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trian, however, will prefer the towing-path of the river side, as fullest of interest and greatest variety, and exhibiting the town under favourable points of view, which are nowhere else obtainable. New pictures of the town and its churches, and the keep of the Castle, present themselves at every winding of the stream, which, with its sharp reflections and its banks, fringed with sedges and docks and flowers, occasional weirs and rushing waters, barges and their towing-horses, makes beautiful foregrounds. The river's walk leads by the lock and the mill: both of them are objects of pictorial interest. Close to the mill a high, narrow flight of steps takes us into Quarry-street; and before we pass the Castle gateway opposite, we will turn in the opposite direction, and survey St. Mary's Church, the only ecclesiastical remain of antiquity of which Guildford can now fairly boast. The exterior is remarkable for the rounded apses of its two aisles, respectively the chapels of St. John and St. Mary. The east end of the chancel, too, was rounded until 1775, when the barbarians sliced it away; and the same operation was again repeated in 1825, in order to widen the road. The inside of the church will well repay a visit. Though neglected, dilapidated and abounding in incongruities, it has many kinds of interest-artistic, historical, antiquarian. The ascent to the altar by a series of steps, reminds us how imposing it once must have been. The massive circular columns in the nave carry back the age of the church many centuries; and the depressed semicircular and Romanesque arches in the chancel, still earlier in date, show an intimate relation with the twelfth century. The chapel of the Virgin was in the south aisle, and some of its decorative timber-work remains in dusty neglect, making a slut's corner for firewood, &c. The chapel of St. John, in the opposite aisle, now serving'

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as the vestry, contains some very perfect vestiges of wall paintings between the groining of its roof, and in the spandrels of the great arch. Our wood-cut is too much reduced to give anything but an indication of the position of these paintings: they are among the most perfect remains of their kind existing in our country which the iconoclasts have

spared to us. The subjects represent the weighing of souls, the last judgment, Christ casting out devils, and the martyrdom of St. John Port Latin: these latter are inclosed in oval and circular compartments. There is also some not inelegant scroll-work. The designs seem to have been wholly executed in red ochre, and even in this simple material, with rude, bad drawing, they are effective. It has been conceived that they are as old as Henry III.'s reign. But the objection to be urged against this hypothesis is, that the vaulting on which they are painted is not so old by two centuries. Still these wall paintings are very interesting remains, and will well reward the curious after English frescoes for a journey expressly to see them. We might even take a lesson from them, faulty as they are in all sorts of artistic details, for the decoration of the churches of our day. They are, at all events, an attempt at decorative art of superior calibre to the whitewash of our own times.

Retracing our steps up Quarry-street, we pass a modern house, called the Castle House, the tenancy of which confers the privilege of holding the Castle and its grounds. This house, which is occupied by the Judges at the Assizes, whoever may be the then tenant, is generally let for the season; and, by application to the house agent who manages the letting, a permission to inspect the Castle minutely may generally be obtained. Until of late years the gardens of the Castle used to be a public promenade; and it is desirable that the practice were revived, for the gardens are extremely pleasant, and a thorough inspection of the ruins can only be had by entering them.

Guildford Castle is not mentioned in veridicous history before Stephen's time, though it has been called a Saxon building. We know that, with Reigate and other fortresses in the neighbourhood, it surrendered to the Barons and their leader, the Dauphin, against King John. The keep of the Castle is the only part which preserves its original form; the others are mere heaps of ruins: little else than the outer walls of the keep is now remaining. By climbing up a ladder, we may reach, on the south side, a little apartment in the thickness of the walls, which, to judge from the very rude sculptures of a religious character on the chalky walls, we imagine must have been the chapela small space enough, not exceeding fifteen feet in length and scarcely six in width, but still a chapel for no fortress was complete without its chapel, which was usually at the south-east corner, as it is here. These mural figures have puzzled some antiquaries, who thought they were the works of prisoners, cut to while away idle hours of solitude.

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The spaces for the timber joists of two floors may be traced, and the building is roofless. The masonry of the walls, chiefly of flint and chalk, shows two or three kinds of work, herring-bone, &c. In some places, the walls are at least ten feet thick. The apertures are circularheaded. We have not space to pursue further the details of this structure; but must content ourselves in eulogizing its great picturesque value to the town, and praying for its religious preservation.

Failing to get admittance to the gardens, then pass beneath the archway in Quarry-street, and the lane surrounding the walls will be

found to be very favourable for a survey of the outside of the Castle. If you appreciate groupings of ruined gables, rough, grey and lichened, you will pause to sketch them here, so picturesque is the combination. Again we reach South Hill, from which spot we have taken our view of the Castle. A passage through the old and rather picturesque stable-yard of the White Hart is directly opposite, and will lead us to the inn where the roast duck is awaiting our advent, and, by the time we have completed this survey of Guildford, we shall be glad to reach the comfortable place.

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LONDON: PUBLISHED AT THE RAILWAY CHRONICLE OFFICE,
14, Wellington-street North, Strand. Price 2d.

RAILWAY

TRAVELLING CHARTS;

Or, IRON ROAD-BOOKS,

FOR PERUSAL ON THE JOURNEY:

IN WHICH ARE NOTED

THE TOWNS, VILLAGES, CHURCHES, MANSIONS, PARKS, STATIONS, BRIDGES, VIADUCTS, TUNNELS, CUTTINGS, GRADIENTS, &c.

The Scenery and its Natural History, the Antiquities and their Historical Associations, &c. passed by the Line of Railway,

WITH HUNDREDS OF ILLUSTRATIONS,

CONSTITUTING A NOVEL AND COMPLETE COMPANION FOR THE RAILWAY CARRIAGE.

Also publishing,

PLEASURE EXCURSIONS,

Being Guides for DAY'S EXCURSIONS to

KINGSTON AND HAMPTON COURT,

ESHER, WEYBRIDGE AND WALTON,-WOKING,-WINCHESTER, SILCHESTER,-PORCHESTER, &c.

On the SOUTH-EASTERN RAILWAY.

REPRINTED FROM THE

Railway Chronicle,

Which is published every Saturday, in time for the Morning Mails, price 6d. stamped to go free by post.

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PLEASURE EXCURSIONS.

WINCHESTER,

ON THE SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY.

[From the Railway Chronicle.]

The whole day is requisite for this Excursion, so that it is necessary to start by one of the earliest trains.

Genial weather and holidays make us pilgrims, taking a morning's ride to get a slice of bread and a horn of beer, given gratis to every one who knocks at the portal of the Hospital of St. Cross, near Winchester. This charitable gift is a sort of lone thing in all England—a remnant of

Hospital of St. Cross.

ancient times and manners, so rare that we are actually journeying some 66 miles to have evidence of it. Let it be noted that the distance is less than a three hours' journey. Many a three hours' journey must have been undertaken in the twelfth century to obtain the bread and beer, but then the pilgrim could only have trudged the 10 miles from Romsey Abbey, or at most the dozen miles from Netley. We now come from London to affect the vagrancy-and a pleasant day's employment it is.

The earliest train arrives at Winchester in time to enable you to attend the morning service at the cathedral-and our advice is to attend the service. The fresh purity, devotional solemnity, and impressiveness of the tones of the boys' soprani, which are heard only in cathedrals, are always most attractive, even if higher motives do not lead the visitor thither.

Winchester, like our Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's, has not yet imitated the good example of Norwich and Durham Cathedrals, and thrown open its doors to those who may desire to meditate within its walls, and the ordinary visitor is attended by a verger; but we under

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