Nooks and Corners of PembrokeshireTimmins, H. Thornhill (Henry Thornhill)
History
Nooks and Corners of Pembrokeshire
Timmins, H. Thornhill (Henry Thornhill)
Pembrokeshire (Wales) -- Description and travel
This quaint old homestead of Eastington, under whose hospitable roof we
spend the night, is honeycombed with curious nooks and corners, that
lure us on to endless scrambles amidst dark, crooked passages, and
crumbling stairways. The long south front, with its homely porch and
small-paned windows, is flanked at its western end by a massive mediæval
structure whose rough, lichen-clad walls are pierced with narrow,
deep-set windows, and topped by ruinous battlements; all looking so
hoary and ancient, one is disposed to fancy this may be a remnant of the
royal residence of that old Welsh Prince whose name it bears.
By a rude, steep flight of grass-grown steps we mount to a clumsy door,
that swings noisily on its crazy hinges as we push our way into the
interior. We now find ourselves in a large and lofty chamber, whose
solid, concrete floor is prettily marked out with lines traced in simple
geometrical patterns. Rudely-arched windows admit light at either end,
one of them having cusped openings; while a ruined fireplace yawns in
the centre of the opposite wall.
A small vaulted cell opens from one end of this room; and a narrow
stair, winding through the thickness of the wall, ascends to the
battlemented roof, which has a gangway all around and is pierced with
loopholes for defence. The dark, vaulted basement of this ancient fabric
forms a capital cool dairy, where mine hostess shows us with pardonable
pride her clean, earthenware pans brimful of the freshest of fresh milk
and cream.
Anon ensues a quiet chat over the evening pipe; the mellowing flitches
forming a canopy overhead as we lounge in the cavernous chimney-corner.
At last we retire to our lowly chamber, to be serenaded far into the
night by the boom of heavy guns, waging mimic warfare by land and sea;
while the glare of electric search-lights turns night into noontide, in
a highly distracting fashion.
Next morning the heavens are already as brass above our heads when,
turning our backs on Jestynton, we strike into the meadow-path that
leads down to Rhôscrowther village. Ensconced in a secluded dell remote
from the busy haunts of men, this quiet hamlet has a look of rest and
fair contentment; yet the place must have been of no little importance
in bygone times, for there is reason to believe that the Bishop of St.
Davids had one of his seven palaces in this parish.
Down in a hollow beside the stream stands the ancient parish church,
dedicated to St. Decumanus, patron of springs and wells, who in olden
times was held in high esteem for the cures effected at the bubbling
rill hard by.
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