What to See in England Part 16

WINCHELSEA AND RYE

=How to get there.=--Train from Charing Cross, Cannon Street, or London Bridge. South-Eastern and Chatham Railway.

=Nearest Station.=--Winchelsea.

=Distance from London.=--72 miles.

=Average Time.=--Varies between 2-1/4 to 3 hours.

1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 12s. 0d. 7s. 6d. 6s. 0d.

Return 21s. 0d. 15s. 0d. 12s. 0d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"The New Inn," etc., Winchelsea.

=Routes.=--_Via_ Ashford or _via_ Hastings.

Winchelsea, situated about 8 miles from Hastings, though now a small village, was once an important seaport, being one of the Cinque Ports.

It has suffered severely from the sea, having been completely destroyed in 1287 by an inundation. It was afterwards rebuilt by Edward I. on higher ground. The French made several attempts on the town, and in 1380 succeeded in capturing and burning it. The gradual decay of the port was due to the retiring of the sea in the fifteenth century, which rendered the harbour useless. Winchelsea is a pretty place with ma.s.sive gateways, survivals of the old fortified town. In the centre of the village is a square containing the remains of the old Parish Church built in 1288 in the Decorated style. The nave and transepts have gone, having been destroyed by the French, and only the chancel remains. It contains some interesting canopied tombs, one being to Gervase Alard, Admiral of the Cinque Ports in 1383. John Wesley preached his last open-air sermon in the churchyard.

Rye lies 2 miles east of Winchelsea, and though more flouris.h.i.+ng than the latter place, has much dwindled in importance, since it too was a Cinque Port. The town is built on a hill, and the steep, narrow streets are filled with quaint houses. The harbour is still visited by small fis.h.i.+ng-boats. The French constantly attacked Rye, and in 1380 they succeeded in burning it. Overlooking the sea and belonging to the old wall is the Ypres Tower, built in the reign of Stephen by William de Ypres.

Close to the tower is the large Parish Church, which contains much Decorated Gothic work, although its oldest portions are Norman, the church having been partly rebuilt after the destruction caused by the French in 1380. It contains a wonderful clock, made in Queen Elizabeth's reign, and said to be the oldest in England still in working order. It has a long pendulum which comes through the ceiling and swings in the church.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photochrom Co., Ltd._

WINCHELSEA CHURCH.

The French did much damage to the building in 1380, and portions of it are still in ruins.]

BLENHEIM PALACE

=How to get there.=--Train from Paddington. Great Western Railway.

=Nearest Station.=--Blenheim.

=Distance from London.=--72-3/4 miles.

=Average Time.=--2-1/4 hours.

1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 12s. 0d. 7s. 6d. 6s. 0-1/2d.

Return 21s. 2d. 13s. 4d. ...

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Bear Inn," Woodstock, "King's Arms Hotel," "Marlborough Hotel," "Star Hotel," etc.

Blenheim Palace, the magnificent seat of the Duke of Marlborough, was, like Strathfieldsaye, erected at the public expense. On the 2nd of August 1704, the great Duke of Marlborough gained a decisive victory over the combined forces of the French and Bavarians near the village of Blenheim, on the banks of the Danube. The French and Bavarians left 10,000 killed and wounded on the field, huge numbers were drowned in the river, and about 13,000 taken prisoners. The victory was complete, and immediately afterwards Queen Anne presented the victorious general with a "grant of the honour of Woodstock," this being followed by a vote of 500,000 for the erection of the palace and the laying out of the grounds. The building was erected from the designs of Sir John Vanbrugh, the great architect and dramatist. It is of enormous size, the frontage being 350 feet from wing to wing, and the entire structure covers about 7 acres. The gateway to the park on the Woodstock side is a fine Corinthian triumphal arch, giving access to a magnificent avenue more than 2 miles in length.

Among the princ.i.p.al apartments of the palace are the lofty entrance hall, with a fine painted ceiling by Thornhill; the bay-window room with its famous tapestry; the dining-room, containing many family portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds; the marble saloon, the ceilings and walls of which are painted by La Guerre; and the library, a magnificent room nearly 200 feet long, containing about 20,000 volumes. In addition to these, there are the chapel and theatre, as well as the state and other drawing-rooms. The t.i.tian room was totally destroyed by fire, with a large portion of the north-east section of the palace, in February 1861.

The ancient road, called Akeman Street, runs across the park, and Roman remains have been discovered near it.

The palace is open every day (except Sat.u.r.days and Sundays) from 11 to 1, and the gardens from 11 to 2. Either can be seen separately by tickets, 1s. each, obtainable at the porter's lodge.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Taunt, Oxford._

BLENHEIM PALACE.

Built for the Duke of Marlborough at the public expense, after his famous victory over the French and Bavarians.]

PETERBOROUGH CATHEDRAL AND CROWLAND

=How to get there.=--Train from King's Cross. Great Northern Rly.

=Nearest Station.=--Peterborough.

=Distance from London.=--76-1/2 miles.

=Average Time.=--Varies between 1-1/4 to 2-1/4 hours.

1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 11s. 3d. ... 6s. 4d.

Return 22s. 6d. ... 12s. 8d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Great Northern Railway Company's Hotel," "Golden Lion Hotel," "Angel Hotel," "Grand Hotel,"

etc., at Peterborough.

=Alternative Route.=--Train from Liverpool Street, _via_ Ely. Great Eastern Railway.

Nine miles north of Peterborough the ruins of Crowland Abbey arise out of the flat fen country like a lighthouse out of the sea. With only the nave and north aisle standing, it breathes the very spirit of romance even in its decay. It is easy to picture the time when four streams surrounded the monastery and church and formed an island in the fens, and to recall how Hereward the Wake demanded entrance to the abbey to see Torfrida, and was refused admittance by the Abbot Ulfketyl. In those days two rivers met in the High Street of the little town that grew round St. Guthlac's Monastery. Now the country is drained, Crowland is a decayed little town with many thatched roofs, situated in an agricultural district; the island exists no longer, and the old triangular bridge rises over the dry Square at a place where three roads meet. This bridge is older and more peculiar than any bridge in Europe that is not of Roman origin. It is believed to have been built in 870, and consists of three pointed arches rising steeply in the centre to permit the rush of water in flood times. It is too steep to admit of its use by any sort of vehicle, and one ascends by steps to the top. At the end of one portion of the bridge there is a stone image of a Saxon king--possibly Ethelbert--with a loaf in one hand.

In the time of Ethelbald, King of Mercians, a young n.o.ble named Guthlac, weary of life's rough way, sought peace in the ascetic life. He drifted in a boat to Crowland Isle, and there lived a hermit's life till his death in 817. On the spot where he died Ethelbald founded and endowed a monastery on the island, and it flourished exceedingly. The larger part of the conventual church is now destroyed, but the north aisle is used as the Parish Church of Crowland.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photochrom Co., Ltd._

CROWLAND ABBEY.

The building rises above the little thatched village, which stands on slightly raised ground in the midst of the fens.]

PETERBOROUGH

As was the case with Wells, Peterborough would have had no existence but for its cathedral, which was reared in the midst of the fertile fen country near the slow-flowing river Ness. But the coming of the railways has roused the country town, and in the last fifty years its population has increased fivefold. It is situated in a rich agricultural district, and has a good trade in farm products. Its annual wool and cattle markets are well known in the eastern counties.

On the site of the present cathedral a minster was built in 870 by a king of Mercia. On its being destroyed by Danes, a new building was erected, which was burned down in 1116. The foundations of the Saxon church can be seen in the crypt. The new Norman building was consecrated in 1237, and has remained with few alterations to the present day. While the interior of St. Albans Cathedral shows every phase of Norman and Gothic architecture, that of Peterborough is remarkable as showing practically one style throughout the entire building. The west front has been described as the "grandest portico in Europe." It is Early English in style, and the finest feature of the cathedral. Its three colossal arches are flanked and strengthened by two turreted towers with spires.

It needs a close observer to perceive that the central gable of the west front is smaller than the side ones, for the difficulty has been cleverly overcome. The northern gable and part of the arch below have been repaired very carefully amid an outcry from all parts of England against the restoration. However, the work was proved to be necessary, as the mortar had crumbled to dust, and many stones were merely resting one on the other. The Perpendicular Galilee Porch over the small doorway adds strength to the facade. The room over it is used as a library.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the interior is the twelfth-century wooden vaulting of the nave. There is no Lady Chapel at the east end as is usually the case. When the ritual demanded a retro-choir for processions, the Norman apse fortunately was not pulled down, but the new building, Tudor in style, and with a beautiful stone-vaulted roof, was built round it. After Ely's Tower fell, the Norman central tower of Peterborough was pulled down as if a similar fate was feared for it, and a shorter tower was erected in its place.

Two queens have been buried in the church, namely, Catherine of Arragon and Mary Queen of Scots. The remains of both queens have been removed to Westminster Abbey.

Other places worth visiting in Peterborough are the Parish Church and a well-preserved thirteenth-century manor-house at Longthorpe.