Ten Days in Rural England, to and from London
| 1st day | Assuming that the traveler from the Western Continent is passing to eastern England after first touring Ireland and Scotland, or landing at Liverpool direct from his ocean voyage, he had best proceed the first day to Durham. Before leaving Liverpool, however, if he has time he should take a ride out and inspect the immense system of shipping docks (one of the great commercial sights of the world), and visit the Exchange in business hours. Durham Cathedral is the most picturesquely situated of all the great churches of England. On a cliff of considerable elevation above the River Wear, this great Cathedral stands a most imposing sight, and to the lover of ecclesiastical architecture the interior is equally impressive. Fram- wellgate Bridge commands a fine view. Leave by train for York. |
| 2d day | York, the one-time rival of London as a metropolis, and of Canterbury in ecclesiastical authority. York Minster is one of the largest and grandest cathedrals in England, and is the metropolitan church of the North. Many relics of the Roman occupation of York are still to be seen, conspicuous amongst them being the massive city walls. Interesting excursions can be made to Ripon, Fountains Abbey, and to the fashionable spa, Harrogate. |
| 3d day | Lincoln. The Cathedral, crowning the hill on ' which the city is built, is another of the finest and most attractive churches in Britain. Thirty-one miles distant is the old town of Boston, with its beautiful old parish church, known familiarly as " Boston Stump." |
| 4th day | Ely, in Cambridgeshire, another cathedral city which in early days played a heroic part in the history of England. Leave by afternoon train for Cambridge. |
| 5th day | Cambridge. Many of the University buildings are fine examples of architecture, and all of them have points of attraction to interest the tourist visitor. Leave by the afternoon train for London, where the traveler has ample opportunity to utilize all the time he has at his disposal. |
| 6th day | Oxford (two hours from London). Of historical importance centuries before the discovery of America, Oxford still stands as one of the most interesting and important cities of England, and the greatest seat of learning in the world. In the hall of the Divinity School, Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley were tried and condemned to martyr death; within the walls of the city, parliaments have been held and kings kept court, and during the civil war the first Charles for a long time maintained his headquarters. Leave by afternoon train for Stratford -on -Avon, stopping off a train at Woodstock, where is Blenheim Palace, the hereditary home of the Dukes of Marlborough. |
| 7th day | Stratford-on-Avon, where the day can be charmingly spent amid the scenes of Shakespeare's home and burial-place. His birthplace is on Henley Street, and his body lies in the chancel of Stratford Church, with his good wife near him. To the English race the Church of St. Mary at Stratford is, next to Westminster Abbey, the most venerated sepulcher in Great Britain. Shottery, where Anne Hathaway lived before she married Shakespeare, is reached by a footpath through the meadows, much the same as when young William went a-wooing |
| 8th day 9th |
Warwick. An hour's drive from Stratford will bring the traveler to the ancient town of Warwick. Although nearly destroyed by fire in 1694, fortunately the best portions of St. Mary's Church escaped the flames. Warwick Castle, which, according to Scott, is the fairest monument of ancient chivalric splendor that yet remains uninjured by time, stands on a rock overlooking the River Avon. Another drive is to the ruins of Kenilworth Castle, where Dudley, Earl of Leicester, entertained Queen Elizabeth. It was the scene of the death of Amy Robsart. Afterwards Cromwell battered it, but even in ivy-covered ruins it still retains much of its stately magnificence. |
| 10th day | Lichfield, full of associations with the early lives of Addison, Samuel Johnson and Garrick, possessing also a very beautiful Cathedral, " the queen of English minsters." Leave by afternoon train for Chester, the old Roman military city, from whose walls Charles I saw his army defeated on Rowton Heath. The place contains many old houses, and a short distance away is Eaton Hall, the seat of the Duke of Westminster, one of the most elegant of the mansions of England. Another excursion, of about eight miles, can be made to Hawarden, the home of the Great Commoner, William Ewart Gladstone. Chester is only about fifteen miles from Liverpool, from which port it may be assumed that many travelers will return to America. |
