object, as it now remains nearly in the same state as it was when
first erected, about seven hundred years back. Its dimensions are one
hundred and two feet long, thirty-eight broad, and fifty-seven high.
At the east and west ends are lofty windows, extending from the roof
nearly to the ground, and on each side are three noble windows. The
heads of all the windows are ornamented with beautiful tracery, and no
two of them resemble each other. There are no divisions withinside,
and what distinguishes the chancel from the body of the church is
an ascent of three steps. The walls are very substantial, and so
clustered with ivy, that it forces its way through any small fissures
into the interior. Over the west door there is a low turret, and below
the cornice is a row of ten heads, in a good state of preservation,
which are considered to be of excellent workmanship.
Near the church is the ancient hall of the templars, formerly a
splendid apartment, but now it is converted into a barn, which is
represented to have been one hundred and forty feet in length.
A little farther is Springfield, the elegant and delightful mansion of
Joseph Boultbee, Esq. and at a short distance is Knowle, which is a
small old town, on elevated ground, in the midst of fertile fields.
This church is of considerable size, and exhibits marks of antiquity
in its remains of stained glass and grotesque carved work.
Not far from hence is Baddesley-Clinton-hall, the seat of Edward
Ferrers, Esq. and about one mile beyond is a small inn, known by the
name of Tom o'Bedlam, near to which is a venerable oak tree, supposed
to be two hundred years old, measuring in girth twenty yards, from
which one branch extends across a road thirty feet wide. You next
come to Wroxhall abbey, the residence of Christopher Wren, Esq. a
descendant from the noted Sir Christopher Wren, who erected St. Paul's
cathedral, in London. The church of Wroxhall is an ancient structure,
forming one side of a square, the buildings of the abbey forming the
other three sides. The windows, which are ornamented with stained
glass, are remarkably fine: the two figures of Moses and Aaron are
admired, not only for the drapery, but also for the splendid colours.
About one mile before you arrive at Hatton, there is to the left a
pleasant view over a well-wooded country, in the midst of which the
ivied towers and magnificent battlements of Kenilworth castle
present themselves to view. Hatton is a small village over which the
celebrated and learned Dr. Parr presides. At Hatton-hill, near the two
mile stone, there is an extensive and diversified prospect over the
fertile tract that surrounds Warwick; in every part highly cultivated,
and adorned with woods, encircled by gently-rising hills; and in the
back ground are seen Shuckburgh-hill on one side and Edge-hill on the
other.
_Warwick_. This ancient town is seated on a rock, to which you ascend
in every direction, there being four avenues; one from Birmingham,
another from Stratford, a third from Coventry, and a fourth from
Banbury. The eminence on which the town is erected is itself encircled
by hills at the distance of from two to three miles, which bound the
prospect in every direction, except to the N.E. where you may see
into Northamptonshire, and to the S.W. where the eye ranges over
an extensive country, backed by the hills in Glocestershire and
Worcestershire. The surrounding country is very fruitful, being
cultivated with great care, and the enclosures separated by beautiful
hedges, which are richly adorned with trees in a flourishing
condition, and also by the river Avon, which meanders here in a
considerable stream, and near Warwick is augmented by the junction of
the Leam. The town being seated on a dry eminence, is exposed to the
genial influence of the sun, which rarifies the air, and renders the
atmosphere so salubrious and warm, that in its vicinity the seasons
are frequently earlier by a fortnight than they are at the distance of
twenty or thirty miles. The four principal streets cross each other at
right angles, and lead to the cardinal points.
Great improvements have of late been made in them, by the introduction
of culverts, repaving the carriage roads, and laying the footpaths
with flags. Lamps are lighted during the winter months, at the expense
of the corporation, who have in a commendable manner widened the
narrow parts of some streets, and removed numerous obstructions;
which gives an air of liveliness to this once sleepy town, and the
inhabitants, being rowsed from their lethargy, are now become active
and industrious.--The canal from Birmingham comes to this town, from
whence it is continued to Napton, where it unites with the Oxford, and
by means of it, with the grand junction canal.
The town is governed by a mayor, twelve aldermen, and twelve principal
burgesses, with a town clerk and a recorder, who are empowered to make
laws for the regulation of the borough, and upon all offenders to
impose reasonable fines and penalties. Here are two manufactories of
cotton, one of lace, and one of worsted, all of them upon an extensive
scale, which contribute considerably to the cheerful activity and
increasing population. There are here held twelve fairs annually; the
market, which is well supplied, is on a Saturday; the quarter sessions
for the county, and also the assizes.--The horse races take place in
September, and a second meeting of the same kind is held in November.
This borough sends two members to parliament, who are elected by those
who pay scot and lot; the number of electors being about five hundred.
Here are two churches; one dedicated to St. Mary and the other to
St. Nicholas: there, are also places of worship for presbyterians,
quakers, independants, baptists, and Wesleyans.
In the vicinity, the following places are deserving of
attention:--Guy's cliff, the ruins of Kenilworth castle, Stoneleigh
abbey, Charlcott-house, and Combe abbey. Passing over the new bridge,
on the road to Leamington, there is a grand picturesque view of
Warwick; there being in the foreground the rich meadows, with the Avon
meandering through them, the church of St. Nicholas, and the trees
behind, which form a dark shade. Near to it is the castellated
entrance into the castle, and the elegant tower of St. Peter's chapel.
On the right is the priory, with its beautiful woods. The town is
perceptible in the centre, with the tower of St. Mary's, which rises
above the variegated and extensive groves of the castle. On the left
is the principal object, the castle, which raises its lofty embattled
towers over the shady groves with which it is surrounded. The elegant
bridge, whose span is 105 feet, is a prominent feature in the
landscape.
On the road leading to Tachbrook, about one mile from the town, the
eye is gratified with a rich and luxuriant landscape, wherein appears
the church of St. Nicholas, the priory, the hospital of St. John, the
tower of St. Mary's church, and, to crown the whole, the castle.
The walks and rides in the vicinity of this town present innumerable
objects deserving of attention, and whoever takes delight in rural
scenery, may here be amply gratified.
In addition to these works, there is a considerable manufactory of
hats, and an iron-foundry; to which may be added a corn mill, wherein
are five pair of stones, and three of them constantly in motion, by
which means they are enabled to grind and dress three hundred bushels
of flour every day.
_The County Hall._
This is an elegant pile of building, with a stone front, ornamented
with pillars of the Corinthian order, to which, the ascent is by a
flight of steps, through folding doors, into a noble room of just
proportions, being ninety-four feet in length and thirty-six in
breadth. At each end are semicircular recesses, surmounted by cupolas,
and fitted up with convenient galleries, where the two courts of
justice are held; the criminal court being on the right, and that for
civil causes on the left; between which there is accommodation for the
servants and attendants upon the court. Above there is an apartment
where the petit juries occasionally retire, and adjoining it is the
room where the grand jury assemble. The quarter sessions for the
county are also held in this hall, and in it all county meetings are
convened. During the races there is a temporary boarded floor laid
down, and the hall is converted into a ball-room, the two recesses
being fitted up for card parties: the pillars with which it is
ornamented are encircled with wreaths of lamps, and what was before
the solemn court of justice, is now converted into a brilliant
and sportive scene, where gaiety and fashion take place of their
predecessors.
_The Court House._
This spacious and elegant pile of building is appropriated to the use
of the body corporate, there being two rooms on the ground floor; that
on the right is where the mayor and aldermen hold their assemblies,
and the other is fitted up as a court, where the sessions are held
for the borough. On the second floor, there is a commodious,
well-proportioned apartment, sixty feet by twenty-seven, which is
fitted up in an elegant manner with superb cut-glass chandeliers of
large dimensions, at one end of which is an orchestra and also a card
room adjoining. In this room annual entertainments are given by the
mayor, and public meetings for the borough are convened. In it public
lectures upon any particular subject are occasionally delivered, and
it is also sometimes used as a ballroom.
_The Market House._
This substantial building does credit to the town; it being very
convenient for those who bring the produce of their farms to market.
The upper apartments are made use of as store-rooms for the arms and
accoutrements of the military within the county. From its summit there
is a fine view of the town, and also a prospect of the surrounding
country.
_The Stone Bridge_.
This elegant structure, which is erected across the river Avon,
consists of one arch, measuring 105 feet in the span, at the expense
of four thousand pounds: one thousand was contributed by the
corporation, and the remainder was defrayed by the Earl of Warwick.
_The Iron Bridge_.
The rock whereon this town is erected being cut away, to make a road
into it twenty-four feet wide, Charles Mills, Esq. one of the members
for the borough, caused an iron bridge to be erected at his expense,
across this road, and thereby formed a junction between the
marketplace and the Saltsford.
_The Theatre_.
The town not being very extensive, this building was erected to
correspond with the population: it is no ways remarkable in its
external appearance, but it is fitted up in a neat and convenient
manner within, and is always opened during the races.
_College School_.
This ancient pile of building is of considerable size, and in it the
native children of the parish, who think proper to take advantage of
the institution, are educated free of expense; but as the course of
instruction is prescribed to the learned languages only, its utility
as a free school for general education is very contracted. The salary
of the master, who must be a clergyman of the established religion,
is seventy-five pounds, and he having but little employment, has an
assistant, who receives annually thirty pounds, exclusive of other
emoluments. To this school two estates were left in trust, to provide
two exhibitions of seventy pounds each, for two young men, natives of
the town, towards defraying the expense of their education, at Oxford,
for the space of seven years.
There is also a public library, wherein is a considerable collection
of well-chosen books, chiefly of modern literature; but the building
that contains it is not deserving of notice.
The charitable donations and benefactions that have been left to this
town are very numerous, and amount to a large sum of money.
Here are six different alms-houses, one school wherein thirty-nine
boys are taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, and thirty-six girls
are instructed in reading, writing, sewing, and knitting. There is
also a school of industry, and four sunday schools. A lying-in charity
is also established here, for the relief of poor married women,
residing within the borough, who each of them are accommodated with a
set of child-bed linen for one month, one pound of candles, one pound
of soap, and during the winter months, with two hundred weight of
coals. They are also provided with a sufficient quantity of caudle,
together with proper attendants, and all necessary medical advice. In
addition to the before-mentioned there are two poor-houses.
There is also a very ancient building, denominated Leicester's
hospital, for the reception of twelve indigent men, who are termed
brethren, together with a master, who must be a clergyman of the
established church, and in preference to all others, if he offers
himself, the vicar of St. Mary's. It is endowed with land, which at
the time was valued at £200 per annum, but now amounts to near £2000,
exclusive of the vicarage of Hampton-in-Arden, which is in the gift of
the brethren, who usually bestow it upon the master. It had long been
ascertained that the clear annual rental of the estate far exceeded
all that could be required for the support of the number of brethren
in the hospital, and that the salary of the master was fixed at fifty
pounds per annum.
In the year 1813, this important business was brought before
parliament, when it appeared, that each of the brethren received,
clear of all deductions, about £130 per year each, which sum the act
leaves them in the possession of; but it provides, as vacancies occur,
either by death or otherwise, on the admission of every new member,
his annual income shall not exceed £80, and that the surplus £50 shall
one half of it go to the increase of the master's salary, until it
amounts to £400 per annum, and the remainder is to form a fund for the
support of ten additional members. The qualification for admission
being now fixed at £50 per annum: no candidate is to be possessed of
an income exceeding that. Adjoining to the hospital is a chapel, which
is neatly fitted up for the use of the brethren, the master, and his
family, who daily assemble there for morning and evening prayer,
except on those days when service is performed at St. Mary's, where
their attendance is then required.
_St. Mary's Church_.
This stately building taken altogether makes a very respectable
appearance, particularly the tower, wherein are eight bells and a set
of chimes; what is very remarkable, the principal entrance into the
church is under the tower; therefore it admits of a grand view down
the middle aisle, which being terminated by the east window, is seen
to great advantage. There is in this church an excellent organ, and
numerous monuments, but none of them any ways remarkable. From the
south transept of this church, you descend by a flight of steps to St.
Mary's chapel, and enter therein by folding doors, which, when opened,
the eye is astonished upon viewing the interior of this beautiful and
magnificent structure, which is considered to be as fine a specimen
of gothic architecture as any in the kingdom, it being in the pointed
style of the middle order. This chapel, having been twenty-one years
in building, was finished in the year 1464, and including the monument
erected to commemorate the Earl of Warwick, cost £2481, an amazing sum
at that period. In the chapel there are five sumptuous monuments.
_St. Nicholas's Church_.
This incongruous pile of building is of modern date, being opened for
divine service on the 17th September, 1780.
_County Gaol._
This extensive, substantial, and commodious pile of building is of
solid stone, and in all respects so complete, that every purpose it
was intended to answer is fully accomplished. The area of this prison
contains near an acre of ground, which is surrounded by a wall
twenty-three feet high, and of proportionate strength.
_County Bridewell._
This building is of stone, and contains numerous apartments, in every
one of which there is a glazed window and an iron door, the sleeping
rooms being furnished with iron bedsteads and chaff beds, with two
rugs to each. A donation is made to every prisoner, on being released,
according to the distance he is from home and behaviour during
confinement. One or two shirts or shifts, a pair of shoes, or a
jacket, are presented to those who have been in prison six months.
_The Castle._
The necessary limits to which this work is confined, will not admit of
describing that magnificent and sumptuous pile of building; therefore
those who are desirous of seeing a description of it, are referred to
the local historian.
_The Priory._
This ancient edifice is in the immediate vicinity of Warwick: it was
originally a complete square, three sides of which still remain, the
fourth having been removed.--The western side appears to have been
part of the ancient chapel, there still remaining part of the
baptismal font, which is of stone, richly ornamented, and is highly
deserving the attention of an antiquarian.
It is situated on a pleasing eminence, embosomed in the ancient and
majestic groves, surrounded by delightful gardens and an extensive
park, and presents such a beautiful sylvan scene as is rarely to be
met with. The undulated surface of the ground, intermingled with
numerous sheets of water, are richly adorned with trees of various
kinds, of vigorous growth and the most beautiful forms, among which
the elm and the chesnut are particularly conspicuous. Through this
park there are several footpaths open to the public, and are the most
rural and delightful walks imaginable.
_Guy's Clift_.
Leland, the antiquarian, who wrote in the time of Henry 8th, speaking
of this delightful and romantic place, says, "It is the abode of
pleasure, and a place delightful to the muses: there are natural
cavities in the rocks, small but shady groves, clear and chrystal
streams, flowery meadows, mossy caves, a gentle murmuring river
running among the rocks, and to crown all, solitude and quiet,
friendly in so high a degree to the muses."
The approach to this romantic place is from the Coventry road, by the
side of shady plantations, until you arrive at a lofty stone arch,
through which you enter the court yard, the whole of which is hewn out
of the solid rock, and underneath there are subterraneous passages and
cellars, wherein the atmospheric air produces so little effect, that
during the heats of summer or the colds in winter the thermometer only
varies one degree. In this court there are numerous stables excavated
out of the solid rock, as are some of the lower apartments of the
house, which is an elegant modern mansion, and near to it is the
ancient chapel, with its embattled towers and gothic windows, as it
was originally built in the reign of Henry 6th, and is still in good
repair. Those who admire the productions of early genius will here be
highly gratified, there being great numbers of original paintings,
and some copies, executed by the only son of the worthy proprietor of
Guy's clift, whose premature death at the age of twenty-two, caused
inexpressible grief to all who were honoured with his acquaintance.
Exclusive of these, there are others by artists of the greatest
celebrity.
The ancient pleasure grounds exhibit a great variety of pleasing
objects, and also numerous curiosities; among others, a mill that was
in being before the Norman conquest, it being mentioned in doomsday
book. There is also Guy's well, where this renowned champion was
accustomed to slake his thirst, which is described by Leland as
follows, it still remaining in the same state as it was then--"The
silver wells in the meadows were enclosed with pure white sleek
stones, like marble, and a pretty house, erected like a cage, one end
only open, to keep comers from the rain." The apartments under the
chapel, where the chantry priests were used to reside, still remain
entire, without having undergone any alteration. Near to this spot is
Guy's cave,
"Where with his hands he hew'd a house,
Out of a craggy rock of stone,
And lived, like a palmer, poor,
Within that house alone."
This bears the appearance of being a natural eave, for the upper part
does not exhibit any marks where the tool has been made use of, but
the lower part does; and here, tradition says, this mighty warrior
was interred, and also his wife, fair Phillis. Over this cave is fair
Phillis's walk, who, it is related, was accustomed to resort here,
whilst her husband, though not known to her as such, was performing
his devotions in the cave below. From these delightful and romantic
walks there are numerous opportunities for an expert draughtsman to
exercise his abilities.
_Leamington Priors._
The distance between Warwick and Leamington is only two miles, and
there are two distinct roads, both of them excellent; and whether a
person rides or walks, if the mind is susceptible of pleasing
ideas, neither time nor fatigue will be thought of. The roads about
Leamington are in excellent order, and present numerous delightful and
picturesque views, which are fully described by Mr. Field, and also
by Mr. Moncrief in his Guide to Leamington, wherein he has introduced
some appropriate, entertaining, and amusing poetry. Whoever resorts to
these saline springs in search of amusement, if he has money and time
at command, cannot fail, during the season, between May and November,
of being highly gratified, except the mind is entirely depraved. To
every visitant, the guide of Mr. Moncrief will not only be useful
but entertaining. The poetical epistles of Miss Fidget are not only
descriptive but very humorous, and the poetry of Mr. Pensile is very
appropriate.
Before Leamington rose into esteem, there was a facetious man resided
there, named Benjamin Satchwell, by trade a shoemaker, who, when any
differences arose among the villagers, he was in general the mediator;
they not being at that time cursed with either a wrangling lawyer
or an hypocritical methodist. He was also the village poet, and
frequently exercised his talents in praise of the waters, and likewise
of any respectable person who came with intent to derive benefit
from them. He is said to have kept annals in verse of its rise and
progress, and also cases of cures performed by the virtues of the
saline spring, and that he let them out to the visitors for their
amusement, on certain terms. Admitting this to be true, is it not
very singular that Mr. Bisset, nor his predecessor, Mr. Pratt, should
neither of them introduce these jeu des esprits, for the entertainment
of their readers, or why did not Mr. Moncrief collect them together;
they certainly would have increased the sale of his work? As they are
overlooked by the local historians, it is not likely that a casual
visitor should stumble upon them.
This village having for a series of years been celebrated for a spring
of saline water, it has for some time become fashionable to resort
there. The first baths were erected in the year 1786, now called
the Centre well, by Mr. Thomas Abbotts, a native of the place; the
beneficial effects of the water having been noticed and recommended by
Dr. Kerr, of Northampton, and Dr. Allen. At this time there were two
baths, one of them hot and the other cold, which for several years
afforded sufficient accommodation for all invalids who resorted there,
and were in general lodged at the adjacent cottages, there being no
more than two small inns, the Bowling Green and the sign of the Dog.
Dr. Edward Johnstone, of Birmingham, having recommended the use of
these waters to several of his patients, the number of visitants
increased annually, so that in 1790, Matthew Wise, Esq. caused another
well to be opened, now called the Road well, where he erected a
range of baths, more spacious than the others, to which was annexed
considerably more conveniences, with some pretensions to elegance; but
as yet no additional apartments were provided for the accommodation of
strangers, except a few more of the cottagers fitting up additional
rooms, it being no more than a rural and retired village.