similar to that in September 1878 at Barrow, namely, the consecration of 4 new churches on one day. In the centre of the principal thoroughfare, Duke-st., is erected a statue of Sir James Ramsden, to whom the town owes much of its prosperity, and who resides at Abbot's Wood, on the hill-side opposite the ruins of Furness Abbey. parts of Barrow Island, which the rly. company has purchased, there are 10 m. of sidings. The docks are adapted to vessels of all sizes, the depth of water maintained being 22 ft. The quays are 14 m. in length, the area of the Devonshire Dock is 30 acres, that of the Buccleuch Dock 33 acres, that of the timberpond 35 acres, and of the Ramsden Dock 200 acres. There are also rly. The principal neighbouring islands are Old Barrow, Walney, Foulney, Peel of Fouldry, Roe Island, Dora Howe, and Ramsey. Walney is about 10 m. long by 1 broad, and rises like a wall out of the sea, as its name denotes: "The isle of Walney lyes, whose longitude doth swage His fury, when his waves on Furnesse seem to warre Whose crooked back is arm'd with many a rugged scarre Against his boystrous shocks, which this defensive isle Of Walney still assayle, that shee doth scorne the while, Which to assist her with the Pile of Fouldry set The Docks.-The channel divid-rolling stock works, foundries and ing Barrow Island from the main-engineering works, rope works, steam land has been converted, by en- corn mills, flax and jute mills, all closing it from the open sea at both on the most extensive scale. ends, into extensive floating docks. Of these docks, next to the size-in which respect they stand unrivalled on this line of coast, with the exception of those at Birkenhead-the great merit consists in the economy of their construction. Although the total cost will be about 300,000l., it is alleged that no such docks in the kingdom will have been completed for so small a sum. The mode in which the site was turned to account is in the highest degree ingenious. Of the numerous islands on the S. side of the peninsula, the nearest, Barrow Island, was separated from the town by a narrow channel. The rly. company, however, encroaching more and more upon the sea, reduced the distance between the island and the mainland until there was only a tideway some few hundred yards in width. This tideway the engineers conceived the design of converting into floating docks, so that the island and mainland should in future be one, with the space between no longer a free channel for the sea, but a basin in which vessels might float at all times of The Abbots of Furness erected the tide. The southern face of dikes to prevent the irruption of Barrow Island has been appropri- the sea at high tides and in gales ated for ship-building yards; several of wind, but after the dissolution 4000-ton steamers have been built of the monastery these precautions here. The outer island, Walney, 10 were neglected, and the sea has m. in length, serves as a natural several times since flowed over breakwater to Barrow, and it is esti- the island, doing immense damage. mated that around and in different | Inundations occurred in 1771, 1796, And Fulney at her backe, a pretty insulet." Walney possesses a rich soil, and produces good grain crops. Biggar Bank, part of this island, has been acquired by the Corporation as a recreation ground for the inhabitants. Ferry boats ply daily between Barrow and the ancient village of N. Scale, another part of the island, where there is a good hotel. and 1821, in which latter year the sea broke down part of the dike and flooded many acres. Large flocks of sea-fowl haunt the island, amongst which the naturalist may observe Tadorna vulpanser (shell duck), Charadrius hiaticula (ring plover), Hæmatopus ostralegus (oyster catcher), Larus marinus (black backed gull), &c. At the S.E. end is a lighthouse, 68 ft. high, erected in 1799. the shore; but the judicious resto ration by the owner, the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry, has now arrested the progress of decay. The buttresses and the mullions of the windows are of red sandstone, but the mass of the building was built apparently of the boulders collected from the beach, rudely but strongly cemented together. On the N. and W. sides the 2 moats, the double lines of wall, and the strong flanking towers, give a good idea of the origi A branch rly. from Barrow to the extremity of the peninsula op-nal strength and solidity of the posite, 4 m., has been carried, by ancient fortress. Here was it that, means of an embankment, to Roe in the reign of Henry VII., the Earl Island, where there is a long pier. of Lincoln and Lord Lovel, with Steamers ply daily from it to the 2000 German soldiers under Martin Isle of Man (Douglas), Belfast, and, Swart, and a number of Irish under in the summer, two or three times Lord Geraldine, landed, to support a day to Fleetwood (Rte. 16). On the pretensions of Lambert Simnel, the beach of Roe Island may be seen the self-styled Earl of Warwick. many large boulders of granite, which were transported during the glacial period from Shap Fells. ROUTE 20. ULVERSTON TO AMBLESIDE, BY The Peel of Fouldry can be reached in a few minutes by a boat from Peel pier. The Castle was built in the reign of Stephen for the protection of the harbour, and as a place of retreat for the people of the neighbourhood during hostile incursions from the Border, and it was rebuilt and strengthened about the middle of the 14th centy. It was called the Pile of Foudry, from which it is evident that the island formerly bore the name of Foudry, or the Flame island, from "foudra," Norse for flame, and "ey," an island.-Fergusson. The keep was divided into 3 compartments of 3 stories in each, and was protected by a double moat, walls, and flanking towers. On the N. side of the inner wall are the ruins of the chapel, three of the The line passes under the foot of walls only remaining, but the foun- Hoad Hill, crowned by Sir John dations of the altar may be seen. Barrow's monument, and skirts the A considerable portion of the walls high ground which overlooks the of the castle has been destroyed by estuary of the Leven. On the oppothe inroads of the sea, and frag-site side are Speel Bank and the ments of them are scattered along heights above Cartmel. A branch rly. runs from Ulverstone to Lake Side (Windermere), calling at Haverthwaite Stat., whence the tourist can proceed to Newby Bridge, and there embark on board the steamer for Bowness, Lowwood, and Ambleside. At Newland, 1 m., is a small | Esthwaite Water, and Hawkshead. iron-work. Grand panoramas are constantly At 3 m., Greenodd Stat., the obtained of the Coniston mountains road divides: to the rt. to Newby-the Old Man, Wetherlam, and all Bridge; to the 1. to Spark Bridge that rugged range, with the more and Coniston, by the side of the distant ranges towards Langdale, pretty river Crake. which form a superb background to the softer woodlands and valleys all round. Penny Bridge Hall is the seat of J. P. Machell, Esq., and Summer Hill, a little higher up the vale of Crake, of J. Clarke, Esq. A little further on the line crosses the stream of the Rusland Pool, and over the Ireland Moss to 6 m. Haverthwaite Stat. At Lowwood are powder-works. The whole of the district, though not by any means so grand an order of scenery as most of the Lake country, and consequently seldom visited, will, nevertheless, amply repay the pedestrian, for there is a great variety of rock and woodland, larch, ash, hazel, and fir, which, in addition to adding zest to the scenery, are of much commercial value for the use of the bobbin and hoop manufacturers, and the two or three charcoal iron furnaces in the neighbourhood. This, indeed, is nearly the only locality in Great Britain where the old fashioned smelting by charcoal has not been superseded by coal or coke. The pedestrian may extend his wanderings into the hilly parish of Colton. Near the ch. is the farmhouse of Greenhead, formerly the seat of the Rawlinsons, of which family was Christopher Rawlinson, author of the Saxon version of Boethius de Consolatione Philosophiæ,' attributed to King Alfred. From Colton a charming mountain road runs across to Nibthwaite, at the foot of Coniston Water, about 5 m. from Greenodd. There is a large bobbin-factory here. From Haverthwaite Stat. he may follow up the valley of the Rusland, through Bouth, to the hamlet of Rusland (the Hall, C. D. Archibald, Esq.), and thence to At Backbarrow, 73 m., where is an iron-work, the Leven is crossed, and the tourist soon reaches the Swan at Newby Bridge, 8 m., one of the best and most famous hotels in the Lake district. The river flows in front of the hotel, and is spanned by a bridge of three arches. The hill above the hotel should be ascended for the sake of the views of Windermere, and the Leven estuary. There are few better salmon rivers in England than the Leven, but the fishing is in the hands of a private association. A steamer leaves Lake Side several times a day for Bowness, Lowwood, and Waterhead (Ambleside). The tourist emerges upon the surface of Windermere, the largest of the English lakes, in circumference somewhat less than 23 m., though in breadth it rarely exceeds 1 m. Its principal affluents are the Rothay, the Brathay, Cunsey Beck, and the Troutbeck river. Its effluent is the Leven, which, after a course of 5 m. enters Morecambe Bay. The water of Windermere is particularly clear, and the lake preserves a generally uniform level. Trout, pike, perch, and char abound in it, and salmon are occasionally taken. The scenery of its banks is soft, excepting in its N. reach, where, in consequence of the proximity of the Langdale Pikes, and Bowfell, one of the most picturesque of the Cumberland mountains, it rises into grandeur. To see it thoroughly many excursions would be required. A considerable portion of it, and especially towards Newby Bridge, has the appearance Velde; Ruins, by Jan Asselyn; an Apothecary with a Book in a window recess, by Metzu; a Landscape, by Jan Baptiste Weenix; a Virgin and Child, by Giovanni Pedrini; 4 small pictures of the Seasons, by Teniers; a male Saint with a palm-branch, by Carlo Dolce; a Landscape, formerly in the possession of Sir Joshua Reynolds, by Claude Lor rather of a river than a lake. From Bowness to its S. extremity both banks are richly wooded, but the hills are only of moderate elevation. As the steamer proceeds up the lake, on the 1. is Finsthwaite and Stott Park (John Fell, Esq.), opposite the larch-covered height of Gummer's How, to the islands of Blake Holme and Silver Holme. On 1. is High Graythwaite Hall, the beauti-raine; a Party in the open air, by ful Elizabethan seat of Capt. Sandys, whose ancestors settled in Furness, temp. Henry VI. Of this family, a member of which married the heiress of an Abbot of Furness, were Edwyn Sandys, Archbishop of York (Rte. 21) and his son, George, an eminent traveller and scholar. One of the curiosities of Graythwaite is the "peg" tankard, marked in the inside with a row of silver pegs, to show where each guest drank. Higher up, on the same side, the Cunsey Beck flows in from Esthwaite water. Nearly opposite, on the rt. bank, is Storrs Hall (Rev. T. Staniforth). The mansion is finely situated, but the interior is not shown during the residence of the owner. It was built by Sir John Legard, and was often visited by Mr. Canning during the proprietorship of Mr. Bolton. In 1825, Canning, Scott, Wordsworth, and Wilson, "the Admiral of the Lake," as Mr. Canning called him, assembled there, and the reunion of so many illustrious persons was celebrated by a brilliant regatta on Windermere, over which "Christopher North" presided. The mansion contains some pictures of great merit. The collection was formed by Mr. Bolton. The following enumeration of them is from Waagen's ⚫Galleries and Cabinets of Art in Great Britain :'-Lot and his Daughters, by Guercino; a copy of Quentin Matsys' Misers, the original in Windsor Castle; Joseph giving the Child to the Virgin, Murillo; a Sea-piece, by William Van de Jan Steen, one of the finest works of the master; a fine bust of Canning, by Chantrey. There is also a rich collection of porcelain, with specimens of the different manufactories. At Storrs Hall the boundary between Lancashire and Westmoreland is crossed, as far as regards the E. side of Windermere, though on the west bank the former county extends to the very head. The steamer now calls at Bowness, 11 m. from Birthwaite or Windermere Stat. (Hotels: Old England, on the lake; Royal and Crown, some distance from the lake). 6 The ch. is very old, and was dedicated to St. Martin. The stained glass in the E. window was supposed to have been brought from Furness Abbey, but Mr. Stockdale, the historian of Cartmel, in his Annales Caermoelenses,' proves that it was removed from one or more of the windows of Cartmel Ch. But little of the design can be traced, in consequence of the imperfect manner in which the glass has been put together, or from subsequent injury. The window is divided into three compartments, one of which is said to represent St. George and the Dragon, others the Crucifixion. Above are the arms of France and England, and a group of monks in their habits, with their names on scrolls underneath. The whole is surrounded by a border of armed figures and tracery, with the armorial bearings of different families, benefactors to the Abbey. Bishop Watson was buried in the (riages and passengers across the lake churchyard near the E. window, in 5 minutes. Continuing up the lake, conspicuous on the 1. (and in Lancashire) are the towers of Wray Castle, built in 1842 by James Dawson, Esq., M.D., of Liverpool, and intended to represent a feudal fortress of the Middle Ages. The best parts of it, however, are the outside, and the situation, which cannot be surpassed. The views up Langdale are superb from this part of the lake, and include Harrison and Stickle Pikes, High Easdale, Lingmoor, and Ser and there is a neat monument to A few minutes' walk from the his memory in the ch.. In 1865 ferry inn is a summer-house called some curious memorials of the Re- the Station, belonging to the proformation were discovered on remov-prietor of Curwen's Island. Each ing the whitewash and plaster from window is filled with differentlythe walls, consisting of a great num-coloured glass. The effect produced ber of texts, with comments on them, is singular. explanatory of the new doctrines. Belle Isle, or Curwen's Island, is nearly opposite Bowness, and comprises about thirty acres prettily wooded, with a mansion in the middle. Visitors are permitted to walk in the grounds. The island was a stronghold of the Royalists during the Civil Wars, and was the property of the Philipsons, an ancient family of Westmoreland, of whom there are some monuments in the ch. of Bowness. There are several spots near Bow-jeant Man, while the foreground ness whence fine views of the lake are to be obtained, especially from Biscay How, a rocky eminence to the E., and also from a field on the 1. of the road leading to Windermere village, and especially from Miller Brow (The Priory, W. Carver, Esq.), 1 m. on the Ambleside road. The woods of Calgarth here form a foreground to a landscape of wonderful beauty, including the whole of the upper reach of the lake, Coniston Old Man, and Langdale Pikes. A short distance from Bowness, near the shore of the lake, is Rayrigg, an old mansion-house once occupied by William Wilberforce. Conveyances. A coach daily during the season from the Ferry Inn opposite Bowness, through Hawkshead (Rte. 21), to Coniston, 10 m., for the rly. to Furness Abbey, which may thus be conveniently visited from Bowness or Windermere Stat. A coach to Patterdale on Ullswater daily, 10 m., and one daily to and from Keswick. There is a pleasant footpath to the ferry 1 m. across the fields. The ferry-boat conveys car is filled with the mighty masses of Loughrigg and the Rydal Fells. Close to Lowwood Hotel, where the steamer calls, is Dovesnest, for a short time the residence of Mrs. Hemans, a plain unpretending house, beautifully situated. At the head of the lake the village of Clappersgate is seen nestling under the wooded heights of Loughrigg, together with Brathay Hall (G. Redmayne, Esq.), in the centre of a wooded park. The tourist fairly enters Westmoreland, and the most lovely portion of the lake district at Waterhead Pier, from whence omnibuses complete the journey of 1 m. to Ambleside (Handbook to the Lakes). Hotels: Salutation, Brown's Queen's Hotel, White Lion. |