WARWICK CASTLE.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 138, 19 March 1872, Page 3

WARWICK CASTLE.

Recent news from England reports the destruction by fire of a great part of this fine castle. The following sketch of this noble old castle from Mr Stowe’s Sunny Memories of Foreiyu Lands will be interesting : “ I have described the grounds first; but, in fact, we did not look at them first, but went into the house, where we saw not on’y the state-rooms, but, through the kindness of the noble proprietor, many of those which are not commonly exhibited : a bewildering display of magnificent apartments, pictures, gems, vases, arms and armour, antiques —all, in short, that the wealth of the princely and powerful family had for centuries been accumulating. “The great hall of the castle is G2ft. in length and 40tt. in breadth, ornamented with a richly carved Gothic roof, in which figures largely the family cognisance of the bear and ragged stall’. There is a succession of shields, on which arc emblazoned the quurteriiigs of successive Earls of Warwick. The sides of the wall are ornamented with lances, corslets, shields, helmets, and complete suits of armour, regularly arranged as in armoury. Here I learned what the Lull' coat is, which had so often puzzled me in reading Scott’s descriptions, as there were several hanging up here. It seemed to he a loose doublet of chamois leather, which was worn under the armour, and protected the body from its harshness. “ Here we saw the helmet of Cromwell —a most venerable relic. Before the gieat cavernous fire-place was piled up on a sled a quantity of yew-tree wood. The rude simplicity of thus arranging it on the polished floor of the magnificent apartment struck me as quite singular. I suppose it is a continuation of some ancient custom.

“ opening from this apartment on cither side are suites ot rooms, the whole seri s being 333f1. in length. These rooms are all hung with pictures, and studded with antiques and curiosities of immense value. There is, liist, the ivd drawing-room, and tln-n the cedar draw-ing-room, then the gilt drawing-room, the state bed-room, the boudoir, &0., hung with pictures by Vandyke, Rubens,Guido. Sir Joshua Reynolds, Paul Veronese, any one of which would require days of study ; of course, the casual glance that one could give them in a rapid survey would not amount to much.

“ Wo were shown one table of gems and lapis lazuli which cost what would lie reckoned a comfortable fortune in New Eug'and. For mutl'-rs m this kind 1 have little sympathy. The canvas, made vivid by the soul ot an inspired artisl, tells me something of God’s power in creating that soul ; lull a table of gems is in no wise interesting to me except so far as it is pretty in itself. “I walked to one of (lie windows of these lordly apartments, and while the company were examining buhl cabinets and all other ddieiousness of the place, I looked down the old gray walls into the amber waters of the Avon, which flows at their base, and thought the most beautiful of all was without. There is a tiny fall that crosses the river just above here, whose waters turn the wheels of an old mossy mill, where for centuries the family grain lias been ground. The river winds away through the beautiful parks and undulating foliage, its soft grassy banks dotfed here and there with sheep and cattle, and you catch farewell gleams and glitters of it as it loses itself among the trees.

In the state bedioorn were a bed and furnishings of rich crimson velvet, once belonging to Queen Anne, and presented by George 111. to the Warwick family. The walls arc hung with Brussells tapestry, representing the gardens of Versailles as they were at the time. The chimneypiece, which is sculptured of verdc antique and white marble, supports two black vases on its mantel. Over the mantelpiece is a full length portrait of Queen Anne, in a rich brocade dress, weaiing the collar and jewels of the. Garter, hearing in one hand a spectre, and in the other a globe. There are two splendid buhl cabinets in the room, and a table of costly stouc from Italy; it is mounted on a riehlj carved and gilt stain’.

The boudoir, which adjoins,is hung with pea-greeu satin aud velvet. In this room

is one of tho most authentic portraits of Henry VIII., by Holbein, in which that selfish, brutal, unfeeling tyrant is veritably set forth with all the gold and gems which in his day blinded mankind ; his fat white hands were beautifully painted. In the same room was a hoar hunt, by Rubens,a disagreeable subject,hut wrought with wonderful power. There were several other pictures of HolPein’s in this room; one of Martin Luther.

“ Wc passed through a long corridor, whoso sides were lined with pictures, statues, busts, &e. Out of the multitude three particularly interested me ; one was a noble but melancholy bust of the Black Prince, beautifully chiselled in white marble ; another was a plaster-cast, said to have been taken of the face Oliver Cromwell immediately after dentil. I’lie face had a homely strength amounting almost to coarseness. The oviden rs ol its geiiuition ss appear in glancing at it ; everything is millionth', even to tin wart on his lip ; no one would have imagined such a one ; hut the expression was noMe and peaceful, bringing to mind the oftquoted words—

“After life's fitful fever, lie s'. -s well ’’ At the end of the same corridor is a splendid picture of Charles I. on horseback, by Van yke, a most masterly performance, and appearing in its position almost like a reality. Poor Charles had rather hard measures, it always seemed to me. I intend to cherish a little partiality for gentlemanly, magnificent Charles I. ; and certainly one could get no more splendid d-a of him than by seeing him stately, silent, and melancholy, on his white* horse, at tlie end of this long corridor. There he sits, facing the calm, stony, sleeping face of Oliver, and neither question nor reply passes between them. From this corridor we went into the dm,.el, whose Gothic windows, filled with rich old painted glass, cast a many-colored light over the oak-carved walls and alterpiocc. ’I he ceiling is of fine old oak, wrought with the arms of the family. The window over the.altar is the gift of the Earl of Essex. It was the custom of the present Earl in former yoais to conduct the devotions of the family hero himsel f. After having examined all the upper storeys, we went down into the vaults underneath—vaults oneo grim and hoary, terrible to captives and feudal enemies, now devoted to do no purpose more grim than that of coal cellars and wine vaults. In Oliver’s time a regiment was quartered there ; they are extensive enough, apparently, for an army. The kitchen and its adjuncts are of magnificent dimensions, and indicate an amplitude in the way of provision for good cheer worthy an ancient house , and what struck me as a still better feature was a library of sound, sensible, historical, and religious works for the servants. « Wo went into the beer vaults, where a man drew beer into a long black jack, such as Scott describes. It is a tankard made of leather, I should think half a yard deep. He drew the beer from a large hogshead, and offered us some in a glass. It looked very clear, but on tasting I found it so exceedingly hitter tnat. it struck me there would De small virtuo for Mie in abstinence. “ Once ill the yard again, we went to see some of tho older parts of the building The oldest of these, Cmsar’s Tower, which is said to go hack to the time of i lie Romans, is now shown to visitors. Beneath is a dark, damp uungeon, where prisoners used to be confined, the w alls of which arc traced all over with inscriptions and rude drawings."