A guide, descriptive and historical, through the Town of ShrewsburyLeighton, W. A. (William Allport)
History
A guide, descriptive and historical, through the Town of Shrewsbury
Leighton, W. A. (William Allport)
Shrewsbury (England) -- Guidebooks
and was originally divided into three apartments by wooden carved
partitions, now removed. The centre of this front is pierced by a
gateway, adorned on each side with a Corinthian column, supporting
statues of a scholar and graduate, bare-headed, and in the costume of the
times. Over the arch is a sentence in Greek from Isocrates, importing
that a love of literature is essential to the formation of a scholar.
Above are the arms of Charles I. The windows, with the exception of a
large pointed one in the style of the 14th century, at the south-end of
the principal school-room, are all of the square form of the Elizabethan
age. The walls are crowned with a singular and clumsy battlement of
curled leaves and pinnacles.
Situated at right angles to this is the remaining wing of the edifice,
originally erected in 1595, comprising the chapel and library, with the
tower containing the staircases in the angle.
The Chapel, in which prayers are read by the headmaster every morning,
occupies the ground floor, and is divided from the ante-chapel, by an oak
screen, carved in the grotesque manner prevalent in the days of
Elizabeth. The pulpit and BIBLE-STAND are in a similar style. The
ceiling is adorned with carved foliated bosses, interspersed with the
arms of the founders, and of the first and late head-masters.
[Picture: Bible Stand in the Chapel]
Above the chapel and of the same size, is
THE LIBRARY,
[Picture: The Library]
containing a very valuable and extensive collection of MSS. and books.
This part was lately rebuilt and repaired at a considerable expense. Two
large pointed windows, filled with mullioned tracery, afford light to
this venerable apartment; in the northern one of which are the arms of
Edward VI.; Queen Elizabeth; St. John’s College, Cambridge; the See of
Lichfield and Coventry impaling Cornwallis; and those of the town: and in
the southern one, those of the four principal benefactors, with
appropriate inscriptions in Latin. Richly foliated bosses, the arms of
the founders, visitors, and thirteen first trustees, decorate the
ceiling. Around the walls are portraits of Henry VIII. half-length; his
son Edward VI. when a boy of ten or twelve; an Admiral, full length, in
the dress of the time of Charles II.; five of the former head-masters,
and the late head-master, Bishop Butler, by Kirkby.
By the late scheme made by the Court of Chancery, (1853) a sum not
exceeding £70 yearly, is to be applied to the purchase and repairs of
Books, Mathematical, Philosophical and other instruments and articles for
instruction.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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