Tour in England, Ireland, and France, in the years 1826, 1827, 1828 and 1829.: with remarks on the manners and customs of the inhabitants, and anecdotes of distiguished public characters. In a series of letters by a German Prince.Pückler-Muskau, Hermann, Fürst von
History
Tour in England, Ireland, and France, in the years 1826, 1827, 1828 and 1829.: with remarks on the manners and customs of the inhabitants, and anecdotes of distiguished public characters. In a series of letters by a German Prince.
Pückler-Muskau, Hermann, Fürst von
Great Britain -- Description and travel; Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
During the last few days I have made a little excursion to Brighton,
taking a circuitous route back. Arundel Castle, the seat of the Duke of
Norfolk, was one of the objects of my curiosity. It has some points of
resemblance to Warwick, but is far inferior to it, though of equal
antiquity. Here also is an artificial mound and keep, at the eastern
end. The view from the top of the round ruined tower must be
magnificent, but to-day the fog rendered it impossible to see it; indeed
I could not even distinguish the terrace gardens surrounding the castle:
I therefore consoled myself in the company of a dozen large tame horned
owls, which inhabit what was once the warder's room. One of them has
been here these fifty years, is very amiable, and barked when he wanted
any thing, exactly like a dog. The English are great lovers of
animals,--a taste in which I entirely sympathize. Thus, in many parks
you find colonies of rooks, which hover round the house or castle in
vast flights, and are in very good keeping with an ancient castle and
its towering trees; though their cawing is not the most agreeable music
in the world. The interior of Arundel Castle has nothing very
distinguished. The numerous painted windows are modern; and among the
family pictures only one struck me,--that of the accomplished Lord
Surrey, put to death by Henry the Eighth, the costume of which was very
singular.
The library is small, but very magnificent; wainscoted with cedar, and
ornamented with beautiful carving and painting; in short, it wanted
nothing but books, of which there were not more than a few hundreds.
A very large but very simple hall, called the Baron's Hall, has a great
number of painted windows, the merit of which is not remarkable.
In the apartments there was a quantity of old furniture, preserved with
great care to prevent its falling to pieces, in its frail condition.
This fashion is now general in England. Things which we should throw
away as old-fashioned and worm-eaten, here fetch high prices, and new
ones are often made after the old patterns. In venerable mansions, when
not destructive of convenience, they have a very good effect. In modern
buildings they are ludicrous.
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