The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-05-15
FAKEMAN'S WANDERINGS.
Some Quaint Features Of an English
Cathedral Town.
Traditional and Historical Associations OF
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES of Ancient
Architecture.
Written for THE MoRN1Ns CALL


days caught enticing glimpses of the spires
aud roofs of ancient Gloucester grouped
about the huge tower Of its splendid cathe-
dral all snuggled amid rich verdure beside
the cleaning waters Of the Severn. The old
| cathedral town, far from the worn ways of
travel, rich in history, legends and quaint
old architecture of long age. and still peace
| full and simple in its provincial coloring and
ways, at last won me from the mountains
through winding beech-li roads and bios
soming hawthorn lanes.
| Besides, there was a personal interest in
| the gray old town. All of US, title-haters
| that we Americans fercely assure the rest
| of the world we are, love to know, IL we
! are honest enough TO confess 1t, that,
| away back somewhere along the blood
| line behind us, there has been some one
| of OR kin who was somebody, who really
| did something and who was man enough,
| coed or bad, TO have left an impress and
| record upon the affairs of his time. With
| out pride or envy could contemplate those
| of my family and name who as tine eldest
| sons of eldest sons" had for nearly thou
| sand years enjoyed their titles, estates and
| castles over in Shropshire and Wales.
| But TO know that another relative, John
| Wakeman, the last Abbot Of Tewksbury.
! chaplain TO Henry VIII, had not only been
| maze tue uTSt blSUUp Oh the see Vi OiOuces-
ter on its erection into a diocese, the Sd of
| September. 1541, but had also been one Of
| the translators OF the New Testament. the
| Revelations of st. John having been assigned
to him, was something to quicken the pace
/ and send along the veins pleasant thrill OF
fine satisfaction and pride.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS.
| Sef-gratulation is such wanton jade
ana intoxicant that / tramped from the hills
| into the old cathedral city in elated eXult-
| ance, almost meeting the gaze of honest
| Gloucester folk with the exuberance of
! expectant recognition. There must have
/ been too easy an air of familiarity in my as
| pect and manner, considering that the mud
! of the mountain sheepwalks was still on
/ my huge-s0led shoes. 1t seemed, in my
| pleasant frame of mind, as though the land
| lord of the humble inn where | came to
1 lodge ought to have called me by name and
! come TO the door to receive me. Perhaps
| he had never heard of my relative, the
| Bishop.
But he merely glanced at my trousers
and shoes. Then boots" showed me 70
room Ia the caves. Returning shortly. he
/ presented a bill, in advance, as follows,
Lodging, enc and sixpenee; attendance,
! siXpence; candle, threepenee; boots, three
/ pence. Total, two and sixpenee. Paid,
! with thanks"
| don't think the landlord expected ''boots"
to return with the money. But he did, and
1
! little yine-hung inn yard noticed with pain
| that the c0ffee-r room maid was gathering to-
! getheT, as if from hRsty order. the remnants
! OF some other travellers recent meal, one
! who probably had luggage if no great rela-
tYes; and as | passed cut into the pleasant
( streets OF the leafy old city | was sorely
/ haunted by the reflective query whether,
/ had that landlord known Of the prelate and
/ Of the titled folk over in Shropshire and
y Wales he would have let me lodge at the
DScste inn at all.
>eyery other English cathedral town |
Sslted l have always found High
tie principal thoroughfare into
sthers lead, and from which some
wynd or court brings you direct
Axdral close. 1t Is different in
here was once famous cross
inter of the city. The two
the town interSect each
running north and south is
onthgste TO aud from the
''the Cross" The other
Nestgate TO and from the
: ANTIQUITY.
picturesque and charm
Y, and that is much in
ound within distance
G Cross, upon these in
ares, or in the sleepy
INTO them, always in
and interest as yon ap-
4. In "the Rows" of
Jubtedly be found the
oddly constructed half
.abethan houses Of any
england.
'Jucester are certainly more
|ne individual instances. At
~ NOrthgate street and
|oad, where b. Jenkins ''Soies
Tents shoes for two and SIX
Ladies at one and nine." and is
Iher and Naturalist" who, with
Inan various, reminds you STRIKE
III Mr.. Venus In "0ur Mutual Friend"
quainter structure than ever Dickens
"a nted.
a little further up the same street, at
] No l02, is huge old building. now trans
! formed into a foundry, where Sir William
/ Gladstone, father of the present Liberal
I leader, formerly carried on banking bust
ness, and Go note OF his issue may still be
seen In the Gloucester museum. just oppo-
site Is the most characteristic old inn, en-
tered through huge arcade, / have vet
found In England. 1t is called New Inn,
though very, very DID, 1t was built to
accommodate the pilgrims to the tomb OF
! Edward III, under the abbacy of Thomas
Seabroke in 1871. 1t is 451 years old aud
! absolutely intact.
In Westgate street. almost opposite where
you enter the little court leading to
the cathedral, is another strange old
| inn, not so large as New Inn, but even
more fantastic and charming. Never
! elsewhere was seen such radiant tumble
| of odd corners, little arches, protruding
upper stories. peepholes of windows. gables,
! offices, 'ostries," taprooms and wealth of
| foliage and club by-cheeked barmaids to
| heighten the mysteries, cheer aud charm
OF this typical old English inn.
Most OF the shops are entered by steps
| below the street. One, two, three and four
century old buildings bulge and protrude
above them. Nearly all the structures in
/ the district, previously referred to, have
! second stories which project from one to
three feet beyond the first, with curious old
carved brackets, where they stand at street
corners; and more than half have third and
fourth stories projecting in same manner.
AMONG THE PEOPLE.
I Any one visiting the old cathedral towns
| of England will be deeply impressed by the
extreme simplicity and almost rural ehaTac-
| ter Of their inhabitants. Barring the
| presence OF few modern innovations.
one seems to have come int the Mt
mospbere of an old English novel This
! Is especially true in Gloucester Ali day
! long the thoroughfares have a quiet
eeuntry-market col0ring. The actual in
! habitantS slip about and attend TO their
meager affairs with g smiling, humble,
| toleradye air, as though they had I'M
consciously taken on the manners of the
cathedral yergers, and rather stood aside
/ for the mere Swapping and brawpy country
| element The latter furnish mary pleasant
| studies. Long-coated, heavy eweled buyers
I are here. Frockad, listless, open-mouthed
yeemen are here. Your genuine English
| farmer is here, him with the stubby. sandy
tabs of whiskers upon his Tuddy face. with
| bush brows, and a firm-set mouth that ever
opens and shuts with a sound as though
| huge cork had been violently pulled. Snap
! py-eyed farmers wives are here, and
| plumes that would pque with envy Lon
| don costermonger belle. And better than
all, here are bevies of the most radiant
! faced English countryside lasses eyes ever
/ beheld.
A more stirring and quite as eharacterfuI