New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-06
ONE OF THE SIGHTS OF EUROPE.
TlNTERNE ABBEY. BEAUTIFUL RUIN.
RANKING ARCHITECTURALLY WITH
SALISBURY CATHEDRAL,

In his lecture yesterday morning Alfred Collett
took up the history Of Tinterne Abbey. and gave
tho usual synopsis. together with nearly half
hundred fine lantern slides showing many Views
Of tho old church. the country In which it is a
browning light and the roads leading to H.
The most beautiful Of the Views shown were
THE Wye from Symonds Vat" The Abbey from
Chapel HILL" "a Peep at the Abbey" The North
east View Of the Abbey from the River Bank"
The East Front. Looking Through the Abbey"
THE Abbey Looking Through the Transept TO tho
South" Showing the Landscape Through the
Window" and The Abbey by Moonlight"
In his lecture Mr.. Collett said in part:
To say that Tnterne is the most beautiful ruin
In England is scarcely to do It justice it ought TO
be ranked among the sights Of Europe. II not OF
perfect is beautiful at ali times but when we have
added to It piece OF exquisite scenery and above
is scarcely likely to be forgotten.
In looking at the English cathedrals we have
consciously unconsciously many times seen one
which has been abbey. but being now in a
state Of preservation and possibly established
under different crcumsta 1ces-fOr many abbeys
were turned into cathedrals At the Reformation
we have scarcely P3rhaps realizgd the m2nastiS
Tlnterne, however. i picture of what must have
been seen in many a favored spot in England as
Tntene belonged to the cs'erc,2P mo9 Ms known
Branch Of the old order Of St Benedict. and IS
of living and consequently a higher religious ideal
and chose remote spot like that before you in
which they worked out their quiet life. dispensing
hospitality. cultvating the soil and. above all
chershing with the utmost love the knoWledse
and literature which were 10 be had IN the Middle
Ages Few people OF to-day know how much they
owe TO the monks Of old. when the country was
engaged in fierce struggles. when the light was
hidden from the people at large. IL was for these
men 10 keep the fame burning. and 70 them We
may be thankful sometimes that 1t never went out
Alphabetically Tinterne Abbey IL almost as
precious as Salisbury Cathedral. The church was
begun about 1863 and the first service was per
form nod In N then
until about tho middle % the fourteenth century,
and thus we have building erected In perhaps
the golden time of medieval architecture In Eng
land simple and severe In its style. a. all Cister-
clan buildings were. and though to-day IN ruins
az It u.s. one OF the most perfect OF its kind Time
has dealt gently with Tinterne only one wall or
the church Is really ruined, and with the excep-
ton of the tracery Of the windows and the roof,
the whole building may be studied to-day just as
il was in the past. From every point OF view II
is beautiful and the interior contains so many
points of beauty that il is difficult to say which IS
The hest Added this. the perfect preservation
ard the care which has been bestowed upon II mako
one feel proud that We OF tho nineteenth century
have been careful TO preserve thlS one Oh our
ancient landmarks