All round the Wrekin

Front matter

BY THE SAME AUTHOR. A LONDONER'S WALK TO THE LAND'S END, AND A TRIP TO THE SCILLY ISLES. ON FOOT THROUGH TYROL. A JULY HOLIDAY IN SAXONY, BOHEMIA, AND SILESIA. A MONTH IN YORKSHIRE. Third Edition. NORTHUMBERLAND, AND THE BORDER. Second Edition. ALL ROUND THE WREKIN BT WALTER WHITE, AUTHOR OF "A LONDONER'S WALK TO THE LAND'S END,'* "a MONTH IN YORKSHIRE," AND OTHER BOOKS OF TRAVEL. " With unabated bounty tbe land of England blooms and grows ; waving with yellow harvests ; thick-studded with workshops, industrial implements, with fifteen millions of workers, understood to be the strongest, the cunuing est, and the willingest our Earth ever had." — Past and Present. LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL, 193, PICCADILLY. 1860. [The right of Translation is reserved.] LONDON : BRADBURY AND EVANS, PIUNTKPS, WHITEFRJAKS. PAGE 1 CONTENTS.

Chapter I

An Interception and a Ramble Initiatory — Gaveston Hill — Guy's Cliff, and its Admirers — Shakespeare's Avon — Old Leamington — Birmingham — Sunshine and Smoke — A Word of Explanation

Chapter II

To the Black Country — Terrific Phenomena — Omnipotence of Coal and Iron — Wolverhampton — Rural Scenes — Retired Chemists — Oaken — Wrottesley Hall — An Ancient Family — Toad's-Nest Lane — Entertainment — A Trip with the Astronomer and Crimea — Chillington — A Scrap of Genealogy — The Yacht-builders — Boscobel — Reminiscences of tbe Royal Fugitive — A Peep at the Wrekin— A Trot to Tong— A Rare Old Church— The Golden Chapel — Shakespearian Epitaph — Sculptures in Alabaster — Tong Castle — A Freak of Architecture — Runaway — Newport — Pathetic Appeal ........ 6

Chapter III

Preliminaries — Tom Brown's Birthplace — Edgemond — " What's ta dew ? " — A proper Inn — Home-made and Home-fed— Beauty amid Tameness — Charm in Things Trivial — Timbered Houses — Happy Aspects — Tibberton — Frangas non Flectes — Butcher's Chips for Happiness — Lanes and Footpaths — Foliage and Shadows — Mason — The Mees — Great Bolas — The Tern — A Lucky Star — The Singer — Parley with a Preacher — Reasons for declining an Invitation — Cold Hatton — Ellerdine Heath — Stanton — Bury Walls — Hawkstone . . . . . VI CONTENTS. PAGE

Chapter IV

Hawkstone Park — A Dewy Exploration — The Lodge by the Lake — Hollering for Old Jones— Tbe Dark Passage — The Fairy Grotto —The Terrace— The Column— Clive's Birth-place— Blore Heath — Woods and Cliffs — Zoological Experiments — The Red Sandstone—A Visit to the Hermit— The Ruin of Red Castle— The Jackdaws — How to make a Guide comfortable — Old Jones and Young Jones — Tbe Visitors' Book — Ode to Young Men — Wem — The Execrable Baron — Happy Tradesmen — The Two Dumdrudges — Good Beer — Honest Brewers — Rustic Speech — A Model Publichouse — How to share Puddings — Welsh Hampton — Meres — Ellesmere — The Bowling Green . ... 26

Chapter V

The Hill-top — Charming Prospect — -Dee and Severn — Delamere Forest— Beeston Rook — The Wyches — The Heavens are telling — WhittiDgton — Recreation in a Ruin — William Peveril and the Lady Melette — A Tilting-match in the Peak — Fitz-Guarine of Lorraine — Oswestry — The Castle Hill — Hen Dinas — Oswald's Tree — A Heap of Castles — Porkington from Brogyntyn — Scenery — Convenient Geology — Rock and Village of Llanymynech — The Dolphin for Anglers — The Tanat aud the Quality — Fish-poisoners —Samlet 37

Chapter VI

Early Gin — London versus Country — Offa's Dyke — Up the Rock — Picturesque Hills — Vale of Severn — Tanat and Vyrnwy — A Breezy Seat — Llandrinio — The Treacherous River — Across Country — Cottage Hospitality — Timber Lugging — Fertile Land — The Foot of Breidden — Lake Bottom of the Forewold — Volcanic range — The Breast of Breidden — The Summit — Rodney's Pillar — Moel-y-Golfa— The Farstretching Vale — The Confused Crag — A Dingle — The Turnpike School — "You'm ta coom in." —The Picker of Blue-Flats— Welshpool .... 44

Chapter VII

Sewin and Bull-Trout — Powis Castle — Panels and Pictures — View from the Roof — Powis-Land — Hot Sun, Cool Shade — An Intro- CONTENTS. VII PAGE duction to the Brewer — Ancient Cellar — St. David — St. Andrew — St. George — A Health to Powis — Hilly and Daly — The Hafren — The Pedlar and his Legend — The Bluff — Montgomery — The Felon's Grave— The Herberts' Tomb— The Hill-Prospect— Scenery of Montgomeryshire — The Castle Ruin — Feats of Arms — Cherbury 53

Chapter VIII

A Pretty Village — Flitting Swallows and Flowery Sepulchres — Lord Herbert of Cherbury — Free Range among the Raspberries — The Footpath Way — Marrington Dingle — Ridge Hill— A Gift of Small Beer — Oak-trees in Shropshire — Little Weston — Up the Rack — Common on Corndon — Table Land — Grit Mine — Shelve — Playing at Minhig — The Tough Hillside — Summit of Stiperstones — Metalliferous Valley — Harold's Edict — Broad Rock — Devil's Chair — Nipstone — Bog Mine — The Cider Cart — Lead in Shropshire — The Giants' Target — Linley — More — Lydham — A Damp Old Chnrch — Bishop's Castle — Clun : Town and River — Quaint Features — The Cordwainer — Artist and Picture — The Lych Gate — Quaint Church — The Norman Keep — The Garde Doloreuse — The Hospital — A Bushel of Strawberries — Prayers for ever — Antiquities — Last Battle of Caractacus — Across the Hills — Hopton Village and Castle — Leintwardine . . . . 61

Chapter IX

Real English — Natural Attractions — Confluence of Clun and Teme — A Pleasing View — A Tramp to Downton — A Rustic Village — Little Church — Gladness without, Thanksgiving within — Psalm-tunes in a Fernbrake — Downton Park — Cottage Philosophy — A Tune for a Drink — " Not as we be Ranters " — Bromfield — Ducks, Veal, and Pudding — Onny and Teme — A Storm — The Feathers at Ludlow 76

Chapter X

Musing on Whitcliff— The Prospect— Town, Hills, and River— Whitcliff Wood — Mary Knoll— Comus Wood — Landslips — The Castle Walks— A Stupid Trophy— The Castle Court— The Keeper and the Keep — Roger de Montgomery — The Range of Ruins — The Princes' Lodgings — The Baron's Prison — Reminiscences — Kings and Barons — Quarrels and Ambushes — Fulke Fitz Warine — CONTENTS. VIII PAGE Besiegers on Whitcliff— Young Fulke's First Fight — Marriage and Betrayal— The Welsh Princes— The Fatal Journey — The Lord President— Parliament, and the Prince of Orange—Mil ton's Masque of Comus — Simple Incidents, Immortal Verse — A Lesson — The Market Place — Unhappy Poultry — A Clean Brat —The Church— The Churchyard — Ludford — A Trip with Temperans ........... 81

Chapter XI

An Invitation to Leominster — A Comfortable Environment — Triticum Compositum — Prize Cattle — The Origin of Whitefaces — A Lady's Fine — Lemster Bread and Weobley Ale — The First Place as was Ever Made — Woolly Excellence- — Blazing Hot — The Butter Cross — Abel the Architect — A Happy Restoration — The Forbury — The Church — A Touch of Byzantine — The Ducking-Stool— The Chalice— The Effigy with the Hatchet— Fertility — Herefordshire Weeds — Cider and Ciderkin — Battlefield of Mortimer's Cross — Aymestry — Fossil Road-stuff — Wigmore — Rustic Life in Rural Landscapes — Quaint Old Church — The Castle — A Bosky Ruin — The House of Mortimer — Honours and the Hangman — Croft Ambury — The Golden Vale — The Land the Silures Fought for — A Rapid Return . . . 93

Chapter XII

An Evening Walk — Titterstone Clee and Brown Clee — Geological Structure — Clee from Clay — The Giant's Chair — Vestiges of the Druids — An Autumnal Prospect — Purple for Bronze — Hills and Haze — Cleobury Mortimer— Piers Plowman — Entrenchments — Abdon Barf — Heath Chapel — The Eastern View — Burwarton — Dwelling-place and Burial-place — Nee timeo nee sperno — Hills and Dales — Cleobury North — A Sportsman's Epitaph — Neenton — An Etymology — Reminiscence of Godiva — Bluffs of the Severn — Bridgenorth — Town-hall and Market-hall — The Terrace — Admirable Prospect — Castle Walk and Castle Ruin — Cromwell's Escape — Resort and Refuge of Kings — Henry the Fourth's Rendezvous — EthelfledaandEthehvard — Morse — Quat — The Monk's Dream — The Lady's Vow — .The Lord's Performance — BUlingsley — Bewdley — Wykeham's Prebendary — Bishop Percy's Birthplace — A Picnic to Apley — The Free River — Delightful View — Sabrina Fair — Mirth and Moonlight ..... CONTENTS. IX 138

Chapter XIII. Page

A Zigzag to Corve Dale — The Tunnel — Morville — Much Wenlock — A Sleepy Town— Privilege— The Old Town-ball— Fine Old Carvings — A Wakeful Text — The dear old Mother Tongue — The Abbey Ruins — The Prior's Lodgings — Picturesque Effects — King Merewald's Daughter — A Miracle — Legend of St. Milburga — A Fresh Start — Wenlock Edge — A Happy Landscape — Hughley — Scarce Water — Lane to Cardington — The Bubbling Spring — Amid the Hills — Caradoc — Twilight — An Enchanting Spectacle —The Ascending Veil - 119

Chapter XIV

Church Stretton — Unwonted Excitement — The First Gaslight — A Healthy Town — A Feeble Farewell — Up the Longmynd — Hill and Valley — Senior and Junior — Lawley, Caradoc, Ragleth, and Wrekin — Memorial of Caractacus — Watling Street — Mill Glen — Deep Gully — Oakham Dingle — Heath and Bilberry — A Breezy Summit — Glorious Panoramas of Hills — An Awkward Road — View to the West — The Bilberry Gatherers — A Geological Day-dream — From Lifeless to Living — A Flight to Shrews bury ... ........ 128

Chapter XV

Shrewsbury : a Town worth the Seeing — Timbered Houses — Architecture of the Olden Time— The Picturesque and the Plague — Pride Hill— The Guild-House— High Street— Groups of Gables —Market Square— Duke Richard— The Council-House— Quaint Old Towns of Toil and Traffic— Charles I. and James II.— The Grammar-School— Memorable Scholars— A Philosopher's Birthplace—Curious Names— Historical Sites— The Butter Cross— St. Alkmund's— What the Devil did— The Castle— The Way to Bosworth Field— The Museum— Relics of Colonial Rome— The Doctor's Stamp— Bones and Skulls— Ethnological Conclusions —The River Path— The Quarry— No Fruit, but Plenty of Cakes —St. Mary's— A Noble Church— Monuments— View from the Tower— Haughmond Hill— Hotspur and Henry— Douglas and Glyndwr — Memorial Lay CONTENTS. X PAGE 148 165

Chapter XVI

The Abbey Foregate— Monkish Remains— The Abbey Tombs— The Pest-Basin— Old Izaak's Inspirer— The Severn— Atcham— A Pleasant Birthplace— Albert Diirer's Carvings— The Tern — Wroxeter, the British Pompeii — Aspects —Excavations — Ancient Uriconium— The Old Wall— Discoveries — Walls were Walls- Decorations— Hypocausts — Ancient Soot— Starved to Death — Ancient Dust-heap : Modern Treasure— Disappointed Excursionists—Effects of Want of Rain— Mischief— Snob and Fool, the Inscription Destroyers — Three Miles in Compass — A Convenient Quarry — Present Proceedings — A Market- Place — Deformed Skulls— Watling Street— Wrekin and Uricon— Eyton— Leighton — The Wrekin — Dead Beat — Haymaker's Hospitality — Stealthy Movements — The Crowded Bed — Cressage — Iron Grave Plates— The First Iron Bridge — The Earthquake — Buildwas Abbey — A Cut-off— Coalbrook Dale— Romantic and Mechanical — Skilful Castings— Fading Quakerism —A Week's Holiday — End of the Walk all round the Wrekin, and Return to Birmingham .

Chapter XVII

Birmingham — The Four Lampmakers — Going to School for Fun — The Quakers' Sunday-School — Early Breakfast — Early Teachers — Early Scholars — A Promising Spectacle — A Lesson, and its Application — The Superintendent — The Savings' Fund — The Boys — A Solution — Well-qualified Teachers — Origin of the School — The Encourager — Joseph Sturge's Good Work — Influence of Example — Material Benefits — The Stockinger — Out of Misery into Enterprise — A Poor Man's Tale — The Faithless Gaffer — Moral Benefits — Recreations — First-day Schools an Institution — Hundreds of Teachers and Thousands of Scholars .

Chapter XVIII

Birmingham — Ugliness and Ingenuity — Smoke and Shabbiness — The Jewellers' Quarter — The Pearl Button Quarter — The Dirty Quarter — Groups of Trades — The Gunmakers — Looking like Ladies — Tiresome Footways — Law less Pedestrians — Grim Canals — Dartmouth Wireworks — Pungent Pickle — The Hot Mound — Stacks of Rods — Hand versus Steam — The Drawing — The Ripping Blocks — A Mile for Eightpence — Good Wages — Silver Wire CONTENTS. XI PAGE Drawn through a Ruby — Prodigious Quantities Drawn — Use of Scraps — Annealing Pits— Steel versus Whalebone — The Pickle Tubs — A Noisy Barrel — Coiling and Packing .... 175

Chapter XIX

Birmingham — More Local Aspects — A Fashion for Chocolate — Double Houses — Right and Wrong in Back-Yards — Tumbledown Workshops — Tbe Brooch-makers — A Polisher in Dismal Circumstances — The Workman's Household Gear — Cheap Kitchen Ware— Consumption of Wire — Inevitable Conditions — Hooks and Eyes made by Machinery — The Machines — All but Alive — Levers and Pegs — Cutting and Squeezing — The Assiduous Beak-bender — Eighty a Minute — The Beak-planisher — Admirable Combinations — Three Hundred Gross a Day — Amazing Production — A Black Coat for Iron — Transmutation of Brass into Silver — The Packing Room — Happy Faces and Nimble Fingers — Tricks of Trade — Quick Counting — Cheap Sewing — Cheap Turning — Pushing for Orders — Brummagem Morality ...... 184

Chapter XX

Birmingham — The Hardware Village — Topographical Features — Not a Toyshop — Invention and Ingenuity — Ways and Means — "Pick'em out" — Free-and-Easy Orthography — "Ain't come to that yet" — Scraps of Talk — Recreations : Music and Parks — The "Praty Street :" a Contrast — Battery Works — How to make Brass — The Foundry — Bars and Ingots — Cores — Rolling and Drawing — How Tubes are Made — The Hammers — Tremendous Din — Utensils made by Punishment — True Workmanship — Profitable Blows — In the Lathe — Negro Ware : Guinea Kettles, Lisbon Pans, and Neptunes — Brass Rods for Blacks — The Fetish — The Big Dog — Fire-irons — Shovel-pans and Ladles — Putting on the Bosses — Startling Reports — Filing and Turning — "A Tidy Power" — Annealing — A Cold Bath — A Lick and a Promise — Teetotal Trustworthiness — Polishing and Papering-up — Master and Men — Astonishing Cheapness — The Last Blow for Ladles 195

Chapter XXI

Birmingham — The Bull Ring — St. Martin's — Barons of the Olden Time— Origin of Ugliness — Never too Late to Mend — Basker- CONTENTS. XII PAGE 210 ville — Schoolmaster, Japanner, and Typefounder — Hutton, Priestly, and Watt — Four Acres of Glass— New Street — A Grecian Temple — The Jews' Merchandise— Leather and Fly wings — How to make Iron Tubes — Red-hot Work — Buttons from Honfs — A Reverse to tbe Picture — Tbe Journeyman Gun smith — How the Money Goes — Both Ways of Living — Autobio graphy — How to Abolish Poor-rates — A Screw Factory — Cut ting the Blanks — Laches and Hoppers — Heads, Nicks, and Worms — Self- Action — Dirty Work — Cheapness and Civilisation

Chapter XXII

Birmingham — Steel-pen Works — An Agreeable Change — Busy as Bees — Steel Lace-work — Preparing the Steel ,— Cutting the Blanks — Good Work for Women — Fifteen Minutes' Tea-time— Twenty-four Varieties — Stamping the Nau.es — Pressing Blanks into Pens — Twenty-four Hours of Polishing— The Slit — The Tempering — Scorching Work — The Colouring — Blue or Bronze — The Grinding — Trying the Nibs — Happy Combination of Ingenuity, Economy, and Cleanliness — Four Hundred Tons of Pens a Year .... ■ . . . . 221

Chapter XXIII

Trip to Smethwick— Plate-glass Works— The "Ingrediments" The Furnace— Fearful Spectacle— Filling the Pots— The Casting- Shed — Ovens and Apparatus — Drawing a Pot — The Test Striking Effects — Outpouring of Fiery Paste — Rolling The Glowing Plate— Into the Oven— Two Days of Cooling— Beer better than Water— Good Habits promoted by Fair Play— Drawing tbe Ovens— Squaring the Plates— From Fire to Water— The Grinding-Shed— A Mad Dance— Sand and Water— The Smoothing-Shed— Women's Work— Good Wages— Good Looks, Good Workmanship— Many Women, more Ventilation— The Polishing-Shed— Red Machinery, Red Men, Red Boys — The Cutting-Room — Glass Floors — The Emery Mill— The Plaster Oven— The Machine Shop— Getting Rid of Refuse . 227

Chapter XXIV

The Great Table-land— Surprising Mineral Wealth and Population— A Walk through the Black Country— Vegetation under Difficulties CONTENTS. XIII PAGE 236 251 263 — Oldbury — Plenty of Chimneys — A Phosphorus Factory — Two Hundred Public-houses — Plenty to Eat and Plenty to Wear — Naish and Esfosterinist — Hooped Houses — Rowley Regis — Nailers — Womenis Work — Poor Pay — Reason for not Marrying —The First Foley— Lye Waste— The Clent Hills— Shenstone's Leasowes — Hales Owen — The Drift — The Devil's Spadefull — Crispin and Old Harry— Dudley Castle — Netherton— Blackness and Greenness — The Wren's Nest — Earthquakes — The Castle Court — Eyesores — Volunteers — Woods, Rocks, Chasms, and Tunnels — The Wonderful Caverns — The Market-Place — Facili ties for Drunkenness — The Doctor — Herbal Pills — An Oration .

Chapter XXV

From Green to Black — Walk to Tipton — The Miner's Cottage — Amiable Landlord — What it is to be Poor— Don't dare to Speak — Unfair Play — Butty and Doggy — "That's where 'tis" — Religious Beer-sellers — "What's to come o' we ? "■ — Tommy-shops— Systematic Swindling— Obeying the Act and Cheating the Workman — The Miners' Catechism — Greedy Masters — Beneficent Masters — Bloomfield Iron-Works — How Cast-iron is converted into Wrought — A Thousand Hands — The Puddling-furnace — Red-hot Sponge — Tbe Hammers — PoLderous Slabs — Rolling Boiler Plate — Perilous Employment — A Remarkable Parish — Fugitive Canal — Sunken Houses — "Anyhow." .

Chapter XXVI

Duddeston — Aston Park — Darlaston — An Address — The Word in Season — Willenhall— Locks and Gridirons — Each to his Work — Food and Books — Tortured Landscape— Cottage Economy — The Tip — Blue Flats — Smoky Bilston — Wolverhampton — Battlefields and Factories — The Chemical Corner — A Trip to Wednesbury — Ethelfleda's Hill-top— Barr Beacon — Sutton Park and Chase — The Company's Territory — Three Thousand Workpeople — Active Operations —The Iron-Pit — Roasting-Heaps— Butty's Belief — The Furnaces— Artificial Volcanoes— The Fillers — Sixty Tons a Day — A Retrospect — An Old Lament— Simon Sturtevant and Dud Dudley— The Blast— How Long ?— Sand-Beds— Bridges, Boilers, Turn-Tables — Railway Wheels — Ingenious Contrivances — Shrinking the Tires — Animated Industry — Tapping the Furnaces — A Red-hot Stream— Sow and Pigs— Casting — Impressive Effects — About Recreations — The Underground Missionary CONTENTS. PAOE 285 313

Chapter XXVII

Away to the Sunshine — Valley of Tame — Tamworth — Burton-upon- Trent — A Beery Town — Mountains of Barrels — Leviathan Breweries — Results of Bitter Ale — Draining the Wells — Nasty Practices — The Proud Teeler — Queer Dialect— A Mercian Carol — Bass and Co.'s Brewery — Brewing on the Great Scale — Beer, Malt, and Hops — A Wonderful Bridge— Scalpley Hill — Prospect — Vale of Trent— St. Modwen— Burton Abbey— A Fieldpath Walk — A Change of Scene — Swadlincote — Pottery Works — Coal and Clay — Weathering — Mashing, Straining, and Boiling — An Improved Process — The Wedging Mill — The Thrower's Wheel — Making Jugs, Cups, and Basins — A Good Day's Work — The Hothouse — In the Lathe — Self-Decoration — Blowing the Bands — Moulding — Handle-making — The Ovens — Seggars — The Firing — Biscuit — The Glazing — Stilts and Spurs — The Gloss-Oven — Convivial Ditty — The Store Rooms — Monster Jugs, Bowls, and Spittoon — Packing-Room — Wages and Wilfulness — A Change for the Better — Flowers and Singing — Stupid Men, Selfish Masters — Sympathy and Prosperity . . . . . . .

Chapter XXVIII

Gresley — Ashby-de-la-Zouch — Bardon — Charnwood Forest — Hills and Tors — Druid, RomaD, Saxon — Famous Places and Famous Names — Forest Primeval — Older and Oldest — Glorious Prospect — A Miserable Companion — Newtown Linford — Birch Wine — Bradgate Park — The Cross on the Rock — To Coalville — An Evening Walk — The Bell — St. Bernard's Abbey — Religions Signs — No Admittance for Women — The Guest-Master — The Church: Compline — Choir Brothers and Lay Brothers — The Guest's Room — Mute Servitor — Conversation between Guest and Guest-Master — A Check — The Rulers of the House — The Abbot's Authority — Guest-Master's Duty — Benedictine Practice — Much Labour and much Prayer — Worldly Wisdom — Spare Diet The Way to Heaven — The Bedchamber — The Dean's Query

Chapter XXIX

Early Rising — The Regulations — The Calvary — The Territory History— Old Cottage, New Monastery — The Abbot's Visit Effect of Monastic Life on Health — Beer instead of Water Are Convents desirable? — A Church without Gaudiness Mass CONTENTS. XV PAGE 329 347 Breakfast — How to prevent Talking — Incitements to Goodness — The Infirmary — The Dormitory — The Chapter-House — Lay- Brothers at Work — The Refectory — Lenten Dinner — Brewhouse, Bakehouse, and Dairy — A Remedy for Meagreness — The Library and Librarian — Taking Notes from a Jesuit — A Conversation — A Miracle — The Colony, a Reformatory — The Abbot in the Field — Three hundred Culprits — Trades to Learn — Plenty of Work — The Kitchen — The School-Room — Books and Music — The Chapel — Father Ignatius — How to maintain Discipline — Good Horticul ture — The Burial Ground — A Skilful Cook — Uncommon Drink — Departure — Moral Phenomena .......

Chapter XXX

Coalville to Tutbury — A Romantic River Utilised — The Church — The Castle — The Valley of Dove — Uttoxeter — Samuel Johnson's Penance — A Fidgetty Railway— The Staffordshire Knot — "Why didn't ye holler?"— The Trolly — Darnt for Derwent — The Churnet Valley — - Oakamoor — Pretty Scenery — Leek — Hill- Country — A Companion — Axe-Edge — Dreary Landscape — Nine Months' Winter, and Three Months' bad Weather — Mug for Mist — Warslow — A Mountain Village — A Hill Prospect — Ecton Mine — Leaden Opulence — The Manifold — The Dove — Hartington —The Little FishiDg House — Charles Cotton and Izaak Walton — Lofty Cliffs and Running Water — Inspirations — Pike Pool — Stepping Stones — Stony Scenery — Narrowdale — Sunshiny Repast — Quiet Thoughts — Viator and Piscator — Changes of Landscape — Concentrated Loveliness — Thorpe Cloud and Bunster — Ham — The Hilltop — Walk to Ashbourn — Congreve and Moore. .

Chapter XXXI

Another Black Country — Longton, the Scape-goat of the Potteries- Potter's Recreations and Makeshifty Ways — Seggar Walls — Ugly Macadamization — Crates, Straw, Poles, and Sticks — Stoke — Minton Memorial — Extensive Works— Clay from Cornwall — Girl Artists — Men Artists — A difference — Chemistry of Colours — The Clerk of Barthomley — Paper Landscapes — Parian Artists — The Show Rooms — The Tile Works — Ingenious Operations — Mosaic — A Drive — Hanley — Burslem — Tunstall — Improving Signs — Congleton and Neighbourhood — The Biddlemoor Men — Who sold their Bible to buy a Bear ? — Etruria — Conceited Hatmakers — Wealth of Productions — Moral Conditions — Night CONTENTS. XVI PAGE 411 422 Scene— Trentbam— Colwich— Cannock Chace— The Charm of Solitude— The Brooklet — Sound of the Sea — Ancient Cank, Modern Commerce — The Trent — Rugeley — Lichfield — Recol lections and Memorials of Johnson — The Cathedral — The Fatal Bullet— Restorations— The Affable Verger— The Tower-Top— St. Chad's — Hospitable Reception — More Reminiscences of Brave Old Samuel — A Chance of Ants' Nests — Gravel and Peat — Dangers of Drainage — Drive to Beaudesert — The Castle Ring — Slowgomotive Travelling ....... 372

Chapter XXXII

Into Worcestershire — King's Norton — The Lickey — The Source of Pebbles — The Incline — Bromsgrove — The Town of Needles — Stoke — Droitwich — Saltworks — The Brine Spring — Salt in olden Time— Tapping the Talc— The Pump-Well— Salt-pan and Panman — The Helpers — Hot Stoves — Sweat-House — Sodden and Sad — A Panman's Week — Competition — Impure and Pure — Dodder Hill — Red Marl and Cheltenham Springs — Westwood — Worcester — The Cathedral — Men and Incidents— The Vinegar Vats 399

Chapter XXXIII

The Stage Coach — Coachman's Philosophy — Crookbarrow — The Teme — The Pear Orchard — About Jemmy Winter — The Link — Aristocratic and Rustic — Malvern, a pleasing Town — Local Phenomena — A Hopeful American — The Priory Church — A Ramble on the Hills— The Worcestershire Beacon — The Hill's Coat — The Wych— Black Hill— Malvern Wells— Little Malvern— Wind's Point — The Herefordshire Beacon — Ancient Camp — The Prospect — From the Wrekin to the Mendips — From the Kymin to Clent — First and Last Battle — Final Survey — Blithesome Ditty

Chapter I

An Interception and a Ramble Initiatory— Gaveston Hill — Guy's Clifl, and its Admirers — Shakespeare's Avon — Old Leamington — Birmingham — Sunshine and Smoke — A Word of Explanation. Intercepted on the way down by mine ancient friend, I rambled away a July afternoon with him in a country which, while reminding us of former holidays, animated the passing hours by the views it revealed across the richly-wooded landscapes of Warwickshire ; the heart, but not the core of England, as an old writer has it. Our recollections of Kenilworth, of the county town with its stately castle, and relics of Sir Guy, and magnificent vase, intermingled with the many things that will be talked about when Urbicola and Ruricola meet, and with hand on shoulder go sauntering over grassy slopes in sunshine and shadow.

The summit of Blacklow Hill yielded us a twofold enjoyment, the coolness of thicket and sheltering boughs, and a prospect, spreading out league after league, of yellow fields and thick dark woods — breadths of foliage, burdened with almost tropical luxuriance by the unwonted heat ; from which the village spire shoots B up with graceful humility, and the tower of St. Mary's rises proudly, a conspicuous mark for miles around, and the embrasured turrets of Warwick Castle peer from the dark green masses, arresting your eye by the happy combinations which ever attend the grouping of masonry amid fulness of verdure. With such a prospect before us we had but little sympathy for the royal favourite, whose memorial monument stands on the summit, marking the place where the barons " took away his head," and assisting to perpetuate the name of Gaveston Hill.

Willingly did we bend our steps once more to Guy's Cliff, one of the most charming spots in the county. We had seen its gardens and pleasure-grounds, had paced the river-walk beneath the dark-red cliff, and drunk of Sir Guy's Well, and considered his hermitage; we had viewed hall and library, and noteworthy paint ings, among which the Cave of Despair, from Spenser's Faery Queen, so vividly represents its subject, that some women have been unable to look thereon without a swoon. Yet it is a place which you never weary of ; even that sedate antiquary Leland, infuses his quaint style with a touch of poetry when describing Guy's Cliff. " There is sylence," he says, " a praty wood, a cave in living rock, the river rouling over the stones with a praty noise." And Fuller on arriving here breaks out with " a most delicious place, so that a man in many miles riding cannot meet so much variety, as there one furlong doth afford.

A steep rock full of caves in the bowels thereof, wash'd at the bottome with a christall river, besides many clear springs on the side thereof, all over-shadowed with a stately grove, so that an ordinary fancy may here find to itself Helicon, Parnassus, and what not ? Many Hermites (and Guy PLEASANT PLACES. ■\ Earl of Warwicke himself) being sequestered from the world, retreated hither. Some will say it is too gaudy a place for that purpose, as having more of a paradise than wilderness therein, so that men's thoughts would rather be scattered than collected with such various objects. But seeing Hermits deny themselves the company of men, let them be allowed to converse with the rarities of Nature, and such are the fittest texts for a solitary devotion to comment upon." The " river rouling over the stones " is the Avon — Shakespeare's Avon — which having watered the finely undulating park of Stoneleigh, and its noble oaks, here awakens the busy clack of the most picturesque of mills, and tumbling over the bay in a broad cascade flows onward between the cliff and meadow, reflecting the lavish foliage, the overhanging trees, the ivy and luxuriant creepers which climb high up on the rock and peep in at the windows.

Viewed from across the river the house presents a charming picture, and we sauntered there in the twilight, discovering manifold effects of light and shadow, and more and more of harmony between mill and house and the sylvan environment. Truly the sojourners at Leamington have pleasant places all around them, offering an agreeable escape from the pretentiousness of an increasing fashionable watering-place, and beguilement for their languid hours. Nature and antiquity are a good antidote to the deadening effects of conventional life. There is a relic of antiquity in the town itself, close by the church, a fragment of old Leamington, which perhaps because it is accessible, attracts but little attention, and yet is an ancient house of post and panel with thatched roof that looks as if its retrospection might b almost equal that of the humble yet precious tenement at Stratford-on-Avon.