Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-08-31
CASTLE OF KENlLwoRTH.
Once the Most Magnificent Residence I'm
England, bns Now q Ruin.

| Once the Most Magnificent Residence Tn
England, but Now a Ruin.
A little to the north of the river Avon
lies the town of Kenilworth, one of the
most famous spots Of all Warwickshire.
It is only a struggling village, whose
rows of ancient cottages, red gablcd and
built Of timbers blackened by age, look
quaint and curious enough to our mod
ern eyes. But the interest of Kenilworth
is not in the village itself. It is in the
ruined castle from which the village
| takes it's name.
| 1t was more than 700 years ago that
the first massive walls of Kenilworth
were raised Evidently it was meant
| that the castle should be a stronghold,
capable Of vithstanding any sort of at
tack, for q part of these ancient walls
in the shape Of q square tower, still bids
/ defiance to wind and weather The his
| tory of Kenilworth castle has been full
| of change and excitement At times it
was in the possession of powerful mobiles,
| whose followers were the scourge and
| terror of the whole country round about
because Of the ferocity and recklessness
with which their foraging parties plum
| dered and destroyed. Then, again, it
was the property Of the kings of Eng
land, and splendid tournaments were
held in its great tiltyard. Almost every
| owner added to the castle, till at last it
came to be a magnificent residence, the
finest in all England, as well as q strong
fortress. tt was during the reign Of
| good Queen Bess, when the castle be-
! longed to one of her courtiers, the Earl
of Leicester, that Kenilworth was at the
height of its glory and splendor. Then,
as the old surveyors tell US, it included
within it's walls q circuit Of 10 or 20
miles, Sin q pleasant countrey, the like
both for strength, state and pleasure
not being within the realm of Eng
land. y
In 1915 Queen Elizabeth visited Ken
ilworth, where she was entertained
magnifcentIy for more than two weeks.
There is o quaint account of her visit in
an ancient letter written by one who
was at the castle at the time. As she
drew near the outer walls, the trumpet
ers, who stood upon the walls, ''being
six in number, each s feet high, with
their silvery trumpets, Of q 5 foot long,
sounded up tune of welcome. F" Then,
as the queen and her retinue, having
passed through the outer gateway, ap-
preached the inner walls, a floating is
land appeared in the moat or lake that
surrounded three sides of the castle and
beautiful girl, representing the ''Lady
of the Lake. babe the queen welcome
to Kenilworth.
When Cromwell became the head of
the state, he gave Kenilworth TO his
generals, who reduced the beautiful
castle to ruins IL a very short space of
time. They stripped it of everything that
could Se turned into money and then
left it to go to pieces, SO that today it
is only an imposing pile of ruins
As in the days of its glory Kenil-
worth was the noblest mansion i'll Eng
land, so now in it's decline its ruins are
more impressive and beautiful than any
| others in the country. Crumbling walls
are all that is left of the grand and
stately halls where the sovereigns of
England have been entertained, while
only broken arches remain to tell of the
great gateways through which brilliant
trains OF knights and ladies have passed.
Over tower and doorway, ruined wall
and crumbling window arch, all of a
uniform pale red tint, the ivy throws
its drapery Of living green, rounding
and softening the sharp edges Of the
masonry and adding its fresh beauty to
work San Francisco Bulletin.