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names are attached. The others which are shown are perhaps less curious, but they will afford amusement to one staying for a while here: so, too, will the 'Petrifying Wells,' which rank among the lions' of Matlock. In them it is customary, as at Knaresborough and elsewhere, to place articles of various descriptions in order to receive the incrustation of carbonate of lime which is abundantly deposited from the water. Some of the articles submitted to this 'petrifying' process are sufficiently odd. Old wigs, birds' nests, and ladies' locks, appear to be among the most popular; but stags' horns and other large substances are also to be seen in the different wells. For them, however, the taste of the owners of the wells must not be held responsible: they receive whatever the curious choose to bring, charging a trifling rent for the use of the well and for their care in continually shifting the articles, which it is necessary to do, frequently in order to prevent them from adhering to the bottom or to each other. Of course, in what they prepare for sale they are guided by their experience of the taste of purchasers; and the odder the object generally, the more readily is it sold. While speaking of these places we must not neglect to direct attention to the Museums, which are quite a feature in Matlock. Some of these have really a splendid appearance: the Old Museum, for example, has a large and handsome room filled with an extensive and costly display of native minerals, both crude and manufactured. The beautiful fluor spar, which is found only at Castleton, is here chiefly wrought into vases and other ornamental articles, which, with similar articles made of Derbyshire marble, are displayed for sale in a great profusion of forms. Some of the fluor spar vases are exquisite specimens of that beautiful material; and in shape and workmanship they are equally admirable. Many of those which have been formerly exhibited here now adorn foreign as well as British palaces. Besides these, there is a considerable variety of Italian vases and sculptured articles; but these may be seen elsewhere: the Blue John is characteristic of the locality. We have mentioned the Old Museum because it is the chief; but the other museums have also very beautiful displays. If the stranger chooses to carry home with him a specimen of the Derbyshire mineral and Derbyshire art, as a memento of his Derbyshire tour, he will doubtless please folks at home, as well as at the Museum; but if he do not, he should at least please himself, by examining one or two of the collections: they are open to the visitor, whether a purchaser or

not.

The architecture of Matlock needs no space. The hotels and lodging-houses, the baths and museums, are the noticeable places; but there is not one of them remarkable as a building. The new church is a neat structure, erected on a site which deserved a noble one. Libraries and all the ordinary conveniences of such places are to be found at Matlock, but do not require detailing here. The walks and rides around are everywhere pleasant, and in some places grand;

and for those who do not care to walk, donkeys and chairs for short distances, and various vehicles for long, are always at hand. On the river, too, a charming though short row or sail may be had. It is a favourite practice in the summer to sail or row here on moonlight evenings; and even grave and prosy people grow quite poetical and sentimental on these occasions. You go down by the 'Lovers' Walk,' and-but we shall not attempt to describe such a scene, having, unhappily, a clumsy hand at poetic painting: listen, however, to what enthusiastic heroics a scientific native can indite when discoursing on this theme. "On fine summer evenings, many parties go to regale themselves with a sail, and loiter on the waters sometimes to a late hour. On such occasions the band is sent for to mingle the strains of music that charms' with the solemn dash of the oar glittering in the moonbeam; and at intervals ladies will tune their sweet voices to heavenly music, when it is literally thrilling, entrancing the soul, and carrying it aloft in its conceptions to kindlier skies!" If middle-aged gentlemen can write in such a strain, merely at the recollection of these evening serenadings, how dangerous must it be in reality for tender-hearted young gentlemen to go listening to them beneath the soft silver light of the moon! Verily the gentle youth had better beware how he ventures by the margin of Lovers' Walk, or entrusts himself on the bosom of Derwent's sparkling stream while these fair syrens are warbling their "delusive strains i' the moonlight." Thus of old Ulysses-but we are growing poetical; Matlock air has infected us; (we should have said the waters have inspired, but that we never even tasted of the enchanting spring;) it is time to leave off.

All has been said that seems needful about the place and its attractions, and it only remains for us to add as our own private opinion, that if the reader have the leisure and means requisite for the indulgence of a hot-spring illness, Matlock is as pleasant a place as he can find for his purpose. There are good lodgings, good living, a delicious air, plenty of company, pleasant scenery, and water, which, though not quite so hot as that at Buxton, is hot enough for any moderate parboiler, and there are plenty of doctors, moreover to contrive excuses for prolonging the holiday if it be thought desirable. If the patient does not like hot water, there is plenty of cold, equally mineral and equally medicinal: and, by the way, a little distance up the neighbouring dale there is for those who prefer the cold-water-cure, a hydropathic establishment; but whether the poor soddened souls are permitted to share in the festivities of gay hot-water Matlock, we are not informed. If we could afford such a luxury Matlock would be the place we should choose, and the good old hot-water system, with all its comfortable appliances, the remedy.

The immediate vicinity of Matlock is exceedingly beautiful, and will doubtless be, as far as practicable, explored before more distant places be visited. Here we can only mention two or three of the more eminent objects. Matlock High Tor, of which we give an

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engraving (Cut, No. 1) is the most striking piece of rock scenery here, and not easily to be matched elsewhere. The word tor is applied through Derbyshire (as it is in Devonshire) to a lofty precipitous mass of rock, much as scar is used in Yorkshire. Tor is the Saxon word from which our word tower is directly derived. The High Tor is an enormous mass of rock, which rises aloft to a height of nearly four hundred feet. The lower part is covered thick with various trees and shrubs, but above, a vast perpendicular wall towers for a hundred and fifty feet, its face bare, rugged, and weather-beaten. At the base winds the Derwent; all around are objects of only inferior grandeur. This is unquestionably the finest part of Matlock Dale, and the Tor forms a noble object in whatever direction it be viewed. When illumined by the setting sun, or the full moon-and the meaner features of man's introduction are hidden in the deep masses of gloom-the effect becomes magnificent. It is one of the memorable scenes in a Derbyshire tour. Masson, on the opposite side of the Dale, is much loftier than High Tor, but, from its form, is far less remarkable. The view from the summit of Masson is extensive and very fine: the southern entrance of Matlock Dale is naturally inferior to the northern, and its original character is pretty well destroyed by the cotton-mill, the stiff weir, and prim gardens. Yet, in Yet, in almost any other locality it would be admired by the

stranger, while with Matlock people it appears to be the greater favourite.

At this southern end of the dale is the entrance to Willersley Castle, a castellated mansion of the style which prevailed near the close of the last century: it was erected by Sir Richard Arkwright, the inventor of the spinning-jenny. The grounds and gardens are permitted to be seen on two days in the week, and are generally visited by those who make a temporary sojourn at Matlock. They are worth visiting; formed from what was previously a wild rocky piece of moorland, while the air of cultivation and polish was imparted which is so needful and becoming in the vicinity of a mansion, care was yet taken to preserve the natural features. Some parts are very picturesque, and others afford excellent prospects. The view of Matlock Dale from Cat Tor is an admirable one. The house contains some pictures, but it is not open to strangers.

The walks around Matlock are, as was said, very pleasing, and there are several places at a short distance which afford a good termination to a stroll. The village of Matlock, about two miles from Matlock Bath, is one of these: it wears a rude old-fashioned air, and has an ancient church with a rather fine tower, having crocketted pinnacles at the angles. The neighbourhood is picturesque, and the views from the summit of Matlock Bank and Riber Hill are celebrated. On the summit of Riber there was once a very large rock

ing-stone, which is said to have borne a considerable resemblance to the famous Cornish Logan: it was broken up several years ago to make stone fences.

Bonsall is another village which affords a pleasant walk over the hills of about a couple of miles, and is itself a place worth seeing: it is a village of mines and miners; and the mining works have a strikingly picturesque effect as foreground objects to the fine scenery by which they are surrounded. There is an old cross in the centre of the village; and the church is a fine old weather-beaten edifice.

WIRKSWORTH.

But the character of this part of the country as a mining district may be much better seen by a visit to Wirksworth, which is only about three miles from Matlock. Wirksworth is the ancient capital of the lead mining district of the Low Peak. The Moot Court, at which all mining questions and causes are tried, is held at Wirksworth, in a neat building erected for the purpose, called the Moot Hall. It is supposed that Wirksworth was the chief mining town in the time of the Romans, by whom the Derbyshire leadmines are known to have been worked. Coins, and other Roman remains, have been discovered at Wirksworth. In the Moot Hall a curious brass dish is kept, which serves as the standard measure for lead ore in the Peak district: it was constructed for the purpose in the fourth year of the reign of Henry VIII., as an inscription on it in the old English character states,"by assent and consent as well of all the miners as of all the brenners (smelters) within and adjoining the lordship of Wirksworth Pervell of the said honour. This dish to remain in the Moote Hall, at Wirksworth, hanging by a chain, so as the merchants or miners may have resort to the same at all times to make the true measure at the same." The dish still remains as here directed, affixed to a chain in the hall.

Wirksworth carries few evidences of antiquity. It stands on a hill side, and is surrounded by other hills; the houses are irregular, and altogether the place is rather peculiar as well as picturesque. But there is nothing in it particularly requiring notice: it may suffice to describe it as a busy town of four thousand inhabitants. The sites of the mines are marked by the engines and works seen on the hill sides and in the dales all around. Some of them are in full work, some are exhausted or stopped. Almost all of them present some curious or noteworthy feature to those who take interest in such matters; but we cannot enter here upon the subject of mines and miners, however interesting it might be. The mining villages, or little collections of hovels, with the people about them, might often afford subjects for the painter.

On the way to Wirksworth, Cromford will be passed through, but it has no very remarkable attractions. It was at Cromford that Arkwright built the first mill in which cotton was spun by his new machines. He afterwards built two more on the same stream, and at

no great distance from his original mill. Before the erection of the first mill Cromford was an insignificant hamlet; Sir Richard Arkwright purchased the manor, erected houses for the work-people whom he employed, and procured the grant of a market for the young town; the Cromford Canal was made to terminate there; and a railway for the carriage of goods was constructed, which connects Cromford with the Peak Forest Canal. The place has now the appearance of a busy little country-town. But it has nothing very noteworthy in its appearance: cotton-mills, and formal rows of workmen's dwellings, possess little attraction for the tourist. The mills at Cromford still belong to the descendants of Sir Richard Arkwright, who employ about twelve hundred hands in them. There are also extensive lead and colour works.

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If Wirksworth be visited, it will be a convenient occasion to ascend Stonnis, which lies but a little way out of the road. But whether Wirksworth be visited or not, no one should stay at Matlock without ascending Stonnis. The place which bears this title is a mass of huge blocks of stone, which appear piled on each other on the very summit of a lofty hill. The hill itself, with its rocky crest and the ragged pines that are growing out of the fissures of the rocks, is a striking object; but the glory of Stonnis is the magnificent prospect which is obtainable from it. We know nothing exactly comparable with it hereabouts, and the author of Peak Scenery' asserts that it is without a rival in Derbyshire. Few who see it under circumstances similar to those he describes will question his decision-at least while on the spot: there are views in the High Peak which make one feel the odiousness of comparisons. The passage, or a portion of it, is worth quoting: the visitor must decide for himself whether the glowing eulogy be deserved. "I have scaled," says Mr. Rhodes, "the highest eminences in the mountainous districts of Derbyshire-seen from their summits the sweet dales that repose in tranquil beauty at their base-marked the multitude of hills included within the wide horizon they command, and my heart has thrilled with pleasure at the sight; but not an eminence that I ever before ascended-not a prospect, however rich and varied, which I have descried, was at all comparable with the view from Stonnis. In that species of beauty of landscape, which approaches to grandeur, it is unequalled in Derbyshire. The parts of which it is composed are of the first order of fine things, and they are combined with a felicity that but rarely occurs in Nature. Scarthing Rock, the woods of Willersley Castle, Matlock High Tor, the hills of Masson, Crich, and Riber, are all noble objects; and the rude masses that constitute the foreground of the picture, are thrown together, and grouped and coloured in a manner strikingly picturesque. When I beheld the scene from Stonnis, a fine breeze drove the clouds rapidly athwart the sky, and the flitting gleams of light, which were instantaneously succeeded by deep shadows, illumined in succession the various parts of the landscape, and imparted to it an interest that was powerfully felt. Sometimes the pass

ing clouds covered the whole range of prospect with | bold hill, which rises before us, proclaim that the object one unvaried tone of still and sober colouring-sud- is nearly reached for which we have come thus far. denly a bright ray of sunshine intervened, and for a moment the spot on which it fell appeared a paradise of light amidst surrounding gloom. An hour at Stonnis on such a day impresses the mind with a series of beautiful images, which in after-life are often recurred to and recollected with delight."-(Peak Scenery, v. i. 105.)

SOUTH WINGFIELD AND HARDWICK.

A day should be given, if practicable, to an excursion to the above places. South Wingfield is seven or eight miles from Matlock; near it is a station of the North Midland Railway, by means of which Hardwick may be reached without much difficulty.

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The road to Wingfield is a delightful one. You turn off by Cromford, and follow a very beautiful route by the Derwent,—a succession of charming scenery, where the sparkling river flows through a rich, verdant, and well-wooded tract. You then turn up a steep hill, and pass by Holloway, a village situated under a cliff, along the brow of which the road is carried for a considerable distance, thus affording a long range of wide and noble prospects. But Crich, which is next reached, is a much more remarkable place. It is a rough, wildlooking neighbourhood, but you see on every hand evidences of its subterranean treasures. Here is said to be the richest vein of lead ore in Europe. The Glory Mine on the summit of the hill is stated by Mr. Adam (in the Gem of the Peak') to have been estimated, a few years since, to produce nearly £40,000 per annum. The Wake-Bridge Mine is, according to the same authority, one of the richest in the kingdom." Others are also of great value. Besides the lead mines there are extensive lime-quarries, which contribute not a little to the peculiar character of the place. From Crich-Cliff there is a view of extraordinary extent and grandeur. The prospect extends over a country of greatly varied surface, the eye embracing within its ken the valley of the Derwent for a considerable space, broad open pastures and cultivated tracts, rich woods, and bare hills, with villages and scattered houses, and reaching to the city of Derby, which by the lofty tower of All Souls is distinctly marked. The rugged country about Crich, the mining works, and the lime quarries and kilns, give a character to the near prospect which strangely contrasts with the softer features of the more distant parts. From the Stand, a tower erected on the top of Crich Cliff, it is asserted that five counties may be seen Lincoln Cathedral is plainly discernible on a clear day. The village is large and populous. Here the sharp whir of the stocking-frame catches the ear as you pass the open doors of the cottages. Hosiery appears to be made to a considerable extent in this neighbourhood. Crich church is a noticeable edifice; the lofty spire is a landmark for miles around.

From Crich you descend by pleasant green lanes to a more level country. And soon the long walls and towers of a ruined edifice, standing upon the brow of a

(Cut, No. 2.) The view of the pile excites at once the expectation that the ruin is of a rather superior kind, and the expectation is not disappointed. The gray ivy-covered gables and battlements have a very picturesque and even impressive appearance, as they stand out in vigorous relief from the light sky. South Wingfield Manor-house was erected near the middle of the fifteenth century, by Ralph Cromwell, lord treasurer to Henry VI. It was a castellated mansion, well calculated to withstand a stout siege. Its history is not devoid of interest. Within these now shattered walls the unhappy Mary Queen of Scots was for several years a prisoner, under the care of the Earl of Shrewsbury. It was while she was here that Anthony Babington sought to effect her escape: her asserted knowledge of his conspiracy, it will be recollected, was the charge for which she was arraigned and condemned. Babington at the time resided in his family-house at Dethick, a little village situated near Lea Wood, on the right of the road to Matlock. While Mary was at Wingfield, Sir Ralph Sadler was appointed captain of the garrison placed in the castle. The papers of Sir Ralph, published under the editorial care of Sir Walter Scott, give curious particulars of the unfortunate queen's conduct here, and of the strange suspicious treatment which her keepers as well as herself experienced from the Court. Sad as is the story of Mary's imprisonment in England, it becomes more pitiable and painful when the miserable details are read at length in the letters of those who were appointed her keepers. She was carried hence to Tutbury Castle. South Wingfield Manor House, at the breaking out of the great civil wars, was garrisoned for the Parliament; but it was taken by storm by a party of Royalists in 1643. Shortly afterwards, however, it was retaken by the Parliament army, though not without difficulty, and by the assistance of heavy artillery; the governor, Colonel Dalby, while defending the breach, was shot by a common soldier. In 1646 the Parliament ordered the building to be dismantled. The old house, however, though a ruin, and entirely neglected, remained in a tolerably complete state almost down to our own time, when on the termination of a long-contested chancery suit, the Mr. Halton, to whom this portion of the Halton estates was allotted, caused a large part of the ancient house to be pulled down, in order to erect a dwelling for himself at the bottom of the hill. Mr. Blore, in his' History of South Wingfield Manor House,' says that for this purpose "some of the most beautiful parts were pulled down:" one who examines what is left, and sees how beautiful much of it is, will be almost led to bestow something like a malediction on the memory of the Vandal who could perpetrate so grievous a deed.

Mr. Blore wrote an elaborate account of the pile, which may be consulted with advantage by the student of English domestic architecture. Wingfield Manor House was one of the earliest of the quadrangular castellated edifices which took the place of the more

entirely military castles of a former age, and was the precursor of the purely civil mansion of a succeeding century. It was constructed with due regard to the probability of having to encounter a siege, yet so as to admit of domestic comfort and architectural elegance. Its general form and character will be understood by the following brief extract from Mr. Blore:-" The building consists of two square courts, one of which to the north has been built on all sides, and the south side of it forms the north side of the south court, which has also ranges of buildings on the east and west sides and on parts of the south: the latter court seems principally to have consisted of offices. The first entrance is under an arched gateway, on the east side of the south court: the communication hence with the inner court is under an arched gateway in the middle of the south side of the south court."

The ruins are now greatly dilapidated, but yet very impressive. By the entrance on the summit of the hill is a grove of venerable yew-trees, which form a strange sombre approach to the grim pile. A portion of the old house has been patched up, and now serves as a farm-house, while the chief court is a farm-yard. The appearance of this quadrangle is still very fine: the porch, a gable or two, and a couple of large windows with elaborate tracery, yet remain in tolerable preservation. The various parts of the building it is not now easy to make out. But some that remain the least injured sufficiently prove its ancient magnificence. The Great Hall is 72 feet by 36 feet, and must evidently have once been a noble room. Like nearly every other part of the building, it is roofless. Under it is a vault or crypt of the same size as the hall. It is supported by pillars, and has a handsome groined roof, with shields of arms at the centres of the groins. This crypt, whatever it was intended for, has been carefully and even expensively constructed. It has only a small window at the end, and exhibits a grand effect of light and shade at certain times of the day. The carved work in this crypt remains quite sharp and clean. From one of the towers there is a capital prospect over the long stretch of weald below. The room to which tradition points as that occupied by Queen Mary, is a very miserable one-the tradition is most likely in error.

The village appears to be wretchedly poor. Here, as onwards, the noise of the stocking-frame is heard. issuing from almost every house.

. In order to reach Hardwick as speedily as possible, the train may be taken at South Wingfield to the Clay Cross station, from whence the distance by the lanes to Hardwick is about four miles. Otherwise the road by Morton and Pilsley must be taken. It is a pleasant one of some nine miles, leading by a few gatherings of picturesque cottages, of which the stocking-frameknitter seems to be the most frequent tenant. And here especially along the line of the railway will be noticed. the numerous smelting and other works. This tract is a part of the great Midland Coal- field, and hence the frequent recurrence of these various works.

Wingfield even in its ruinous state is yet a valuable

example of the domestic architecture of England in the middle of the fifteenth century. Hardwick Hall is a perfect specimen of a mansion at the commencement of the seventeenth century.

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The appearance of Hardwick, as you first come upon it, is very striking. On the brow of a bold and commanding hill stands a massive-looking edifice, thickly overgrown with ivy, and evidently fallen into complete ruin. Close by it is seen another structure, also of antique appearance, but in perfect repair. The forms of these buildings project strongly from the dense woods that rise beyond and on either side of them. (Cut, No. 3.) As you draw nearer, the more modern mansion loses nothing of the interest its first appearance excited. The quaint uncommon character of the architecture at once recalls its date, and brings to the memory a busy crowd of associations; and what appeared at a distance to be the elaborate carved battlements of the towers resolving itself, when close at hand, into the well-known E S-reminds you that it is the work of the famous castle-building' Countess of Shrewsbury. But not merely on the turrets of the Hall has she set her mark: every part within and without bears the stamp of stout' Bess of Hardwick.' The house is very large, and in the quaintest form of the Elizabethan style of architecture; the walls are pierced with numerous large windows, many of them forming goodly bays; at the angles are towers, which, as was said, have the initials of the countess pierced in the parapet that surmounts them. Round the top of the building is carried a balustrade. The wall which surrounds the garden partakes of the quaintness of style that distinguishes the building itself. The central gateway, by which you enter, is rather a fine structure; and, with the other erections at the angles of the wall, accords well with the house. The elaborate quaintness seems so characteristic, and is so consistently maintained throughout, that the building produces altogether a degree of pleasure which more classic piles often fail to excite. It has, happily, escaped almost unaltered from the first, and it is now preserved with the most scrupulous care. It is the property of the Duke of Devonshire, who occasionally resides in it for a few weeks: else, although quite habitable, it is not occupied.

The interior nobly maintains the promise of the outside it has not entirely escaped, but it is perhaps the most perfectly preserved mansion left of the date of Elizabeth; and the rooms retain the ancient fittings. If the original furniture is not here, the furniture is yet all ancient; the walls are hung with arras; the doors are concealed by tapestry hangings; and throughout the utmost pains have been bestowed, in order to preserve the air of antiquity. The Great Hall, into which you enter from the garden, is a very striking one of its kind: it has a gallery at one end, with a heavy oak balustrade, and the walls are wainscoted with dark oak, above which tapestry is suspended. A very good statue of Mary Queen of Scots, by Westmacott, is a noticeable feature in this hall. Mary was

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