We won to the West by no known route, but followed the inclinations of irresponsible tourists, with a strong disinclination for martyrdom on dusty highways and in uninteresting places. This, too, is explanatory of our taking the train at certain points and our long lingering at others. If, unwittingly or by intent, I have here or there in these pages dropped into history, I beg your pardon, I’m sure; for all I intended was to show you personal impressions in two media, pictures and prose.
CHARLES G. HARPER.
London, October 1893.
CONTENTS
| [I.] | |
| PAGES | |
| Leaving London—The Spirit of the Silly Season—An Unimportant Residuum—The Direct Road—And the Indirect—To Richmond by Boat | [1–5] |
| [II.] | |
| Radical Richmond and its Royal Memories—The Poets’ Chorus—The Social Degradation implied by Tea and Shrimps—No Water at Richmond | [6–9] |
| [III.] | |
| Rural Petersham—The Monuments of Petersham Church—Ham House—Beer, Beauty, and the Peerage—The Earls of Dysart and their Curious Preferment—Village Hampdens and Litigation—Ham and the Cabal—Horace Walpole and his Trumpery Ghosts—Kingston—The Dusty Pother anent Coway Stakes—The Author “drops the Subject”—The King’s Stone—The Reader is referred to the Surrey Archæological Society, and the Tourists pursue their Journey—The Philosophy of the Thames—To Shepperton | [9–17] |
| [IV.] | |
| Windsor and Eton—The Terrific Keate—Persuasions of Sorts—Bray and its Most Admirable Vicar—Taplow Bridge—Boulter’s Lock—Cookham | [17–23] |
| [V.] | |
| An Indignant Man—Advantages of Indignation and a Furious Manner—Al fresco Meals—Medmenham Abbey—Those unkind Topographers—The Hell Fire Club—From Hambledon to Henley | [23–28] |
| [VI.] | |
| Regatta Island—Its Shoddy Temple—The Preposterous Naiads and River Nymphs of the Eighteenth Century Poets—Those Improper Creatures v. County Councils—A Poignant Individual—Mary Blandy, the Slow Poisoner | [28–33] |
| [VII.] | |
| Picturesque Wargrave—The Loddon River and Patricksbourne—Sonning—A Typical Riverside Inn—Filthy Kennet Side—Reading to Basingstoke | [33–35] |
| [VIII.] | |
| Hampshire Characteristics—White of Selborne as a Vandal—Holy Ghost Chapel | [35–38] |
| [IX.] | |
| A Dreary Road—Micheldever—Hampshire Literary Lights—The Worthies—“Johēs Kent de Redying” | [38–41] |
| [X.] | |
| Winchester—The City Lamps—The Cathedral—Saint Swithun | [41–48] |
| [XI.] | |
| Wykeham—The Renaissance in the Cathedral—The Puritans—Winchester Castles, Royal and Episcopal—A Graceless Corporation—The Military—Saint Catherine’s Hill | [48–55] |
| [XII.] | |
| A Literary Transfiguration—Wyke—An Unique Brass—The Romance of Lainston—Sparsholt | [56–59] |
| [XIII.] | |
| A Rustic Symposium | [60–64] |
| [XIV.] | |
| Camping-out of Necessity—The Tramp en amateur—Soapless Britons—The Livelong Day | [64–65] |
| [XV.] | |
| Restoration at Romsey—Prout justified—An Unsportsmanlike Palmerston | [66–68] |
| [XVI.] | |
| The New Forest—The Woodman’s Axe—The coming Social Storm—Lyndhurst—Brockenhurst—Avon Water | [68–74] |
| [XVII.] | |
| A Superior Pedestrian—Christchurch—An Enigmatical Epitaph | [74–76] |
| [XVIII.] | |
| Bournemouth—The Interesting Invalid—Languorous Romances—Bournemouth, the Paradise of the Unbeneficed | [76–79] |
| [XIX.] | |
| Our Encounter with an American | [79–81] |
| [XX.] | |
| By the Sea to North Haven—Studland—Our Coldest Welcome at an Inn—To Swanage | [82–83] |
| [XXI.] | |
| The Isle of Purbeck—Purbeck Marble—Domesticated Swanage—The Rush for Ground-rents | [83–86] |
| [XXII.] | |
| Corfe—Corfe Castle—Those Ubiquitous Roundheads | [86–88] |
| [XXIII.] | |
| Lulworth Castle—The Dorset Coast—Osmington | [88–90] |
| [XXIV.] | |
| Weymouth and George the Third—An Old-time Jubilee—A Gorgeous Individual—Railways and Derivatives—Hotel Snobbery | [91–93] |
| [XXV.] | |
| Abbotsbury—The Abbey Ruins—Saint Catherine’s Chapel—Historic Wessex—The Chesil Beach—West Bay, Bridport—A Hilly Country | [93–97] |
| [XXVI.] | |
| Chideock—One who fared at Dead of Night—Early Rising | [97–99] |
| [XXVII.] | |
| Charmouth—Concerning Rainy Days by the Sounding Sea—The Devon Borders—A Humorous Wheelman | [99–101] |
| [XXVIII.] | |
| Axminster—The Battle of Brunenburgh—The “Book of Remembrance”—Axminster Carpets | [102–104] |
| [XXIX.] | |
| Drakes of Ashe—Axmouth—The Fearful Joys of the Day-tripper—Seaton | [105–107] |
| [XXX.] | |
| Exeter, a Busy City—Richard the Third—A Chivalric Myth—Northernhay—The Cathedral: Black but Comely—St. Mary Steps | [108–111] |
| [XXXI.] | |
| The Suburb of Saint Thomas—Alphington—Exminster | [112–116] |
| [XXXII.] | |
| A Grotesque Saint—The Pious Editor | [116–118] |
| [XXXIII.] | |
| Beside the Exe to Powderham—The Courtenays—The Atmospheric Railway | [118–120] |
| [XXXIV.] | |
| Starcross and its Aspirations—The Warren—Langstone Point—Mount Pleasant—The Limitations of Dawlish | [120–124] |
| [XXXV.] | |
| The Legend of the Parson and Clerk | [124–127] |
| [XXXVI.] | |
| Teignmouth—The Sad Tale of the Market House—Doleful Ratepayers—Teignmouth Harbour—Devon Weather—Society—To Shaldon | [127–133] |
| [XXXVII.] | |
| The (more or less) True Story of an Artist—Labrador Tea-gardens—Peripatetic Organ-grinders—The Author’s Indignation moves him poetically—And he reflects upon Comic Songs | [133–137] |
| [XXXVIII.] | |
| Devon Combes—Maidencombe—Where the Devil died of the Cold—Who was Anstey, of Anstey’s Cove?—“Thomas” of Anstey’s | [137–140] |
| [XXXIX.] | |
| Torquay—Still growing—The Witchery of Tor Bay Scenery—Charter Day—Napoleon on board the “Billy Ruffian” | [140–144] |
| [XL.] | |
| Teutonic Paignton—Thoughts on German Bands—The Present Author loves a Comely Falsehood, but destroys a Lying Tradition—Berry Pomeroy and the Seymours | [144–149] |
| [XLI.] | |
| Totnes—Brutus the Trojan—“Oliver, by the Grace of God”—To Dartmouth | [149–153] |
| [XLII.] | |
| Down the Dart—Nautical Terms | [153–154] |
| [XLIII.] | |
| Dartmouth—Castles of Dartmouth and Kingswear—Fighting the Foreigner—An Unrestored Church—Paternal Government | [154–159] |
| [XLIV.] | |
| Dittisham and the Dart—Tea at Dittisham, and so “Home” | [159–162] |
| [XLV.] | |
| Stoke Fleming—A Country Coach—Slapton Sands—To Kingsbridge | [163–165] |
| [XLVI.] | |
| Kingsbridge—Its one Literary Celebrity—“Peter Pindar” upon his Barn—Kingsbridge Grammar School | [165–171] |
| [XLVII.] | |
| Salcombe River—Voyage to Salcombe—Hotel hunting—Salcombe Shops—The Castle | [171–176] |
| [XLVIII.] | |
| Voyage to Plymouth—The Tourists are Extremely Ill—Land at last—The Hoe and its Memorials—Politics and Patriotism—The Hamoaze—Saltash | [176–183] |
| [XLIX.] | |
| An Old Author on the Characteristics of Cornwall—Saint Budeaux—The Three Towns—Stained Glass extraordinary | [184–187] |
| [L.] | |
| Antony—Richard Carew: a Seventeenth Century Poet—The Tourists are entreated despitefully, and quarrel | [187–190] |
| [LI.] | |
| Carew’s Epitaph at Antony—Downderry | [191–192] |
| [LII.] | |
| A Lovely Valley, a Moorland Stream, and what befell there | [193–195] |
| [LIII.] | |
| Looe—Stage-like Picturesqueness—Hotel Visitors’ Books | [195–201] |
| [LIV.] | |
| Talland—Humorous Memorials of the Dead—Epitaph on a Smuggler—“John Bevyll of Kyllygath”—A Notable Devil-queller | [201–207] |
| [LV.] | |
| The Road to Polperro—The “Three Pilchards” Inn—Saturday Night at Polperro—John Wesley’s Experiences of that Place | [207–213] |
| [LVI.] | |
| Lanteglos-juxta-Fowey—A Cornish Cross—Polruan—Again the Comic Song!—Fowey—Tourists’ Lumber | [214–218] |
| [LVII.] | |
| Par: a Cornish Seaport | [219–220] |
| [LVIII.] | |
| An Old-time Adventure—Deserted Mining Fields—Saint Austell | [220–225] |
| [LIX.] | |
| By Carrier’s Cart to Mevagissey—John Taylor, the “Water Poet,” on his Adventure there—Exceptional Britons | [225–228] |
| [LX.] | |
| Mevagissey—Gorran Haven—The Inhospitable Hamlet of Saint Michael Caerhayes—In the Dark to Veryan—Hospitality of the Village Inn | [228–234] |
| [LXI.] | |
| Treworlas—Philleigh by the Fal—Truro City—Truro Cathedral | [234–239] |
| [LXII.] | |
| A “Lift” to Redruth—Local Tales—Saint Day—Redruth—The Tourists are taken for “Hactors,” and are sorrowfully obliged to disclaim the Honour | [239–242] |
| [LXIII.] | |
| A Rainy Day—Available Literature of the Hotel—The Cornishman and the Church—Cornish Livings | [242–245] |
| [LXIV.] | |
| Cam Brea—The Disillusionments of Exploration—Pool v. Poole—Dolcoath Mine—Squalid Camborne | [246–249] |
| [LXV.] | |
| The Hamlet of Barrepper—Cornish Names—Marazion | [249–252] |
| [LXVI.] | |
| Alverton—Mount’s Bay—Penzance—German Band-itti—Pellew’s Birthplace—Saint Michael’s Mount, and the Loyal Saint Aubyns—The Newlyn School—Bridges, Potsherds, and Old Boots | [252–262] |
| [LXVII.] | |
| To Land’s End—Saint Buryan—The First and Last House in England | [262–268] |
| [LXVIII.] | |
| Home again | [268–269] |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
