What to See in England Part 11

Lord Ashcombe, the present owner, has restored the walls very carefully, and the chapel and various private apartments with their fireplaces remain intact.

The castle buildings as a whole are a rectangular block entirely surrounded by the wide moat shown in the ill.u.s.tration. One crosses to the main gateway by a narrow raised pathway. The surface of the water during the summer is generally bright with water-lilies.

Bodiam Church is an Early English structure, now very much restored. It is on the hill, a few minutes' walk from the castle.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BODIAM CASTLE.

One of the most perfect moated castles in England.]

COLCHESTER, ESs.e.x

=How to get there.=--Train from Liverpool Street. Great Eastern Railway.

=Nearest Station.=--Colchester.

=Distance from London.=--51-3/4 miles.

=Average Time.=--Varies from 1 hr. 4 m. to 2 hours.

1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 9s. 9d. ... 4s. 4-1/2d.

Return 14s. 8d. ... 8s. 9d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"The George," "Red Lion," "The Cups," etc.

Modern Colchester is the direct descendant of the ancient British town of Camulodunum, referred to by Tacitus and other Roman historians.

Various kings of the Trin.o.bantes seem to have caused much trouble during the early period of the Roman occupation. Cun.o.belinus, one of their kings, reigned from about 5 B.C. to A.D. 42 or 43, and numerous coins bearing the abbreviated form of his name, CVNO, have been discovered.

After his death the Emperor Claudius came over to England, subdued the Trin.o.bantes, and established a Roman colony at Camulodunum. The new colony, under the name of Colonia Victriensis, was, however, attacked by a huge horde of the British under Boadicea in A.D. 61. They slaughtered all the inhabitants and destroyed the temple of Claudius.

The Romans, however, soon turned the tables again on the Britons, and at once surrounded the town with a very strong wall. From this time onwards for several centuries the place was one of the strongest Roman stations in the country. It is not surprising, therefore, that the remains of the Roman occupation at Colchester are the most perfect of the kind in the country. The coins range from Asupa, 6 B.C., to Valentinian, who died A.D. 455, while very great quant.i.ties of Roman gla.s.s, pottery, and tiles, all sorts of domestic vessels and personal ornaments have been discovered. Some idea of the richness of these finds can be obtained from the collection in the museum in the old Norman castle.

The story of King Coel in connection with Colchester is not altogether accepted by historians, yet there are so many references to it in Anglo-Saxon writings that it cannot be quite ignored.

Colchester suffered terribly in the Civil War, and sustained a fearful siege lasting seventy-six days, the townsfolk and Royalist forces being eventually forced to surrender to Fairfax. The Saxon doorway of Trinity Church, and St. Botolph's Priory, are exceedingly interesting.

[Ill.u.s.tration: COLCHESTER CASTLE.

Which now contains a magnificent collection of the Roman remains found in the town.]

LAYER MARNEY

=How to get there.=--Train from Liverpool Street. Great Eastern Rly.

=Nearest Station.=--Colchester (7 miles from Layer Marney).

=Distance from London.=--51-3/4 miles.

=Average Time.=--Varies between 1 and 2-1/4 hours.

1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 9s. 9d. ... 4s. 4-1/2d.

Return 14s. 8d. ... 8s. 9d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"The Red Lion Hotel," "George Hotel," "The Cups Hotel," etc., all at Colchester.

The unfinished home of the Marneys rises in lonely grandeur in an out-of-the-way part of Ess.e.x. To the north runs the road to Colchester; southwards the ground slopes away in the direction of the Blackwater.

The great gateway has stood in these peaceful surroundings quite untouched for 400 years. A small portion of the mansion is by the side of the gateway, and the church with the Marney monuments is further to the left.

Lord Marney fought for Henry VII. in France, and was one of the court counsellors at the time of his son's accession. He became a great favourite with Henry VIII., and was created a baron, besides being made a Knight of the Garter and Captain of the Bodyguard. He came of an old Norman stock, but had not overmuch land. At Layer Marney, his chief estate, he determined to build a fitting abode for himself. It was one of the earliest buildings since Roman times to be built of brick. The terra-cotta mouldings are a peculiar feature. It is thought that Lord Marney brought over Italian workmen to make the terra-cotta, for there is a cla.s.sic touch about the ornaments. The gateway has two towers, one ivy-clad. The whole structure is strikingly original in style. It was commenced in 1500, but Lord Marney died before the work was done. John, his son, died the next year, and with him the line of Marneys became extinct.

In the church are three monuments of the Marneys. The tomb of Henry, Lord Marney, is in the arch leading to the Marney Chapel, which was founded by him. The figure is of dark marble, clad in armour, and wearing the robes of a Knight of the Garter. An ancestor of Lord Marney, who died in 1414, lies near. The effigy is clothed in mail. The figure of John, the last of the Marneys, is of black marble. There are some curious frescoes in the church, and an oak screen. The interior of the building is probably older than the exterior, which is of about the same date as the towers.

The church keys may be procured at the rectory.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LAYER MARNEY TOWER, ESs.e.x.

Commenced by the first Lord Marney about the year 1500, but owing to the death of Lord Marney and of his only son, the year following, the buildings were never finished.]

BATTLE ABBEY

=How to get there.=--Train from Charing Cross or Cannon Street.

South-Eastern and Chatham Railway.

=Nearest Station.=--Battle.

=Distance from London.=--55-1/4 miles.

=Average Time.=--Varies between 2-1/2 hours and 1-1/2 hours.

1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 9s. 4d. 5s. 10d. 4s. 8-1/2d.

Return 16s. 4d. 11s. 8d. 9s. 5d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"George" and "Star" Hotels.

=Alternative Route.=--None.

Battle Abbey is open to the public on Tuesdays only, between 12 and 4.

There is no charge for admission, tickets being obtained from the stationer's shop bearing the name Ticehurst. It is situated close to the main entrance to the abbey. The great gateway through which one enters is ill.u.s.trated here. It was probably built by Abbot Retlynge in the first half of the fourteenth century. The original abbey was built in fulfilment of a vow which William the Norman made just before the battle of Senlac Hill, the building being arranged so that the high altar was placed on the exact spot where the body of Harold II. was discovered on the awful field of slaughter. The sixty monks who started the monastery were brought over by William from the Benedictine monastery of Marmontier in Normandy. They were granted many extraordinary privileges, including the right of treasure-trove. A further privilege was given to the abbots in the form of authority to pardon any sentenced criminal whom they might chance to meet on the road. The abbey was not completed until after the death of William the Conqueror.

On the left, as one goes through the great gateway, are the portions of the abbey which have been converted into the house which was, until her death, the home of the d.u.c.h.ess of Cleveland. At right angles to these buildings runs a terrace, from which one looks towards the sea across the battlefield on which was decided one of the most momentous issues which have affected the English nation.

One must have read Lord Lytton's _Harold_ to fully realise the tremendous pathos of the struggle to the death between the English and the Normans. The green facing the great gateway has half hidden on its surface an old bull ring. In wet weather this is scarcely discoverable, the ring being easily hidden in the small puddles of water which acc.u.mulate.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photochrom Co., Ltd._

THE GATEWAY OF BATTLE ABBEY.

The high altar of Battle Abbey was placed exactly over the spot where the body of Harold II. was discovered after the battle of Senlac Hill.]

CAMBRIDGE