two miles of the ancient town of Droitwich, whose salt-springs
have been famous since the time of the Romans, stands Westwood House, in
the centre of an extensive park, well wooded, and consisting of about
two hundred acres. To the east of the house is a lake extending over
sixty acres, but which was originally intended to cover one hundred
acres of ground. The principal front of the house commands a view of
this lake; and being situated in the centre of the park, commanding on
all sides the vistas produced by the fine old trees, whose radiating
avenues surround it, it is as happily placed as any mansion in the
kingdom. Nash, in his “History of Worcestershire,” thus describes
it:--“Westwood House consists of a square building, from each corner of
which projects a wing in the form of a parallelogram, and turretted in
the style of the Château de Madrid near Paris, or Holland House. It is
situated on a rising ground, and encircled with about two hundred acres
of oak timber. The richness of the wood combining with the stateliness
of the edifice forms a picture of ancient magnificence, unequalled by
any thing in this county.” The house is of brick, with stone quoins and
parapets, and bears a striking resemblance to an old Norman château. Our
plate exhibits the peculiarities of its design as seen in the principal
front. The body of the house is a solid square of three stories in
height, the saloon occupying the first floor, and being lighted by large
bay-windows. Wings project in a line from the centre of each corner of
the house, and communicate by doors with each floor of the central
building. Opposite each wing, at some distance from them, are erected
small square towers, which were originally connected with the main
building by walls, which have now been removed, and the small garden
surrounding the house entirely thrown open. This garden is encircled by
an open railing, and immediately in front of the house, and still
further in advance, is the entrance-gate. Our cut exhibits the
construction of the central pile as it appears from the garden, with the
principal front and one side, taking in a view of three of the wings.
The offices and stabling are at some short distance in the rear of this,
and where the kitchen-garden now stands originally stood an ancient
nunnery, of which no remains exist; but Nash tells us that, in digging,
they sometimes find stone coffins and foundations of buildings.
[Illustration]