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.