The Rivers of Great Britain, Descriptive, Historical, Pictorial: Rivers of the South and West CoastsVarious
History
The Rivers of Great Britain, Descriptive, Historical, Pictorial: Rivers of the South and West Coasts
Various
Great Britain -- Description and travel; Rivers -- Great Britain
These Sussex rivers which are projected from the neighbourhood of St.
Leonard's Forest can scarcely be considered as akin to the pure, bright
chalk stream which was described at the commencement of this chapter;
and the most important of the trio, the /Arun/, does not in this
respect differ from its fellows. Something more than passing glimpses
of it are obtained from the carriage windows by the railway traveller
as he speeds through the imposing scenery around Arundel. It is
navigable for an unusual distance, and whatever beauty it possesses it
owes to its surroundings. Of late years the river has become the Mecca
of members of the London angling clubs, who charter special trains and
invade the districts by hundreds on Sundays. The first stopping-place
of any account from this point of view is Pulborough, the site of an
old Roman settlement, with traces of camp and buildings, which will
not, however, be found on Arun-side, but at Hardham and elsewhere.
Amberley was rescued from oblivion, and from the desertion enforced
upon it by neighbouring marshes, by the railway; and the scenery
between it and Arundel has always been prized and worked at by artists.
Swanbourne Mill as a picture is probably familiar to many who have
never entered the county.
The splendidly kept castle at Arundel has not been dwarfed by the
cathedral-like Roman Catholic church built by the Duke of Norfolk,
and dedicated to St. Philip Neri. Even now it looks like the splendid
stronghold that it was, and the most venerable in the land that it
is, on its commanding terminal of swelling down, with the stream from
the Weald narrowing between the hills through its beautiful valley,
to the characteristic marsh flats beyond. The river hence to the sea
does not call for admiration or comment, save that there is a remnant
of a priory at Tortington, a point of view from which Arundel with its
castle-crowned heights looks its best. Littlehampton, four miles from
Arundel, is better known as a port of departure for steamships than as
a watering-place competing with the pleasure resorts in more favoured
situations on the coast.
* * * * *
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account