In Unfamiliar England: A Record of a Seven Thousand Mile Tour by Motor of the Unfrequented Nooks and Corners, and the Shrines of Especial Interest, in England; With Incursions into Scotland and Ireland.Murphy, Thos. D. (Thomas Dowler)
History
In Unfamiliar England: A Record of a Seven Thousand Mile Tour by Motor of the Unfrequented Nooks and Corners, and the Shrines of Especial Interest, in England; With Incursions into Scotland and Ireland.
Murphy, Thos. D. (Thomas Dowler)
Great Britain -- Description and travel
There is much else of interest in the minster, though we may not linger
over its attractions save to mention the Percy tomb, reputed the finest
in Europe--and indeed, its rare marbles and delicate sculptures must
represent a princely fortune. Nor could we have more than a passing
glimpse of St. Mary's Church, second only to the minster in importance,
for Beverley is the only town in England of anywhere near its size that
has the distinction of possessing two churches of really the first
magnitude.
Following the road from Beverley to the coast by Great Driffield and
Bridlington, we had a glimpse near the latter place of the high cliff
of Flamborough Head, from which the startled Yorkshiremen of a century
or more ago saw the "pirate," John Paul Jones, win his ever memorable
victory over the Serapis. It is not a subject even to this day which
the natives can discuss with entire equanimity.
The road closely follows the coast to Scarborough, the queen of
Yorkshire watering-places. We caught frequent glimpses of the ocean,
which, once out of the shadows of the towering cliffs, stretched
away until its deep--almost metallic--blue faded against the silvery
horizon. We soon found ourselves on the handsome main street of the new
town, which brought us to the waterfront at the foot of castle hill. An
old man approached us, seeing our hesitation, and informed us that the
new road around the promontory, one of the finest drives in England,
was open--not officially open, to be sure, and it would not be until
some of the "Nobs" came and the ceremonies of a formal dedication were
performed. The road had been cut in the almost sheer side of the cliff,
a broad driveway overlooking the varied scenery of coast and ocean--the
latter now as mild and softly shimmering as a quiet inland lake. One
could only imagine, on such a day, how the sea must rage and thunder
against the promontory in wild weather, and we learned that storms
interfered much with the building of the road, one of them causing
damage estimated at fifty thousand pounds. But Scarborough persevered
and the splendid driveway had just been completed. Later we had the
satisfaction of learning from the newspapers that the Princess of Wales
had visited Scarborough for the express purpose of formally dedicating
the road with all the ceremony so dear to the English.
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