260 TOTTENHAM HIGH CROSS. parish church is remarkable for being of a circular form, with a low fpire. TOTTENHAM HIGH CROSS, a village, 41⁄2 M. F. L. in the road to Ware. Among the ancient poffeffors of the manor of Tottenham was Robert Bruce, King of Scotland, from whom the manor-house obtained the name of Bruce Castle, which it still retains. Being forfeited to the crown, it had different proprietors, till the year 1631, when we find it in the poffeffion of Hugh Hare, Lord Coleraine. Henry Hare, the laft Lord Coleraine of that family, having been deferted by his wife, the daughter of John Hanger, efq. and who obftinately refused, for 20 years, to return to him, formed a connection with Mifs Rofe Dupleffis, a French lady, by whom he had a daughter, born in Italy, whom he named Henrietta Rofa Peregrina, and to whom he left all his eftates. This lady married the late Mr. Alderman Townsend; but, being an alien, fhe could not take the eftates, and the will, having been legally made, barred the heirs at law; fo that the eftates efcheated to the crown. However, by the intereft of Mr. Townsend's father, Chauncey Townfend, efq. with the late Lord Holland, a grant of these eftates, confirmed by act of Parliament, was made to Mr. Townsend and his lady, whofe fon, Henry Hare Townsend, efq. is the prefent proprietor of Bruce Caftle. This feat is partly ancient and partly modern. In the houfe, to the S. W. is a deep well, over which is an ancient brick tower, the upper part of which ferves as a dairy. In this parish is an elegant brick manfion, called Mount Pleafant, the refidence of Rowland Stephenfon, efquire. The church is fituated on an eminence, almost surrounded on the W. N. and E. by the Mofel, a rivulet, which rifes on Mufwell Hill. Över the porch is an apartment in which the parish bufinefs was formerly tranfacted. It is inhabited by Elizabeth Flemming, an alms-woman, who has lived in it fixty years, and, according to her own account, paffed her hundredth year on the 17th of March 1790. The veftry was erected in 1697, by Lord Coleraine, who made a vault in it as a burial-place for himself and his family. It has, indeed, the appearance of a mausoleum, having a dome leaded, and crowned with an obelisk. At the end of Page Green, ftands a remarkable circular clump of elms, called "the Seven Sifters." In a brick-field, on the weft fide of the great road, belonging to Mr. Charles Saunders, is St. Loy's well, which is faid to be always full, and never to run over; and, in a field oppofite the Vicarage Houfe, rifes a fpring, called Bishop's Well, of which the common people report many ftrange cures. In the town, has been a crofs, from time immemorial. It was formerly a column of wood, raised upon a little hillock; whence the village took the name of High Crofs. It was taken down about about 200 years ago, and the prefent ftructure erected in his stead, by Dean Wood. In this parish are three alms-houses. Of one of them, for eight poor people, it is remarkable, that it was erected by Balthazar Zanches, a Spaniard, who was confectioner to Philip II of Spain, with whom he came over to England, and was the first that exercised that art in this country. He became a Proteftant, and died in 1602. It is faid that he lived in the house, now the George and Vulture Inn; at the entrance of which are fixed the arms of England, in a garter, fupported by a lion and griffin, and with the initials E. R: over another door is 1587. Here alfo is a free school, of which, at the end of the last century, that celebrated scholar and antiquary, Mr. Wil liam Baxter, was mafter. There is a Quaker's Meeting at Tottenham; on which account, many families of that perfuafion have their country houses here. TOTTERIDGE, a village, near Barnet, about ten M. F. L. Its fituation is delightful, adorned with many handsome houses; and it was greatly inhabited by the citizens of London fo long ago as the reign of James I. Here is the house and park of Mrs. Lee. TRENT PLACE, the beautiful villa of the Earl of Cholmondeley, on Enfield Chafe. When that part of the Chafe, which was referved to the crown, in confequence of the act for disforefting it, was fold by auction in the dutchy dutcy court of Lancaster, two of the lots were bought by Dr. Richard Jebb, who had fuccessfully attended the Duke of Gloucefter, when dangerously ill at Trent, the capital of an imperial bishopric at the foot of the Alps. Dr. Jebb converted his purchase into a delightful park, and erected this elegant villa, in imitation of an Italian loggia, with a mufic-room, and all the accommodations of hospitality. His Majefty, on conferring the dignity of Baronet on Dr. Jebb, gave the name of Trent Place to this villa, in grateful commemoration of that fuperior medical fkill by which the life of his royal brother had been preferved. After the death of Sir Richard, the Earl of Cholmondeley purchased this place, together with the furniture, and every thing upon the Premifes, for 14,000 guineas. TURNHAM GREEN, a village, five M. F. L. in the parish of Chifwick, and road to Hounflow. Here is the villa of the late Lord Heathfield, the illuftrious defender of Gibraltar, now the property and refidence of Dr. Maerfbach; and near this is the handsome new-built houfe of Mr. James Armstrong. TWICKENHAM, a village 101 M. F. L. is situated on the Thames, between Teddington and Ifleworth, and is adorned with many handsome feats. Proceeding along the river, from Teddington, the firit is Strawberry-Hill, the elegant Gothic villa of the Earl of Orford. The next is the handsome houfe of Sir Francis Baffet, bart. built by the late Earl of Radnor. Below this, is Mr. May's beautiful little houfe, built by Mr. Hudfon, the painter, the mafter of the late Sir Joshua Reynolds; oppofite the back of which is a fmall houfe, with an elegant Gothic front, the property of Mr. Lewen. Next is the celebrated villa of Pope, now of the Right Hon. Welbore Ellis; adjoining to whofe gardens is Lieutenant Colonel Pechel's. Near this is the feat of Countess Dowager Poulett. Farther down is the handsome houfe and gardens, with a large terrace next the river, of Mrs. Allanfon. All these houses, with many others on this delightful bank, enjoy a very pleafing profpect up and down the river, perpetually enlivened by the weft-country navigation, and other moving pictures on the furface of the water. Below the church is York Houfe, the feat of Major Major Webber. On the fite of the late Earl of Strafford's houfe, Lady Anne Conolly is erecting a noble feat. Next. to this is the House of George Pocock, efq. the additional octagon room to which was built to entertain Queen Caroline at dinner. Below this is the pretty little box of George Hardinge, efq. fo hid by trees as hardly to be feen; it is called Ragman's Caftle, from a cottage that once ftood there, built by a dealer in rags. Near this is Marble Hill, the feat of the Earl of Buckinghamshire, built by George II, for the Countefs of Suffolk. Farther down is the neat little houfe of Lady Bridget Tollemache: it is delightfully fituated in the meadows, and was lately occupied by Lady Diana Beauclerk, who has decorated one of the rooms herself with lilacks and other flowers, fo very natural, as to be taken at first fight for real ones. Below this, is the large houfe, and extenfive grounds of Richard Owen Cambridge, efq. and next is Twickenham Park, the feat of Lord Frederick Cavendish. This leads you to Isleworth, which, from the entrance into the meadows at Marble Hill, is about a mile and a half on the bank of the river, oppofite to Ham Walks and Richmond Hill, and is one of the most beautiful walks in England. We must now return to the celebrated house and gardens of Pope. In the life time of our favourite bard, the houfe was humble and confined. Veneration for his memory has fince enlarged its dimenfions. The centre building only was the refidence of Pope. The late Sir William Stanhope, who purchased it on the death of our poet, added the two wings, and greatly enlarged the gardens. Over an arched way, which leads to the new gardens, is a bust of Pope in white marble, under which are the following lines by the late Earl Nugent: The humble roof, the garden's fcanty line, And Stanhope's plans unfold the foul of Pope. Mr. Ellis, who married a daughter of Sir William Stanhope, has ftuccoed the front of the house, and adorned hed it in an elegant style. The lawn has been greatly greatly enlarged; and, toward' the margin of the river, propped with uncommon care, ftill ftands the weeping willow, planted by Pope himself. They who can cherish each memorial upon claffic ground, will rejoice to find that this tree, which, exclufive of its being planted by Pope, is one of the finest trees of its kind, a vegetable curiofity, is as flourishing as ever. Not only the prefent proprietor himself preserves inviolate the memory of Pope, but flips of this tree are anually tranfmitted to different parts; and, in 1789, the Emprefs of Ruffia had fome planted in her own garden at Petersburg. The once celebrated grotto is no longer remarkable, but for having been erected under the immediate direction of our bard. The delapidations of time, and the pious thefts of vifitors, who felect the fpars, ores, and even the common flints, ap fo many facred relics, have almott brought it to ruin. It no longer forms a "camera obfcura;" nor does "the thin alabaftar lamp of an orbicular form" now "irradiate the ftar of looking-glafs" placed in the centre of it. Even the "perpetual rill that echoed through the cavern day and night, is no longer in existence."* In two adjoining apertures in the rock are placed a Ceres and a Bacchus, an excellent bust of Pope, and fome other figures. In the right cavity which opens to the river, by means of a fmall window latticed with iron bars, our bard fat, it is faid, when he compofed fome of his happieft verfes. At the extremity next the garden, is this infcription, from Horace, on white marble: Secretum iter et fallentis femita vitæ. In another grotto which paffes under a road to the stables, and connects the pleafure-grounds, are three beautiful bufts, in Italian marble, of Sir William Stanhope, his daughter, and the late Earl of Chesterfield. In a niche, oppofite each, is placed a Roman urn of exquifite workmanfhip. Huge maffes offtone are scattered round, in imitation of rocks; and wild plants and hardy foreft trees are planted on each side, to give a sylvan rudeness to the * See Pope's Letter to Edward Blount, Efq. June 2, 1725. fcene. |