PLACES OF INTEREST ON THE ROUTE

Raglan.—Village and church; beautiful ruins of the castle; picturesque scenery.

Usk.—A village, with ruins of castle and a Norman church.

Caerleon.—A village, with museum of Roman antiquities; the amphitheatre.

Newport.—A busy port; ruins of the castle; interesting church of St. Woollos; the docks.

Caerwent.—Small village with Roman remains; Caldicott Castle is a little to south of route.

Chepstow.—A market town; the castle, a fine example of a Norman fortress; the church, chiefly of Norman architecture.

Tintern Abbey.—One of the most beautiful ruins in England.

Tintern Parva.—Hamlet, with small Early English church.

Monmouth.—A pleasant county town; the county buildings; Monnow Bridge or Western Gate; church, modern except tower.

Symond's Yat.—Beautiful scenery on the Wye.

Goodrich Castle.—On the Wye; beautiful ruins of one of the earliest castles built in England.

Ross.—Picturesque little town; Wilton Castle and bridge; the market hall; the 'Man of Ross'; the church, good Early English work, with interesting monuments; the castle remains.

Dursley Cross.—The Long Hope; very fine views.

Gloucester.—Old-fashioned county town; a grand cathedral, with tomb of Edward II.; the Guildhall; the museum; Llanthony Abbey; the churches of St. Catherine, St. Mary de Lode, St. Mary de Crypt, and others; many old timbered houses; the New Inn.

(Trunk) No. 9. ABERGAVENNY TO GLOUCESTER.

ABERGAVENNY TO GLOUCESTER.

Soon after leaving Abergavenny the classic portico of Coldbrook House, in its large park, is passed upon the left. Looking backwards over the route, the picturesque situation of Abergavenny is seen, with the Sugar Loaf, nearly 2,000 feet in height, towering up beyond. Upon the right Blorenge Hill stands out boldly, a great rounded mass clothed with plantations to the summit. It is a prominent feature in the landscape for some time.

Between Abergavenny and Llanvihangel-on-Usk the road follows the railway-line and the river, and at the latter place a pretty stretch of Usk scenery is met, while the fine church of Llangattock-juxta-Usk, where there are some awkward turnings in the road, is well worth a visit. Just beyond Llanvihangel the road to Raglan branches off to the left, and a glance backwards shows the great mass of the Brecknock Beacons silhouetted against the western sky. Clytha Castle, a building dating from 1790, stands near this parting of the ways. Although so near the border-line between England and Wales, the stereotyped whitewashed cottages of Wales are still to be seen.

RAGLAN

The road to the castle turns to the left in the middle of the village, and stops abruptly at a meadow in which are the entrance-gates. (Admission to the castle 6d. at any reasonable time on weekdays; on Sundays from 2.30 to 5.)

A description of Raglan Castle that will give an approximate idea of the exquisite beauty of this ruin has yet to be written; many have attempted it, but all have fallen short of the charming reality. It is a poem in stone; a crystallized ideal of all that was beautiful in medieval architecture; the embodiment of centuries of progressive emulation in castle-building, now mellowed by the hand of time, and with its corners and rough edges covered by clinging masses of creepers. It is eminently the most beautiful ruin to be met with in this western tour. The chief characteristic is undoubtedly the detached keep, which was built after the main structure; the element of romance and mystery haunts one while looking down upon the dark waters of the moat encircling this keep, and one feels a disinclination to leave the place, although other castles await one. No part of the building is of a date anterior to Henry V., and it was chiefly erected by Sir William ap Thomas and his son, William, Earl of Pembroke, who was beheaded in 1469.

Subsequent architecture, however, may be traced down to the time of Charles I. It came into the possession of the Beaufort family (the present owner is the Duke of that name) by the marriage of an ancestor. The Earl of Richmond, afterwards Henry VII., was a prisoner here for a time, and Charles I. sought refuge within these walls after Naseby, in 1645. It was besieged by Fairfax in 1646, and dismantled by Act of Parliament.

Raglan Church is not worthy of much attention if time is short. The tower was rebuilt, it is said, after having been demolished for strategic purposes by Cromwell's orders.

USK

Usk was formerly a Roman station, and in the immediate vicinity there are several encampments, both Roman and British, where excellent views are obtainable over the surrounding country, reaching to the mountains near Abergavenny and to the wooded summits about Monmouth.

The Castle, now dismantled and covered with ivy, stands upon a prominent hill to the north; the Parliamentarians were responsible for its destruction.

The Church is of Norman origin, with a tower rebuilt in recent years.

CAERLEON

'For Arthur on the Whitsuntide before

Held court at old Caerleon upon Usk.'

Idylls of the King.

The name of Caerleon brings vivid recollections to the mind of the Round Table and King Arthur, but its history commenced before the sixth century, when the great Pendragon flourished. The name Caerleon means 'The Camp of the Legion,' the Roman Isca Silurum, the capital city of the province of Britannia Secunda. After the Roman occupation it became a seat of learning. Remains of villas, Roman walls, and other traces of the conquerors of the world, abound, and the local museum is rich in treasures—chiefly of that period, but by no means confined to it. The building is upon the farther side of the churchyard. (There is no fixed charge, but a box for contributions. Key at the schoolhouse opposite.) The church is Early English, with traces of Norman work in it. To the right of the schoolhouse a lane leads for about a hundred yards to a field on the left, opposite a racecourse, where the amphitheatre, 220 feet by 190 feet, may be seen. Excavations have revealed the stone seats surrounding this concave site, known locally as 'King Arthur's Round Table.' In the main street of the sleepy little town some old timbered houses are found, and of the once famous castle nothing now remains except a small tower, which once protected the bridge over the river, behind the Hanbury Arms Inn. The few houses upon the other bank of the Usk are known as 'Ultra Pontem,' a most remarkable instance of persistence and survival. It is difficult when walking through the streets of Caerleon to realize that London, York, and this little place were once the three chief cities of Britain.

NEWPORT

Newport is an example of rapid growth from a small market town into a flourishing port, with extensive docks, wharves, and jetties. It, however, may claim a high antiquity, for it formed a post during the Roman period.

The Castle.—This was at one time an extensive building, and the river face of it is still of impressive proportions. For many years the ruin was occupied by a brewery, but the town has lately gained possession of the sadly-diminished fortress. A deep moat, filled at high tide, defended the walls of the bailey on the north, west, and south sides, but all this has vanished, leaving only the eastern side, with three imposing towers, washed by the muddy waters of the Usk. The Norman Fitzharon, who conquered Glamorgan, built a castle at Newport towards the close of the eleventh century; but the existing structure is three centuries later, and was, to some extent, remodelled in the fifteenth century. The town was protected by a wall as late as Leland's time, and he speaks of three gates. One of these was close to the inn, called the West Gate to this day. Conspicuous in the High Street is the house of the murringer, a person whose duties were in connection with the guarding of the wall.

The Church of St. Woollos has been restored, but preserves many of its Norman features, and contains interesting memorials, some of them of considerable antiquity. A remarkable feature is the separation of the tower from the church by a small building, the Chapel of St. Mary, believed by some ecclesiologists to be the primitive church founded c. 550, and, if so, the most ancient building still used for Christian worship in the United Kingdom. The two structures are divided by a good Norman arch, the columns of which appear to be of Roman origin, and were possibly brought from Caerleon.

During the Chartist riots the Mayor of Newport, backed by some soldiers, defended himself from a mob headed by Jack Frost. Bullet marks may be seen upon a wooden pillar in the West Gate Hotel, where the Mayor concentrated his defence, many of the rioters being killed and wounded.

The road from Newport to Caerwent gives wide views over the alluvial flats between it and the Estuary of the Severn, protected from inundations by extensive embankments, while to the north the great woods lying upon high land are a pleasing contrast. At first the road is nearly flat, but it becomes undulating near Caerwent. This road is part of the Via Julia, which commenced near the mouth of the Severn, passed through Caerwent and Caerleon, and terminated at Neath in Glamorganshire.

Cencoed Castle lies upon the right hand; the remains are not very extensive, consisting chiefly of a gateway flanked with turrets. A mansion was at one time incorporated with the main portion of the castle, but was subsequently abandoned, and now the whole of the buildings form a farmhouse.

Penhow Castle lies by the side of the road, near the village of the same name. A short time after the Norman Conquest this fortress was in the possession of the Seymours. It seems to have been at one period fairly extensive, but only an old square tower with battlements remains, and this also has been converted into a farmhouse.

CAERWENT

is a small village with no pretensions of importance, although the descendant of a strong Roman town. The walls stand from 10 to 12 feet thick, are well preserved, and are similar in many respects to those at Carnarvon. A good facing of stone is backed up by a solid mass of concrete, and then a supporting bank of earth is raised behind them. The church occupies a prominent position, but does not possess any noteworthy feature. Caldicott Castle, lying to the south of the route, has extensive remains of the foundation of the twelfth century, and at the same time some indications of Saxon work belonging to the previous fortalice built upon the site. Passing Crick, Mathern is perceived upon the right. The Bishops of Llandaff had a palace here in medieval times, and portions of it are still in existence, incorporated with the modern farm-buildings.

CHEPSTOW

is a market town and river port occupying a slope on the western bank of the Wye, and surrounded by beautiful and sometimes imposing scenery.

COMING NIGHT, NEAR BEDDGELERT.
Beddgelert is one of the most romantically situated villages in North Wales.

The Castle is the dominating feature in the town, and is one of the finest examples of a Norman fortress that has been preserved. It stands upon a rocky eminence, and occupies nearly three acres. Founded by Fitz-Osborn, Earl of Hereford, in the eleventh century, it was almost rebuilt in the thirteenth. It was garrisoned by the King during the Civil War, but surrendered in 1645 to the Parliamentarians. The castle was divided into four great courts, and a number of round towers defended the exterior walls, while a deep ditch upon the land side, now used as a public resort, completed the defences.

The Church of St. Mary is built near the river, and is coeval with the castle. A priory stood here in the time of King Stephen, and the nave of the present church is the nave of the priory chapel. The larger part of the building is Norman, while the western doorway is an exceptionally fine example of the period. The tombs of Somerset, second Earl of Worcester, and Elizabeth, his Countess, are worthy of special notice.

The road to Tintern gives at first a view of the remains of an ancient bridge opposite Chepstow Castle, which, when in use, rose and fell with the tide. Piercefield Park lies upon the right hand, with an early camp amongst the trees. At St. Arvans the road bears to the right, and a number of S turns are met. Near here is the well-known 'Lovers' Leap.' Moss Cottage stands by the road farther on, with the Windcliff, famous for its glorious view of the Wye, above it. Upon the opposite bank of the river, and beyond the railway, is a lengthy section of Offa's Dyke, and probably a glimpse may be obtained from the road of the Devil's Pulpit.

TINTERN ABBEY

Tintern Abbey occupies a beautiful site upon one of the loveliest rivers in England, and the ruins have been claimed by many as the most picturesque in existence; but many other roofless abbey churches, placed in the same exquisite surroundings, would appear to equal advantage, and one is inclined to attribute Tintern's fame to its scenery rather than to its architecture. The abbey owes much to Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, and a descendant of the De Clares, who, according to the records, provided for extensive building in the middle of the thirteenth century; but much of the architecture, especially that in the south wall of the chapter-house, speaks of an earlier date. The cloisters are late Perpendicular (1469), and were undoubtedly of great magnificence. The abbey was dissolved in 1537, and since then the buildings have gradually fallen into decay. The structural parts which may be recognized are: the church, with north and south transepts; cloisters, on the north side of the nave; sacristy and monks' library, adjoining the north wall of the north transept; chapter-house and monks' parlour, monks' dayroom, parlour, refectory and almoner's room, all to the north; together with the kitchen, buttery, lavatory, and other small rooms.

The road from Tintern accompanies the Wye in conjunction with the railway-line, and beautiful hanging woods, broken up with grey cliffs, form lovely backgrounds to every view.

Tintern Parva is a small hamlet with a church erected in the Early English period, but not of great interest. At Bigsweir Bridge the river is crossed and the turning to the left taken. Offa's Dyke now lies upon the right hand.

Redbrook is a village placed in a small combe of great beauty. The church, with its Perpendicular tower, is worth seeing. The monuments to John Joce and his wife, temp. Edward III., are preserved there, together with two priests and a brass showing a 'free miner.'

MONMOUTH

The situation of Monmouth is an ideal one, as it is surrounded by hills, through which the Wye, the Monnow, and the Trothy flow. It was at one time fortified by a surrounding wall pierced by four gates; but the Monnow, or Western Gate, dating from 1270, is regarded by some writers as a toll-gate rather than one of those belonging to the wall. This gate stands upon the Monnow Bridge, and is a strikingly picturesque feature of the town. Of the Roman origin of Monmouth (the Blestium of Antoninus) there are at present no traces, but it was a fortified station as early as the Saxon period.

The Church of St. Mary was rebuilt from the designs of Street in 1881, with the exception of the tower and the tall and very slender spire. Near it, in Priory Street, is a building called 'Geoffrey's Study,' possessing a Perpendicular window corbelled out on brackets. It cannot possibly have been used by Geoffrey of Monmouth, after whom it is named, as he died in 1154. The building, or, more correctly, the old portion of it, is a remnant of the domestic buildings of the Benedictine Priory.

St. Thomas's Church, in Overmonnow, contains some Norman architecture. Near the door of the church stands an elaborate cross.

The Shire Hall, built in 1724, has a solemn façade bearing in the centre a niche filled with a metal statue of Henry V., the hero of Agincourt. One cannot be long in Monmouth without being reminded of Harry of that ilk, for the square in front of the Shire Hall, formerly the bull-ring, is now called Agincourt Square. Many quaint old houses and inns still exist in the town, the Robin Hood in Monnow Street and the Queen's Head in Wyebridge Street being good examples of the picturesque hostelry, so attractive after journeying for many miles in Wales, where every town is uniformly dreary in its architecture. Monmouth Castle stood on a raised site close to the church. It was a ruin at the beginning of the seventeenth century, and where the keep stood there is a house of that period. There are still, however, some sections of walls, and one window of the great hall survives.

On leaving Monmouth by the Ross Road, the little parish church of Dixton is soon encountered, and farther on the beautiful level height called King Arthur's Plain is seen across the river. At times it presents the appearance of towers belonging to a castle.

(It is advisable not to take cars down the road marked 'To Symond's Yat and the Hotel,' between Kerne Bridge and Whitchurch, as it is very narrow and rough. The road from Whitchurch is better.)

Symond's Yat is a rock which towers up to 800 feet above the surface of the river. The ascent is quite easy, and from the upper part a magnificent view is to be obtained. The scenery at this part of the Wye is of quite exceptional beauty. Between the road and Symond's Yat two hills—the Great and Little Dowards—occur. Upon the top of the latter is a fine British camp, reputed to have once been occupied by Caractacus.

Whitchurch is a pretty little village possessing an Early English church dedicated to St. Dubricius, Archbishop of Caerleon in the sixth century. The remains of a stone cross have been restored. After leaving Whitchurch, the roads become somewhat confusing, and care should be taken at the turns. At the foot of the bridge carrying the main road over the river stands Flanesford Priory, which was erected in 1347. From Kerne Bridge a magnificent prospect of the Wye is obtained.

Goodrich Castle was an early residence of the Earls of Shrewsbury (the Talbots) and there is little doubt that the ruins now seen upon these rocky heights are all that is left of one of the first castles built in England, dating well back into the Saxon period. The keep was built in the time of Stephen, and it will be noticed that no windows look away from the castle. In the Civil War it was taken by the Parliamentarians, with the inevitable result. It is a noble and imposing ruin, and a journey up the Wye Valley should not omit a visit to Goodrich Castle.

Goodrich Court lies half a mile north of the castle. It was built in the early part of the last century by Sir Samuel Meyrick, the well-known authority upon, and collector of, ancient arms and armour, and also the author of valuable works upon the same subject. The fine collection was sold some time since, and the house purchased in 1870 by Mr. George Moffatt.

Goodrich Church stands in the little village of that name near the Court, and should be visited, as the stained-glass windows are good. The ancestors of Dean Swift resided in the parish, and one of them was the Vicar and a notable Royalist.

The main road to Ross now leaves the Wye, but in order to see Wilton Castle, that passing near the river should be taken.

Wilton Castle was built soon after the Norman Conquest. It stands near the river upon ground which is not elevated, and was erected to protect the Welsh marches. It has been held by various families—the Longchamps, the De Greys, and that of Chandos. It suffered from the Parliamentary army in 1645. The remains consist of the outer walls only. A footpath will be found running between the walls and the river.

Wilton Bridge is a well-known landmark near Ross. It was built in the reign of Elizabeth, and consists of six arches. One of them—that near Wilton—is more recent than the others, having been rebuilt since its destruction by the Roundheads during the Civil War.

ROSS,

a picturesque little town with the steepest of streets, is perched upon uneven rocky ground high above the left bank of the Wye, and is surrounded by hills on three sides. It was a town at the time of Domesday.

The Market Hall stands prominently in the centre of the town, and its quaintness adds much to the attractiveness of the place. It was built in the time of Charles II., and the upper part is now used for the County Court and Petty Sessions. On the exterior of the south wall one notices a curious carving of the letters F and C, with a heart, reputed to be 'faithful to Charles in heart.' The 'Man of Ross,' who was famed for his good deeds, and is alluded to by Pope, lived opposite the Market Hall. The lower part of the house is now a stationer's shop. The good man's name was John Kyrle, and his portrait, by Sir Godfrey Kneller, can be seen in the upper room of the Market Hall, together with his will and an autograph letter, dated 1695.

TINTERN ABBEY.
Showing the beautiful reach of the Wye which flows between steep wooded scarps.

The Church stands on higher ground than the rest of the town, on the south-west side. It is chiefly Early English, and has a nave with aisles, chancel, and three chapels. One of the chapels on the south side has a parvise over it. Probably the feature which the average visitor finds most interesting is the presence of two elm-trees growing out of the wall inside the church. Both saplings are now dead, but some creepers running over them afford sufficient foliage to simulate vitality.

There is an Easter sepulchre in the chancel, and a tablet opposite the organ contains sage reflections upon man's life and destiny. Of the monuments remaining in the church, one, dated 1637, of a knight and lady, is probably one of the most perfect memorials of contemporary costume to be found in any church. The 'Man of Ross,' who follows the visitor wherever he goes in this town, lies interred under a flat slab, and against the wall is preserved a splendid marble monument to his memory, erected in 1766 by a relative. A door leading to the vanished rood-loft is on the north side of the chancel arch. The loft apparently contained a piscina similar to Eastbourne Old Church.

Of Ross Castle but little remains at the present time to give an idea of its former importance and extent. A tower, which may be entered, stands near the church, and in the High Street another portion is seen. From the first-mentioned there is a beautiful view, including Symond's Yat, the Great and Little Dowards, with a fine range of hills upon the horizon, and a splendid loop of the Wye lying at one's feet, with Wilton Castle and the bridge in the foreground. Ross is in many ways a capital centre for exploring the Wye Valley.

The road between Ross and Gloucester for about half the distance lies in a picturesque piece of country on the northern confines of the Forest of Dean, chiefly covered with coppices, grown for the sale of the bark, the manufacture of charcoal, and the distillation of wood-spirit. It is one of the wildest portions of Gloucestershire.

Weston-under-Penyard is a small village near the ruins of Penyard Castle and the conspicuous hill of that name. The church was restored in 1870, and is not of great interest. Near this village is the site of the ancient Ariconium. The rise to Lea affords a view of considerable interest backwards, extending as far as Graig Serrerthin in Monmouthshire.

Lea Church stands beside the road, and possesses a remarkable font of Indian workmanship inlaid with mosaic. The base represents an elephant, from which springs a twisted, snake-like column supporting the basin. Nearly two miles to the south of the road lies the village of Mitcheldean. The Early English spire of the church is occasionally seen through the trees, as it stands upon high ground.

A number of sharp turns now occur, and the rise to Dursley Cross is a steady one. The road is good, and a splendid view may be obtained from the summit, which is 500 feet above sea-level. A long descent eventually leads to Huntley, lying upon the lowlands which surround Gloucester. After crossing the Severn, the ruins of Llanthony Abbey can be seen to the south. The whole of this comparatively level country is of the most beautiful description, covered with English homesteads nestling among orchards, which are quite exquisite in spring-time.

Town Plan No. 9—Gloucester.

GLOUCESTER

Gloucester, the Glevum of the Romans and the Glow Ceaster of the Saxons, lies in the centre of a broad valley, and possesses a history of no mean order. The Saxon kings made the place their residence, and in 681 founded a nunnery, which subsequently became a monastery and the nucleus of the present cathedral. Parliaments have been summoned in this city, and its connection with the Empress Matilda in the time of Stephen is well known. In the Civil War, Gloucester was on the side of the Parliament, and resisted a Royalist army in 1643—a regrettable fact, to which must be attributed the demolition of the city walls at the Restoration.

The Cathedral has dignified surroundings, and velvety turf runs up to the weather-stained masonry. The most prominent architecture to arrest the eye is the Perpendicular, of which, from the exterior, the cathedral appears mainly to consist, although Norman, Early English, and Decorated are all represented. The Perpendicular south porch is richly decorated, and possesses a parvise. Upon entering, the enormous Norman columns of the nave, standing closely together and towering upwards, at once fix the attention. The semicircular arches upon them appear small when compared with other cathedrals, while the triforium and clerestory are dwarfed and rendered comparatively unimportant. The zigzag and chevron work in the bays is of excellent character. The choir is pure Perpendicular and probably unsurpassed, and the glass in the large window is old and a grand example of medieval work. The bold and original idea of ornamenting comparatively plain Norman work with the delicate beauty of the Perpendicular has been carried out to the fullest perfection. The vaulting of the roof should be especially noted. The monument on the north of the choir, of Osric, King of Mercia, 729, was probably made about 1520. Next to it is the splendid monument of the unhappy Edward II., whose wasted career was terminated at Berkeley Castle, where he was murdered in 1377. Above the altar-tomb is a beautifully sculptured effigy of the King in alabaster, resting under a gorgeously elaborate canopy. It is interesting to remember that this tomb—one of the finest of the royal monuments in England—was put up to a vain and worthless King by his son and successor, whose reign helped to make the country prosperous, while the man whose memory is perpetuated in richly carved alabaster allowed his father (Edward I.), a great and courageous King, to rest under the five plain slabs of marble to be seen in Westminster Abbey. The recumbent effigy of Abbot Parker, last Abbot of Gloucester, should be noticed. The chantry, however, is a cenotaph.

The North and South Transepts are Norman, enriched with Perpendicular work. From these points the flying arches, added to relieve the strain on the piers supporting the central tower arches, are features of grace and beauty. The north and south choir aisles each possess a side-chapel, in one of which Robert, Duke of Normandy, lies. He died in 1134 in Cardiff Castle, after an imprisonment of twenty-six years. The Lady Chapel is of magnificent Perpendicular work. There are chapels also leading from the choir triforium, superimposed upon those below. The Crypt is Early Norman work. The Cloisters are the finest in England, the roof being vaulted with fan-tracery, said to be the earliest example. In the north walk of the cloisters is the lavatory, with a long trough at which the monks washed, still in a perfect state, while in the wall opposite is a place for the towels. In the south walk are twenty recesses where the monks studied or wrote. The whole of the windows in these cloisters are filled with stained glass. The Chapter-house is of plain Norman work, with the exception of one small portion. By its side is the abbot's cloister, over which is the chapter library, containing some manuscripts of great value.

Plan of Gloucester Cathedral.

Parts of Building.

Monuments.

The cathedral has a number of interesting ruins on the northern side. These include the remains of a Dominican monastery, founded in the ninth century and rebuilt in 1115, of which some arches and pillars remain. There are other buildings partially adapted for modern purposes.

Gloucester also possesses some churches of considerable interest, such as St. Mary de Lode, said to be the oldest in the city, with the Norman chancel and tower of the original building. In the churchyard stands a monument to Bishop Hooper, burnt alive on the spot in 1555. St. Mary de Crypt is of Early English workmanship, and derives its name from two large crypts beneath it. It stands in Southgate Street, and has a beautiful and lofty tower. St. Michael the Cross was rebuilt in 1815, but incorporates original Decorated work. It is said to have a connection with the ancient Abbey of St. Peter. The curfew bell is still rung from the tower every evening. St. Nicholas, in Westgate Street, also contains Norman and Early English work.

One of the greatest charms of Gloucester lies in the multiplicity of houses to be found which range in date from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century, and a ramble through the streets will disclose many besides those seen with a hurried glance. The New Inn, for example, despite its unpromising name, possesses a courtyard with surrounding gallery eminently medieval in every respect, and the feeling is not lessened by a descent into the adjoining vaults. It was built in 1450 by John Twining, a monk, for the accommodation of pilgrims to the shrine of Edward II. It may be of interest to note that the wood employed is chestnut. A fine old timbered house stands in Northgate Street, but has been refronted. A passage, however, affords a view at the side. There are many other examples of old domestic architecture to be found at the junctions of the four principal streets in the centre of the town, where, it may be mentioned, the Town Hall stands upon the site of the ancient Courts of Justice.

In selecting a motoring centre in this part of England, the writer has found Gloucester to be a very suitable one in every way. The Bell and County Hotel has a large garage, and combines in a very exceptional manner the charm of the old-fashioned English hostelry with the needs of the present day. Apart from the long routes described in these pages, there are many short runs from Gloucester to pretty villages in the Cotswolds and to historic spots, such as Berkeley Castle, Llanthony Abbey, Deerhurst Priory, and a dozen other places, which a local handbook will point out. Nearly all the important places in the neighbourhood are described in this book.