The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-18 00:00:00

FORD ABBEY, IN DORSETSHIRE.

TETE GREAT AND PROUD FEATURE OF TI•I;:COUNTY, THE
FORD ABBEY ESTATE, WITH ITS NEVER-ENDING DE-
LIGHTS, THE INVALUABLE FISHERY, ABUNDANCE OF
GAME, AND SPORT OF EVERY DESCRIPTION, ,AND,
THOUGH LAST NOT LEAST IN OUR DEAR LOVE," THE
MAGNIFICENTLY FINE ABBEY, PRESENTING BY FAR
THE MOST CLASSICAL AND CI.:LEBRATED MONASTERY
THROUGHOUT ENGLAND. TEE PRESENT LOW RENTAL
ARISING FROM THIS FINE PROPERTY, INCLUDING THE
VALUE OF THE ABBEY AND LANDS IN HAND, END N
LEASE FOR LIVES, IS ABOUT 2,0001. A YEAR. IT IS
NEARLY ALL TITHE-FREE, AND THE TENANTRY BOTH
WEALTHY AND RESPECTABLE. AN IMPERATIVE SALE.
MR. GEORGE ROBINS feels much gratitica-
R.
in having ben preferred to OFFER for PUBLIC COM-
PETITION, at the Aucteion Mart, London, on THURSDAY, the 9th
.0e July, at Twelve o'clock, and in One Lot, by direction of the tr,,s-
tees for absolute sale, one of
THE MOST MAGNIFICENT FREEHOLD INVESTMENTS
THROUGHOUT ENGLAND.
Ana. in the description that necessarily must follow, Mr. Robins,
without the slightest affectation, proclaims that he ap-
proaches th.• task with tear and trembling. The only saving clause by
which he can well seek to soften the reproaches of an enlightened and
deeply-read community is alone to be found in the liberty the com-
poser will take with authors so highly &load, that ha must inciced he
a bold man who will not. yield assent to his rt-earches. Dugdale
is no mean authority, and with this, and a few introductory facts, the
herculean task must be approached.

THE FORD ABBEY DEMESNES
are to be traced back to a very distant day, and it has ever since
maintained its proud superiority over
EVERY OTHER MONASTERY IN ENGLAND.
It Is a splendidly grand and unique building, altogether realising
Lord Byron's glowing description of Norman Abbey—
An old, old monastery once, and now
Still older mansion, of a rich and rare
Mia'd Gothic, such as artists all allow
Few specimens yet left us can compare.
Its classic front

EXTENDS TO NEAR THREE HUNDRED FEET.
The order of architecture is in the Tudor style, and may he dated
fC,out the time of Henr. VIII. ; but to describe it as it deserves is
felt to be far beyond the reach of the limited capacity of the com-
poser, and even much wiser heads would be puzzled In the attempt
to do it justice—it is indeed .

THE GREAT LEVIATHAN OF THE WEST.
Its fame has been held in the highest veneration from generation to
generation, and it is now avowed to have no successful rival amid
the vast variety of monasteries to be iound throughout the comitry.
The first impression on beholding this
ANCIENT AND CLASSIC PILE

the writer feels can never he obliterated-fromhis memory; his
mind on the instant seemed to be subdued into a mast devout and reli-
gious state —one of absolute wonder—mixed up with bound-
less admiration; it was a joyous spectacle, but Mr. Robins cannot
too earnestly invoke all those who possess a soul congenial with ob-
jects of antiquity to go to the Abbey, and then judge for themselves;
they will, with one accord, proclaim how absolutely impossible it is
to convey in suitab'e terms the panegyric which would be awarded
to it. However, these preliminary remarks must arrive at a condo-
%ion ; the form prescribed to the length of an announcement will not ad-
mit of more, but the writer promises, in his printed particulars, to
go into a little historical statement that will be acceptable, at
least to the learned, and all such as are well versed in our history ;
and he is fortunately enabled, by the assistance of a very highly
talented lade, to aid the historical account of Dugdale by ,elections
of her own, and guided by a judgment and cleverness that has never
been held in doubt. To gratify the learned and the curious in distant
parts, Mr. Robins has determined to append to the explanatory par-
ticulars of the several farms and lands a plan of the whole, with a
beautiful drawing of the Abbey, to be ready six weeks antecedent
to the sale. _ . _

The situation of this monastery is familiar to most of 18. It is
on the borders of the three fine counties of Dorset, Devon, and
Somerset, 15 miles from Taunton, 3 from Chard, about 50 miles
nom Bristol nod Bath, and within a deligh ful ride of -6% hours
front London, which the approaching railway through Chard will
reduce to about 4 hours, and also bring it within fifty
ru mites' ride of Ex, ter. The county in which the Abbey
is paced will not yield to any other. The reader needs not
be remind• d that, lu days of yore, the taste of the monks
In the selection of their lands was never questiored, and, amidst all
the good things of this world, they were remarkable for the accuracy
of their judgment.
In selecting the best of everythi❑g, even
THE FAT OF THE LARD

Was not

ACCOUNTED TOO GOOD FOR THEIR REFINED TASTE.
This princely property is all freehold of inheritance, surrounded by
lawns and pleasure-grounds, with gravelled walks between rows of
umbrageous trees of great size and stateliness, Interspersed with or-
namental waters, cascades, and waterfalls sparkling with foam, and
here and there a statue to diversify the scene. The Park, which is
one of great beauty, is stocked with deer, whose venison has ob-
tained the highest celebrity for its fatness and fine flavour, while the
soft unt.'ulating foliage of its magnificent and
TIME-HONOURED TREES
is perpetufdly deluding the eye into a belief that it was of almost
boundless extent, and imparting just such an air of tempered wild-
ness as would gratify the lover of scenery, without offence to those
who are inclined to look rather for the evidences of the superintend-
ing hand of care and cultivation. Indeed everything seems to in-
crease the charms of a spot so rich in nature's beauties. Of the orna-
mental waters in front of the Abbey it is recorded—
Before the mansion lay a lucid lake,
Broad as transparent, deep and freshly fed
By a river, which its softened way d!d take
In currents through the calmer waters spread.
THE RIVER AXE
_ _

so renosin.d by the disciples of Isaak Walton for its piseatory
pleasures and delicious trout, winds, in serpentine beauty, through
the fair demesne.
Lost for a space through thickets veering,
But broader when again appearing.

It was here that
The branching stag swept down with all his herd,
To quaff a brook which murmured like a bird.
It may all be asked,
" W HAT MORE CA N MORTALS NOW DESIRE ?"
The sporting qualities extend to everything a gentleman's heart
can contemplate ; by the way,
THE MONKS' CELEBRATED WALK
is in high preservation. And to omit a panegyric upon
THE ANCIENT TAPESTRY
THAT ADORNS THE STATE ROOMS . _

would approach sacrilege. It really and truly may be accounted the
WONDER AND ADMIRATION OF THE WORLD.

It fearlessly challenges a rival; and the writer is ex-
ceedingly desirous that the reader should not for one
moment charge this description with being too vivid.
He may rest assured here is no flight of fancy, but a veri-
table and unassuming report. This description, it is perceived, has
already extended beyond the limits prescribed, and therefore (with
lament) the writer ends this very imperfect recital, merely observing
that the terms used by the foundress of the abbey when she tendered
to elle holy fathers her manor of Thorncombe, in exchange for the
barren lands of Brightley, stating it to be " well wooded and fertile,"
are trebly appropriate in the present day, in proof whereof It may
be stated that the Messrs. Fowler, of Grainge Farm (the principal
estate), bred a horn ewe in 1833. which weighed 18st. 41b., and for
size and beauty it has never been equalled. The tenantry are very
respectable, and without one guinea of arrear; indeed, the latter
word could not find a place In their vocabulay. The rent is exceed-
ingly low. The demesne extends to nearly
MEADOW
HUNDRED
EA
ANDSO
ORGICDHL 4NDq
MOSTLY TITHE-FREE, AND ' W ' ',
TAXES MODERATE. .
Such is a faithild narrative,'
common ; indeed, seeing the thatt It need not be observed is very un-
common
of the railway mania), and
of unemployed capital (in
present is a mot influential, and the little value of money, the
ment In land, which I °PP°ltunitY
of
possessing an invest-
it regards the alteration • s preferable to all others —for,
or, as
in the corn-]t w -
Mr. Robing, in another notice of sale, s it has been observed by
e, a fact which
more and more certain, that every day renders
~ wEHAVE ALL BEEN MORE FR
There are IGHTENED THAN HURT."
MANORIAL RIGHTS AND
PRIVILEGESof considerable extent, and the principal
a ring fence. The neighbourhood is liighl;etrt of the estate is within
and Nobles are amongst those who prefer respectable
domesticate in this
ectable ; many Lords
admired county, and within a few miles of the abbey, in the ad-
joining county of Somerset, are the splendid seats of
Lord Bridport. Markets are everywhere abundanEtarl Poulett and
Robins has taxed his in renuity in vain to try to discover a iefact,
Mr.
fault.
The full description, with plans and a drawing
of the famed
Abbey, will be ready six weeks antecedent to the sale, and may be d
had
at the White Lion Inn, Bristol; White Hart, Bath ; Castle, Tanntosad;
Chard Arms Hotel, Chard ; Mr. Whitaker, solicitor, 12, Lincoln's Inn%
lids% London ; Mr. Paul, solicitor, 1 he Close, Exeter ; Mr. Salter, so-
licitor, Chard ; the Auction Mart; and at, Mr. George Robins,.
offices, London, at Two Shillings each, (this beingwith the solavie* to
poyent a Wielosi and Unprofitable distribution of tha hill particulars).

FIVE CAPITAL FARMS,
WITH SUPERIOR BUILDINGS
AND WARM FARM-YARDS TO EACH,
AND ALL WITHIN A RING FENCE,
TITHE FREE AND EXTRA-PAROCHIAL,
extending to about
SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY ACRES
OF RICH MEADOW. PASTURE, and ARABLE LAND,
entirely and strictly within a ring fence, including the prolific
woods. The rates are unusually small, arising out of the fact that
they are paid by a compromise with the
LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY COMPANY,
whose line passes through Willenhall. The soil is of first-rate quality,
as the crops annually demonstrate, and the rick yards verify. Every
Farm possesses a superior dwelling, with large garden, and the build-
ings essential for agricultural purposes are unexceptionable, in fact,
everything is in the most perfect apple-pie order. A microscopic eye
could hardly discover a single thing out of place, and with it,
A TENANTRY THAT MR. ROBINS PROCLAIMS
WK,A,E,EXcELLED TI,IROV*O-1131WENGLANDir
-HEAR IT ALL Yl,l OF LITTLE FAITH IN
THE STAPLE COMMODITY OF THE COUNTRY,
" THERE IS NOT NOR HAS THERE BEEN
AN ARREAR OF ONE GUINEA DURING
THE LAST TEN YEARS."
It may now he asked, "Where is to be found a corresponding case?"
AND ECHO REJOINS " WHERE."
In respect to the auxiliaries not immediately sought in the shape of
income, it should be said
THE ADJOINING MANORS ARE STRICTLY PRESERVED
BY LORDS CRAVEN AND HOOD,
as also the Baginton and Brandon property. There is an abundance
of game, and field sports extend to a gentleman's fondest desire. The
Estate is bounded by two large rivers (the Avon and Sowe), which
furnish constant anriseicent to those inclined to recreate in fishing.
THE ELIZABETHAN VILLA
is altogether adapted to a gentleman's occupation. It probably
might be improve* by a finishing stroke from the hand of an artiste.
There is, besides, one of the farm-houses where the proprietor
would be but too happy to take -up his quarters occasionally during the
sporting season. The next point requiring a commentary is the
rental—it must be premised—there are no leases. The present low
rental is 1,5504 a year ; but it is quite manifest that
SEVENTEEN HUNDRED POUNDS A YEAR
will be conceded as a MODERATE rent, and this should be secured
to the PRESENT GOOD MEN AND TRUE, by givng to ,each .a
fourteen years' lease. James Mellor, Esq., who has so long domesti-
cated with his family on the hill, and whose quiet abode overlooks
Coventry and its beautiful spires, it would be in bad taste to refuse
a lease for his life, although it will probably, and it is to be hoped, be
a very long one. Longevity prevails on this healthy property, and
some time since this was prow, d by MR. BLUE (close by) retiring into
a better world, at the advanced age of 108. Mr. Mellor s grounds
are beautifully disposed, and more especially the wild flower-garden,
(under the worthy lady's especial care), which gives to it a pleasing
variety.

LORD CRAVEN AND LORD HOOD
are close allies ;
AND THE ESTATE OF THE BROTHER OF
SIR ROBERT PEEL, BART.
is close at hand.
wheat farms are very productive in the sell Mr white crops, especially
wheat and barley, with some admirable turnip land ; but as dairy
farms, and to fatten bullocks, they have even a higher claim. The
contiguity to one of the first markets in England, and the facility to
return manure, whenever the good folks of Coventry are indulged
with a portion of the produce of this highly cultivated soil, are ad-
vantages that a good agriculturist will not overlook. And now, by
way of conclusion, Mr. Robins will ask, and with earnestness (taking
into the scale the great curiosity that prevails everywhere to get
into good farms now-a•dsys), it the every day observation, resound-
ing now from a'l quarters, that
THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN MORE
• FRIGHTENED THAN HURT,
is not rendered most manifest by the above unassuming recital
of facts?
The plans are all but ready, and will be distributed, with a draw-
ing, on the plan with the Elizabethan Villa, by Mr. Phillips, jun., of
Coventry. Ills father (the eminent practitioner of this great city)
will also take the trouble to give all essential explanation, and appoint
a fit man to go over the estate.
Particulars also of Mr. Paine, solicitor, No. 4, Furnival's Inn; the
Auction Mart, and at Mr. George Robins's offices, London.

IN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND RECHERCHE PART OF
GLOUCESTERSHIRE, NEARLY MIDWAY BETWEEN CLIF-
TO g AND THE SEVERN, 0 NIE OF THE MOST PERFECT
VILLAS WITH ITS APPURTENANCES IN ENGLAND;
AROUND IT AXE ITS PLEASURE-GROUNDS, A DEMESNE
EXTENDING TO 50 ACRES, ALL FREEHOLD AND LAND-
TAX REDEEMED.
MR. GEORGE ROBINS has pleasure in stating
he bas been selected to TRANSFER, without a limited price,
at the White Lion Hotel, Bristol, on Thursday, the 25th of June, at
One, for Two o'clock, precisely.