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THE LAKE DISTRICT.

section of England, known by the name of the Lake District, occupies ion of the three counties of Cumberland, Westmorland, and Lancaster, xtends over an area, the greatest length and breadth of which are not more forty-five miles. The picturesque attractions of the district are probably ualled in any other part of England; and although some of the Scottish and mountains must be admitted to present prospects of more imposing deur, it may safely be said, that no tract of country in Britain combines in er affluence those varied features of the sublimity and beauty which have erred upon this spot so high a reputation.

or the lover of nature, no tour could be devised of a more pleasing characthan that which these lakes afford. "We penetrate the Glaciers, and trase the Rhone and the Rhine, whilst our domestic lakes of Ullswater, Keswick, Windermere exhibit scenes in so sublime a style, with such beautiful corings of rock, wood, and water, backed with so stupendous a disposition of ountains, that if they do not fairly take the lead of all the views of Europe, they are indisputably such as no English traveller should leave behind

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Nor is it, only to the admirer of external nature that this spot presents attracons. It is no less interesting to the antiquarian, the geologist, and the botaist. The remains of three Abbeys,-Furness,-Calder, and Shap,-of nume ous castles,—of one or two Roman stations, and of many Druidical erections, afford ample scope for the research of the antiquarian; whilst the rich variety of stratified and unstratified rocks, forming a complete series from the granitic o the carboniferous beds ;-and many rare plants, with ample facilities for observing the effect produced upon vegetation by the varying temperature of the air at different altitudes, yield to the students of geology and of botany abundant matter for employment in their respective pursuits. A further interest is imparted to the locality from its being the spot with which many of our great modern poets have been more or less intimately connected, and from which many of their finest poems have emanated.

As the district may be traversed by many routes, the selection of which will depend upon the tourist's convenience and taste, but especially upon the point

* CUMBERLAND.

from which he approaches, we conceive that we shall best consult his accommo dation by arranging our information under general heads,--such as Towns, Lakes, Mountains, &c., instead of describing the several objects at the requisite length, in the routes by which he will be conducted to them. By these means the difficulty and trouble the tourist would experience in the continual reference from one route to another for the information he may require, are obviated. By means of a copious index the reader will at once be referred to the page where the several places and objects named in the columns of the itinerary are more minutely described.

PRINCIPAL TOWNS.

KENDAL.

KENDAL, otherwise Kirkby Kendal, the largest town in Westmorland, is situ ate in a pleasant valley on the banks of the river Kent, from which it derives its name. It contains about 12,000 inhabitants, and is a place of considerable manufacturing industry, having a large trade in woollen goods. The woollen manufacture was founded as early as the fourteenth century, by some Flemish weavers, who settled here at the invitation of Edward III. The town is intersected by four leading streets, two of which, lying north and south, form a spacious theroughfare of a mile in length. The river is spanned by three neat stone bridges; it is of no great width, though subject to sudden floods by its proximity to the mountains. The houses, built of the limestone which abounds in the neighbourhood, possess an air of cleanliness and comfort, their white walls contrasting pleasingly with numerous poplars, which impart a cheerful rural aspect to the

town.

The barony of Kendal was granted by William the Conqueror to Ivo de Taillebois, one of his followers, in which grant the inhabitants of the town, as villein (2. e. bond or serf,) tenants, were also included; but they were afterwards emancipated, and their freedom confirmed by a charter from one of his descendants. The barony now belongs, in unequal portions, to the Earl of Lonsdale and the Hon. F. G. Howard, both of whom have extensive possessions in Westmorland. By the Municipal Corporations Reform Act, the government of the borough is vested in a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen common councillors, six of whom are elected by each of the three wards into which it is divided. By the Reform Act, which disfranchised Appleby, the county town, Kendal has the privilege of returning one member to Parliament,

The Parish Church, a spacious Gothic edifice, dedicated to the Holy Trinity,

stands in that part of the borough called Kirkland. The tower is square, and possesses an altitude of 72 feet. Like most other ecclesiastical structures of ancient date, it contains a number of curious monuments and epitaphs. There are two other churches in the town, both lately erected, and forming handsome edifices; that which stands at the foot of Stricklandgate is dedicated to St Thomas, the other near Stramondgate Bridge to St George. In addition to the churches of the establishment, the Dissenters have upwards of a dozen places of worship. The Roman Catholics have recently erected a beautiful new Chapel, on the New Road near the Natural History Society's Museum. This Museum contains a collection of specimens illustrating local and general natural history and antiquities, which does great credit to the town. The Whitehall Buildings, at the head of Lowther Street, form a handsome pile. They were built a few years ago, and contain a news-room, ball-room, auction-room, billiard-room, &c. The other edifices worthy of notice are the Bank of Westmorland, the Odd Fellows' Hall, and the Old Maids' Hospital, all of which are in Highgate. On the east of the town is the termination of the Lancaster and Preston Canal, which affords great facilities for the conveyance of all kinds of goods to and from Kendal.

The ruins of KENDAL CASTLE, of which only four broken towers, and the outer wall, surrounded by a deep fosse, remain, crown the summit of a steep elevation on the east of the town.* The remains of this fortress are well worthy of a visit, on account of the views of the town and valley which the hill commands. This was the ancient seat of the Barons of Kendal, and the birth-place of Catherine Parr, the last Queen of Henry VIII, a lady, who (as Pennant quaintly remarks,) "had the good fortune to descend to the grave with her head, in all probability, merely by outliving her tyrant." Opposite to the castle, on the west side of the town, is Castle-how-hill, or Castle-low-hill, a large circular mount of gravel and earth, round the base of which there is a deep fosse, strengthened with two bastions on the east. It is of great antiquity, and is supposed by some to have been one of those hills called Laws, where in ancient times justice was administered. In 1788, a handsome obelisk was erected on its summit in commemoration of the Revolution of 1688.

About a mile to the south of the town, at a spot where the river almost bends upon itself, and hence called Water Crook, are the scarcely perceptible remains of the Roman Station, Concangium, formerly a place of some importance, judging from the number of urns, tiles, and other relics of antiquity discovered there. It is believed hat a watch was stationed at this point for the security of the Roman posts at Ambleside and Overborough. In the walls of a farm-house in the vicinity are two altars, a large stone with a sepulchral inscription, and a mutilated statue.

*"A straling burgh, of ancient charter proud,
And dignified by battlements and towers

Of some stern castle, moulderin; or the brow
Of a green hill."-

WORDSWORTH.

One mile and a-half to the west, at the termination of a long ascent over an open moor, is the bold escarpment of limestone rock, called UNDERBARROW (or Scout) SCAR. It is a remarkable object, and would repay the trouble of a visit by the splendid view of the distant lake mountains, and the interjacent country, which it commands. A hill, rising abruptly on the east of the town, termed Benson Knott, has an altitude of 1098 feet above the level of the sea. From the summit of this hill, an extensive prospect is also obtained.

LEVENS HALL, the seat of the Hon. Fulke Greville Howard, five miles south of Kendal, is a venerable mansion, in the Elizabethan style, buried among lofty trees. The park, through which the river Kent winds betwixt bold and beautifully wooded banks, is separated by the turnpike road from the house. It is of considerable size, well-stocked with deer, and contains a noble avenue of ancient oaks. The gardens, however, form the greatest attraction, being laid out in the old French style, of which this is perhaps a unique example in the kingdom. They were planned by Mr Beaumont, (whose portrait, very properly, is preserved in the Hall,) gardener to King James II. Trim alleys, bowling-greens, and wildernesses fenced round by sight-proof thickets of beech, remind the beholder, by their antique appearance, of times “long, long ago." In one part, a great number of yews, hollies, laurels, and other evergreens, are cut into an infinite variety of grotesque shapes.

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The gardens, as may be imagined, harmonize well with the old Hall, the inte rior of which also deserves more than a passing glance. It contains some exquisite specimens of elaborate carved work

"The chambers carved so curiously,
Carved with figures strange and sweet,
All made out of the carver's brain."

Christabel.

The work in the south drawing-room is exceedingly rich, as may be conceived from its having been estimated that, at the present rate of wages, its execution would cost L.3000. The carved chimney-piece in the Library is a curious and interesting piece of workmanship. Three of Lely's best portraits hang on the walls of different chambers, as well as other portraits of personages of conse quence in bygone times. The entrance hall is decorated with relics of ancient armour of various dates, and one of the rooms is adorned with some splendid pieces of tapestry, descriptive of a tale from one of the Italian poets.

SIZERGH HALL, the seat of the ancient family of Strickland, situate three and a half miles south of Kendal, at the foot of a bleak hill facing the east, is

so deserving of a visit. It is an antique fortified building, standing in an undulating park, delightfully sprinkled with wood. Only a small portion of the old Tower remains, frequent additions and repairs having given an irregular but picturesque aspect to the whole pile. It contains a considerable collection of carved oak, tapestry, portraits, and armour.

The other seats in the neighbourhood are, Abbot Hall, Kirkland, (Edward Wilson, Esq.) The Vicarage, Kirkland, (Rev. J. Hudson,) Helm Lodge, two miles south, (W. D. Crewdson, Esq.) Heaves Lodge, four miles south, (James Gandy, Esq.) Sedgwick House, four miles south, (John Wakefield, Esq.) Dallam Tower, seven miles south, (George Wilson, Esq.) Mosergh House, four miles north, (Mr Machell,) Shaw End, five miles north, (Arthur Shepherd, Esq.) Low Bridge House, six miles north, (R. Fothergill, Esq.) Raw Head, four miles east, (Mr Sleddall,) Hill Top, three miles east, (Rev. R. W. Fisher.)

AMBLESIDE.

AMBLESIDE, a small and irregularly built market-town of 1000 inhabitants, is situate on steeply inclined ground, a mile from the head of Windermere, upon or near to the spot formerly occupied by the Roman Station-Dictis. Lying immediately under Wansfell, and surrounded by mountains on all sides, except towards the south-west, the situation is one of great beauty, and consequently during summer, it is much frequented by tourists, who make it their abode for some time. There are several inns; two of which, the Salutation and the Commercial, are excellent establishments. The chapel is a modern structure, having been rebuilt in 1812. In a field near the edge of the lake, are the indistinct remains of Roman fortifications, where coins, urns, and other relics, have been frequently discovered. Numerous excursions may be made from Ambleside ; and the interesting walks in the immediate neighbourhood are still more abundant. A few only can here be specified.

The valley of Ambleside, on the border of which the town stands, is well wooded, and watered by several streams; the principal river is the Rothay, which flows from Grasmere and Rydal Lakes, and joins the Brathay, shortly before entering Windermere. Upon STOCK GILL, a tributary to the Rothay, there is a fine fall, or force, in a copsewood, about 700 yards from the Market Cross, the road to which passes behind the Salutation Inn. The fall, or rather falls, for there are four, are 70 feet in height. Portions of all four are visible from the usual stand; but the views may be pleasingly varied by descending the bank to the stream, or proceeding farther up the Gill. Indeed, if the walk were continued for a mile alongside the stream, which rises in the Screes on the Scandale Fell, much beautiful scenery would be seen.

LOUGHRIGG FELL, a rocky hill which rises opposite to the town, to an elevation of 1000 feet above Windermere, commands extensive prospects of the vale and surrounding mountains, as well as of Windermere, Grasmere, and Rydal Lakes, Blelham, Loughrigg, and Elterwater Tarns, with the towns of Ambleside and Hawkshead.

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