(TRUNK ROUTE)
GLOUCESTER TO OXFORD, 50 MILES
DISTANCES ALONG THE ROUTE
Miles.
=Gloucester= to Cheltenham 8¾
=Cheltenham= to Andoversford 6
=Andoversford= to Northleach 7
=Northleach= to Burford 9
=Burford= to Witney 7½
=Witney= to Eynsham 5¾
=Eynsham= to Oxford 6
NOTES FOR DRIVERS
=Gloucester to Cheltenham.=--Level; excellent surface.
There are no hills of any importance all the way to Oxford, but the
surface is rather rough between =Andoversford= and =Burford=. The road
falls nearly all the way from =Northleach to Oxford=.
PLACES OF INTEREST ON THE ROUTE
=Cheltenham.=--A watering-place dating from the eighteenth century.
Spa; promenades; St. Mary's Church, Decorated.
=Northleach.=--Picturesque Cotswold village-town. Perpendicular
church, with famous brasses of wool-merchants and remarkably fine
porch.
=Burford.=--A very interesting and picturesque old town; several old
houses; market hall; church, large and irregular, Norman, Early
English, and Perpendicular; Priory ruins.
=Asthall Barrow.=--A prominent prehistoric mound.
=Witney.=--A pleasant and unusually charming old town, famous for
blankets. Church very picturesque, chiefly Early English; old market
house.
=Eynsham.=--A quaint old village with old market house, church, and
picturesque houses. Red Lion Inn with quaint sign.
[Map: (TRUNK) No. 10. GLOUCESTER TO OXFORD.]
At ~Wotton St. Mary~, Churchdown Hill is a prominent feature on the
right. Some picturesque old cottages stand beside the road, while the
general aspect of the country is pastoral, broken up by large
orchards, a delightful feature of the county. The road rises slightly
as Cheltenham is approached.
[Map: TOWN PLAN NO. 11--CHELTENHAM.]
CHELTENHAM
Cheltenham stands close to the steep, north-west face of the Cotswold
Hills, and until the springs were discovered in 1716 it was but a
struggling hamlet. It is now an aggregation of imposing squares,
crescents, promenades, and villas, interspersed with beautiful parks.
As may be expected, there are few antiquities to be found in a town
of such mushroom growth, the only exception being the ~Parish Church
of St. Mary~, standing just off the High Street. The prevailing style
of the building is early Decorated, and it contains a piscina believed
to be one of the largest and most perfect in England. To those
interested in modern architecture the ~Church of St. Stephen~ may be
mentioned, but ~All Saints'~, the parish church of Pittville, is the
best modern expression of architectural ideals in Cheltenham, although
the ~Roman Catholic Church of St. Gregory~ is a formidable rival. The
public buildings are on a level with the importance of the town. The
merits and uses of the chalybeate and other waters are easily
discovered locally, and no one who remembers the oft-repeated epitaph
of the individual who with three daughters 'died from drinking the
Cheltenham waters' should be prejudiced against their good properties,
which for certain ailments are not to be despised. Cheltenham is a
famous educational centre for girls, and Gloucestershire, as a whole,
has been in the van in educational matters from quite early times.
Cheltenham is the 'Coltham' in 'John Halifax, Gentleman,' where John
and Phineas saw Mrs. Siddons act.
* * * * *
The road to Oxford from Cheltenham crosses the beautiful Cotswolds,
climbing up to 800 feet at the Puesdown Inn. From this point there are
wide expanses visible in nearly every direction; but such views do
not give one the real charm of the Cotswolds. To become intimate with
the exquisite valleys and secluded upland villages, one must be in a
mood to potter and loiter, and be content to desert the car at
intervals in order to plunge into some beautiful beech-wood, falling
steeply down a declivity, and revealing glimpses between the tall
smooth trunks of the Vale of Severn, or some sleepy hollow wherein a
silver-grey village nestles. The beautiful architecture of the
Cotswolds, in conjunction with its lovely scenery, is a joy to all who
know these oolite hills. Cottages, farms, mills, and manor-houses, all
with steep roofs of grey stone like the walls, stately gables,
mullioned windows, and picturesque chimneys, are all one can desire.
Even if there is no time to wander from the direct road, one cannot
avoid seeing an exceedingly pleasing little Cotswold town. This is
NORTHLEACH,
a place of some importance when the woollen industry of these hills
was flourishing. There is a subtle charm in the greyness of the old
houses, relieved by the dark green of yew and the lighter tones of
deciduous trees and grass banks here and there. The quaint little
shops add other touches of colour, and wherever one turns there are
pictures of simple Cotswold life, not much altered by the rapid
changes of recent years. The old fellow standing meditatively by the
churchyard gate may talk of the great changes since his youth, when
the cloth industry had not ebbed away from the hills, but to outward
appearances Northleach is, one suspects, little altered since the days
of our great-grandparents, if, indeed, anything has materially changed
the town since the beautiful Perpendicular church was put up. The date
of its building was about the year 1489, when Cotswold wool was one of
the chief industries of England. One may admire the embattled spire
and the graceful delicacy of the whole building, but it is by its
porch that one remembers Northleach Church. It is illustrated here;
but, good as the drawing is, it does not do justice to the wonderful
beauty of that noble piece of Perpendicular craftsmanship surmounted
by its parvise.
On the floor of the nave are a series of brasses to the memory of some
of the most successful of the wool-merchants of the town. They belong
to the fifteenth century, and are exceptionally fine examples of
brasses of the period, giving the details of costume with the greatest
faithfulness. It is pleasant to find that the wealthy men of the
Cotswold wool industry seem to have devoted their surplus riches to
such public works as schools, almshouses, and churches.
At Northleach the Roman Foss Way is crossed coming from Cirencester in
a north-easterly direction.
A few miles beyond Northleach, ~Sherborne Park~, the residence of Lord
Sherborne, is passed on the left. It is a dignified house, situated in
open country, many portions of which are well wooded.
From this point all the way to Witney the road falls steadily, with
the shallow, but always pleasing, valley of the Windrush just below on
the left. This pretty stream coming out of the heart of the Cotswolds
is one of the chief feeders of the Thames, which it meets a dozen
miles above Oxford. Actually on the road there are no villages except
Little Minster between Northleach and Witney, but just below the
highway, on the banks of the little river, there are several. The
first three--Windrush and Great and Little Barrington--are in
Gloucestershire, and the rest are in Oxfordshire. It is tempting to
describe all these places, but one must be content with pointing out
the particular charm of
BURFORD,
one of the most delightful of the old-world towns of the county. There
is a town hall, probably of the fifteenth century, and adjoining it
are some of the best of the old houses in the town. Close to the
stream stands the splendid cruciform church, with its tower and west
door dating back to the Norman period. In Early English times nearly
the whole building appears to have been changed into the Gothic style,
and another transformation took place in the fifteenth century, when
the Perpendicular phase had set in. Owing to the Sylvester aisle and
several chapels, the church is of curious shape, and this helps to
give that indescribable atmosphere of pre-Reformation days entirely
vanished from so many old churches in this country.
Both the school and the almshouses are old foundations, and the
Priory, now a partial ruin, although preserving no ecclesiastical
remains, is a picturesque Elizabethan building to some extent rebuilt
in 1808.
A mile or two beyond Burford one passes Asthall Barrow on the
right-hand side of the road, and only a few yards away across a field.
It is a prehistoric mound of earth, now kept in position by a circular
retaining wall of stone, thus preventing degradation. The trees
surmounting it form a prominent landmark. About three miles farther on
is the fine old manor-house of ~Minster Lovell~, about a mile to the
left, on the Windrush.
WITNEY
Soon after turning to the right the road enters the main street of
picturesque old Witney at right angles. Extending away some distance
to the right is the pleasant elongated belt of green, giving much
charm and distinction to the place, and at the end of the grassy
perspective, rising in stately dignity from old trees, appears the
tower and spire of the cruciform church. This is one of those
peculiarly fascinating buildings one finds it hard to leave. It is
mainly an Early English church, but there are features of other
periods, and among them a Decorated window on the north side, which is
the finest in the whole county. The spire is an Early English
masterpiece. In the middle of the little town stands the quaint Butter
Cross, dated 1683. On the west side of the green is the Grammar School
(1663), with an avenue of elms.
The blanket industry is still in existence, for in spite of modern
competition the little place holds its own on account of some
particular benefit the wool derives from the water of the
neighbourhood.
EYNSHAM
is the last village passed on the way to Oxford. It is a sleepy and
picturesque little place with a small market hall, the shaft of a
fifteenth-century cross, and an inn-sign of the drollest order. This
sign hangs outside the Red Lion, and the King of Beasts is painted on
one side, but the draughtsman had difficulty in accommodating the
tail, and he solved it by the original plan of painting the caudal
appendage on the opposite face of the sign!
Just below Eynsham the road crosses the Thames at Swinford Bridge,
where the beautiful hanging woods of Wytham Hill are on the left, and
a couple of miles farther on the spires and towers of Oxford are in
sight.
[Illustration: THE CHURCH PORCH AT NORTHLEACH.
A rare example of the stateliness of Perpendicular architecture in
a village church.]
LOOP No. 8
OXFORD TO STRATFORD-ON-AVON, COVENTRY, BANBURY, AND OXFORD, 110 MILES
DISTANCES ALONG THE ROUTE
Miles.
=Oxford= to Woodstock 8
=Woodstock= to Enstone 6¾
=Enstone= to Long Compton 8
=Long Compton= to Shipstone-on-Stour 5¾
=Shipstone-on-Stour= to Stratford-on-Avon 10½
=Stratford-on-Avon= to Leamington 10½
=Leamington= to Warwick 2¼
=Warwick= to Kenilworth 4¾
=Kenilworth= to Coventry 5¾
=Coventry= to Princethorpe 7
=Princethorpe= to Southam 6
=Southam= to Fenny Compton 5½
=Fenny Compton= to Banbury 8¼
=Banbury= to Deddington 6
=Deddington= to Sturdy's Castle Inn 7¾
=Sturdy's Castle Inn= to Kidlington 2
=Kidlington= to Oxford, Carfax 5¼
NOTES FOR DRIVERS
=Oxford to Stratford.=--Splendid surface; steep drop down to Long
Compton.
=Stratford to Coventry.=--Surface on the whole excellent; not so good
near Stratford.
=Coventry to Banbury.=--An excellent road, but a few rather steep
hills are encountered.
=Banbury to Oxford.=--Excellent.
PLACES OF INTEREST ON THE ROUTE
=Woodstock.=--A little town, with a church containing several styles
of architecture; Blenheim, the residence of the Dukes of Marlborough;
the Column of Victory.
=Long Compton.=--The Rollright Stones, a prehistoric circle of
importance.
=Stratford-on-Avon.=--Shakespeare's birthplace; the memorial; the
church and its interesting monuments; New Place, the residence of the
poet; the Grammar School; Guild Chapel; and Anne Hathaway's Cottage, 1
mile west.
=Warwick.=--A picturesque town, famous for its castle; St. Mary's
Church and the Beauchamp Chapel and monuments; Lord Leycester's
Hospital; the West Gate and various old houses.
=Leamington.=--A beautiful spa; the Jephson Gardens.
=Guy's Cliffe.=--An exquisitely-situated country house.
=Kenilworth.=--A little town, containing half-timbered houses; the
ruins of the famous castle; the church, chiefly Decorated; the remains
of the Priory.
=Coventry.=--A fairly large town; St. Michael's, an exceedingly fine
parish church; Holy Trinity Church; St. Mary's Hall, a fourteenth-century
guild-hall; St. John's Church; the Bablake Hospital; Peeping Tom;
Ford's Hospital.
=Long Itchington.=--Interesting fourteenth-century church.
=Southam.=--A town without much interest.
=Banbury.=--A little Oxfordshire town, famed for its cross and its
cakes; but the cross is modern, and so is the church.
[Map: LOOP 8. OXFORD TO COVENTRY.]
There are two main roads running to Woodstock from Oxford, lying
parallel to each other; the western one should be selected. It passes
through a well-wooded country, part of the valleys of the Thames and
Evenlode rivers. Upon reaching Woodstock, ~Blenheim Palace~ claims
attention, with the entrance to the park lying upon the left. The
house was built at the public expense in 1715 as a national
recognition of the services of the Duke of Marlborough. It was
designed by Vanbrugh, and is of a heavy Renaissance character. The
interior decorations and the treasures preserved in it are of an
exceedingly interesting nature. (_It is open to the public every day,
except Saturdays and Sundays, between 11 and 1, and the gardens from
11 to 2. Tickets 1s. each._) The park contains the site of the old
Manor-house of Woodstock, which is supposed to have stood upon the
foundations of a Roman villa; it was a royal residence of the Saxon
kings. Here Alfred the Great translated Boethius, and King Ethelred
published his code of laws. Woodstock was the scene of the courtship
of Henry II. and Rosamund Clifford, whose birthplace was Clifford
Castle (see p. 175). Queen Elizabeth was a prisoner for a time in the
old manor-house, and it endured a siege from the Parliamentarians,
finally disappearing in 1723.
WOODSTOCK
This little town sprang into existence solely in consequence of the
proximity of the royal seat. ~The Church of St. Mary Magdalene~ is of
Norman date, but much restoration has taken place. The south aisle is
Early English, and contains part of a Norman doorway. The chancel and
north aisle are Decorated, while the west porch and west tower are
Perpendicular. There are many monuments of interest in the church.
Soon after leaving Woodstock the Column of Victory is prominent on the
left, where the ancient course of the Akeman Street, coming from
Cirencester, is crossed, and shortly afterwards Grim's Dyke occurs,
one of the many Grim's Dykes that are found in England.
Near ~Enstone~ is a cromlech, called the 'Hoarstone,' and soon
afterwards a turning to the left leads to
CHIPPING NORTON
This is a quiet little town, devoted to the manufacture of woollen
goods, and especially horse-cloths. The 'Chipping' is derived from
the same root as 'Chepe,' a market. In the church the chief objects of
interest are some fourteenth-century brasses, which, however, suffered
very much in a restoration some forty years since, when they were
wrenched from their matrices and thrown into the parvise. Of the
castle which once stood here nothing remains.
Between Chipping Norton and Long Compton, at Great Rollright, are the
well-known ~Rollright Stones~, consisting of a prehistoric circle of
standing stones and a cromlech. They are sixty in number, and lie
about 500 yards to the left of the main road. After passing the stiff
descent into Long Compton, a good surface is found to Shipstone-on-Stour,
although the road is second class; but beyond that town a first-class
road lies up the valley of the Stour to Stratford-on-Avon. At
Alderminster tram-lines commence, which reach to Stratford, and a
short distance beyond, Atherstone-on-Stour is passed, where formerly
stood a monastery of mendicant friars. The scenery, meanwhile, has
been gradually assuming the characteristics which distinguish the
beautiful county of Warwick--luxurious hedgerows, gently-flowing
streams, red loam in the fields contrasting with the varying shades
of green. The half-timbered houses and cottages introduce another
pleasant feature into the landscape.
STRATFORD-ON-AVON
This far-famed country town on the banks of the Avon presents a
general appearance of prosperity, the well-built houses, wide streets,
and prevailing aspect of cleanliness giving this impression.
Everything in the town, however, lapses into insignificance in face of
the paramount interest attaching to the town as the birthplace of
Shakespeare. Whether the 'Bard of Avon' was nothing more than an
Elizabethan play-actor or the author of the plays now so widely
attributed to the great scholar and statesman, Francis Bacon, is a
question which now cools the spirit of devotion of many a pilgrim; but
however keen a Baconian may be the visitor to Stratford, he cannot
fail to appreciate the charm of the carefully-restored Elizabethan
houses associated with Shakespeare.
~Shakespeare's Birthplace~ is in Henley Street, a half-timbered,
unpretentious house of two rooms and a kitchen on the ground-floor,
with the room overhead in which he was born. The adjoining cottage has
been converted into a museum, in which documents and relics bearing
in a direct or remote manner with the poet--and some, it must be
confessed, are very remote--are preserved. The birthplace was in
possession of the members of the family for two centuries after the
death of Shakespeare in 1616; in 1847 it was purchased by subscription
for £3,000 and carefully restored. (_Admission 1s.--6d. for the
birthroom and 6d. for the museum._)
~The Town Hall~ is in the High Street; on the front is a statue of
Shakespeare, presented by Garrick.
~New Place~ stood close by, but of the house occupied by the poet during
the last nineteen years of his life there is nothing left but the
site. In it lived Dr. Hall, who married Shakespeare's daughter
Susannah. The house was pulled down in 1702 by Sir John Clopton, and
the new building on its site, together with the famous mulberry-tree,
were destroyed by the Rev. Francis Gastrell in 1759, 'because he was
pestered by visitors'! In 1861 the site of New Place and its gardens
were purchased by public subscription. A Shakespeare Library and
Museum have been established there, _open daily except Saturday and
Sunday; admission 6d. On Saturday the Gardens are free_.
[Illustration: STRATFORD-ON-AVON.
Holy Trinity Church contains the tomb of Shakespeare.]
At the opposite corner, Chapel Lane, stands the ~Grammar School~,
founded in 1553, where the poet is reputed to have been educated. It
is a delightful old timber-framed house standing near the Guild
Chapel, a Perpendicular building which is conspicuous in the High
Street.
~The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre~ occupies a pleasant position on the
banks of the Avon. The old theatre was demolished in 1872, and the
present building erected at a cost of £30,000.
~The Parish Church~, of Early English and Perpendicular architecture, is
a fine cruciform building standing on the site of an early Saxon
monastery. In Edward III.'s reign John de Stratford rebuilt the south
aisle and erected a chantry for priests. In 1351 Ralph de Stratford
built a chapel for the latter, now known as the College. The beautiful
choir dates from the time of Dean Balshall (1465). Shakespeare's
monument is on the left side of the chancel; the door there formerly
led to the charnel-house, and the grave is near the monument under a
flat stone, upon which is the oft-quoted verse said to have been
written by Shakespeare. Between this spot and the north wall is buried
his widow, who died in 1623, while those of relatives lie near, such
as Susannah, the eldest daughter, and her husband, Dr. Hall, and
Thomas Nashe, who married Shakespeare's only granddaughter.
(_Admission to the church 6d._)
~Anne Hathaway's Cottage~ is at Shottery, a mile west of Stratford,
divided since the poet's time into three tenements. The room where
Anne was born is shown.
~Charlecote Park~ lies about four miles north-east of Stratford. It is
famous for its hall, erected in 1547 by Sir Thomas Lucy upon the
capital E plan, and was visited by Queen Elizabeth. Here also is the
reputed site of Shakespeare's deer-shooting escapades.
The main road to Warwick lies through a beautifully-wooded country,
rich in pleasant views of hill and dale. Clopton Tower is on the left
shortly after leaving.
The tower of Barford Church can be seen two miles off to the right of
the main road; it was rebuilt in the last century, except the tower,
which retains the marks of Cromwellian cannon-balls.
~Sherbourne~ is near at hand. The church is modern, and of fine design.
[Map: TOWN PLAN NO. 13--WARWICK.]
WARWICK
It has been asserted that the history of Warwick is the history of
England, and certain it is that the ancient town has been involved in
the majority of the great events which have helped to make the
national record. In those stirring events ~Warwick Castle~ has played no
mean part, and is still the glory of the town and county. It is
undoubtedly the most magnificent of the ancient feudal mansions still
used as a residence, and its grand position upon a crag overlooking
the Avon has accentuated its imposing grandeur in no mean degree. Its
chief features are Cæsar's Tower and Guy's Tower, of the fourteenth
century, and the Gateway Tower in the centre. The residential
apartments and the Great Hall suffered in the fire of 1871, but have
been rebuilt. Both the castle and the contents teem with interest.
(_Open to visitors as a rule; no fixed fee. Tickets obtained at small
cottage opposite Castle Lodge, Castle Hill._)
~St. Mary's Church~ is one of the most interesting ecclesiastical
buildings in the country. A Saxon church stood upon the site, and a
later building was made collegiate by Earl Roger de Newburgh. It was
granted to the town as a parish church at the Dissolution. The central
object of interest is the famous Beauchamp Chapel, 1443 to 1464, one
of the best examples extant of Perpendicular architecture bordering
upon the Tudor, and showing occasionally traces of incipient
Renaissance. Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, Regent of France, and
guardian of Edward VI., lies buried here, and his effigy in bronze,
the finest in existence of that nature, lies in the centre of the
chapel. Against the north wall is the magnificent monument of the
famous Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester--splendid in life and
sumptuous in death. Two small ante-chapels are seen--one is probably a
chantry. In the chancel lie Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, and his
second Countess, both of whom died in 1370; their effigies of white
marble, with many 'weepers' round the pedestal, are of great interest.
~Lord Leycester's Hospital.~--There are but few places in England where
such a picturesque and impressive grouping of old timbered houses may
be seen; antique gables and eaves, richly-carved beams and mysterious
recesses; overhanging stories and twisted chimneys, with an old
gateway and a church tower thrown in--it forms a gem of which any city
might be proud. The Hospital was originally a hall of the Guilds; in
1571 the Earl founded it for the reception of twelve poor men, who
still wear the bear and ragged staff as a cognizance. Many
half-timbered houses and quaint old-world nooks remain in Warwick to
delight the eye of the artist and the antiquary, especially near the
castle.
[Map: TOWN PLAN NO. 14--LEAMINGTON.]
LEAMINGTON
A little over a mile separates Warwick from the Royal Leamington Spa,
a beautiful garden city, which has sprung into existence by reason of
the discovery of the efficacy possessed by the mineral waters in 1784.
Until that period it was a small village called Leamington Priors. The
chief springs are saline and sulphuretted saline.
The ~Jephson Gardens~ are beautifully placed on the north bank of the
River Leam, and form one of the chief centres of attraction, and the
Royal Pump Room Gardens face the river on the other side of the
bridge. As might be expected from such a modern town, there are no
objects of antiquity to describe. Returning to Warwick, the road to
Guy's Cliff is taken, running due north, and the entrance-lodge occurs
in about a mile. A fine view of the house is obtained from this point
on looking up the avenue of majestic firs; it was built in 1822,
succeeding a small country mansion, and is in the possession of Lord
Algernon Percy. Situated upon a cliff with a wide part of the river
beneath, it forms a singularly beautiful picture. (_It is only shown
to visitors when the family is absent._)
~The Chapel~ adjoins the mansion on the east, and contains a figure of
Guy, Earl of Warwick, dating from the fourteenth century. Guy's Lane
is near the chapel.
~The Mill~ was built in 1821, and occupies the site of one dating as far
back as Saxon times.
Guy of Warwick is a mythical personage, and the romance mentioning his
deeds dates from the thirteenth century. In the fifteenth century,
when the age of chivalry and romance was at its zenith, Guy was
treated in the same manner as King Arthur, and all kinds of doughty
deeds were attributed to him by the romancers.
~Blacklow Hill~ stands half a mile farther on to the left of the road.
It is surmounted by a cross, erected in 1821 to commemorate the
execution in 1312 of Piers Gaveston. At Gloucester, the tomb of Edward
II., who, like his favourite, came to a tragic end, has been
mentioned.
KENILWORTH
~The Castle~ is the centre of attraction, although there are some good
examples of half-timbered cottages to be seen in the long street of
the little town. The fortress was in ancient times one of the
strongest in England, as it afforded accommodation for a large
garrison, and by reason of the lake and broad moats filled with
water--now disappeared--it was almost impregnable. Numerous roads
converged towards it as the centre of England, and for many years it
was a royal residence. ~The Keep~ was built about 1170, and is a
splendid example of military architecture of the late Norman period.
It is square, with a projecting rectangle, and turrets at the corners.
The walls at the base are 14 feet thick. ~The Garden~, celebrated in
Scott's novel, lay upon the north side of the keep. South of the keep
occur Leicester's Buildings, with fourteenth-century kitchens and
other offices between. By the side of the Great Hall was the Strong
Tower, called Mervyn's Tower by Scott. Mortimer's Tower is isolated to
the south-east; the cutting through the great dam which restrained the
waters of the lake occurred here. The tilt-yard lay upon the top of
the dam. Beyond the Great Lake was the ~Chase~, and the circuit of
the castle, manor, parks and other lands, was about twenty miles. Many
historical names are associated with Kenilworth--the Clintons, Simon
de Montfort, John of Gaunt, and Robert Dudley, who entertained Queen
Elizabeth for seventeen days, and spent a fortune in doing so. The
castle was dismantled and the lake drained in the time of the
Commonwealth.
[Illustration: FORD'S HOSPITAL, COVENTRY.
A late fifteenth century almshouse enriched with much elaborate
carving.]
~The Church~ lies east of the castle. The tower and nave are of
Decorated work, but a Norman doorway has been inserted in the west
side of the tower, taken, probably, from the Priory.
~The Priory~ stood close to the church; it was founded about 1122 by
Geoffrey de Clinton, and richly endowed. The remains of a gatehouse
may be seen, and also some exposed foundations of the walls of the
church.
* * * * *
On leaving Kenilworth for Coventry a stretch of moorland extends upon
the right hand, on which are two mounds with the usual fosses around
the summits, denoting British hill-forts. Beyond this the road begins
to assume that characteristic which has made the way from Kenilworth
to Coventry renowned as 'one of the two finest roads in
England'--needless to say, the other road is from Coventry to
Kenilworth--a magnificent avenue with broad strips of greensward lying
on either side, and glimpses of splendid Warwickshire scenery between
the boles, justify the foregoing descriptions.
Two miles from Kenilworth is Gibbet Hill, the erection upon which has
now gone, but was used last in 1765 for the execution of two
murderers. Crossing Stivichall Common, with its triple array of
oak-trees on either side the road, the Coventry Grammar School
buildings are passed upon the left, and the 'City of the Three Spires'
is entered.
[Map: TOWN PLAN NO. 15--COVENTRY.]
COVENTRY
The city derives its name from Conventre, or Convent Town, in
recognition of the Benedictine monastery erected by Leofric and Godiva
in 1043. The well-known legend connected with these famous personages
need only be referred to here. ~Gosford Green~, outside the town, was
the scene of the historical encounter between the Dukes of Hereford
and Norfolk in the reign of Richard II., which had such momentous
results. Many Parliaments have been held in the town, and it was
famous for the great number of religious communities which during the
medieval period were lodged in the town. The ancient fortifications
were dismantled in the time of Charles II. as a punishment for the
Commonwealth tendencies of the citizens.
~St. Michael's Church~, a 'masterpiece of art,' and one of the finest
parish churches in England, stands in the centre of the city. It is in
the Perpendicular style, and has been recently restored. The spire is
303 feet high, and was begun in 1372; flying buttresses of great
elegance support the tower. The oldest part of the church is the
south porch, with a parvise over it. The chapels belonging to the
various guilds in the town still retain their old names. There are
many effigies, but none of great antiquity.
~Holy Trinity Church~ is adjacent to St. Michael's. The date of
foundation is unknown; the style is late Early English, and the work
by the north porch dates from _c._ 1259. The porch has a domus, or
priest's chamber, over it. There are several chapels in the church
devoted to the city guilds. The foundations and remains noticed on the
north side of the church are those of the west front of the cathedral,
built about 1260 upon a preceding Norman foundation. It was the Priory
Church of the monastery founded by Leofric, and was demolished at the
Reformation.
~St. Mary's Hall~, near St. Michael's, was begun in 1394, and belonged
to three guilds. It is of very great interest, and should on no
account be passed by. The great hall, crypt, tapestry, ancient glass
windows, and knaves' post, are all objects worthy of attention, while
the building generally is a vivid reminder of medieval life and
feeling.
~Bablake Hospital~, founded in 1560, is close to St. John's Church, and
presents some picturesque examples of half-timber construction with
quaint gables.
~Peeping Tom~ is a prominent feature of the King's Head Hotel in
Smithford Street, and ~Ford's Hospital~, down Greyfriar's Lane,
possesses an extremely fine façade and a charming timbered court rich
in carved oak and diamond-paned windows.
* * * * *
The road to Southam and Banbury leaves Coventry as the London Road,
and about two miles to the south ~Whitley Abbey~ is reached, formerly
the seat of Lord Hood, son of the famous Admiral. In Whitley Abbey
Charles I. resided while conducting operations against Coventry in
1622. On Whitley Common are traces of earthworks thrown up by the
Royalists. Baginton, lying about two miles to the right, contains the
remains of an ancient castle. Shortly after Whitley the road divides,
the one going to Southam being that upon the right. A turning shortly
afterwards at the cross-roads leads to the well-known ~Stoneleigh
Abbey~, lying five miles to the west, the site of a former castle and
of a subsequent foundation for Cistercian monks, which was
dispossessed at the Reformation. Some remains of the castle exist,
but the present building is an imposing range of buildings in the
classic style, and forms, with the grounds, one of the most splendid
country homes in the kingdom. It is the seat of Lord Leigh.
~Long Itchington~ has some fine half-timbered houses, and is a
picturesque village. ~The Church~ was rebuilt in the fourteenth century
by the Priors of Maxstoke. In the eighteenth century the spire was
damaged by lightning; hence its present truncated appearance. The
aisle is part of the original church, and is Early English except the
doorway, which dates from the Norman period. There are some very
interesting details to be found in the interior, notably the chancel
screen, which is an extremely rare example of early fourteenth-century
woodwork. St. Wolstan, the last of the Saxon Bishops, was a native of
this place. Long Itchington was honoured by two visits from Queen
Elizabeth during her progresses to Kenilworth. Two miles farther on is
~Southam~, of no particular interest, although the church may perhaps
repay a casual inspection. The road lies through a pleasant district,
essentially Midland in its general aspects, but near the road turning
off to Fenny Compton higher ground is reached. ~Cropredy~, where the
battle was fought in 1644, is one and a half miles to the east by the
turning close to Mollington.
BANBURY
Banbury is chiefly known by reason of its cross and its cakes. The
former has been destroyed, but a replica exists upon the site. It is a
small borough of about 4,000 inhabitants, and was formerly a notable
place for the manufacture of plush, but now produces agricultural
implements and portable engines. A castle was built here in 1125, but
it was entirely destroyed in the ~Civil War~. The moat, however, may
still be traced. In 1469 the common men of Yorkshire, to the number of
about 16,000, marched to Banbury under the leadership of 'Robin of
Redesdale,' and captured the Earl of Pembroke, after inflicting a
defeat upon him on the borders of Oxford. A college and hospital
formerly existed in the town. The church is of comparatively modern
construction, having been thoroughly rebuilt about a century ago.
Leaving Banbury, the little village of ~Adderbury~ possesses a church
the chancel of which was built by William of Wykeham. Passing the
Astons, North, Mid, and Steeple, we come to the junction of roads
leading respectively to Woodstock and Oxford, and at this point a
Roman road--the Akeman Street--crosses the route, running between
Cirencester and Bicester. In the course of a few miles the outlying
portions of Oxford appear in view.
[Illustration: MAGDALEN TOWER AND BRIDGE, OXFORD.]