The castles and abbeys of England; Vol. 2 of 2: from the national records, early chronicles, and other standard authorsBeattie, William
History
The castles and abbeys of England; Vol. 2 of 2: from the national records, early chronicles, and other standard authors
Beattie, William
Abbeys -- England; Castles -- England
<g>State-room</g>, which was fifty-five feet and a half long by twenty broad.
At the upper end, or towards the north, are two beautiful pointed
arches, springing from a well-wrought octagon pillar in the middle of
the apartment, and resting on corbels at the sides. Here seem to have
been two large windows; but the walls are so much broken, or closely
mantled with ivy, that this cannot with certainty be affirmed. The
architecture of this part of the building is of the time of <g>Henry</g> the
Fifth or Sixth. At the north angle of this room is an opening leading
into the north or <g>Ladies’ tower</g>, which is so situated on the brow of a
high and steep precipice, as to be the most defensible part of the
castle. From the apartment within, which is a neat octagon, about
fifteen feet in diameter, is a most beautiful view over the adjacent
country. From the common appellation of this tower, there can be little
doubt of its having been appropriated as a “Ladies’ bower.” Beyond the
state-room, in the north-east wall, is a square recess and loophole,
supposed to have been formed for the lodging and seat of the warden.
<g>Such</g> was the original construction of Goodrich Castle; but almost every
part has yielded to the iron tooth of age, and to the more speedy
demolition of war. The ruins, however, are extremely grand; the massive
towers are finely mantled with ivy; and even the great moat is
embellished with the luxuriant foliage of tall forest-trees. From the
adjoining woods the crumbling turrets have a very striking and
interesting effect; and seen from the water, the view has been truly
characterized as “one of the grandest upon the Wye.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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