Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-08-22
BEAUTIFUL KENT.
a RAagLE THROUGH THE GARDEN OF
ENGLAND.
A Region Teeming with Wealth and
Loveliness-Eer Many Ruins OF
Ancient Churches.
lchistlhur.t letter in Boston Herald

Two weeks IN keDt, anu uttroW az
may be her geographical limits she is
Dsgnifcently grand and wide in her
fertility and hospitality. No writer has
ever exaggerated her msgnificence,
either in landscape or historical in
tersst. Kent not only bears the name
Of being the Garden Of England, and
beingpre-eminentin her associations con-
rect,d with the history OF England, bat
she contains more ruinso an old eccle-
sisstical past aud more prereforma-
ton churches where the regular SER
vices are held to-day than any other
county in England. In fact, there is
special and peculiar interest in nearly
every village and town in Kent, and
the antiquary, archeologist, student.
or tourist may al ways find pleasure and
instruction in this part Of England.
For two weeks / walked through
Kent, and this is the only way to tho
roughly enjoy this county. There are
quiet, comfortable inns, distant from
each other by only three or four hours
walk. These walks are through wind
ing lanes, over roads narrow yet
smooth, hard as flint, and as clean as
well.scrubbed floor. Either side of
these pleasant highways are banked
with thick hedges of beautiful flowers.
Estates large and small, under the most
perfect state Of cultivation, all old
and retaining the appearance OF
three centuries ago, are on every side.
I could not see stone as large
as a mans hand on any OF these green
fields. What contrast to the stub
born stony acres Of New Hampshire
and parts of Massachusetts, Then
there sre the ivy.mmtled towers scat
tered here and there; each are asso-
ciated with some interesting fact Of
brilliant past. There is the old coun-
try parish church nesting under the old
oaks or elms most Of the villages OF
an ancient date are piously guarded for
fear Of modern Improvements and the
grand old immortal mansions which for
centuries have been the scenes Of great
importance to the kingdom, Of festigity
end intrigue, and of wise craftsmanship.
Here is old SuiDgfield, the spot where
King John laid down the crown Of Eng
land. 1t was within the walls of the
commandery of the Knights Templars,
afterwards occupied Cl3l2) as a pre-
ceptory by the Knights Hospitallers, or
Knights OF ST. John. The arms of the
order are yet visible in the remains Of
this ancient building, now farmhouse.
There is Hever Castle, which promi-
nently stands in the midst Of the broad
green meadows of the Weald of Kent
| 1t is a strong castellated mansion, built
in the time Of Edward III. Comfort
and luxuriance are exhibited in all Of
the surroundings without and within
but the chief interest Of this place is on
account Of its being the home for many
years Of
TIE BEAUTIFUL ANNE BoLEYN,
Here it was that Henry VIII. made
love to her, which made her his wife
and which brought her to the scaifold.
William Caxton, the great English
printer, was born in the we.lds,"
and the beautiful summer residence Of
Charles Dickens is one Of the many OBJ
| iects Of interest. 1t was during one Of his
walks that be selected Gotham, which
he immortalized in Pickwick Papers.
The Duke Of Edinburgh's summer home
is in this country, while hundreds of
vast estates, owned by prominent mem
bers of the nobility, meet the eye in
every ramble.
There is Chiselhurst, where Napoleon
Ill. and his son, who fell at the hands
| of the Zulus, lie buried. Tunbridge
Wells, always the seat Of fashion and
pleasure, is at present particularly at
tIactive on account of its being the
temporary homo Of Comte do Paris and
Due d'Aumale, the recent exiles of
France. Greenwich, famous for long
time as one Of Englsnd's great naval
stations, and Woolwich as the war de-
| pository for great ordnance stores, are
both in Kent, while Dover, Margate,
Deal, Rsmsgate, and other places are
Justly celebrated as popular English
seaside resorts.
The geologist can also spend many
days with as much pleasure and profit
in the search of his studies as the arch9-
ologist. Special interest Of this cha
Iscter is found among the great chalk
pits Of Kent. There is one Of these
pits in Camden Park, in which, when
opened in 1857, were found numerous
skeletons of dogs, wolves, oxen, pigs,
horses, and other animals, and the
whole was intermixed with shells of
the heIir memorials. These relics of
prehistoric age were buried under
masses Of squared chalk and large flint,
apparently the walling up Of the pit,
which had ielded to the gradual opera
tions Of nature. This pit is supposed
to be Of Celtic origin. When Rom,n
civilization spread over England it was
probably abandoned, and animals
rowing through the dense woods may
have fallen in and there remained
during all the centuries.
But as this series of letters belongs
exclusively to cathedrals, ancient
churches, and monsstic ruins, | shall
confne myself in this and subsequent
letter TO those ecclesiastical sights which
ought to be of interest to every church
man.
AS said before, no other county in
England can compare with Kent in her
ecclesiastical glory. She boasts of the
oldest cathedrals, Canterbury and Ro-
chester of the oldest church in Eng
land, st. Martins, in Canterbury, while
ruins and remains Of abbeys and other
buildings tell plainly Of former great
monsstic power and influence.
Among the sbbeys which were once
famous and remains of which are now
interesting will mention few that
visited. Lesnes Abbey, founded and
endowed by Augustinian canons in the
twelfth century, and became one Of the
objects Of Woolsey's rapacity in 1924,
and one OF. Henry Wills seizures, is
now represented by only few crum-
bling walls covered with thick green
ivy. 1t lies on the edge of Abbey