The Ports, Harbours, Watering-places and Picturesque Scenery of Great Britain Volume II Part 7

[Ill.u.s.tration: TINTAGEL CASTLE.]

TINTAGEL CASTLE.

This Engraving, after Mr. Jendles' spirited sketch, embraces not only Tintagel Castle, but one of those more useful erections which modern science has rendered available to commercial purposes, and intended for the shipment of ores from the neighbouring mine. The different character of the erections which crown the opposing cliffs mark the widely separated eras of their erection, while both become objects of deep interest to those who see in the ruins of the one hand, and the progressively improving mechanism of the other, a type of the spirit which animated our warlike ancestors to maintain their dominant power over their native soil, converted in their more peaceful descendants into a determination to make the best use of the treasures it contains.

Tintagel Castle is situated partly on the extremity of a bold rock of slate, on the coast, and partly on a rocky island, with which it was formerly connected by a drawbridge, and is of great antiquity. This castle is said to have been the birthplace of King Arthur, but his history is so blended with the marvellous, that his very existence has been doubted, and the circ.u.mstances connected with his birth are certainly not amongst those parts of the relation which are most ent.i.tled to credit. It was, however, said by Lord Bacon, that there was truth enough in his story to make him famous besides that which was fabulous.

In the year 1245, Richard Earl of Cornwall, brother to King Henry III., was accused of having afforded an asylum in Tintagel Castle to his nephew David, Prince of Wales, and in the reign of Henry III. the castle and manor of Tintagel were annexed to the Duchy of Cornwall. So little remains of the walls of this ancient and formerly impregnable castle, that the date of its erection cannot even be conjectured from the style of the architecture: it is certain that the castle was in a dilapidated state in 1337, in which year a survey was made. There was then no governor, but the priest who officiated in the chapel of the castle had the custody of it, without fee. It is described as a castle sufficiently walled, in which were two chambers beyond the two gates, in a decayed state. A chamber, with a small kitchen for the constable, in good repair; a stable for eight horses, decayed; and a cellar and bakehouse, ruinous. The timber of the great hall had been taken down by command of John of Eltham, Earl of Cornwall, because the hall was ruinous, and the walls of no value.

In the reign of Richard II., Tintagel Castle was made a state prison, and in 1385, John Northampton, lord mayor of London, was committed to this castle. Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, was also a prisoner here in 1397. "The ruins of Tintagel Castle," says the Rev. R. Warner, "claim dominion over unqualified desolation; over one wide and wild scene of troubled ocean, barren country, and horrid rocks: its situation and aspect quite chilled the tourist," and in continuation of his description, he introduces the less sublime remark, "that to look at it was enough to give one the tooth-ache."

Tintagel was made a free borough by Richard Earl of Cornwall, and, as well as Trevenna, about a mile distant from each other, forms part of the borough of Bossiney, which formerly sent two members to parliament.

Although not incorporated, it is governed by a mayor. At Trevenna is an annual fair for horned cattle on the first Monday after the 19th of October; and at Tintagel is a school supported by the mayor and free burgesses. The church, dedicated to St. Simphorian, is a vicarage, in the patronage of the dean and chapter of Windsor. It was formerly appropriated to the abbey of Fonteverard, in Normandy, but having pa.s.sed in the same manner as Leighton Buzzard, in Bedfordshire, was given, by King Edward IV., to the collegiate chapel of St. George at Windsor.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLYMOUTH.

_Devon._]

PLYMOUTH.

The view of Plymouth is taken from the grounds of Mount Edgec.u.mbe, looking across the lower part of the Sound. About the middle distance is St. Nicholas' Island; beyond which are perceived the ramparts of the citadel. Between the citadel and the point of land to the right, where several small vessels are seen, is the entrance of the creek called the Cat.w.a.ter.

The towns of Plymouth and Devonport--the latter until 1824 having usually been called Plymouth Dock, or briefly, Dock--stand nearly in the same relation to each other as Portsmouth and Portsea, except that they are not contiguous, the distance between them being about a mile and a half. Plymouth is the old borough, and Devonport is the modern town; the latter, indeed, has been entirely built within the last hundred-and-fifty years, since the establishment of the royal dockyard by William III., in 1691. Each town returns two members to Parliament, this privilege having been conferred on Devonport by the Reform Bill; and the munic.i.p.al government of each is vested in separate authorities.

Plymouth and Devonport, with Stonehouse, which lies between them, may be considered as forming one large town, which occupies a parallelogram about two miles and a half in length by one in breadth, and contains, with the suburbs of Morice-town and Stoke, about a hundred thousand inhabitants.

Plymouth harbour, or, as it is generally called, Sutton Pool, is on the land side nearly surrounded by houses, and the entrance to it from the Cat.w.a.ter is protected by two stone piers, about ninety feet apart.

Plymouth has a considerable coasting trade with London, Bristol, Hull, Newcastle, and other parts of England, and also carries on a direct trade with the Baltic, the Mediterranean, America, and the West Indies.

The princ.i.p.al exports are copper, tin, and lead-ore, manganese, granite, and pilchards. There are about fifty decked fishing-boats belonging to Plymouth, which not only supply its market and that of Devonport with plenty of excellent fish, but also furnish a considerable quant.i.ty for Bath, London, and other places. The fish most common in Plymouth market are hake, ba.s.se, gurnards, pipers, tub-fish, whiting-pouts, soles, mullets red and grey, and John-Dories. Quin, that he might enjoy the latter fish in perfection, took an express journey from Bath to Plymouth. The export of granite, and other kinds of stone for the purposes of building, is greatly facilitated by a railway, which extends from about the middle of Dartmoor to the quays at Sutton Pool and Cat.w.a.ter. The larger cla.s.s of merchant-vessels generally anchor in the Cat.w.a.ter; and in time of war it is the usual rendezvous for transports.

It is sheltered from south-westerly gales by Mount Battan, and is sufficiently s.p.a.cious to afford anchorage for six or eight hundred sail of such ships as are usually employed in the merchant service. There are about 320 ships belonging to Plymouth, the tonnage of which, according to the old admeasurement, is about 26,000 tons.

Though the neighbourhood of Plymouth affords so many beautiful and interesting views, the town itself presents but little to excite the admiration of the stranger. It is very irregularly built; and most of the old houses have a very mean appearance, more especially when contrasted with some of recent erection. Several large buildings, within the last twenty or thirty years, have been erected at Plymouth and Devonport, in the _pure Grecian style_; and the two towns afford ample evidence of the imitative genius of the architects. At the corner of almost every princ.i.p.al street, the stranger is presented with reminiscences of Stuart and Revett's Athens.

Plymouth citadel is situated to the southward of the town, and at the eastern extremity of the rocky elevation called the Hoe. It commands the pa.s.sage to the Hamoaze, between St. Nicholas' Island and the main-land, as well as the entrance of the Cat.w.a.ter. It was erected on the site of the old fort, in the reign of Charles II., and consists of five bastions, which are further strengthened with ravelins and hornworks.

The ramparts are nearly three-quarters of a mile in circuit; and there are platforms for a hundred-and-twenty cannon. The entrance to the citadel is on the north, through an outer and an inner gate. Within the walls are the residence of the lieutenant-governor, officers' houses and barracks for the garrison, with a magazine, chapel, and hospital. In the centre of the green is a bronze statue of George II., the work of an artist named Robert Pitt, and erected, in 1728, at the expense of Louis Dufour, Esq., an officer of the garrison. An excellent panoramic view of Plymouth, Saltram, the Cat.w.a.ter, the Sound, Mount Edgec.u.mbe, and other places, is to be obtained from the ramparts, round which visitors are permitted to walk.

[Ill.u.s.tration: MOUNT EDGEc.u.mBE.

_DEVON._]

MOUNT EDGEc.u.mBE.

The view of Mount Edgec.u.mbe is taken from Cremhill point, a little to the south-east of the entrance of Stonehouse Creek. About the centre of the view is perceived a battery, near to the Old Blockhouse which was erected in the reign of Queen Elizabeth; between the masts of the brig, which is sailing in towards the Hamoaze, the house is seen; and to the left, in the distance, is Cawsand Bay.

For upwards of two hundred years the situation of Mount Edgec.u.mbe, whether looking towards it or from it, and the beauty of the grounds in its vicinity have been the subject of general admiration. In visiting Mount Edgec.u.mbe from Plymouth or Devonport, the most usual way is to cross at the ferry from Cremhill point. The gardens generally first claim the visitor's attention. Near the lodge, on the left, is a garden laid out in the Italian style, and surrounded by a bank planted with evergreens. In this garden is the orangery, and opposite to it is a beautiful terrace, on which, and in the grounds below, are several statues. The visitor is next shown the French flower-garden, which is planted with the most beautiful shrubs and flowers, and was the favourite retreat of Sophia, Countess of Mount Edgec.u.mbe, who died in 1806, and to whose memory a cenotaph, consisting of an urn and a tablet, is erected within its bounds. The English garden and shrubbery display less art, but are no less beautiful than the imitative gardens of Italy and France. In it is a bath of the Doric order, and a secluded walk leads to a rocky excavation, overspread with ivy and other creeping plants, amidst lofty evergreens: fragments of antiques are scattered amidst heaps of stones in this romantic dell. In the pleasure-grounds, a path continued along the edge of a cliff, which affords interesting views of the picturesque sinuosities of the coast, leads to a verdant lawn, from which the sides rise with a gentle ascent in a semicircle.

The acclivity above the lawn is thickly shaded by a succession of trees, which form a magnificent amphitheatre, and display an endless variety of foliage. From different parts of the amphitheatre, Barn Poole presents the appearance of an extensive lake, without any visible communication with the sea, from which it appears to be separated by the diversified line of coast, that forms its boundary on every side. At the entrance of a wood near this spot is an Ionic circular temple dedicated to Milton, whence the path continues on the margin of the cliff, through plantations and shrubs, which fringe the rocky coast down to the brink of the sea. In the more open part of the park is a mock ruin, intended as a picturesque object from the grounds and from the opposite sh.o.r.e. A cottage near the cliff is overhung with beautiful evergreen oaks, the windows of which command pleasing sea views in opposite directions.

After ascending a perpendicular rock, by a winding path of perilous appearance, the great terrace at the arch presents itself, having the appearance of a perforation in the cliff, the base of which is washed by the waves of the Sound.

The walks round the grounds are extremely pleasing, and from many points excellent views are obtained of Plymouth Sound, the Hamoaze, Devonport, and the surrounding country. It seems, however, doubtful if the circ.u.mstance of a n.o.bleman's seat commanding a view of a large town, at the distance of less than a mile, be an advantage to it. It is perhaps not altogether pleasant to have a _country_ seat overlooked by, and overlooking, a large town. Dr. Johnson, alluding to the view of Mount Edgec.u.mbe, has observed, that "though there is the grandeur of a fleet, there is also the impression of there being a dock-yard, the circ.u.mstances of which are not agreeable."

The house at Mount Edgec.u.mbe was erected about the year 1550, by Sir Richard Edgec.u.mbe, who was sheriff of Devonshire in the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Henry VIII., in the castellated style, with circular towers at the corners. About seventy years ago, those towers were pulled down, and rebuilt in their present octangular form. In the princ.i.p.al rooms is a collection of family portraits, including a few by Sir Joshua Reynolds.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BRIXHAM.]

BRIXHAM.

"Here busy boats are seen: some overhaul Their loaded nets; some shoot the lightened trawl; And, while their drags the slimy bottom sweep, Stealthily o'er the face o' the waters creep; While some make sail, and singly or together Furrow the sea with merry wind and weather."

W. STEWART ROSE.

In the Engraving of Brixham Quay, from a painting by Edward Duncan, the view is taken from the eastward. To the right, from the end of the pier, several of the larger cla.s.s of fishing vessels belonging to the place are perceived lying aground; while, further in the harbour, a merchant brig is seen discharging her cargo. In the foreground, to the left, the attention of a group appears to be engaged by a small ship which a young fisherman holds in his hands.

Brixham lies about a mile and a half to the westward of Berry Head, the southern extremity of Torbay, in the county of Devon, and is about twenty-eight miles south of Exeter, and one hundred and ninety-eight west-south-west of London. As a fishing town, Brixham is one of the most considerable in the kingdom. The total number of fishing vessels belonging to the place is nearly two hundred, of which, about one hundred and ten are from thirty to forty tons burden, and the rest from six to eighteen tons. Besides these, there are several yawls and smaller boats which are employed in the fishery near the sh.o.r.e. For years past about seventy of the larger cla.s.s of fishing vessels have been accustomed to proceed to Ramsgate, for the purpose of catching fish in the North Sea for the supply of the London market. They usually leave Brixham in November and December, and return again towards the latter end of June. The Brixham fishermen send a great quant.i.ty of fish to the Exeter, Bath, Plymouth, and Bristol markets. The princ.i.p.al fish which they take are cod, ling, conger-eels, turbot, whitings, hake, soles, skate and plaice, with herring and mackerel in the season. A quant.i.ty of whitings are generally salted and dried at Brixham. On the coast of Devonshire dried whitings are called "buckhorn," a name sufficiently expressive of their hardness and insipidity. Besides the vessels employed in the fishery, there are ships belonging to Brixham which are chiefly engaged in the West India, Mediterranean, and coasting trades.

A weekly market, with a market-house at the water-side, was established here in 1799, and in 1804 a stone pier of great strength was erected at the expense of the nation. The population of the place is about 5,000.

One of the most memorable events in its history is the landing there of William Prince of Orange, afterwards William III., on the 5th of November, 1688. The view of Torbay, from the cliffs above the town, is in the highest degree interesting, especially when enlivened, as it frequently is, by a fleet of fishing-boats dotting its placid waters, and stretching far into the British Channel.

At an early period the manor of Brixham was held by the Nevants and the Valletorts; but after divers ownerships it was divided into twelve quarters, one of which was purchased by twelve fishermen of Brixham Quay, and divided into as many shares; some of these have been much farther subdivided, yet their owners, be their shares ever so small, have the local denomination of Quay Lords.

Brixham Church Town is about a mile distant from the quay. The church is a s.p.a.cious structure of the date of the fourteenth century, with an embattled tower, and the peculiarities of the architecture of that period. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and contains several monuments of considerable antiquity, the inspection of which will repay the antiquarian for the visit.

Torquay, one of the most fashionable watering-places on the Devonshire coast, is situated on the opposite side of Torbay, at a distance of about five miles by water; but if the journey be made by land, the curve of the bay extends it upwards of nine. It is sheltered from the north winds by the promontory of Hope's Nose, and a range of lofty hills which form its northern boundary. It is rapidly increasing in extent, and is spoken of in terms of the highest admiration by most of the visitors.

The houses are chiefly built of a kind of marble found in the vicinity, and are so scattered among the hills and dales as to command delightful views of the surrounding country. On the coast the rock scenery is truly magnificent, and from the heights the eye ranges over a wide extent of cultivated land, abounding in every variety of nature, and terminated by the distant outline of the mountain tops.