important divisions of the empire, as the "Town of Berwick-uponTweed." ROUTE 44. LONDON TO CARLISLE AND GLASGOW. (This is the shortest route to Glasgow. Trains leave the EUSTON Station of the London and North Western Railway. A considerable portion of the old walls, one of the towers, and some of the gates still remain, but are of course useless for defensive purposes. It was anciently the principal port of Scotland, but the absence of docks, the shifting character of the sands of the estuary, and the increased size of shipping, have driven its trade to more commodious localities. The Tweed has been renowned for the productiveness of its salmon fisheries for centuries; and this fish, preserved in diffe- From London to Crewe 158 miles, rent ways, long formed its principal export; it is now simply packed in ice. The Royal Border Bridge, which carries the railway across the Tweed, about half a mile above the old bridge, is a striking feature in the landscape. The district is conspicuous in the statistical returns for its freedom from crime. (Edinburgh to Berwick-on-Tweed, see Route 143.) 406 miles; first class, 588.; second class, 45s.; third class, 338. see Route 39. N leaving Crewe, we see on the right Bond Hill and Mow Cop, two of the highest hills in Staffordshire, the latter rising to an elevation of 109 feet. After passing Minshall Vernon (162 miles) we see, on the left, the Cheshire Hills and the mountains of Wales; and, on a clear day, the view extends to those of Derbyshire. We next reach WINSFORD (165 miles), celebrated for its saltworks, and shortly afterwards, HARTFORD (169 miles), near which is Northwich also distinguished for its saltworks. Between these places we cross the valley called Vale Royal, one of the most beautiful in the kingdom, in which we observe the fine mansion and grounds belonging to Lord Delamere. Leaving Akton (172 miles) we traverse a fine viaduct, called Dutton Viaduct, of 20 arches, nearly a quarter of a mile in length. At Preston Brook (176 miles) is the point of intersection between the Grand Junction and Bridgewater Canals. Near Moore (1791 miles), we cross the River Mersey over a viaduct of 12 arches, and obtain a view of a beautiful valley richly cultivated, and studded here and there with farm-houses and country seats. We then reach Warrington (182 miles) (see Route 38), and Wigan (195 miles). For the stations and places of interest between this place and Carlisle, see Route 44; for those between Carlisle and Glasgow, see Route 14, where the Route is fully described. line to Oxford goes off to the right, see Route 42. WANTAGE (60 miles) was a place of importance during the Anglo-Saxon period, and the birth-place of King Alfred the Great. Bishop Butler, author of "The Analogy of Religion," &c., was also born here. At a short distance, on the left, is Uffington Castle, an earthwork attributed to the ancient Britons. Near it is the figure of a white horse, cut out from the side of the chalkhill. From this figure the valley is called the Vale of White Horse. From SWINDON (77 miles) a line goes off to GLOUCESTER and CHELTENHAM. (It is 37 miles from Swindon to GLOUCESTER ; LONDON TO BRISTOL AND from London it is 114 miles) ROUTE 45. SOUTH WALES. (Hotels: Bell, Ram). Gloucester stands in the centre 118 miles; first class, 20s. 10d. of the broad and level valley of second, 16s 6d. the Severn, upon an elevation so slight that its site would be (From London to Slough, 18 scarcely remarked from a dis miles; see Route 41). FTER leaving Slough, course of the railway for a considerable distance is nearly parallel with that of the Thames, which affords pretty glimpses of villa residences and seats on its banks and the sides of the hills which bound its valley. The first place of any importance is READING (36 miles), the county town of Berkshire. A pleasant town, situated just above the junction of the Kennet and the Thames, and partly between them. It is a place of considerable traffic, as the Hungerford and Devizes branch, the Reading and Guildford, and two branches of the London and South-Western lines converge here and join the Great Western main line. At Didcot the main tance but for the grand tower of its CATHEDRAL, which is a most conspicuous object for many miles around. It is an old Roman station, was formerly well fortified, and retained its walls entire until the Civil War, when it was garrisoned by the parliament, and resisted all the efforts of the king to capture it, which circumstance contributed powerfully to its downfall. At the Restoration the walls were dismantled, but may still be partially traced. The crypt and nave of the CATHEDRAL are Norman, the choir, Lady-chapel, cloisters and tower of later styles, the latter being the latest addition and the most elegant of its kind in the kingdom. The cloisters are perfect and exceedingly fine, and the carved oak stalls in the choir, the groined and bossed ceilings of the choir and Lady-chapel very admirable. There are many fine ancient monuments, of which the most remarkable are those of Robert Duke of Normandy-his coloured effigy, cross-legged, in Irish oak, and of Edward II., who was brought here for interment after his murder at Berkeley Castle. His effigy, upon an altar-tomb, surmounted by a rich canopy, is of white alabaster, is said to be the earliest specimen of Italian art in England, and to be the orginal of all the existing likenesses of the unfortunate king. There is a statue to Jenner, a native of the county. Before the ancient gateway of the lower entrance to the Cathedral Close is new monument to Bishop Hooper, upon the exact spot where he was burnt. a St Mary de Crypt is an interesting old church, and there are considerable remains of some of the monastic institutions, Black Friars and Grey Friars, but they are now partially converted into dwellings, warehouses, &c. Pins, as now made, are said to have been invented here, by John Tilsby, in the reign of Elizabeth, and it was the principal place of their manufacture until about 30 years since, when it was removed to Birmingham. The Canal, by which large ships come up to the town, is of an average width of 90 feet, minimum depth of 15 ft., and 16 miles in length, without a lock. Near its entrance at Sharpness Point (3 miles), is Berkeley and its Castle, in which Edward II. was murdered, still inhabited by the direct descendants of the family which then possessed it. In the year 1870 Parliamentary powers were obtained for lengthening, widening, and deepening the canal to accommodate steamers and other vessels of the largest class. The Severn, above Sharpness Point, is only navigable, for any practical purpose, by barges. As Gloucester is the centre of a great railway and water conveying system it has a large and increasing trade with the inland towns with which it is so connected. Half an hour farther on, on the same railway, CHELTENHAM and TEWKESBURY, one being 8 and the other 10 miles distant; the first well known for its mineral waters and beautiful promenades and neighbourhood; and the other for its grand old Norman abbey-church, and store of ancient monuments. Founded by two great Saxon nobles, richly endowed by the great Norman families of Fitz-Hamon and De Clare, whose chief burial-place it became, it was, like Gloucester, one of the few abbeys whose chief wore the mitre, and had a seat in parliament as a peer. The Beauchamp or Warwick sepulchral chapel is a very beautiful piece of architecture, and the ancient stained glass clerestory windows contain some curious and, doubtless, authentic illustrations of baronial costume and armour). Resuming our journey, the principal stations between Swindon and Bath are WoottonBassett (823 miles) and Chippenham (93 miles), both of which are now unimportant places. The former sent two members to Parliament, until disfranchised by the Reform Bill; the latter was a seat of the Kings of Wessex, and is mentioned by ancient chroniclers as the scene of important events in the wars between the Saxons and Danes. Near Corsham (98 miles) is Corsham Court, the seat of Lord Methuen, celebrated for its collection of pictures. Near Box (101 miles) we enter the Box Tunnel, cut, for a great part of its length, through the great oolite limestone, in such a manner as to require no support from casing. Its width and height are about 30 feet, and its length very nearly two miles. BATH (106 miles). (Hotels: See "HOTEL LIST"). This is the most ancient watering-place, in the modern acceptation of the term, in England. The waters of Bath are traditionally said to owe the discovery of their wondrous qualities to Bladud, an ancient British King, who was suffering from a cutaneous disorder, and who chanced to notice their curative effects upon a herd of swine, which appeared to be similarly affected. The spot was, of course, at that time, a waste, destitute of inhabitants, but the identical spring is said to be that over which a bath-roon. is erected, in which a statue of King Bladud stands, with an inscription to his honour. Certain it is that Bath was a Roman station, and that the qualities of its waters were in repute with the Romans, as they called it Aqua Solis or Aqua Calida. From the extent and character of the remains found here, they must have built a large city, with fine temples, extensive baths, and other public buildings. Two of their great military roads-the Fosseway, extending from the coast of Devonshire to the north coast of Lincolnshire, and the great road from London to Wales, called by Romans and Saxons respectively, Via Julia and Akeman Street-passed through it. No other city in England, it is said, can produce such a collection of local Roman remains as those now deposited in the Museum of the Bath Literary and Scientific Association. The city was strongly fortified. For about 150 years after the retirement of the Romans, it remained in the possession of the British inhabitants, who were driven out of it by the Saxons, only after much fighting and the reduction of the city to ruins. The name given to it by the Saxons was Akeman Ceaster-the town or castle of invalids. It is at present, from its situation and the elegance of its buildings, one of the most beautiful cities in England. The views from Lansdown, the highest ground in the neighbourhood, at an elevation of 813 feet above the sea, overlooking the amphitheatrically formed area, in which the old town is situated, are of great extent and beauty. The principal building is the Abbey Church, which is of rather late date, having been commenced in 1503 and completed in 1539. It contains monumental works by the famous sculptors Bacon, Flaxman, Nollekens, and Chantrey. There are charitable institutions of various dates, one of which goes back as far as 1180, for the benefit of the sick poor, who resort to Bath for the benefit of its waters. Victoria Park was opened by Queen (then Princess) Victoria in 1830. Beckford's Tower, built by the author of "Vathek," and once celebrated for the costly collection of objects of art and literature which it contained, is now used as a chapel for Lansdown cemetery. A journey of about 20 minutes brings us to BRISTOL (118 miles), (Hotels: See "HOTEL LIST"). Before Liverpool attained its present importance, this city ranked second to London alone. Like Bath, it was a Roman station, and rose into significance as a sea-port under the Saxons, being at the time of the Conquest, and subsequently, notorious for its importation of slaves to Ireland. It was formerly strongly fortified, and has played an important part in English history. It has always been distinguished for its maritime enterprise. Sebastian Cabot was born here, and hence, in 1497, he sailed with his father upon his voyage of discovery. Newfoundland was colonized from this place, and its merchants have been, for generations, amongst the largest proprietors of estates in the West Indies. The docks, which were opened in 1809, are formed by converting the beds of the Avon, and a branch of the Frome, which here unites with it, into a floating basin, accommodating the largest ships, which ascend the river on the tide; the surplus waters of the Avon being diverted into a new channel prepared for them. The "Great Western" and the "Great Britain," the precursors of the existing fleets of ocean steamers, and the finest specimens of naval architecture of their day, were built here. Besides the West Indian trade, it has an extensive commerce with Newfoundland, West Africa, and in corn and timber; it has also a very large coasting trade. It has considerable manufactories of glass, earthenware, anchors and chains, and floor-cloths, and large shipbuilding establishments. Regular steamers run to all the ports of the Bristol Channel, Waterford, Wexford, Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Liverpool, Ilfracombe, and other places. The inhabitants are proud, and with good reason, of their public buildings and institutions, the more ancient of which are in better preservation than most of those of equal age in other places. The CATHEDRAL, the old Church of the Abbey of St Augustine, is a grand Gothic edifice, founded by Robert Fitzhardinge in 1140, containing many tombs and effigies of his descendants, with many other interesting monuments. Lord Fitzhardinge, the noble owner of Berkeley Castle and its vast estates, which have come to him in unbroken succession from the above, is his chief existing representative. At the west end of the Cathedral is a beautiful ancient gateway, and the Chapter-House of the Norman period, restored of late years, is particularly worthy of inspection. There are modern monuments to Sterne's "Eliza," Mrs Draper; and to Lady Hesketh, Cowper's friend, by Bacon; to Southey, by Baily; and a fine figure of Faith, by Chantrey. Not so ancient, but a magnificent building, is the Church of St Mary Redcliffe, on Redcliffe Hill, styled by Camden "the first Parish Church in England." It is interesting in modern times from its connection with Chatterton, who calls it "the pride and glory of the Western londe." It was amongst the muniments of this church that he professed to have found the poems which he published as Rowley's. In the churchyard is a columnar monument to his memory, erected by public subscription, on which he is represented in the dress of a Bluecoat scholar. The church was built by one of the merchant princes of Bristol, William Canynges, to whom there are two monuments. The late orator and statesman, George Canning, and the well-known diplomatist, Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, who takes his title from this place, are lineally descended from the abovenamed William Canynges. Nothing of the period of Gothic architecture to which it belongs can be more exquisite in its workmanship, or elaborate in its details, than the north porch of this church, which has lately been completely renovated. Admiral Penn, the father of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, is buried here. The Mayor's, or Gaunt's Chapel, so called from its having been founded by an ancient knightly family of that name, and containing many of their memorials, is well worth visiting. |