New-York tribune., 1907-09-05
RTRAL ENGLAND.
1yc;ssqg GiimPses of One Of the
Grsat Shires.


,-,faar az Mr.. Dickens's travesty Of American
- :. ..ATa-tfn Chuzzleyvit'' The ConserVa-
,.-stol5er has become globe trotter as
nri--l~ose gathering IrlTerialist' ana
,,e narrowest minded Little Englander
lis think 7 spreading Che outline OF ms
-, ever the whole page and Of tGching the
,.,.o5,r, into corner ard leaving the terres-
III 20 roll on n insigniicance at the bot
- Vet eacb county when closely studleo Is
,,,,la world by Itself Physical features MS
- ,ssoc,atie,ns AID traditions Of architect
:. f~vart Individuality 10 1t and dlffereh'la'e
- adjacent shires Travelled Americans
e. rrarapIrg up and Gown the Continent ana
--.,,,,r the circuit OF the globe would not lack
t,.+;on s~ they were TO take p house in IN
Itch county and TO spend six months in eN-
-, 81 II might bt, more enjoyable than
.,.e --ofr,ng and certainly Il would 10 less
...c,,Ing Whsc can the casual tourist know
,-o,,- So characteristic county as No-tlia'np-
or with Sc commanding position IN the Nlld-
lands and its prominence in English history.
y. -,s., halt IN his motor circuit Of the cathe-
-, +oyr,s 70 gIarce al that marvel or Gothlc
-.,,.oct,.-r H., decorative west screen CT
,ss.erba ough: o1 II he is conscientious Aii1erl
- ,,f.y-i. ae viii fin5 the homes of the Wash
.,-son- a. s,.;erave and rington and a the
z-ran5jiqs at Ecton; hut probably he will 60
-+ ,.s+,, 4 rush b. one OF the trunk lines. or
.,,,--, 20 liverpool for his ship without giving
. -s,,,eht TO the historic shire stretching across
-hA kingdom from warwicksli're 10 the fers OF
lincoln and Cambridge. Yet there Is noi
,o,r+y south Of the Tweed that deserves moro
deliberate study
This village OF BrixTorth, from which an
.s-in- & holiday letter. interests sportsrlen be
ca,,se TIE famous Pytchley hounds are kennelled
8, It and they sre sgel worth seeing when out
oF-=-c an he
and s7iIl more In the autumn when in fun cry
e,- rub hunting for Northampton IS one OF the
tes- Of the hurting shires with winter sport
well organized and heartily supported by the
great land owners The village concerns anti
s7uarians and students Of architecture even more
closely for the strange church on the hill rivals
tn antiquity The one in Dover attached 70 the
Roman pharos and while il has undergone sue
cessize alterations il Is without doubt one Of
the Oldest structures in the kingdom There is
Roman material in the walls and piers. even If
a hasilioa has not been converted into church.
ard the square tower with a seni-circular shaft
OF the outer face half way 10 the spire was
ioorholed by the Saxons for defence by archers
against Danish invaders. Characteristic traces
Of every style Of construction. from Roman or
later Saxon 70 Norman, Transition, Gothic and
Tudor can b found in this venerable structure;
and nearly as much can be said Of the church
al Earl's Barton near by. with the most beau
tiful Saxon tower in England-a convincing
proof that the primitive architecture which the
Nornans found in the conquered country was
not without decorative quality. At Brlgstock
there is another composite church with round
projection added the tower at BriNworth,
and with suggestions of Roman methods in the
interior arch and its crude decoration and in
the long and short work and horizontal and
vertical strips Of the walls Barnack tower is
distinctively Saxon Castor is Norman
Beth primitive Romanesque and the Norman
type following it can be studied in the parish
churches OF unpretentious villages. The square.
erbattIed tower. the landmark Of picturesque
England, is the storied memorial of the rise
decline OF genius for construction and decora-
ton
Sometimes the story Of the ancient church is
told with dramatic realism by the verger. At
Rothweu he begins languidly. uncovering the
brasses and pointing the features of the
tumble Of styles, but when the entrance to the
crypt under the south aisle is approached he is
transformed into y weird and erotesque grave
digger Of Shal1@speartan quality Lighting a
candle for each follower he leads the way into
4 suOterralean chamber where thousands of
Skulls and skeleton arms and legs are stacked
n7 shoulder high with the precision and reg.;-
ia:sty ~ cordN-ooc IL a timber yard or linens
made II Of him 2 property Of easiness." for he
gossips As chee-fU:Iy Of tho occupants OF this
bone crypt as the gravedigCers in Hamlet" over
Aca-ls profession or Yorfck's antics He picks
u a skull cer-lessly Is a cricket ball ana
aaNnz proved chat there IS no bullet hole and
the- ;0ere s. evt3ance -,f s. snashing blo-v with
e!cb tesses II lightly away as the relic Of an
sncient Brison ages before Danish raidinc or
AsseSy f.stt. Brardishing an abnorroau,, huge
ihga boHe. lie argues sclenlaly that there mug.
haFe been giants n these DAYS and after rlav
'as toiy With a string of verteb-se snd cl!nltInz
shoulder blades and sls1tls with bis cand!esticl,
ne warns his auditors against cadgelIinp THAR
brains neediasaly anc supplies them with a
plausible t5ecry :hst the monks in enlargns .1e
A1c2eit shrine ran against prehistoric burial
ground end decently reinterred the bones Of he
'"een Se.e9o and 10000 warriors I'm q consecrated
Hsp- II is "crowners quest law" delivered in
sep0lcnrai tones without snatch Of melody or
S'oop q liquor. but as bit OF cold realism it is
es startling the grayediggers' saturnine
Hufnor beside Ophea's grave and the visitors
with their tallow dips follow him out Of The
narhel house-one of three in the kingdom
WIN q feeling that they viii never have a
Stranger experience in England
rest and present jostle each other at every
1'n as the explorer saunters or rides through
N'rfhanpton. Tie old Roman road points
'%lsht as an arrow for Kilsby through which
1l1reos e trains are trundling daily From
ha'row Hi. where thousands OF Roman soldiers
7'e e;lcarnped. brisk walker tranaps through
-'hg. worksday Daventry and cutting across
N1--ug with The help OF a compass finds him
O1' q the werld and in a delightful sleepy
Sl''" Ht DcdforS. where brooks are singing In
0't OF cottages 70 the accompaniment Of q
''aealng rnill wheel and the village church IS
-ooee cred IN sylvan beauty. AT Geddington is
Sefea EleanoTs Cross in the centre Of de-