The Warwickshire Herald. — 1890-12-18 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

FREE LECTURE AT ASTON.  An interesting lecture was delivered at Albert. road Board Schools, on Tuesday evening, in connecSon with the present series of free lectures being delivered under the auspioes of the Free Libraries Committee, by Mr. Edmund S. Baker, on 'A bank holiday." County Councillor Alfred Taylor presided and there was a good attendance. The lecture was illustrated by some excellent lime light views, which were well received. The lecturer said he did not wish to enter into a discussion as to whether we should or should not have more such national holidays. Speaking personally, he could do with one every week—(laughter) Neither did he wish to dictate to anyone how to spend such holidays. Some people rushed off by a midnight Vain some hundreds of miles to ses some speciality, and neglected more interesting material nearer home --(hear, hear). To be of any value, a bank holiday should be spent in such a manner ss to produce food sactstrength for both mind and body--(bear, hear). They would suppose it to be a Whit Monday and that they had taken the excursion to Warwick and Kenilworth, and whether they were antiquarians, aroheoligiete, botanists, or simply lovers of natural history, they would Sad much to interest them in those two please and the neighbouring districts. There was, in the neighbourhood, two noble castles, the ruins of several abbeys, and some of the most pictureeque of village ohurohes, and the foliage and flowers were such as to give such an impression to our mains across the Atlantic that they had called .Warwickehire the Garden of Eden. No American was satisfied to leave England's shore, when on • .visit to this country, unless he had visited Shakespeare's village. Warwickshire had been the nursery of poets, and the native place of hareem, and bad furnished the first speaker to the House of Commons. The lecturer described the scenery to be met with on the journey to Kenilworth, a View of Yardley Church being thrown upon the screen. Arriving at Coventry .11011/ to be seen the three spires rising from the towers of Christ Church, Holy Trinity and St. Michaels', the spire of the latter having been lately reetored at a wet of £85,000. This church had been described by the late Gilbert Scott as one of the grandest architectural monuments in the kingdom. Paining on to Kenilworth, the lecturer described the castle at some length, illustrating his remarks with views, both past and present, of the historically -famous fabric, that relic of bygone grandeur. The lecturer touched upon the siege of Kenilworth and the magnificent pageants and festivities on the occasion of the visit of Queen Elisabeth when the Earl of Leicester entertained his royal guest for seventeen days at a wet of £l,OOO per day. A view of the church was then introduced to the audience, and an illustration of the celebrated and much admired • Norman doorway, supposed, at one time, to have formed a part of the abbey, portions of which Ail remain to be seen in the abbey fields. Having dealt with some of the natural objects to be met with in the district, the lecturer took his audience to Black.  low Hill, on the summit of which, a stone drove marks the place where that royal favourite, Piers Graveston, was, by barons lawless as himself, executed, or rather murdered, in 1311. A picture of the old water mill having been throan upon the screen, the leoturer pissed on to Guy's Cliff, accompanying this portion of his lecture with views of Guy's Cliff House, Guy's Cave, snd Guy's Well. A brief recital of the legend of the exploits of Guy and his life and death in the hermit's cave, greatly interested the audience. The lecturer proceeded to Warwick Castle and placed before his au Hence view, of the castle and different parts of it, and to the intereat of Lis hearers touched upon its historical associations. The lecturer concluded with a descrip•ion of various other places of interest in and around Warwick, including Leicester's Hospital, continuing to accompany his remarks with his excellent lime light views. At the oonclusion, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr. Baker. for his very interesting lecture.