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sington, Pimlico, and the railways south of the Thames. In a few moments after leaving Willesden Junction we reach Euston, the terminal station. Two excellent hotels belonging to the railway company adjoin the station, the "Victoria" and the "Euston."

ROUTE TO LONDON BY THE MID

LAND RAILWAY.

The station is very near the Adelphi hotel. The time occupied is about one hour longer than by the direct route, via the North-Western. The principal stopping places are Warring ton, Stockport, a large manufacturing town, Rowsley (near which is Haddon Hall), (see page 230). It is also the nearest station to Chatsworth (see page 229). Further on is Matlock Bath, a noted watering-place among the Derbyshire hills. DERBY is soon reached, where all trains stop (see page 225). Passing Leicester (see page 225), BEDFORD (see page 224), the home of John Bunyan, and St ALBANS, whose famous Abbey is seen from the train, we soon reach the new St Pancras Station, London.

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Travellers wishing to save time and expense may reach London by way of the Great Western Railway (which affords three routes to London), the trains of which leave Birkenhead, opposite Liverpool, many times a day for the places named above, and the chief places in the South and West of England. Tickets and full particulars may be obtained on the Company's ferry boats, which leave the Georges Landing Stage, Liverpool.

Leaving Birkenhead, we pass several small stations before reaching CHESTER (14 miles), see description, page 132. Leaving Chester, our route is through a beautiful country. CHIRK (28 miles), is passed, with its handsome church spire and castle, and the line crosses two viaducts, one being 900 feet in length, over the Vale of Ceiriog, the boundary between England and Wales. Passing WHITTINGTON (40 miles), with its ruined castle, we soon reach SHREWSBURY (56 miles), (Hotels: Raven, Lion), on a peninsula in the Severn. Its position is very attractive, and it is a convenient centre for several interesting excursions. The views from the Castle are very fine. In the neighbourhood is the ROMAN CITY OF URICONIUM, the ruins of which consist of the old wall about 72 feet long, and

the substructions of a Basilica. It is thought that the city was destroyed by the Saxons in the sixth century. Here lines of the Great Western Railway branch off to the south, and to the eastward. [By the former we may extend our journey to Ross, on the Wye, CHEPSTOW, near which is the famous TINTERN ABBEY (see page 218), BRISTOL and BATH, which are fully described at pages 212 and 213. By the middle route we may visit Worcester, Stratford-on-Avon and Oxford.] Pursuing our journey towards Birmingham, we pass WOLVERHAMPTON (86 miles), an important iron manufacturing town, the capital of "the Black Country," and soon reach BIRMINGHAM (98 miles), which is described at page 202. Seventeen miles farther is HATTON JUNCTION, whence a branch line goes south, 9 miles, to STRATFORD-ON-AVON (see pages 194 to 200). WARWICK, 15 miles from Birmingham, is now reached. Five miles from Warwick is KENILWORTH CASTLE (see pages 200, 201). Continuing on by rail we reach, two miles from Warwick, LEAMINGTON, described at page 194. For the remainder of the route to London, see pages 191 to 194.

ROUTE 39.

HOLYHEAD TO LONDON.

264

(By Chester).

miles; 1st class, 43s. 8d.; 2nd, 34s.; 3rd, 24s. 1d.

HE express train to London called the Irish Mail, leaves Holyhead at once upon the arrival of the steamer. HOLYHEAD (Hotels: Royal, Castle) is a port of refuge on the Island of Anglesey, constructed at an immense expense by the government, which serves, at the same time, as the station for the Dublin mail steamers.

The next station is BANGOR (24 miles), (Hotels: see "HOTEL LIST"). This is a very ancient Welsh city, near the northern entrance of the Menai Straits, returning a member to Parlia ment, and the seat of a bishopric. Its trade consists principally in the export of slates.

Penrhyn Castle, near Bangor is the residence of the proprietor of the slate quarries, and has been modernized and extended upon a scale commensurate with the princely income which he derives from them. The Cathedral, which suffered greatly in the wars and rebellions of which the county has been the scene, contains the remains of Owen Gryffyd and other Welsh princes and ecclesiastical dignitaries. His tomb is still perfect. The Menai Suspension Bridge, which is visible from the railway, is reached from Bangor by a local line. We soon reach the BRITANNIA TUBULAR BRIDGE, by which the Chester and Holyhead Railway is carried across the strait, begun in 1846, and brought to completion by Robert Stephen

son in 1850. The total length of the bridge is 1833 ft. including 230 ft. from the land on the Carnarvon side to the first pier, and the same on the Anglesey side. Besides these side piers it is supported by a central tower, rising from a rock in the strait. The two tubes, one of which serves for the up, and the other for the down trains, are each 1,513 ft. long, made up of four separate lengths, composed of riveted wrought-iron plates, from to of an inch in thickness. The weight of each tube is about 5,000 tons. Their height above the water is 104 ft., a little more than that of the Suspension Bridge. The tubes, when constructed, were floated on pontoons, and raised to their required positions by powerful hydraulic levers. The Britannia Bridge is said to have cost more than £600,000, and to have absorbed 11,400 tons of iron, 14,000,000 cubic ft. of lime-stone, and 450,000 cubic ft. of timber.

Leaving Bangor, the train passes through a tunnel, and shortly afterwards through two others at brief intervals. We proceed along the coast, and observe a small island, called Puffins Island, from the numbers of sea-birds of that description which build their nests upon it. On the right is a mountain called Penmaenmawr. We then pass through another tunnel, and arrive at CONWAY (391 miles) (Hotels: see "HOTEL LIST") beautifully situated on a point where the river that bears its name falls into the sea. The ancient castle was erected in the reign of Edward I., in 1284, and its ruins justify the account formerly given of it as being one of the finest fortresses of which England could boast. It was one of the few which were spared by

the Parliament in the civil war, and has been reduced to its present condition by the acts of its owner, the Earl of Conway, to whom it was granted after the Restoration, having despoiled it for the sake of the lead on its roofs, and the timber used in its construction. It was built by Edward I., in 1284, and was last garrisoned by Williams, Archbishop of York, on behalf of Charles I.

Leaving Conway, and still keeping near the sea-shore, we pass Llandudno Junction (40 miles), near which is the village of Llandudno, one of the most fashionable watering-places in the kingdom. The bathing is very fine, and the region abounds in beautiful walks and drives (Hotels: see "HOTEL LIST"). We next stop at Rhyl (54 miles), from which there is a branch to Denbigh. Rhyl is situated on the sea, near the entrance of the famous Vale of Clwyd, and is much frequented during the bathing season. We make no further stoppage till we reach CHESTER (844 miles). (Hotels: see "HOTEL LIST"). Tourists travelling by the route now described, or those arriving at Liverpool, should not omit to visit this interesting old city. It is reached in one hour by direct train from Liverpool, and may be included in the journey from Liverpool to London, with little inconvenience or expense. Those who can do so should not fail to spend a Sunday here for the interesting services at the Cathedral. The music is exceedingly fine. The hotel accommodation is exceptionally good and reasonable; the Grosvenor, the only hotel in the town itself, and near the Cathedral, being a most inviting stopping-place. Chester, from many points of view, is one of the most interesting cities in

Great Britain. It probably retains, more nearly than any other, the regular arrangement of its streets, resembling those of a Roman camp (Castrum), from which it derives its name, crossing each other at right angles. No other English city has so well preserved its ancient defences, which, although no longer of the slightest use for their intended purpose, form pleasant promenades two miles in extent, and afford views of the surrounding country. Another peculiar feature of the place is the arrangement of the pavements, called Rows, upon a level with the first floors of the houses, in which the principal shops are found, the second floor projecting over them and protecting them from rain. The Cathedral is ancient, but of no great beauty, the chapter-house, its most ancient part (early English), being that which is most generally admired. Extensive repairs have been made in the Cathedral within a few years. The wood carving in the choir, recently restored, is considered the finest in England. The altar is inlaid with woods from the Holy Land. The modern windows in the Lady Chapel are very beautiful. There are a few interesting monuments, and some of the inscriptions on the mural tablets are very curious. Services on Sundays at 11, 3, and 7. The choral services are peculiarly impressive.

Chester is no longer of consequence as a port, but is a bishop's see, and returns two members to Parliament. It has long been celebrated for its races, the course, known as the Roodee, lying between the walls and the river, being one of the best in England, and the race for the Chester Cup one of the most exciting to sportsmen of the racing

season.

The most splendid seat in the county is Eaton Hall, about three miles from Chester, on the Shrewsbury road, the residence of the Duke of Westminster, head of the Grosvenor family, which has been of note in the county from the time of the Conquest. It is situated in a beautiful wellwooded park, contains a collection of exceedingly valuable paintings and other works of art, and is one of the most imposing piles of Gothic architecture in the kingdom.

After Chester, the next stoppage is at CREWE (105 miles). This is quite a new town which has sprung up at the point of junction of several lines of the London and North-Western Railway Company. This company having established here extensive locomotive and carriage factories which employ regularly about 3000 hands, the insignificant hamlet of three or four houses which stood here but a few years ago became the nucleus of the now thriving and rapidly increasing town. Its population is about 15,000.

From Crewe we proceed to STAFFORD (133 miles), (Hotels: see HOTEL LIST), population (1880) 14,550. This is an ancient Saxon town, with two ancient churches. St Mary's was formerly collegiate, is principally early English, and has a stained glass monumental window to the late Earl Talbot. St Chad's is essentially Norman, but its best features had been long obscured by injudicious additions, until recent restorations. The principal manufacture is that of boots and shoes for the London market and for exportation, the preparation and dressing of leather, &c. Isaak Walton, author of "The Complete Angler," was born here. About 1 mile from the town are the ruins of its ancient castle.

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