| PAGE |
| [The George Inn, Norton St. Philip, Somerset] | Frontispiece |
| [Canopy over Doorway of Buckingham House, Portsmouth] | Title page |
| [Rural Tenements, Capel, Surrey] | 4 |
| [Detail of Seventeenth-century Table in Milton's Cottage, Chalfont St. Giles] | 6 |
| [Seventeenth-century Trophy] | 9 |
| [Old Shop, formerly standing in Cliffe High Street, Lewes] | 12 |
| [Paradise Square, Banbury] | 14 |
| [Norden's Chart of the River Ore and Suffolk Coast] | 19 |
| [Disused Mooring-post on bank of the Rother, Rye] | 24 |
| [Old Houses built on the Town Wall, Rye] | 30 |
| [Bootham Bar, York] | 33 |
| [Half-timbered House with early Fifteenth-century Doorway, King's Lynn, Norfolk] | 37 |
| [The "Bone Tower," Town Walls, Great Yarmouth] | 41 |
| [Row No. 83, Great Yarmouth] | 43 |
| [The Old Jetty, Gorleston] | 45 |
| [Tudor House, Ipswich, near the Custom House] | 46 |
| [Three-gabled House, Fore Street, Ipswich] | 47 |
| ["Melia's Passage," York] | 49 |
| [Detail of Half-timbered House in High Street, Shrewsbury] | 53 |
| [Tower on the Town Wall, Shrewsbury] | 56 |
| [House that the Earl of Richmond stayed in before the Battle of Bosworth. Shrewsbury] | 59 |
| [Old Houses formerly standing in Spon Street, Coventry] | 61 |
| [West Street, Rye] | 63 |
| [Monogram and Inscription in the Mermaid Inn, Rye] | 65 |
| [Inscription in the Mermaid Inn, Rye] | 66 |
| [Relic of Lynn Siege in Hampton Court, King's Lynn] | 68 |
| [Hampton Court, King's Lynn, Norfolk] | 69 |
| [Mill Street, Warwick] | 71 |
| [Tudor Tenements, New Inn Hall Street, Oxford (now demolished)] | 73 |
| [Gothic Corner-post. The Half Moon Inn, Ipswich] | 75 |
| [Timber-built House, Shrewsbury] | 76 |
| [Missbrook Farm, Capel, Surrey] | 79 |
| [Cottage at Capel, Surrey] | 81 |
| [Farm-house, Horsmonden, Kent] | 82 |
| [Seventeenth-century Cottages, Stow Langtoft, Suffolk] | 83 |
| [The "Fish House," Littleport, Cambs.] | 85 |
| [Sixteenth-century Cottage, formerly standing in Upper Deal, Kent] | 86 |
| [Gable, Upper Deal, Kent] | 87 |
| [A Portsmouth "Row"] | 89 |
| [Lich-gate, Chalfont St. Giles, Bucks] | 90 |
| [Fifteenth-century Handle on Church Door, Monk's Risborough, Bucks] | 91 |
| [Weather-boarded Houses, Crown Street, Portsmouth] | 95 |
| [Inscription on Font, Parish Church, Burford, Oxon] | 97 |
| [Detail of Fifteenth-century Barge-board, Burford, Oxon] | 98 |
| [The George Inn, Burford, Oxon] | 99 |
| [Maldon, Essex. Sky-line of the High Street at twilight] | 103 |
| [St. Mary's Church, Maldon] | 104 |
| [Norman Clamp on door of Heybridge Church, Essex] | 105 |
| [Tudor Fire-place. Now walled up in the passage of a shop in Banbury] | 106 |
| [Cottages in Witney Street, Burford, Oxon] | 109 |
| [Burgh Castle, Suffolk] | 113 |
| [Caister Castle, Norfolk] | 127 |
| [Defaced Arms, Taunton Castle] | 128 |
| [Knightly Basinet (temp. Henry V) in Norwich Castle] | 132 |
| [Saxon Doorway in St. Lawrence's Church, Bradford-on-Avon, Wilts.] | 143 |
| [St. George's Church, Great Yarmouth] | 149 |
| [Carving on Rood-screen, Alcester Church, Warwick] | 158 |
| [Fourteenth-century Coffer in Faversham Church, Kent] | 161 |
| [Flanders Chest in East Dereham Church, Norfolk, temp. Henry VIII] | 163 |
| [Reversed Rose carved on "Miserere" in Norwich Cathedral] | 165 |
| [Oak Panelling. Wainscot of Fifteenth Century, with addition circa late Seventeenth Century, fitted on to it in angle of room in the Church House, Goudhurst, Kent] | 167 |
| [Section of Mouldings of Cornice on Panelling, the Church House, Goudhurst] | 168 |
| [The Wardrobe House, the Close, Salisbury] | 169 |
| [Chimney at Compton Wynyates] | 175 |
| [Window-catch, Brockhall, Northants] | 176 |
| [Gothic Chimney, Norton St. Philip, Somerset] | 177 |
| [The Moat, Crowhurst Place, Surrey] | 179 |
| [Arms of the Gaynesfords in window, Crowhurst Place, Surrey] | 181 |
| [Cupboard Hinge, Crowhurst Place, Surrey] | 182 |
| [Fixed Bench in the hall, Crowhurst Place, Surrey] | 183 |
| [Gothic Door-head, Goudhurst, Kent] | 184 |
| [Knightly Basinet (temp. Henry V) in Norwich Castle] | 185 |
| [Hilt of Thirteenth-century Sword in Norwich Museum] | 185 |
| ["Hand-and-a-half" Sword. Mr. Seymour Lucas, R.A.] | 186 |
| [Seventeenth-century Boot, in the possession of Ernest Crofts, Esq., R.A.] | 186 |
| [Chapel de Fer at Ockwells, Berks] | 187 |
| [Tudor Dresser Table, in the possession of Sir Alfred Dryden, Canon's Ashby, Northants] | 191 |
| [Seventeenth-century Powder-horn, found in the wall of an old house at Glastonbury. Now in Glastonbury Museum] | 193 |
| [Seventeenth-century Spy-glass in Taunton Museum] | 194 |
| [Fourteenth-century Flagon. From an old Manor House in Norfolk] | 195 |
| [Elizabethan Chest, in the possession of Sir Coleridge Grove, K.C.B.] | 197 |
| [Staircase Newel, Cromwell House, Highgate] | 199 |
| [Piece of Wood Carved with Inscription. Found with a sword (temp. Charles II) in an old house at Stoke-under-Ham, Somerset] | 200 |
| [Seventeenth-century Water-clock, in Norwich Museum] | 201 |
| [Sun-dial. The Manor House, Sutton Courtenay] | 202 |
| [Half-timber Cottages, Waterside, Evesham] | 209 |
| [Quarter Jacks over the Clock on exterior of north wall of Wells Cathedral] | 215 |
| [The Gate House, Bishop's Palace, Well] | 217 |
| [House in which Bishop Hooper was imprisoned, Westgate Street, Gloucester] | 219 |
| [The "Stone House," Rye, Sussex] | 221 |
| [Fifteenth-century House, Market Place, Evesham] | 224 |
| [Fifteenth-century House, Market Place, Evesham] | 225 |
| [Fifteenth-century House in Cowl Street, Evesham] | 226 |
| [Half-timber House, Alcester, Warwick] | 227 |
| [Half-timber House at Alcester] | 228 |
| [The Wheelwrights' Arms, Warwick] | 233 |
| [Entrance to the Reindeer Inn, Banbury] | 235 |
| [The Shoulder of Mutton Inn, King's Lynn] | 237 |
| [A Quaint Gable, the Bell Inn, Stilton] | 243 |
| [The Bell Inn, Stilton] | 245 |
| [The "Briton's Arms," Norwich] | 247 |
| [The Dolphin Inn, Heigham, Norwich] | 249 |
| [Shield and Monogram on doorway of the Dolphin Inn, Heigham] | 250 |
| [Staircase Newel at the Dolphin Inn] | 250 |
| [The Falstaff Inn, Canterbury] | 251 |
| [The Bear and Ragged Staff Inn, Tewkesbury] | 253 |
| [Fire-place in the George Inn, Norton St. Philip, Somerset] | 255 |
| [The Green Dragon Inn, Wymondham, Norfolk] | 257 |
| [The Star Inn, Alfriston, Sussex] | 258 |
| [Courtyard of the George Inn, Norton St. Philip, Somerset] | 261 |
| [The Dark Lantern Inn, Aylesbury, Bucks] | 263 |
| [Spandril. The Marquis of Granby Inn, Colchester] | 265 |
| [The Town Hall, Shrewsbury] | 269 |
| [The Greenland Fishery House, King's Lynn. An old Guild House of the time of James I] | 275 |
| [The Market House, Wymondham, Norfolk] | 279 |
| [Guild Mark and Date on doorway, Burford, Oxon] | 281 |
| [Stretham Cross, Isle of Ely] | 287 |
| [The Market Cross, Salisbury] | 295 |
| [Under the Butter Cross, Witney, Oxon] | 299 |
| [The Triangular Bridge, Crowland] | 325 |
| [Huntingdon Bridge] | 327 |
| [The Crane Bridge, Salisbury] | 329 |
| [Watch House on the Bridge, Bradford-on-Avon, Wilts] | 331 |
| [Gateway of St. John's Hospital, Canterbury] | 334 |
| [Inmate of the Trinity Bede House at Castle Rising, Norfolk] | 339 |
| [The Hospital for Ancient Fishermen, Great Yarmouth] | 341 |
| [Inscription on the Hospital, King's Lynn] | 343 |
| [Ancient Inmates of the Fishermen's Hospital, Great Yarmouth] | 347 |
| [Cottages at Evesham] | 348 |
| [Stalls at Banbury Fair] | 350 |
| [An Old English Fair] | 356 |
| [An Ancient Maker of Nets in a Kentish Fair] | 359 |
| [Outside the Lamb Inn, Burford] | 361 |
| [Tail Piece] | 363 |
This book is intended not to raise fears but to record facts. We wish to describe with pen and pencil those features of England which are gradually disappearing, and to preserve the memory of them. It may be said that we have begun our quest too late; that so much has already vanished that it is hardly worth while to record what is left. Although much has gone, there is still, however, much remaining that is good, that reveals the artistic skill and taste of our forefathers, and recalls the wonders of old-time. It will be our endeavour to tell of the old country houses that Time has spared, the cottages that grace the village green, the stern grey walls that still guard some few of our towns, the old moot halls and public buildings. We shall see the old-time farmers and rustics gathering together at fair and market, their games and sports and merry-makings, and whatever relics of old English life have been left for an artist and scribe of the twentieth century to record.
Our age is an age of progress. Altiora peto is its motto. The spirit of progress is in the air, and lures its votaries on to higher flights. Sometimes they discover that they have been following a mere will-o'-the-wisp, that leads them into bog and quagmire whence no escape is possible. The England of a century, or even of half a century ago, has vanished, and we find ourselves in the midst of a busy, bustling world that knows no rest or peace. Inventions tread upon each other's heels in one long vast bewildering procession. We look back at the peaceful reign of the pack-horse, the rumbling wagon, the advent of the merry coaching days, the "Lightning" and the "Quicksilver," the chaining of the rivers with locks and bars, the network of canals that spread over the whole country; and then the first shriek of the railway engine startled the echoes of the countryside, a poor powerless thing that had to be pulled up the steep gradients by a chain attached to a big stationary engine at the summit. But it was the herald of the doom of the old-world England. Highways and coaching roads, canals and rivers, were abandoned and deserted. The old coachmen, once lords of the road, ended their days in the poorhouse, and steam, almighty steam, ruled everywhere.