The Ports, Harbours, Watering-places and Picturesque Scenery of Great Britain Volume II Part 6

BRISTOL,

FROM ROWNHAM FERRY.

"But Avon marched in more stately path, Proud of his adamants[2] with which he s.h.i.+nes, And glistens wide; as als of wondrous Bath And BRISTOW faire, which on his waves he buildeth hath."

SPENSER.

The city of Bristol has enjoyed a celebrity of many centuries, and is continually adding to her power and affluence by that spirit of enterprise which has drawn tribute from the remotest sh.o.r.es and peopled her harbour with the s.h.i.+ps of all nations. The commercial importance which she acquired at so early a period of our history, and which gave her for a time so preponderating an influence over the other ports and harbours of the kingdom, has been sustained by her spirited citizens with a skill and industry rarely equalled and never surpa.s.sed. To the great facilities formerly enjoyed by the merchants of Bristol another advantage has been added by the construction of the Great Western Railway, which has opened a rapid channel of intercourse between the Thames and the Severn,--the London docks and the harbour of Bristol.

This event has been still further advantageous in having given origin to various ramifications of the same means of conveyance, so that the products of our native manufactures can be thrown into this channel, and an interchange effected, with a cheapness and facility quite unprecedented in the history of our inland commerce. That Bristol has recently extended her commercial interests by her connexion with the West Indies, Russia, France, and Germany, is abundantly indicated by the numerous traders from those countries which are to be seen lading and unlading in her port.

Bristol possesses no less than nineteen parish churches, with a population--not including the suburbs--considerably under sixty thousand. The cathedral, an ancient and most venerable pile, was founded about the middle of the twelfth century by the mayor of Bristol, and, till the reign of Henry the Second, it served as a priory of Black Canons. It was then converted into an abbey, and subsequently, on the dissolution of monastic establishments, under Henry the Eighth, it underwent the further change into a cathedral, dedicated to the Holy Trinity. A bishop, dean, six secular canons or prebendaries, one archdeacon, six minor canons or priests'-vicars, a deacon and subdeacon, six lay clerks, six choristers, two grammar-schoolmasters, four almsmen, and others, were endowed with the site, church, and greatest part of the lands of the old monastery. The various changes it has undergone exhibit the finest specimens of English architecture peculiar to the several periods at which they took place. All the ornamental work is of the purest design, and elaborately executed, but on which our limited s.p.a.ce will not permit us to enlarge. Several of the lateral chapels are in fine taste and preservation, containing monuments of the founder, of several abbots, and bishops; also those erected to the memory of Mrs.

Draper--the "Eliza" of Sterne, Mrs. Mason, and Lady Hesketh, which awaken feelings of deep interest in every mind imbued with the literary history of the last century.

On the east bank of the Avon is Redcliff Parade, affording a beautiful prospect of the city, s.h.i.+pping, and surrounding country. The quay, which extends from St. Giles's to Bristol Bridge, exceeds a mile in length, and is known by the quaint names of the _Back_, the _Grove_, and the _Gib_. On the banks of the river below the city are numerous dockyards, as well as the merchants' floating dock. The several squares in Bristol are handsome: Queen's-square has a s.p.a.cious walk, shaded with trees, and an equestrian statue of William III., by Rysbrach, in the centre; King's-square is well built on an agreeable slope; on the north-west side of the city is Brandon-hill, where the laundresses dry their linen, as they profess, in virtue of a charter from Queen Elizabeth.

Clifton, two miles west of Bristol, is charmingly situated on the summit of the northern cliffs above the river Avon; many of the houses are occupied by invalids, who seek the aid of Bristol Hot Wells, situated at the western extremity of Clifton, near the stupendous rock of St.

Vincent. From its summit above the banks of the Avon there is a fine prospect of the river and its environs, embracing some of the most fertile land in Somersets.h.i.+re, as well as the western part of Bristol.

[2] In allusion to the crystal-brilliants, long known as "Bristol diamonds."

[Ill.u.s.tration: REDCLIFFE CHURCH AND BASIN, BRISTOL.]

REDCLIFFE CHURCH AND BASIN, BRISTOL.

The church of St Mary Redcliffe's, Bristol, was founded in 1249, and not completed till 1375, an interval of a hundred and twenty-six years. The founder was Simon de Burton, mayor of Bristol. It is p.r.o.nounced by Camden as "on all accounts the first parish church in England." It has, of course, undergone, in the long lapse of generations, many changes, repairs, and perhaps improvements. In the middle of the fifteenth century, after having been seriously damaged in a storm, it was repaired by William Cannynge the mayor; and, owing to the extent of these repairs, he has established a just claim to the grat.i.tude of posterity as the second founder, and to commemorate the restoration thus effected, two beautiful monumental statues were erected to the memory of himself and his wife in the church. This patriotic and pious individual was five times mayor of Bristol, and makes a prominent figure in the Chatterton controversy. It is to be regretted, however, that the spire was never restored, which, with the tower, was originally two hundred and fifty feet high. So great was the beauty of this sacred edifice, that it was celebrated over the whole country as a masterpiece of art, and attracted numerous visitors; nor has that admiration diminished with the lapse of time, for there are very few individuals, curious in the mystery of ecclesiastical architecture, who have not visited or studied the specimen here preserved.

The church is built in the form of a cross; and the nave, which rises above the aisles in the manner of a cathedral, is lighted by a series of lofty windows on each side, and supported by flying-b.u.t.tresses. The tower is large and richly ornamented, like the remaining part of the spire, with carved work, niches, and statues. The princ.i.p.al entrance is from the west front; but there are porches both to the northern and southern sides. Of the first of these the interior is very beautiful; and it was over this porch that the room was situated in which Chatterton, whose father was s.e.xton of the church, pretended to have found the poems which he attributed to Rowley. The length of the church is two hundred and thirty-nine feet, that of the transept one hundred and seventeen feet. It is remarkable that the transept consists of three divisions or aisles, like the body of the church; and the effect thus produced is fine and striking, when the spectator places himself in the centre and looks around him. The breadth of the nave and aisles is fifty-nine feet; the height of the nave is fifty-four feet, and that of the aisles twenty-five feet. The roof, which is nearly sixty feet in height, is arched with stone, and ornamented with various devices.

Although externally this church has all the appearance of a ma.s.sive structure, it has nevertheless, from its loftiness and the peculiar beauty of its masonry, a light and airy appearance both within and without; and justifies the high eulogium, which we have already quoted, as p.r.o.nounced upon it by Camden. Among the sepulchral treasures contained in this church, is the tomb of Sir William Penn, father of the celebrated founder of Pennsylvania.

The business of s.h.i.+pbuilding is carried on to a very considerable extent in Bristol; and stimulated by that spirit which has always characterized the magistrates and merchants of Bristol, added to the vast improvements which have been so recently affected, it is confidently believed, that this ancient city and port are now entering upon a fresh epoch in their commercial prosperity.

The princ.i.p.al exports are derived from the neighbouring manufactures; and the imports consist chiefly of sugar, rum, wine, wool, tobacco, coffee, turpentine, hemp, and timber. The quay extends upwards of a mile along the banks of the rivers Frome and Avon. Owing to the serious inconvenience and frequent damage sustained by large vessels, when lying at low water in the river, a floating harbour was formed here at great expense in 1804. To accomplish so important a design the course of the Avon was changed; the old channel was dammed up to form the new harbour, which, communicating with the river, is accessible at all times, with sufficient depth of water for vessels of the largest size. This great work, comprising the elegant iron bridges over the Avon, was the result of five years' labour, and an enormous expenditure; and, although much benefit has accrued to the port from the success of so spirited an undertaking, still the expectations to which it naturally gave rise, as to the extension of commerce, have not been realized. This is attributable to various local causes.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SUSPENSION BRIDGE AT CLIFTON.

(near Bristol.)]

CLIFTON.

THE SUSPENSION BRIDGE.

"Scared at thy presence, start the train of Death, And hide their whips and scorpions; thee, confused, Slow Fever creeps from; thee the meagre fiend Consumption flies, and checks his rattling cough!"

ADDRESS TO THE BRISTOL FOUNTAIN.

The village of Clifton has long been distinguished among our native watering-places as the Montpelier of England. In point of situation, and the beautiful and varied scenery it commands, it is without a rival among those numerous springs which, from their medicinal virtues, have risen into universal repute. It occupies a very elevated position; and from the windows of his apartment the visitor may enjoy enchanting views of the western part of Bristol, the Avon, and the numerous vessels that glide to and fro upon its waters. The plateau, which terminates a gradual ascent from the river, is covered with elegant buildings, that furnish excellent accommodation to the numerous visitors who annually resort to these salubrious fountains. Many private families of opulence and respectability make this their princ.i.p.al residence, and with justice, for few situations in the British empire can supply more varied and rational sources of enjoyment. Those who seek to combine the blessings of health with rational amus.e.m.e.nt and mental cultivation, will very rarely be disappointed in selecting the now "cla.s.sic" shades of Clifton as a residence.

The Bristol hot-well--"Bristoliensis aqua"--is a pure thermal, slightly acidulated spring. The fresh water is inodorous, perfectly limpid and sparkling, and sends forth numerous air-bubbles when poured into a gla.s.s. It is very agreeable to the taste, and in specific gravity approaches very nearly to that of distilled water; a fact which proves that it contains only an extremely minute admixture of foreign ingredients. The temperature of this water, taking the average of the most accurate observations, may be reckoned at 74; a degree of temperature which is scarcely, if at all, influenced by the difference of season. The water contains both solid and gaseous matter, and the distinction between the two requires to be attended to, as it is owing to its very minute proportion of solid matter that it deserves the character of a very fine natural spring. To its excess in gaseous contents it is princ.i.p.ally indebted for its medicinal properties,--whatever these may be,--independently of those of mere water with an increase of temperature. The princ.i.p.al ingredients of the hot-well water are a large proportion of carbonic acid gas--fixed air--a certain portion of magnesia and lime in various combinations with the muriatic, sulphuric, and carbonic acids. The general inference is that it is remarkably pure for a natural fountain, from the fact of its containing no other solid matter--and that in less quant.i.ty--than what is contained in almost any common spring-water. Much, however, of the merit ascribed to the Bristol and Clifton wells is due to the mild and temperate climate of the place, which of itself is sufficient to recommend Bristol as a desirable residence for invalids.

Independently of its medicinal waters, Clifton has many attractions, which from time to time have been the subjects both of painting and poetry, and made it the favoured residence of many distinguished individuals. Of the latter, none have deserved better of their country than Mrs. Hannah More, whose writings breathe the purest sentiments of religion and morality, and whose personal _Memoirs_ form one of the most interesting volumes in English biography.

The Suspension Bridge, which forms so prominent a feature in our engraving, is unfortunately still far from that state of completion in which the artist has been pleased to depict it. Many years have pa.s.sed since its commencement, and still more thousands of pounds have been expended in preparation, and yet this great and useful work remains a monument of misapplied capital and wasted labour.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BATH.]

BATH.

"O'er ancient Baden's mystic spring Hygeia broods with watchful wing, And speeds from its sulphureous source The steamy torrent's secret course; And fans the eternal sparks of latent fire In deep unfathomed beds below, By BLADUD's magic taught to flow-- BLADUD, high theme of Fancy's Gothic lyre!"

WARTON.

The origin of Bath, like that of other celebrated towns, is involved in obscurity. To its medicinal springs, however, it is solely indebted for the great reputation it has enjoyed for centuries, as a sanctuary for the afflicted, a cheerful asylum for the invalid, and as a favourite point of reunion, where social pleasure and mental cultivation were sure of a kindred reception among the many gifted spirits who have sought health or relaxation in its shades. The comparative quiet which here prevails is not without its importance to the invalid; after the dissipation of a season in Town, a retreat to Bath is like the tranquillity of a monastery after the excitement of a military campaign.

This was more particularly felt and acknowledged as long as the continent remained shut; but during the last twenty years the temptation to foreign travel and the fame of certain continental spas have annually diverted from home a great many of those whose cases, it is probable, would have benefited in an equal measure by resorting to the thermal waters of Bath. Travelling, however, is of itself a sanatory process; and to this, to the changes of scene, of society, of diet, and to the mental excitement produced by a succession of new scenes and incidents, the invalid is more indebted than to any of the numerous _spas_, to which the credit of a cure is so generally ascribed by the recruited votary. This is a fact well known to the physician, and corroborated by the results of daily experience. When such means are impracticable, however, the society and the waters of Bath furnish excellent subst.i.tutes; and the testimonies in their favour are too well supported by ancient and "modern instances" to require any eulogium in a work like the present.

The trade of Bath, like that of most great watering-places, is greatly dependent on its visitors. Hotels and lodging-houses are numerous, elegant, commodious, and fitted for the accommodation of all cla.s.ses of society. Property, nevertheless, has suffered much depreciation of late years, owing to various causes, and not a little to the preference given to those continental spas already alluded to, by which many of the streams which used to flow in upon Bath as a regular source of prosperity have been greatly diminished or entirely dried up.

The public amus.e.m.e.nts of Bath are numerous and liberally conducted. Of these the most important are the subscription a.s.semblies and concerts, at which a master of the ceremonies presides--a functionary of high authority, who holds his office in regular descent from the hands of the celebrated Beau Nash. The latter gentleman, by a peculiar union of good sense, "effrontery, wit, vivacity, and perseverance, acquired an ascendancy among the votaries of rank and fas.h.i.+on which rendered him a species of modish despot, to whose decrees it was deemed a part of the loyalty of high breeding to yield in silent submission." The a.s.semblies are held in the Upper Rooms, in the vicinity of the Circus, which were erected in 1791, at an expense of twenty thousand pounds. The Ball-room is one hundred and five feet long, forty-three feet wide, and forty-two high. The Lower a.s.sembly-rooms stood near the Parade, and were also very elegantly fitted up, though on a less extensive scale, but were destroyed by fire in 1820. The theatre is a handsome edifice, fitted up in splendid style, with three tiers of boxes, and the roof divided into compartments, containing the beautiful paintings by Ca.s.sali which formerly occupied a similar place in Fonthill Abbey.

In the vicinity of Bath, especially on Lansdown and Claverton Downs, there are delightful spots for equestrian exercise. Races take place on the former of these the week after Ascot races.

Bath is eminently distinguished for its numerous public charities, its literary and scientific inst.i.tutions, its society for the encouragement of agriculture, the arts, manufactures, and commerce; its clubs, subscription-rooms, libraries, schools, and hospitals.

The diseases in which the waters of Bath are resorted to are very numerous, and in many instances consist of such as are the most difficult and important of all that come under medical treatment. In most cases the bath is used along with the waters as an internal medicine--first adopted in the case of King Charles. The general indications of the propriety of using these medicinal waters are chiefly in cases where a gentle, gradual, and permanent stimulus is required.

Bath water may certainly be considered as a chalybeate, in which the iron is very small in quant.i.ty, but in a highly active form, whilst the degree of temperature is in itself a stimulus of considerable power.