What to See in England Part 39

DURHAM AND ITS CATHEDRAL

=How to get there.=--Train from King's Cross. Great Northern Rly.

=Nearest Station.=--Durham.

=Distance from London.=--256 miles.

=Average Time.=--6-1/2 hours.

1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 35s. 10d. ... 21s. 2d.

Return 71s. 8d. ... 42s. 4d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Royal County Hotel," etc.

=Alternative Route.=--Train from St. Pancras. Midland Railway.

For the magnificent position it occupies, Durham Cathedral is without a rival in this country; and even if one includes the Continent, the cathedral of Albi in France will alone bear comparison in respect to its position. Overlooking the Wear from a considerable height appear the two ma.s.sive western towers and the magnificent central tower of the cathedral, and when these and the ma.s.ses of foliage beneath them are reflected on the calm surface of the river, the scene is one of rare and astonis.h.i.+ng beauty.

The origin of the cathedral and city of Durham may be directly traced to the desire on the part of Bishop Eardulph and his monks to erect some building in which to place the coffin containing the body of St.

Cuthbert. They had travelled with their sacred charge for seven years, and at the end of that time, in 997, having reached the rocky plateau overlooking the river Wear, they decided to build a chapel there. Bishop Aldhun went further, and by 999 he had finished a large building known as the "White Church." Of this, however, there are no authentic remains; for in 1081, William of St. Carileph had been appointed bishop, and after he had remained in exile in Normandy for some years he returned to Durham fired with the desire to build a cathedral on the lines of some of the great structures then appearing in France. In 1093, therefore, the foundations of the new church were laid, and the present building from that day forward began to appear. Only the walls of the choir, part of the transepts, and the tower arches had been constructed at the time of Carileph's death in 1096, but the work went on under Ralph Flambard, and when he too was gathered to his fathers, the aisles were finished and the nave also, excepting its roof. Flambard also saw the two western towers finished as high as the roof of the nave. The beautiful transitional Norman Galilee Chapel at the west end was built prior to 1195 by Hugh Pudsey. This narrowly escaped destruction at the hands of Wyatt, who in 1796 pulled down the splendid Norman chapter-house.

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

DURHAM CATHEDRAL.

It has the finest situation of any English cathedral.]

RABY CASTLE, DURHAM

=How to get there.=--Train from King's Cross. Great Northern Rly.

=Nearest Station.=--Durham. (Raby Castle is close to the town of Staindrop.) =Distance from London.=--256 miles.

=Average Time.=--Varies between 5-3/4 to 7-1/2 hours.

1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 35s. 10d. ... 21s. 2d.

Return 71s. 8d. ... 42s. 4d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--At Durham--"Rose and Crown Hotel," "Royal County Hotel," etc.

=Alternative Route.=--Train from St. Pancras. Midland Railway.

Raby Castle, the ancestral home of the Nevilles and an almost perfect specimen of a fourteenth-century castle, is situated close to the little town of Staindrop in the county of Durham. Canute, the Danish king, is said to have had a house in Staindrop; and it was he who presented Raby Castle to the shrine of St. Cuthbert. The castle pa.s.sed from the possession of the monks in 1131, when they granted it to Dolphin, who belonged to the royal family of Northumberland, for the yearly rental of 4. Dominus de Raby, a descendant of Dolphin, married Isabel Neville, the heiress of the Saxon house of Balmer, and their son, Geoffrey, took the surname of Neville. The present castle was built by John, Lord Neville, about the year 1379, when he had permission to fortify.

There is very little history attaching to the fortress, for, with the exception of two insignificant attacks during the Civil War, it sustained no sieges. It belonged to the Nevilles until 1570, when Charles Neville, Earl of Westmorland, lost the castle, together with all his estates, for the share which he took in the rising in the North for the restoration of the Roman Catholic religion in England. Not being situated on high ground, the chief defence of Raby Castle, apart from the strength of its walls, must have been the abundance of water which completely surrounded it.

The chapel is the oldest portion; but the castle was almost entirely built in one man's lifetime, and bears scarcely any traces of earlier or later work. The interior, however, has been much altered by modern architects, who have obliterated a great portion of John Neville's work.

The Baron's Hall used to be a fine room, with beautiful windows, an oak roof, and a stone music-gallery. The kitchen, which occupies the whole interior of a large tower, is one of the most interesting and perfect features of the castle, though it has no longer the original fireplaces.

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

RABY CASTLE.

Built by John, Lord Neville, about the year 1379.]

SNOWDON

=How to get there.=--Train from Euston. L. and N.W. Railway.

=Nearest Station.=--Llanberis (5 miles distant). This is the easiest of the ascents by a well-marked path.

=Distance from London.=--257 miles.

=Average Time.=--Varies between 6-1/2 to 8 hours.

1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 41s. 6d. 23s. 7d. 21s. 4-1/2d.

Return 74s. 9d. 40s. 9d. 37s. 0d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Royal Victoria Hotel," Llanberis.

"Castle Hotel," "Snowdon Valley," "Dolbadarn," "Padarn Villa." Snowdon Summit Hotel is 3560 feet above the sea.

Snowdon is the name not only of the highest mountain in Wales, but it is itself a mountain range, broken up by valleys and river courses into four mountain groups of which Moel-y-Wyddfa is the central and highest one. The best spot from which a good view of the whole group can be seen is Capel Curig. The Llanberis ascent to Snowdon is the easiest, but not so interesting as the other routes. From Capel Curig the ascent is the steepest and finest, and is unsurpa.s.sed for grandeur of scenery. In respect of foreground Snowdon is not so fine as Cader Idris, and the mountains of Scotland and the English lake district. There is an absence of rich valley scenery in the mid-distance, which the Scottish mountains possess and which so adds to the beauty of the c.u.mberland and Westmorland mountains. But the glory of Snowdon is that it commands such an extended view of other mountain peaks and ridges. It well repays the holiday-maker to spend a night on the summit of Snowdon to see the grand panorama which gradually unfolds itself as the sunrise dispels the mist--sea, lakes, and mountain ridges standing out by degrees in the clear morning light. Naturally the view is dependent on atmospheric conditions for its extent. On a clear day one sees the coast-line from Rhyl to the furthest extremity of Cardigan Bay, also the southern part of the Menai Straits, nearly all the Isle of Anglesey, and part of the Tubular Bridge.

One of the mountain lakes is Llyn Llydaw, a fine sheet of water 1500 feet above the sea, and surrounded except on one side by the precipitous arms of Snowdon, and there are also the Capel Curig lakes. Snowdon is 3571 feet in height. All the ascents are free from danger. From Llanberis there is a pony-track all the way to the top, but it is not the most interesting of the various routes. The new mountain railway follows fairly closely the pathway leading from Llanberis.

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

SNOWDON.

It is 3571 feet to the summit.]

HARLECH CASTLE

=How to get there.=--L. and N.W. Railway from Euston.

=Nearest Station.=--Harlech.

=Distance from London.=--259 miles.

=Average Time.=--Varies between 8-1/4 and 12-1/4 hours.

1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 37s. 10d. 24s. 0d. 20s. 4d.

Return 70s. 3d. 43s. 10d. ...

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Castle Hotel," "Lion," "Belle Vue," "Cambrian" (Temperance), etc.

Harlech Castle is about 10 miles from the pleasant town of Barmouth in North Wales. The name implies "on the rock," and every year it is a great attraction to the many visitors to Wales, because of the fine mountain and sea view obtained from this commanding height. Like many other Welsh castles it owes its origin to Edward I. after his conquest of Wales. Owen Glyndwr or Glendower, a Welsh prince and a descendant of Llewelyn, had rebelled against Henry IV. in consequence of repeated injustice done to him by Lord Grey de Ruthin, who had appropriated his estates. As Owen could obtain no redress from the king he took his cause into his own hands, and in 1404 seized the important stronghold of Harlech Castle. Four years later it was retaken by the royal forces. At first Owen Glendower was successful, but eventually he had to flee to the mountains. During the Wars of the Roses, when the Duke of York defeated Henry VI., Queen Margaret fled to Harlech Castle, but after a lengthened siege in 1468, the defenders had to yield to the victorious forces of the "White Rose." It is said that this siege gave rise to the favourite Welsh air known as the "March of the Men of Harlech." The castle stands high, is square, with a round tower at each corner, and gives one the impression of ma.s.sive proportions and enormous strength.

The main entrance to the inner ward is between two huge round towers, and the pa.s.sage was defended at one end by two, and at the inner extremity by a third, portcullis. The ascent to the top of the walls is made by a stair from the courtyard. There is a well-protected walk on the battlements. The view from the castle is magnificent and extensive, and should the day be fine it is one vast panorama of mountain, sea, and coast-line--a sight not easily forgotten. Across the bay, 7 miles off, can be seen the equally ancient castle of Criccieth, although its ruins cannot compare to Harlech. On the other side is a glorious range of heights culminating in Snowdon, while to the left are the graceful Rivals, mountain heights which should not be missed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: HARLECH CASTLE.]