What to See in England Part 7

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Leicester Arms Hotel."

The pleasant little village of Penshurst, situated 6 miles north-west from Tunbridge Wells, is renowned for the beautiful fourteenth-century mansion known as Penshurst Place. From Norman times a house has occupied the site, but the present building did not come into existence until 1349, when Sir John de Poultenay, who was four times Lord Mayor of London, built the present historic seat. Having come into the possession of the Crown, the estate was given by Edward VI. to Sir William Sidney, who had fought at Flodden Field. The unfortunate young King Edward died in the arms of Sir William's son Henry, whose grief was so excessive that he retired to Penshurst and lived there in seclusion. Sir Henry Sidney had three children, one of whom being Sir Philip Sidney, the type of a most gallant knight and perfect gentleman. It was at Penshurst that Edmund Spenser, Sir Philip's friend, wrote his first work, the _Shepherd's Calendar_, and though Sidney did not actually write his famous poem _Arcadia_ in his beautiful Kentish home, its scenery must have suggested many of the descriptions. Algernon Sidney, who was illegally put to death through Judge Jeffreys, was the nephew of Sir Philip, and he is supposed to be buried in Penshurst Church, though no monument remains. The present owner of Penshurst is Lord De Lisle and Dudley (Sir Philip Charles Sidney (died 1851) was given the peerage in 1835), who allows visitors to view the historic mansion on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, from 3 P.M. to 6 P.M. (admission 1s.). The great feature of the house is the baronial hall, built in 1341, which has a hearth in the centre of the room. The Queen's drawing-room, said to have been furnished by Queen Elizabeth, contains some interesting Tudor furniture, and the satin tapestry which adorns the walls is also believed to be the work of the virgin queen and her maidens. There are many valuable and interesting portraits of the famous members of the Sidney family. In the beautiful grounds of Penshurst is an oak tree, planted, says tradition, at the time of Sir Philip Sidney's birth.

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

PENSHURST PLACE.

Which was built in 1349, was the home of Sir Philip Sidney.]

ST. MICHAEL'S MOUNT AND MARAZION

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

=Nearest Station.=--Marazion.

=Distance from London.=--324-3/4 miles.

=Average Time.=--Varies between 8-1/2 to 11-1/2 hours.

1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 50s. 2d. 31s. 6d. 25s. 1d.

Return 87s. 10d. 55s. 0d. 50s. 2d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"G.o.dolphin Hotel," "Marazion Hotel,"

etc.

Marazion, the nearest town to St. Michael's Mount, is situated on the eastern side of Mount's Bay, and was in the Middle Ages a place of some importance, being the headquarters of the pilgrims to St. Michael's Mount. Marazion is connected with St. Michael's Mount by a causeway 120 feet in width, formed of rocks and pebbles, and pa.s.sable only at low tide for three or four hours.

The mount itself is a remarkable granite rock, about a mile in circ.u.mference and 250 feet high. It was referred to by Ptolemy, and is supposed to have been the island Iclis of the Greeks, noticed by Diodorus Siculus as the place near the promontory of Belerium to which the tin, when refined, was brought by the Britons to be exchanged with the Phoenician merchants. Its British name was equivalent to "the grey rock in the woods," a traditional name, apparently confirmed by the discovery of a submarine forest extending for some miles round the base of the mount. The beauty of the spot caused it to be selected by the ancient Britons as a favourite resort for wors.h.i.+p, and shortly after the introduction of Christianity it became a place of pilgrimage, and was visited in the fifth century by St. Kelna, a British princess, who founded a hermitage there. Some sort of military defences protected the mount at a very early date, for Edward the Confessor's charter in 1047 to the Benedictine monks, whom he settled here, especially mentions its _castella_ and other buildings.

In Charles II.'s reign the estate was purchased from the Ba.s.set family by the St. Aubyns, who still remain its owners. In the castle itself, which crowns the mount, the chief feature is the old hall, now known as the "Chevy Chase" room, from its being adorned with carvings of various field sports. There is some fine old furniture and good pictures.

Visitors are allowed to see the princ.i.p.al rooms of the castle when the family are from home, and at all times to see the quaint old Gothic chapel. There is a small fis.h.i.+ng village with a pier and harbour at the foot of the rock.

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

ST. MICHAEL'S MOUNT.

The rock is 250 feet in height, and has possessed a castle since 1047.]

ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL

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

Paul's. South-Eastern and Chatham Railway.

=Nearest Station.=--Rochester.

=Distance from London.=--33 miles.

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

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

Return 9s. 4d. 6s. 3d. 5s. 4d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"King's Head Hotel," "Royal Victoria,"

"Bull Hotel," "Royal Crown Hotel," etc.

Rochester, a most picturesque old town on the river Medway, has been a place of importance from the earliest times. The cathedral, which is not very impressive externally, and is much surrounded by houses, is best seen from the castle. It was the first church built after Augustine settled in Canterbury, but of this building no trace now remains except some foundations. The Norman Bishop Gundulf in 1080 built a large portion of the Norman work of the present cathedral. In 1201 it was largely rebuilt by money obtained from thank-offerings for miracles wrought by St. William, a baker of Perth, who was murdered near Rochester on his way to Canterbury, and buried in the cathedral. The Norman castle, standing on the banks of the river, was built by Bishop Gundulf, and though it is now in ruins, the interior having been destroyed for its timber, the walls remain firm. The castle was besieged by William Rufus and Simon de Montfort, and on both occasions suffered considerable damage. One of the many interesting buildings in the High Street is the three-gabled house of Watts's Charity, which has become famous from d.i.c.kens's Christmas story of _The Seven Poor Travellers_.

According to the inscription above the doorway, Richard Watts in 1579 founded this "Charity for Six Poor Travellers, who not being Rogues or Proctors, may receive gratis for one night, Lodging, Entertainment, and Fourpence each." Restoration House, an old red-brick mansion on the Maidstone Road, is so named from the visit of Charles II. on his way to London in 1660. To all admirers of Charles d.i.c.kens, Rochester is full of memories (see Index, Gad's Hill). Not only did d.i.c.kens make Rochester the scene of his last unfinished work, _Edwin Drood_, but he made many allusions to it elsewhere. Mr. Jingle, for instance, in the _Pickwick Papers_ says, "Ah! fine place, glorious pile--frowning walls--tottering arches--dark nooks--crumbling staircases--old cathedral too--earthy smell--pilgrims' feet worn away the old steps."

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

ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL.

A considerable portion was built in 1080 by Bishop Gundulf.]

TUNBRIDGE WELLS

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

=Nearest Station.=--Tunbridge Wells.

=Distance from London.=--34-1/2 miles.

=Average Time.=--Varies between 1 to 2 hours.

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

Return 10s. 0d. 7s. 4d. 5s. 5d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Spa Hotel," "The Swan Hotel,"

"Castle Hotel," "Carlton Hotel," etc.

=Alternative Route.=--Train from Victoria, Holborn Viaduct, and St.

Paul's. South-Eastern and Chatham Railway.

At the same time that Epsom began to become known as a watering-place, Tunbridge Wells was rapidly growing into a famous inland resort. The wells were discovered by Lord North in 1606, while he was staying at Eridge, and in a few years Tunbridge Wells became the resort of the monied and leisured cla.s.ses of London and other parts of the kingdom.

From that time to this the town has been one of the most popular of England's inland watering-places.

The Tunbridge Wells of to-day is a charming and picturesque town. "The Pantiles," with its row of stately limes in the centre and the colonnade in front of its shops, is unique among English towns. Readers of Thackeray's _Virginians_ will remember his description of the scene on the Pantiles in the time of powdered wigs, silver buckles, and the fearful and wonderful "hoop."

At the end of the Pantiles is the red brick church of King-Charles-the-Martyr, the only one with any claim to antiquity in the town; the rest are all quite modern.

Walks and excursions around Tunbridge Wells are numerous. The common, with its mixture of springy turf, golden gorse, with here and there a bold group of rocks, is one of the most beautiful in the home counties, and in whatever direction one wanders there are long views over far-stretching wooded hills and dales.

Rusthall Common, about a mile from the town, though somewhat smaller than that of Tunbridge Wells, commands more extensive views.

One great feature of interest at Rusthall Common is the group of rocks, of which the largest, the Toad Rock, bears a most singular resemblance to the reptile from which it is named. The High Rocks, situated further on, and just in the county of Suss.e.x, are also very remarkable, rising from 30 to 60 feet in height.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE TOAD ROCK

On Rusthall Common, Tunbridge Wells.]