PLACES OF INTEREST ON THE ROUTE
Woodstock.—A little town, with a church containing several styles of architecture; Blenheim, the residence of the Dukes of Marlborough; the Column of Victory.
Long Compton.—The Rollright Stones, a prehistoric circle of importance.
Stratford-on-Avon.—Shakespeare's birthplace; the memorial; the church and its interesting monuments; New Place, the residence of the poet; the Grammar School; Guild Chapel; and Anne Hathaway's Cottage, 1 mile west.
Warwick.—A picturesque town, famous for its castle; St. Mary's Church and the Beauchamp Chapel and monuments; Lord Leycester's Hospital; the West Gate and various old houses.
Leamington.—A beautiful spa; the Jephson Gardens.
Guy's Cliffe.—An exquisitely-situated country house.
Kenilworth.—A little town, containing half-timbered houses; the ruins of the famous castle; the church, chiefly Decorated; the remains of the Priory.
Coventry.—A fairly large town; St. Michael's, an exceedingly fine parish church; Holy Trinity Church; St. Mary's Hall, a fourteenth-century guild-hall; St. John's Church; the Bablake Hospital; Peeping Tom; Ford's Hospital.
Long Itchington.—Interesting fourteenth-century church.
Southam.—A town without much interest.
Banbury.—A little Oxfordshire town, famed for its cross and its cakes; but the cross is modern, and so is the church.
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Loop 8. OXFORD TO COVENTRY.
There are two main roads running to Woodstock from Oxford, lying parallel to each other; the western one should be selected. It passes through a well-wooded country, part of the valleys of the Thames and Evenlode rivers. Upon reaching Woodstock, Blenheim Palace claims attention, with the entrance to the park lying upon the left. The house was built at the public expense in 1715 as a national recognition of the services of the Duke of Marlborough. It was designed by Vanbrugh, and is of a heavy Renaissance character. The interior decorations and the treasures preserved in it are of an exceedingly interesting nature. (It is open to the public every day, except Saturdays and Sundays, between 11 and 1, and the gardens from 11 to 2. Tickets 1s. each.) The park contains the site of the old Manor-house of Woodstock, which is supposed to have stood upon the foundations of a Roman villa; it was a royal residence of the Saxon kings. Here Alfred the Great translated Boethius, and King Ethelred published his code of laws. Woodstock was the scene of the courtship of Henry II. and Rosamund Clifford, whose birthplace was Clifford Castle (see [p. 175]). Queen Elizabeth was a prisoner for a time in the old manor-house, and it endured a siege from the Parliamentarians, finally disappearing in 1723.
WOODSTOCK
This little town sprang into existence solely in consequence of the proximity of the royal seat. The Church of St. Mary Magdalene is of Norman date, but much restoration has taken place. The south aisle is Early English, and contains part of a Norman doorway. The chancel and north aisle are Decorated, while the west porch and west tower are Perpendicular. There are many monuments of interest in the church.
Soon after leaving Woodstock the Column of Victory is prominent on the left, where the ancient course of the Akeman Street, coming from Cirencester, is crossed, and shortly afterwards Grim's Dyke occurs, one of the many Grim's Dykes that are found in England.
Near Enstone is a cromlech, called the 'Hoarstone,' and soon afterwards a turning to the left leads to
CHIPPING NORTON
This is a quiet little town, devoted to the manufacture of woollen goods, and especially horse-cloths. The 'Chipping' is derived from the same root as 'Chepe,' a market. In the church the chief objects of interest are some fourteenth-century brasses, which, however, suffered very much in a restoration some forty years since, when they were wrenched from their matrices and thrown into the parvise. Of the castle which once stood here nothing remains.
Between Chipping Norton and Long Compton, at Great Rollright, are the well-known Rollright Stones, consisting of a prehistoric circle of standing stones and a cromlech. They are sixty in number, and lie about 500 yards to the left of the main road. After passing the stiff descent into Long Compton, a good surface is found to Shipstone-on-Stour, although the road is second class; but beyond that town a first-class road lies up the valley of the Stour to Stratford-on-Avon. At Alderminster tram-lines commence, which reach to Stratford, and a short distance beyond, Atherstone-on-Stour is passed, where formerly stood a monastery of mendicant friars. The scenery, meanwhile, has been gradually assuming the characteristics which distinguish the beautiful county of Warwick—luxurious hedgerows, gently-flowing streams, red loam in the fields contrasting with the varying shades of green. The half-timbered houses and cottages introduce another pleasant feature into the landscape.
STRATFORD-ON-AVON
This far-famed country town on the banks of the Avon presents a general appearance of prosperity, the well-built houses, wide streets, and prevailing aspect of cleanliness giving this impression. Everything in the town, however, lapses into insignificance in face of the paramount interest attaching to the town as the birthplace of Shakespeare. Whether the 'Bard of Avon' was nothing more than an Elizabethan play-actor or the author of the plays now so widely attributed to the great scholar and statesman, Francis Bacon, is a question which now cools the spirit of devotion of many a pilgrim; but however keen a Baconian may be the visitor to Stratford, he cannot fail to appreciate the charm of the carefully-restored Elizabethan houses associated with Shakespeare.
Shakespeare's Birthplace is in Henley Street, a half-timbered, unpretentious house of two rooms and a kitchen on the ground-floor, with the room overhead in which he was born. The adjoining cottage has been converted into a museum, in which documents and relics bearing in a direct or remote manner with the poet—and some, it must be confessed, are very remote—are preserved. The birthplace was in possession of the members of the family for two centuries after the death of Shakespeare in 1616; in 1847 it was purchased by subscription for £3,000 and carefully restored. (Admission 1s.—6d. for the birthroom and 6d. for the museum.)
The Town Hall is in the High Street; on the front is a statue of Shakespeare, presented by Garrick.
New Place stood close by, but of the house occupied by the poet during the last nineteen years of his life there is nothing left but the site. In it lived Dr. Hall, who married Shakespeare's daughter Susannah. The house was pulled down in 1702 by Sir John Clopton, and the new building on its site, together with the famous mulberry-tree, were destroyed by the Rev. Francis Gastrell in 1759, 'because he was pestered by visitors'! In 1861 the site of New Place and its gardens were purchased by public subscription. A Shakespeare Library and Museum have been established there, open daily except Saturday and Sunday; admission 6d. On Saturday the Gardens are free.
STRATFORD-ON-AVON.
Holy Trinity Church contains the tomb of Shakespeare.
At the opposite corner, Chapel Lane, stands the Grammar School, founded in 1553, where the poet is reputed to have been educated. It is a delightful old timber-framed house standing near the Guild Chapel, a Perpendicular building which is conspicuous in the High Street.
The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre occupies a pleasant position on the banks of the Avon. The old theatre was demolished in 1872, and the present building erected at a cost of £30,000.
The Parish Church, of Early English and Perpendicular architecture, is a fine cruciform building standing on the site of an early Saxon monastery. In Edward III.'s reign John de Stratford rebuilt the south aisle and erected a chantry for priests. In 1351 Ralph de Stratford built a chapel for the latter, now known as the College. The beautiful choir dates from the time of Dean Balshall (1465). Shakespeare's monument is on the left side of the chancel; the door there formerly led to the charnel-house, and the grave is near the monument under a flat stone, upon which is the oft-quoted verse said to have been written by Shakespeare. Between this spot and the north wall is buried his widow, who died in 1623, while those of relatives lie near, such as Susannah, the eldest daughter, and her husband, Dr. Hall, and Thomas Nashe, who married Shakespeare's only granddaughter. (Admission to the church 6d.)
Anne Hathaway's Cottage is at Shottery, a mile west of Stratford, divided since the poet's time into three tenements. The room where Anne was born is shown.
Charlecote Park lies about four miles north-east of Stratford. It is famous for its hall, erected in 1547 by Sir Thomas Lucy upon the capital E plan, and was visited by Queen Elizabeth. Here also is the reputed site of Shakespeare's deer-shooting escapades.
The main road to Warwick lies through a beautifully-wooded country, rich in pleasant views of hill and dale. Clopton Tower is on the left shortly after leaving.
The tower of Barford Church can be seen two miles off to the right of the main road; it was rebuilt in the last century, except the tower, which retains the marks of Cromwellian cannon-balls.
Sherbourne is near at hand. The church is modern, and of fine design.
Town Plan No. 13—Warwick.
WARWICK
It has been asserted that the history of Warwick is the history of England, and certain it is that the ancient town has been involved in the majority of the great events which have helped to make the national record. In those stirring events Warwick Castle has played no mean part, and is still the glory of the town and county. It is undoubtedly the most magnificent of the ancient feudal mansions still used as a residence, and its grand position upon a crag overlooking the Avon has accentuated its imposing grandeur in no mean degree. Its chief features are Cæsar's Tower and Guy's Tower, of the fourteenth century, and the Gateway Tower in the centre. The residential apartments and the Great Hall suffered in the fire of 1871, but have been rebuilt. Both the castle and the contents teem with interest. (Open to visitors as a rule; no fixed fee. Tickets obtained at small cottage opposite Castle Lodge, Castle Hill.)
St. Mary's Church is one of the most interesting ecclesiastical buildings in the country. A Saxon church stood upon the site, and a later building was made collegiate by Earl Roger de Newburgh. It was granted to the town as a parish church at the Dissolution. The central object of interest is the famous Beauchamp Chapel, 1443 to 1464, one of the best examples extant of Perpendicular architecture bordering upon the Tudor, and showing occasionally traces of incipient Renaissance. Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, Regent of France, and guardian of Edward VI., lies buried here, and his effigy in bronze, the finest in existence of that nature, lies in the centre of the chapel. Against the north wall is the magnificent monument of the famous Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester—splendid in life and sumptuous in death. Two small ante-chapels are seen—one is probably a chantry. In the chancel lie Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, and his second Countess, both of whom died in 1370; their effigies of white marble, with many 'weepers' round the pedestal, are of great interest.
Lord Leycester's Hospital.—There are but few places in England where such a picturesque and impressive grouping of old timbered houses may be seen; antique gables and eaves, richly-carved beams and mysterious recesses; overhanging stories and twisted chimneys, with an old gateway and a church tower thrown in—it forms a gem of which any city might be proud. The Hospital was originally a hall of the Guilds; in 1571 the Earl founded it for the reception of twelve poor men, who still wear the bear and ragged staff as a cognizance. Many half-timbered houses and quaint old-world nooks remain in Warwick to delight the eye of the artist and the antiquary, especially near the castle.
Town Plan No. 14—Leamington.
LEAMINGTON
A little over a mile separates Warwick from the Royal Leamington Spa, a beautiful garden city, which has sprung into existence by reason of the discovery of the efficacy possessed by the mineral waters in 1784. Until that period it was a small village called Leamington Priors. The chief springs are saline and sulphuretted saline.
The Jephson Gardens are beautifully placed on the north bank of the River Leam, and form one of the chief centres of attraction, and the Royal Pump Room Gardens face the river on the other side of the bridge. As might be expected from such a modern town, there are no objects of antiquity to describe. Returning to Warwick, the road to Guy's Cliff is taken, running due north, and the entrance-lodge occurs in about a mile. A fine view of the house is obtained from this point on looking up the avenue of majestic firs; it was built in 1822, succeeding a small country mansion, and is in the possession of Lord Algernon Percy. Situated upon a cliff with a wide part of the river beneath, it forms a singularly beautiful picture. (It is only shown to visitors when the family is absent.)
The Chapel adjoins the mansion on the east, and contains a figure of Guy, Earl of Warwick, dating from the fourteenth century. Guy's Lane is near the chapel.
The Mill was built in 1821, and occupies the site of one dating as far back as Saxon times.
Guy of Warwick is a mythical personage, and the romance mentioning his deeds dates from the thirteenth century. In the fifteenth century, when the age of chivalry and romance was at its zenith, Guy was treated in the same manner as King Arthur, and all kinds of doughty deeds were attributed to him by the romancers.
Blacklow Hill stands half a mile farther on to the left of the road. It is surmounted by a cross, erected in 1821 to commemorate the execution in 1312 of Piers Gaveston. At Gloucester, the tomb of Edward II., who, like his favourite, came to a tragic end, has been mentioned.
KENILWORTH
The Castle is the centre of attraction, although there are some good examples of half-timbered cottages to be seen in the long street of the little town. The fortress was in ancient times one of the strongest in England, as it afforded accommodation for a large garrison, and by reason of the lake and broad moats filled with water—now disappeared—it was almost impregnable. Numerous roads converged towards it as the centre of England, and for many years it was a royal residence. The Keep was built about 1170, and is a splendid example of military architecture of the late Norman period. It is square, with a projecting rectangle, and turrets at the corners. The walls at the base are 14 feet thick. The Garden, celebrated in Scott's novel, lay upon the north side of the keep. South of the keep occur Leicester's Buildings, with fourteenth-century kitchens and other offices between. By the side of the Great Hall was the Strong Tower, called Mervyn's Tower by Scott. Mortimer's Tower is isolated to the south-east; the cutting through the great dam which restrained the waters of the lake occurred here. The tilt-yard lay upon the top of the dam. Beyond the Great Lake was the Chase, and the circuit of the castle, manor, parks and other lands, was about twenty miles. Many historical names are associated with Kenilworth—the Clintons, Simon de Montfort, John of Gaunt, and Robert Dudley, who entertained Queen Elizabeth for seventeen days, and spent a fortune in doing so. The castle was dismantled and the lake drained in the time of the Commonwealth.
FORD'S HOSPITAL, COVENTRY.
A late fifteenth century almshouse enriched with much elaborate carving.
The Church lies east of the castle. The tower and nave are of Decorated work, but a Norman doorway has been inserted in the west side of the tower, taken, probably, from the Priory.
The Priory stood close to the church; it was founded about 1122 by Geoffrey de Clinton, and richly endowed. The remains of a gatehouse may be seen, and also some exposed foundations of the walls of the church.
On leaving Kenilworth for Coventry a stretch of moorland extends upon the right hand, on which are two mounds with the usual fosses around the summits, denoting British hill-forts. Beyond this the road begins to assume that characteristic which has made the way from Kenilworth to Coventry renowned as 'one of the two finest roads in England'—needless to say, the other road is from Coventry to Kenilworth—a magnificent avenue with broad strips of greensward lying on either side, and glimpses of splendid Warwickshire scenery between the boles, justify the foregoing descriptions.
Two miles from Kenilworth is Gibbet Hill, the erection upon which has now gone, but was used last in 1765 for the execution of two murderers. Crossing Stivichall Common, with its triple array of oak-trees on either side the road, the Coventry Grammar School buildings are passed upon the left, and the 'City of the Three Spires' is entered.
Town Plan No. 15—Coventry.
COVENTRY
The city derives its name from Conventre, or Convent Town, in recognition of the Benedictine monastery erected by Leofric and Godiva in 1043. The well-known legend connected with these famous personages need only be referred to here. Gosford Green, outside the town, was the scene of the historical encounter between the Dukes of Hereford and Norfolk in the reign of Richard II., which had such momentous results. Many Parliaments have been held in the town, and it was famous for the great number of religious communities which during the medieval period were lodged in the town. The ancient fortifications were dismantled in the time of Charles II. as a punishment for the Commonwealth tendencies of the citizens.
St. Michael's Church, a 'masterpiece of art,' and one of the finest parish churches in England, stands in the centre of the city. It is in the Perpendicular style, and has been recently restored. The spire is 303 feet high, and was begun in 1372; flying buttresses of great elegance support the tower. The oldest part of the church is the south porch, with a parvise over it. The chapels belonging to the various guilds in the town still retain their old names. There are many effigies, but none of great antiquity.
Holy Trinity Church is adjacent to St. Michael's. The date of foundation is unknown; the style is late Early English, and the work by the north porch dates from c. 1259. The porch has a domus, or priest's chamber, over it. There are several chapels in the church devoted to the city guilds. The foundations and remains noticed on the north side of the church are those of the west front of the cathedral, built about 1260 upon a preceding Norman foundation. It was the Priory Church of the monastery founded by Leofric, and was demolished at the Reformation.
St. Mary's Hall, near St. Michael's, was begun in 1394, and belonged to three guilds. It is of very great interest, and should on no account be passed by. The great hall, crypt, tapestry, ancient glass windows, and knaves' post, are all objects worthy of attention, while the building generally is a vivid reminder of medieval life and feeling.
Bablake Hospital, founded in 1560, is close to St. John's Church, and presents some picturesque examples of half-timber construction with quaint gables.
Peeping Tom is a prominent feature of the King's Head Hotel in Smithford Street, and Ford's Hospital, down Greyfriar's Lane, possesses an extremely fine façade and a charming timbered court rich in carved oak and diamond-paned windows.
The road to Southam and Banbury leaves Coventry as the London Road, and about two miles to the south Whitley Abbey is reached, formerly the seat of Lord Hood, son of the famous Admiral. In Whitley Abbey Charles I. resided while conducting operations against Coventry in 1622. On Whitley Common are traces of earthworks thrown up by the Royalists. Baginton, lying about two miles to the right, contains the remains of an ancient castle. Shortly after Whitley the road divides, the one going to Southam being that upon the right. A turning shortly afterwards at the cross-roads leads to the well-known Stoneleigh Abbey, lying five miles to the west, the site of a former castle and of a subsequent foundation for Cistercian monks, which was dispossessed at the Reformation. Some remains of the castle exist, but the present building is an imposing range of buildings in the classic style, and forms, with the grounds, one of the most splendid country homes in the kingdom. It is the seat of Lord Leigh.
Long Itchington has some fine half-timbered houses, and is a picturesque village. The Church was rebuilt in the fourteenth century by the Priors of Maxstoke. In the eighteenth century the spire was damaged by lightning; hence its present truncated appearance. The aisle is part of the original church, and is Early English except the doorway, which dates from the Norman period. There are some very interesting details to be found in the interior, notably the chancel screen, which is an extremely rare example of early fourteenth-century woodwork. St. Wolstan, the last of the Saxon Bishops, was a native of this place. Long Itchington was honoured by two visits from Queen Elizabeth during her progresses to Kenilworth. Two miles farther on is Southam, of no particular interest, although the church may perhaps repay a casual inspection. The road lies through a pleasant district, essentially Midland in its general aspects, but near the road turning off to Fenny Compton higher ground is reached. Cropredy, where the battle was fought in 1644, is one and a half miles to the east by the turning close to Mollington.
BANBURY
Banbury is chiefly known by reason of its cross and its cakes. The former has been destroyed, but a replica exists upon the site. It is a small borough of about 4,000 inhabitants, and was formerly a notable place for the manufacture of plush, but now produces agricultural implements and portable engines. A castle was built here in 1125, but it was entirely destroyed in the Civil War. The moat, however, may still be traced. In 1469 the common men of Yorkshire, to the number of about 16,000, marched to Banbury under the leadership of 'Robin of Redesdale,' and captured the Earl of Pembroke, after inflicting a defeat upon him on the borders of Oxford. A college and hospital formerly existed in the town. The church is of comparatively modern construction, having been thoroughly rebuilt about a century ago.
Leaving Banbury, the little village of Adderbury possesses a church the chancel of which was built by William of Wykeham. Passing the Astons, North, Mid, and Steeple, we come to the junction of roads leading respectively to Woodstock and Oxford, and at this point a Roman road—the Akeman Street—crosses the route, running between Cirencester and Bicester. In the course of a few miles the outlying portions of Oxford appear in view.
MAGDALEN TOWER AND BRIDGE, OXFORD.