The Ports, Harbours, Watering-places and Picturesque Scenery of Great Britain Volume II Part 15

[14] _Quarterly Review_--Dupin, _On the Marine Establishments of France and England_.--No. XLIII. p. 41.

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

GRAVESEND,

FROM THE THAMES.

The great facilities of communication with the metropolis, the salubrity of the air, the beauty of the surrounding scenery, and the public amus.e.m.e.nts by which it is enlivened, have all contributed to render Gravesend the most frequented town on the river Thames. The thousands of visitors who here keep holiday during six or eight months of the year, have insured resources to the inhabitants more to be depended on than the fluctuations of trade. New houses, new streets, hotels, reading-rooms, public baths, and pleasure-gardens, have all appeared in succession since the introduction of steam on the river, and now present attractions rarely to be met with in any inland or maritime town of like size. The harbour, generally enlivened by East and West Indiamen at anchor; the incessant pa.s.sing and repa.s.sing of steamers to every part of the coast and kingdom; with private yachts and pleasure-boats skimming past, or lying off the piers, with their holiday freight of joyous citizens, give a never failing interest and spirit to the whole picture; and present, in a short sojourn at Gravesend, more animation and variety than is to be met with at any other part of the river. The rides and drives inland are highly varied and picturesque. Cobham Hall--the ancient seat of Lord Darnley--and its magnificent park-scenery, with the village and ancient church adjoining, are objects that well repay a summer-day's excursion. Springhead, famous for the water-cresses which it supplies to the London markets, is one of the most rural and picturesque retreats in Kent; while Gad's-hill, to which Shakspeare has given immortality, as the scene of the robbery of the Sandwich merchants, said to have been perpetrated by Henry the Fifth--when Prince Hal--and his dissolute companions, is within an easy walk.

Windmill-hill, the highest object in the background of the picture, is proverbially famed as commanding one of the finest panoramic views in the county.

The bathing-establishments are on a large scale, admirably constructed, and managed with great punctuality and attention. Adjoining the Clifton Baths is a delightful pleasure-ground, agreeably varied with walks and seats, and ornamented with trees, shrubs, and flowers. From this eminence, which overhangs the Thames, a charming prospect is open at all times to the groups of visitors by whom it is frequented.

The gardens, now known as the Rosherville-gardens, have been opened of late years for dancing, music, and fireworks during the season, and have become the chosen resort of numerous societies and schools, who here celebrate their anniversaries. A large dining-hall and other necessary adjuncts have been erected for their accommodation, including a handsome pier, at which most of the steam-boats call, on their pa.s.sages to and from the other piers.

The Town-pier--having superseded the old and unpleasant process of boating--is a structure of vast convenience as a landing place, and is besides of excellent design and execution. It consists of insulated columns, or piles of cast-iron, supporting a floor or stage, and extends into the river about fifty feet beyond low-water-mark. In summer this stage is covered with an awning, under which visitors can promenade, sheltered from sun or shower, and enjoy the entertainment furnished by an excellent band of music, which takes its daily station on the Pier.

Below the Town-pier is another pier, or jetty, extending nearly a hundred feet into the water, called the Terrace-pier--so called from having attached to it an extensive terrace or promenade, and a beautifully arranged lawn or shrubbery, for the use of those who frequent the pier.

During the last ten years, Gravesend has several times suffered very severely from fires, causing great destruction in the more closely-built portions of the town; these calamitous visitations, though deplorable in their immediate consequences, have not been without their beneficial results, by affording an opportunity for widening and improving the thoroughfares in their vicinity, and of which due advantage has been wisely taken.

For many years, the steam-boat companies monopolized the traffic from London to Gravesend, their superior vessels, rapid speed, and moderate fare, set every other species of conveyance at defiance; but they have been compelled to admit a formidable rival to their trade, in the all-absorbing railway, which now surpa.s.ses them in quickness, and places itself upon an equality in respect to price and accommodation. The North-Kent line pa.s.sing through Woolwich and Erith, has penetrated into the heart of Gravesend, and by filling up the Thames and Medway ca.n.a.l, made an iron road to the ancient city of Rochester. But, although the skill of the engineer and wealth of the capitalist has thus succeeded in bringing this fashionable watering-place and the old cathedral town into closer connection with our giant metropolis, they have not been able to overcome those natural obstacles to the rapid progress of the locomotive engine--hills and valleys, without having recourse to that most disagreeable of all roads, the subterranean--and the difference between rushing through their sombre excavations, amid the clatter of the machinery and the hissing of the liberated steam, and calmly gliding on the quiet surface of the beautiful Thames, must, we think, be such as to render the journey by the river at all times the most popular with those who travel for pleasure.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LONDON FROM GREENWICH PARK.]

LONDON,

FROM GREENWICH PARK.

How glorious is the scene that here expands, Where, 'mid her lofty towers, Augusta stands, Drawing, in tribute to her daring helm, And boundless trade, the wealth of every realm; And stretching forth her hand o'er land and main, To check the proud, and break the captive's chain!

It may be safely affirmed that they who have witnessed the view of London, from Greenwich Park, have beheld a scene which neither time nor circ.u.mstances can ever obliterate, and to which it may be doubted if Europe itself could furnish a rival. It is a point to which foreigners and strangers uniformly advert, in expressing their admiration of the British capital and its environs; and to which, during the fine season, mult.i.tudes resort for the sake of the delicious park-scenery and the magnificent prospects which it commands. From the base of the National Observatory to the cupola of St. Paul's, the objects which it embraces are of the most variegated and imposing character. In the fore ground is the palace of the former "Kings and Queens of England,"--now the n.o.blest Hospital in the world--with all its stately appendages. In the centre of the picture is the Thames--the great "highway" by which the fleets of commerce are continually pouring the treasures of the world into the heart of the metropolis. In the back ground--here in bold relief, and there dimly shadowed in the horizon--are seen the towers and temples of London, with the majestic dome of St. Paul's presiding over the whole in glorious pre-eminence. Turning to the east, the scene presents new objects of interest and admiration. The shipping off Blackwall--the Docks--the vast traffic by which the river is continually agitated--the steamers pa.s.sing and repa.s.sing, their decks crowded with company, and the bands of music occasionally striking up, as they pa.s.s the Royal Hospital, the national air of "Rule Britannia,"--all produce an effect upon the spectators, which, in point of animation, cannot be surpa.s.sed.

What gives peculiar interest to the picture, is the appearance of the "ancient mariners" who are continually in sight--pensioners who have given their legs and arms as pledges to British independence, and now pa.s.s the evening of their days in every comfort to which a weather-beaten seaman can aspire--

Heroes, every one, Ye might as soon have made the steeple run; And then his messmates, if you're pleased to stay, He'll one by one the gallant souls display.

This magnificent Hospital presents an imposing range of buildings in the Grecian style of architecture, extending several hundred feet along the right bank of the Thames, and divided into two wings by a n.o.ble lawn, with a descent to the water's edge by a handsome flight of steps. The wings recede a considerable s.p.a.ce from the river and are crowned in the distance by two lofty domes, behind which rise the acclivities of the royal park, covered with trees of centuries, and undulating with variegated ma.s.ses of verdure. Through the midst of these, and occupying the site of the original fortress of Greenwich, rises that celebrated Observatory which has so frequently engaged the attention of scientific Europe; and with which the names of Flamsteed, Halley, Bradley, Bliss, Maskelyn, Pond, and Airey, are so emphatically connected.

To the history of Greenwich Hospital we can only very briefly advert.

After the rebellion in 1715, the forfeited estates of the Earl of Derwent.w.a.ter, amounting at that time to six thousand pounds per annum, were voted by parliament to this hospital; and with the numerous benefactions since bestowed by private individuals, it is now enabled to provide for nearly three thousand inmates. Every Pensioner receives a liberal allowance of provisions and clothes, with a shilling a week for pocket-money. The nurses--widows of seamen, and of whom there were lately a hundred and five--in addition to provisions, have each an annual allowance of from eighteen to twenty pounds. A library is provided for the exclusive use of the Pensioners. The office of governor of Greenwich Hospital is generally conferred on veterans of the highest rank and standing in the service,--such as Hood, Keats and Hardy, the friend and companion of Nelson.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE PORT OF LONDON.]

THE PORT OF LONDON.

The Port of London commences at London Bridge. The forest of masts which rises in direct view--thickening in perspective till it is lost in the distance--announces the vast extent of that Commerce which stretches its arms to the "uttermost parts of the globe." The Pool, as this part of the river is called, extends from London Bridge to Deptford,--a distance of nearly four miles, with an average breadth of from four to five hundred yards. It consists of four divisions, called the Upper, Middle, and Lower Pools, and that occupying the s.p.a.ce between Limehouse and Deptford. The Upper Pool extends from London Bridge to Union Hole--a s.p.a.ce of about sixteen hundred yards; from this to Wapping New Stairs forms the Middle Pool--about seven hundred yards. The Lower Pool extends from the latter point to Horseferry Pier, Limehouse--about eighteen hundred yards. The fourth Pool occupies the s.p.a.ce between Limehouse and Deptford--about two thousand seven hundred yards.

The Custom-House, which is a prominent feature in this View, was first erected in 1559--very shortly after the accession of Queen Elizabeth; but, having shared the fate of the other public buildings in the great fire of London, it was rebuilt, two years after by Charles the Second.

By a similar calamity, however, this was also burnt to the ground in 1718, and a third erected, which--strange to say--was also consumed in 1814. The fourth, which is the present magnificent structure, was opened for business in May, 1817. It was erected from the designs of David Laing, Esq.; but, in consequence of certain defects, which threatened destruction to a considerable portion of the building, the Long Room, as it is called, was _sh.o.r.ed_ up, the front next to the river taken down, and the present front as shown in the Engraving, was subst.i.tuted by Mr.

Smirke. The whole is erected on an extensive and magnificent scale.

The London and St. Katherine's Docks are seen a little to the right, and afford accommodation to a vast number of shipping. The London Dock covers twenty acres: fourteen tobacco-warehouses cover an acre each; the cellars occupy three acres, and can accommodate twenty-two thousand pipes of wine. The St. Katherine's Dock covers the extensive area of ground which a few years ago was occupied by the parish of St.

Katherine; the whole of which, comprising above twelve hundred houses, was bought and pulled down, at an outlay of two millions sterling, for the construction of these magnificent basins and warehouses, with which nothing that mercantile enterprise has. .h.i.therto effected can bear a comparison. The old parish church of St. Katherine was built on the site of an ancient monastery founded in the twelfth century by Matilda of Boulogne. A rich hospital and various benefactions have belonged to this parish ever since its original endowment; for the perpetuation of which a handsome church and several dwelling-houses were erected near Gloucester Gate, Regent's Park, the emoluments connected with which were bestowed by the late Queen Adelaide, in whose gift they were, upon persons belonging to the royal household, or otherwise recommended to her Majesty.

In front of these docks is a s.p.a.cious steam-packet wharf; and from this point to Rotherhithe the river--here called the Middle Pool--is generally so crowded with shipping at anchor, or rapidly pa.s.sing up and down, that it requires both skill and caution on the part of the helmsman to avoid collision. It is here that strangers can form an exact idea of the vast traffic by which the Thames is continually animated, and to which there is no parallel in the cities of commercial Europe.

Notwithstanding the obvious utility of wet-docks, and the vast trade of the British Metropolis, there was no establishment of this sort on the Thames till nearly a century after a wet-dock had been constructed at Liverpool. The inconvenience arising from the crowded state of the river at those periods when the fleets of merchantmen were accustomed to arrive, the very insufficient accommodation afforded by the legal quays and sufferance-wharfs; the necessity under which many ships were placed of unloading in the river by means of fighters, and the insecurity and loss of property thence arising, had been felt and complained of as an intolerable grievance. But so powerful was the opposition to any change, made by the private wharfingers and others interested in the support of the existing order of things, that it was not till 1793 that a plan was projected for making wet-docks for the Port of London, yet the activity and enterprise of the merchants and shipowners of the metropolis have, since that date, amply compensated for their lost time, and the docks of London are now models of superiority in that peculiar department of civil engineering.

Though not included in the engraving, the recent improvements which have been effected in its vicinity by the public spirit of the Corporation of London, demand a pa.s.sing tribute of admiration. The New Coal Exchange is an edifice worthy of the purpose for which it was designed--the mart for the sale of one of Great Britain's most valuable products; and Billingsgate is now a market fitting for a city containing two millions of inhabitants.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE TOWER OF LONDON.]

THE TOWER OF LONDON.

This celebrated fortress is situated on the east side of the City, a short distance from London-bridge, near the banks of the river Thames.

It at first consisted of no more than what is at present called the White Tower, traditionally reported, without any authority, to have been built by Julius Caesar, though there is the strongest evidence of its being marked out and a part of it first erected by William the Conqueror, in the year 1076, doubtless with a view to secure to himself and followers a safe retreat, in case the English should ever have recourse to arms to recover their ancient possessions and lost liberties.

The death of the Conqueror, however, in 1087, about eight years after he had commenced this fortress, for some time prevented its progress, and left it to be completed by his son William Rufus, who, in 1098, surrounded it with walls and a broad and deep ditch, which is in some places about one hundred and twenty feet wide, into which water from the river Thames was introduced. Henry III., in 1240, ordered a stone gate, bulwark, and other additions to be made to this fortress, and the ancient tower to be whitened, from whence it was called the White Tower.

In 1465, Edward IV. greatly enlarged the fortifications, and built the Lion's Tower, for the reception of foreign beasts, birds, &c., presented to the kings of England; the zoological collection have, however, long since been transferred to more eligible quarters in the Regent's-park.

By the command of Charles II., in 1663, the ditch was completely cleansed, the esplanade rebuilt with brick and stone, and sluices were erected for admitting and retaining water from the Thames, as occasion might require.

The Tower is in the best situation that could have been chosen for a fortress, lying near enough to protect the metropolis and the seat of commerce from invasion by water. It is parted from the river Thames by a commodious wharf and narrow ditch, over which is a drawbridge. Upon this wharf is a n.o.ble platform, on which are placed sixty-one pieces of cannon, nine-pounders, mounted on handsome iron carriages, which were fired on state holidays, but small pieces are now used for those purposes.