What to See in England Part 13

The chalk ridge in the north of Berks.h.i.+re is rich in memories of Alfred.

First in importance is Wantage, a peaceful town at the foot of the hills, and famous as the birthplace of the great king. There is a statue by Count Gleichen in the wide market-place representing Alfred with a battle-axe and a charter in his hands. The church is a fine example of Early English architecture, and interesting besides as the burying-place of many famous Fitz-warens, among them Ivo, whose daughter married Richard Whittington, Lord Mayor of London. Dr. Butler of _The a.n.a.logy_ was born in the town, and the house is still to be seen.

Leaving Wantage, one may go along the breezy downs to Uffington Castle, a large fort, presumably of British origin. It was one of many similar forts along the Roman way called Ichenilde Street, that stretches straight as an arrow along the whole ridge. Near the fort is the famous White Horse cut in the chalk, which, since its recent cleansing, gleams brilliantly from the hillside. It was cut out to commemorate the magnificent victory of Ethelred the Unready and Alfred over the Danes at Ashdown in 871. Readers of _Tom Brown's School Days_ will recall the story of the Berks.h.i.+re revels in 1857, when the scouring of the Horse took place. Judge Hughes was born here, under the shadow of the downs, and near by is the round hill where tradition says St. George slew the dragon.

In _Kenilworth_ Sir Walter Scott has immortalised Wayland Smith's Cave, a neolithic burial-place of some ancient chieftain which lies to the west of Uffington Castle. It is a circle of stone slabs with flat stones on the top. Wayland was the "Vulcan" of the men of the north, and Alfred, in one of his translations, altered the "Fabricius" of the Roman account into the northern "Wayland," the fairy smith who replaced lost shoes on horses. It was in this cave that Scott made Flibbertigibbet play tricks on Tressilian.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE STATUE OF ALFRED THE GREAT AT WANTAGE.

It was designed by Count Gleichen.]

CANTERBURY AND ITS CATHEDRAL

=How to get there.=--Train from Victoria, Holborn Viaduct, Charing Cross, or Cannon Street. South-Eastern and Chatham Railway.

=Nearest Station.=--Canterbury (East).

=Distance from London.=--61-3/4 miles.

=Average Time.=--Varies between 1-3/4 to 2-3/4 hours.

1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 10s. 4d. 6s. 6d. 5s. 2d.

Return 18s. 0d. 13s. 0d. 10s. 4d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"County Hotel," "The Fleece Family and Commercial Hotel," Baker's "Temperance Hotel,"

"The Royal Fountain Hotel," "Falstaff Hotel," etc.

The city of Canterbury, originally an important station in Watling Street, the _Durovernum_ of the Romans, was one of the earliest places occupied by the Saxons, by whom it was named _Cantwarabyrig_, or "town of the Kentish men," and made the capital of the Saxon kingdom of Kent, and a royal residence. About 597 the abbey was founded by St. Augustine and his royal convert King Ethelbert. Canterbury was then const.i.tuted the seat of the primacy in England, a dignity it retains to this day.

At the period of the Norman Conquest the city was of considerable size, and the castle, of which very little now remains, is reputed to be the work of William the Conqueror. The cathedral was burnt down at least twice before the present building was erected, but under the influence of the Norman archbishops, Lanfranc and Anselm, the erection of the new "Church of Christ" proceeded apace. But it was not until the end of the twelfth century that the murder of Becket set the whole of Europe ringing with excitement, and Canterbury rose at once into the front rank as an ecclesiastical city and pilgrims' shrine.

At the time when Chaucer wrote his _Canterbury Tales_ the city was surrounded by a strong wall with twenty-one towers and six gates. Of the wall there are some remains in Broad Street; of the gates "West Gate,"

through which the pilgrims entered from London, is the only survivor.

Canterbury teems with interesting relics of the past, and weeks may be spent in its old-world streets, where one is continually coming across unexpected little bits of half-timber work, weather-beaten gables, and grotesque oak carving. The cathedral, whose "Bell Harry" or central tower seems to dominate the whole city, should be approached through Mercery Lane, at the corner of which are some slight remains of Chaucer's hostelry, "The Chequers of Hope." At the bottom of the lane the cathedral close is entered by the famous Christ Church Gateway, erected by Prior Goldstone in 1517. Once inside the close gate the visitor gets some idea of the amazing beauty of the structure, which is certainly unsurpa.s.sed by any other cathedral in the kingdom. The building exhibits almost every style of architecture, from the Norman work of William of Lens to the late Perpendicular of Prior Goldstone, and yet the work of composition and design has been so exquisitely carried out that there is no hint of any want of harmony in the magnificent whole. The interior is no less remarkable, the arches and vaulting of the nave being some of the most beautiful in existence.

Becket's shrine was despoiled at the Reformation, but the number of pilgrims who visited it may be imagined from the fact that the broad stone steps are worn hollow, and this only by the knees of his wors.h.i.+ppers. The Angel doorway in the cloisters, by which the archbishop entered the sacred building pursued by his murderers, gives access on to the north-west or martyrdom transept. Here is shown the spot where the primate made his last stand and fell under the blows of the Norman knights. Another object of special interest is the tomb of Edward, the Black Prince, who died in the city in 1376. There is so much to see in and about the cathedral and its precincts, however, that a trustworthy guide-book is a _sine qua non_. The building is open from 9.30 to the end of evening service--the nave and two west transepts free; the choir and crypt, 6d. each person. Sketching orders, 2s. 6d. per day, and photographing orders, 5s. per day.

In the city itself the most interesting of the old churches is St.

Martin's, reputed to be the oldest in England (admission, 6d.). Here St.

Augustine first preached Christianity before the cathedral was built.

St. Martin's Hill, near the church, should be noticed. It was over this ascent that Augustine with his Roman monks pa.s.sed into Canterbury in 697.

In Monastery Street is the fine gateway of the once rich and powerful St. Augustine's Abbey; and near it, not many years ago, was a fine example of Saxon work, known as Ethelbert's Tower, which some of the intelligent busybodies of the time had removed with a battering-ram.

In Broad Street is the Hospital of St. John, with its quaint entrance and fine old timbered gateway.

The Grammar School, known as the King's School, was founded at the close of the seventh century. The most remarkable portion of what remains of the old buildings is an almost unique Norman staircase.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE WEST GATE, CANTERBURY.

The only one left standing of the six in existence in the days of Chaucer.]

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

THE TRANSEPT OF MARTYRDOM.

In Canterbury Cathedral.]

RECULVERS

=How to get there.=--Train from Victoria, Holborn Viaduct, or St.

Paul's. South-Eastern and Chatham Railway.

=Nearest Station.=--Herne Bay. (Reculvers lies 3 miles along the coast.) =Distance from London.=--62-3/4 miles.

=Average Time.=--Varies between 1-3/4 to 3 hours.

1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 10s. 6d. 6s. 6d. 5s. 2-1/2d.

Return 18s. 5d. 13s. 0d. 10s. 5d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--At Herne Bay--"The Dolphin Hotel,"

"The Connaught," "The Grand," "St. George's Cliff," "Pier Hotel," "Herne Bay Hotel," etc.; also the "Bungalow Hotel,"

etc., at Birchington.

About 3 miles to the east of Herne Bay, the twin towers of an old Roman church stand prominently out from the flat marsh-land which stretches between the villages of Herne and Birchington, some 5 miles from the well-known health resort of Margate. Regulbium, now known as Reculver, and Rutupium, or Richborough, near Sandwich, were two Roman stations guarding the entrances to the estuary which formerly separated the Isle of Thanet from the mainland. Regulbium was also used as a lighthouse and watch-tower, because of its commanding position near the mouths of both the Thames and Medway.

After the Roman occupation, Regulbium became one of the chief seats of the Saxon kings, and when, after his conversion to Christianity by St.

Augustine, King Ethelbert gave up his palace at Canterbury, he lived there with his court, and his remains were interred in the first church erected on the spot. In the ninth century a Benedictine abbey was founded at Regulbium by a priest named Bapa. A few years after, King Edred granted the abbey to the Monastery of Christchurch at Canterbury, but the society was either removed or dissolved before the Norman Conquest. This practically ends the history of Regulbium, for owing to the steady encroachments of the sea, and to the fact that the estuary continued to fill up, the once populous Roman city was gradually deserted. The present remains consist of parts of the earth-works of the Roman station, and the twin towers and ruined walls of the church.

Though the church formerly occupied the centre of the Roman city, the sea has now reached the base of the bank on which the towers stand. In his famous "Brothers of Birchington," Thomas Ingoldsby says of the twin towers--

They were tall and upright And just equal in height.

Reculvers and the neighbourhood were at one time a favourite resort for smugglers.

[Ill.u.s.tration: RECULVERS FROM THE EAST.]

OXFORD

=How to get there=.--Train from Paddington. Great Western Railway.

=Nearest Station=.--Oxford.

=Distance from London=.--63-1/2 miles.

=Average Time=.--Varies between 1-1/4 to 2-3/4 hours.

1st 2nd 3rd =Fares=.--Single 10s. 6d. 6s. 8d. 5s. 3-1/2d.

Return 18s. 6d. 11s. 8d. 10s. 7d.