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from which he enters it. But as the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway is now, undoubtedly, the great avenue of approach, both from the north and south, and, by means of the Kendal Junction Line, brings Tourists directly to Kendal and the shores of Windermere, we conceive that we shall best consult his accommodation by commencing with the description of these places.

KENDAL.

[Hotels:-King's Arms; Commercial; Crown.]

KENDAL, otherwise Kirkby-in-Kendal, the largest town in Westmorland, is situate in a pleasant valley on the banks of the river Kent, from which it derives its name. It contained in 1851, 11,829 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 thoroughfare 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 (i. 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. Mrs. 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. The Whitehall Buildings, at the head of Lowther Street, form a handsome pile. They contain a news-room, ball-room, auction-room, billiard-room, &c. The Lancaster and Carlisle Railway passes within a short distance to the east of the town, and the Kendal and Windermere Railway forms a junction with the Lancaster and Carlisle at Oxenholme, two miles from Kendal. On the east of the town is the termination of the Lancaster and Preston Canal, which affords great facilities for the conveyance of coal 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 that 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 nu iated statue.

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

Of some stern castle, mouldering on 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 for 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. Mrs 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 be holder, 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 in finite variety of grotesque shapes.

-" a spacious plot

For pleasure made, a goodly spot.

With lawns, and beds of flowers, and shades

Of trellis-work, in long arcades,

And cirque and crescent framed by walls

Of close-clipt foliage, green and tall,
Converging walks.”

While Doe of Rylstone.

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 ex quisite 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 consequence 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

also 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 (Mrs Wilson); The Vicarage, Kirkland (Rev. J. Barnes); 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 (Henry Shepherd, Esq.); Low Bridge House, six miles north (R. Fothergill, Esq.); Raw Head, four miles east (Mr Sleddall); Hill Top, three miles east (William Wilson, Esq.)

WINDERMERE.

Small steam-boats have within the last few years been established upon Windermere, which during the summer season make several voyages daily from one extremity of the lake to the other. Windermere is now rendered easy of access to tourists, by the railway which branches from the Lancaster and Carlisle line at Kendal, and terminates about a mile to the north of Bowness, near the shores of the lake at

BIRTHWAITE.
[Hotels:-Windermere.]

On the arrival of the trains, coaches leave the station at Windermere for Ambleside and Keswick, and the mail daily proceeds by this route to Cockermouth, and thence, by railway, to Whitehaven. Coaches also travel daily between the Windermere railway terminus and the towns of Hawkshead and Coniston.

We would by all means recommend those strangers who have sufficient time to circumnambulate this, which is the queen of the lakes, and largest sheet of water in the district, to do so at an early period of their visit, that the quiet scenery with which it is surrounded may not be considered tame, as will probably be the case if the survey be delayed until the bolder features of the country have been inspected.

Windermere, or more properly Winandermere, is about eleven miles in length, and one mile in breadth. It forms part of the county of Westmorland, although the greatest extent of its margin belongs to Lancashire. It has many feeders, the principal of which is formed by the confluence of the Brathay and Rothay shortly before entering the lake. The streams from Troutbeck, Blelham Tarn, and Esthwaite Water also pour in their waters at different points. Numerous islands, varying considerably in size, diversify its surface at no great distance from one another,-none of them being more than four and a half miles from the central part of the lake. Their names commencing with the most northerly are-Rough Holm (opposite Rayrigg), Lady Holm (so called from a chapel

dedicated to our Lady, which once stood upon it), Hen Holm, House Holm, Thompson's Holm, Curwen's or Belle Isle (round which are several nameless islets), Berkshire Island (a little below the ferry points), Ling Holm, Grass Holm, and Silver Holm. Windermere is deeper than any of the other lakes, with the exception of Wast Water, its depth in some parts being upwards of 240 feet. It is plentifully stocked with perch, pike, trout, and char, which last, at the proper season, is potted in large quantities and forwarded to the south. It is a remarkable fact, that at the spawning season, when the trout and char leave the lake, the former fish invariably takes the Rothay, and the latter the Brathy.

The prevailing character of the scenery around Windermere is soft and graceful beauty. It shrinks from all approach to that wildness and sublimity which characterise some of the other lakes, and challenges admiration on the score of grandeur only at its head, where the mountains rise to a considerable height, and present admirable outlines to the eye of the spectator. The rest of the margin is occupied by gentle eminences, which, being exuberantly wooded, add a richness and a breadth to the scenery which bare hills cannot of themselves bestow. Numerous villas and cottages, gleaming amid the woods, impart an aspect of domestic beauty, which further contributes to enrich the character of the landscape. Around the shores of the lake there are many places which may be made the temporary residence of the tourist while exploring the beauties of the adjacent country, and probably he may find it advantageous to make several of them his abode in succession: Bowness, on the east shore, half way between the two extremities, and therefore the most eligible; Ambleside, one mile beyond the head of the lake; Low Wood Inn, a mile and a half from its head on the east shore; the Ferry Inn on the promontory over against Bowness; and Newby Bridge at its foot,-all furnish comfortable quarters for the tourist, where boats, guides, and all his other wants can be supplied.

We shall commence our perambulation at the town first named, proceeding along the west border, and returning by the east border of the water.

BOWNESS.

[Hotels-Royal; Crown.]

This pretty village is placed on the edge of a large bay, opposite Belle Isle, about eight miles from Kendal, and six from Ambleside. It has two excellent hotels, which, from the delightful character of the adjacent country, and the convenient situation of the village for making excursions, are much frequented during the touring season. The Church dedicated to St Martin is an ancient structure with a square tower, and a finely painted chancel window, which originally belonged to Furness Abbey. The churchyard contains a monument erected to the memory of Richard Watson, the late learned Bishop of Llandaff, the author of "the Apology for the Bible," and other well known works. He was born at Haversham, in another part of the county, in which village his

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