WARWICK CASTLE, ENGLAND. Beautiful in itself, famous as the residence of the Earls of Warwick, and especially of him who went by the title of the King-maker, Warwick Castle is one of the most notable edifices in England. Nothing could be more picturesque than its situation on a rock washed by the Avon. Its two towers are surpassingly beautiful. The one known as the Clock Tower is here represented. Its battlements and turrets are full of quaint interest. The grounds which surround it are a triumph of landscape gardening. And the castle itself is almost a thousand years old. Legend declares that it was founded in 915 by the daughter of King Alfred, Ethelfleda. In the war with the barons in the reign of Henry III it was partially destroyed. In the reign of Edward III it was restored and strengthened. Additions and improvements have successively been made. In the reign of James II it passed into the hands of the Grevilles, and has remained their property ever since.
WINDSOR CASTLE, ENGLAND. The favorite residence of the English sovereigns, which distinction it merits through its own beauty, the beauty of its surroundings and its opulence of historical and legendary associations. Long before the Normans landed in England it was the seat of the Saxon Kings. But William the Conqueror founded the present castle; it was rebuilt by Edward III, was extended by successive sovereigns, and, finally, in the reign of Queen Victoria, was brought to its present perfection. The town of Windsor is some twenty miles from London. On a promontory, overlooking the Valley of the Thames, stands the castle. Its chapels and its terrace are among the noblest in Europe. The interior is lavishly decorated, and contains valuable paintings, statuary, furniture, tapestries and plate. In its vaults lie the bodies of the Kings and Queens of England.
SHAKESPEARE’S HOUSE, STRATFORD-ON-AVON, ENGLAND. The birth-place of genius must always be full of interest to his fellow-men. How great then must be the interest in the birth-place of the greatest of geniuses! That interest is attested by the fact that the walls of the small, mean-looking edifice in which Shakespeare was born are scrawled all over with the names of potentates, princes, statesmen, poets and other great and little men. These, indeed, form a not insignificant part of the curiosities of the place. The house became the property of the English nation in 1847, and has been carefully restored. The actual room which witnessed the birth of the poet is shown, and is in substantially the same condition as when that event took place. In another room there is a small museum of Shakespearean relics.
OSBORNE HOUSE, ISLE OF WIGHT, ENGLAND. This is the seaside residence of Queen Victoria. Even in the Isle of Wight, a place famous for its magnificent private residences, it occupies a pre-eminent position. Situated in the immediate neighborhood of East Cowes, almost opposite to the mouth of Southampton Water, no place could be more favored by nature in its surroundings, and art has come to the assistance of nature. The grounds, though not large, are exquisite specimens of that princely art of landscape gardening in which the English have achieved the highest success. The palace itself is in excellent taste. A high tower in one corner is a conspicuous object for miles around. From its summit a magnificent view of the surrounding country may be obtained.
BLARNEY CASTLE, IRELAND. This imposing ruin of an ancient fortress is situated in the village of Blarney, about four miles from Cork. It was built in the early part of the fifteenth century by Cormac McCarthy, Prince of Desmond. Little now remains of it but the massive donjon tower, one hundred and twenty feet high. Its main celebrity arises from the famous Blarney stone, which endows whoever kisses it with the gift of flattery, palavering rhodomontade or wheedling eloquence. No one exactly knows the origin of the stone, nor whence it derived its mysterious powers. The date 1703 is carved upon it. It is preserved and held in place by two iron girders between huge mertons of the northern projecting parapet nearly one hundred feet above the ground. To kiss it has been the ambition of many generations who laboriously climb up to its dangerous eminence. But the lip service of so great a multitude is gradually wearing it away.
