England -- Description and travel; Wales -- Description and travel
Leaving my peaceful nook, after further lonely wandering, I struck
upon a decent though hilly road, and eventually came to a long, steep
descent, at the foot of which I found myself in the truly old-world
village of Stanway, where is another fine specimen of a tithe-barn. An
apology perhaps is needed for using the term "old-world" so often, but
I came during the journey to so many quaint and ancient places that no
other word will so well, tersely, and truthfully describe, so I feel
bound to use it occasionally, even frequently, though not, I trust,
without good cause.
At the foot of the descent, facing me, stood a notable gate-house
giving access to a time-greyed and noble mansion built in the Jacobean
days; the former looks like the work of Inigo Jones. I was tempted to
photograph this old gate-house, and any photograph here reproduced will
serve to show what manner of building it is, for a picture of any kind
appeals direct to the eye, thus conveying a better impression of a
place than pages of printed description could: and be it said in favour
of a photograph over a drawing that there is no romance about it, it
simply records what is before the camera, whilst most artists are prone
to treat their subjects with more or less poetic licence, so that one
can never be quite sure how much of their work is faithful to fact or
how much is fanciful.
[Illustration: GATEHOUSE, STANWAY.]
Then, as the west was growing golden and the shadows lengthening, my
thoughts turned to an inn for the night. It seems to me that an inn
of the good old-fashioned sort, friendly, unpretentious, clean, and
comfortable, deserves a warm corner in the heart of the wayfarer--for
how would he fare without one? Whenever I come upon such an inn I make
a note of it so as to keep it in memory, besides marking its site on
my map for easy reference on the road. Many a time, and many a mile,
have I gone out of my way, and gladly, to revisit such desirable
quarters, sure, from past experience, of a welcome, civility, and a
moderate reckoning, three qualities I mostly prize in the order given.
Healthily hungry, agreeably tired after a long day's journey in the
open air, how delightful it is to arrive at a good inn when the day is
done--that is one of the joys of travel, and not the least of its joys.
Suddenly I remembered that at the foot of the Cotswolds, and not very
far away, was an ancient, many-gabled, Jacobean and storied hostelry of
mullioned windows and panelled chambers where erst I had taken "mine
ease"; thither would I go again, so I sped on my way, rejoicing, to
the ancient "Whyte Harte" at Broadway, one of my ports of call when
cruising on the road, and there I harboured for the night.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account