Programa Oficial de la V Edición.
Dos De Abril - 7.15 de la mañana. La Brigada John Wilkes Booth parte de Pontevedra rumbo al aeropuerto de Oporto.El avión sale a las 9.45 de la ciudad lusa y la llegada a Liverpool esta prevista para las 12,06 ( Ambas horas locales ).En la ciudad de los Beatles, espera el taxi que nos llevará hasta Lincoln. La duración del trayecto esta estimada en unas dos horas y 40 minutos.Acampamos en The Newport Guest House. En esta hermosa ciudad disfrutaremos de su celebérrima Catedral de estilo gótico-normando, de su famoso Castillo, de sus murallas medievales, de su puerto fluvial y de unos 30 Pubs recomendados por la Campaign for Real Ale .
Tres De Abril- El Día de los Tres Condados.
Despertamos en Lincolnshire.Copioso english breakfast y paseo matinal para conocer Lincoln, esta vez, con los ojos sobrios.
A las 12.30, otra vez en la carretera. Destino Sheffield , Yorkshire.Una hora en coche no nos la quita nadie.Repetimos en el Psalter Tavern sito en Psalter Lane, 178-180.
Por la tarde, visita a Hathersage, Derbyshire. La excusa en visitar la tumba de Little John.Pero nos dará tiempo a bebernos unas pintas. Los veteranos de la II Edición recordaremos nuestra visita a Nottingham, la fotografía en la estatua de Robin Hood y como nuestra leyenda se vuelve a cruzar con la de los Merry Men.
De vuelta a la Ciudad del acero, noche de stouts y ales en el canódromo de Owlerton, discutiendo si son galgos o podencos y a dormirla.
Tres De Abril- La Brigada Beau Brummie despega de Porto rumbo a Birmingham. Salida a las 20:35 y llegada a las 23:05 ( ambas horas locales ). Una vez en la segunda ciudad más grande de Inglaterra, pernoctarán en el Britannia Hotel Birmingham.
4 De abril- Las Dos Brigadas se reagrupan en los aledaños de Bramall Lane, una de las joyas menos publicitadas del futbol inglés.Sheffield United contra Ipswich Town Football Club ( Liga de 1962, UEFA de 1981, FA Cup de 1978 ). Dos históricos dandose de hostias. Unos cantaremos The Greasy Chip Butty Song, otros apoyarán a The Tractor Boys.
Después del partido y de manera sorprendente, nos dedicaremos a pintochear por la zona de Eclessall Road.
5 De Abril- El PARTIDO. 11 de la mañana.
El Battlefield es el mismo que el de la III Edición. El magnífico Gym Plus Ground, Crookes Road en Sheffield. Ellos apelan al miedo escénico, nosotros confiamos en nuestros kilos de talento.
5 De Abril- Recuperamos líquidos en The Porter Brook. También vale comer. Por la tarde, el tradicional Martha´s Trail. Recordad que The Kelham Island Tavern "El Calamar" ha sido galardonado con el National Pub of the Year 2008. Y no olvidéis que en el Fat Cat comenzó todo.
6 De Abril- Sheffield, hasta la próxima.Salimos a las 12.21 del Psalter dirección Warwickshire. En este condado, en el siglo XVI ,se alimentaba a los lactantes con papilla de sesos de liebre. Son las tierras del Bardo Inmortal y del Market Town de Rugby, cuna del deporte epónimo que cuenta con numerosos adeptos en nuestras filas. Precisamente allí, a orillas del Río Avon, tenemos parada y fonda en The Diamond House Hotel.
7 de Abril- Matinal de compras compulsivas y de hacer balance y maletas.
A las 13,44, subimos en el microbús que nos lleva a London Gatwick. 160 minutos de asfalto. Más shopping en el aeropuerto, más piontas y un sincero hasta luego a la Vieja Inglaterra. El itinerario del vuelo: Salida a las 18.40, llegada a Vigo a las 21.45. ( Ambas horas son locales ).
Galiza nos llama. No imitemos a nuestros primos atlánticos, que tardarón 61 años en responder la suya.
E coma sempre, o de sempre, Galicia Über Alles !
100 comentarios:
Panda de vividores
a picar piedra os mandaba yo sinvergënzas
¿Para cuando una entrada de pubs de Rugby y Lincoln ? Y extensa si puede ser
Coming soon. Que risas con aquel cartel en el Blow Jobs a.k.a Mama`s a.k.a Mamasuncion..........
O eso espero.
Quizás más votaciones, más pólemica, más recuerdos de las escarpadas calles de Lincoln o de la engañosa quietud de Rugby.
O primeiro que debo dicir é que me resulta altamente edificante comprobar que a mocidade galega de arestora mantén magníficas relacións internacionais coas do resto das nacións celtas, cousa que me enche de fachenda e optimismo. A súa costume de abrandar o carácter con cervexa sen dúbida contribuirá tamén a desenvolver novas e libérrimas teses sobre as emulsións nostálxicas e os cantos folclóricos tradicionais da nosa benquerida terra, aínda presa baixo a españolada.
O segundo que debo dicir é que percibo tamén altas doses de dolce far niente e bontvivantismo nas súas crónicas, o cal me enche fundamentalmente de envexa, ou para ser máis exactos, dunha enorme e puta envexa.
Mais non por iso quero deixar de felicitalos, como exemplo que son para a mocidade deste noso país ocupado: a combinación de prácticas deportivas (rugby, ales e stouts) e gastronómicas sen dúbida contribuirá á xeración, desde o máis fondo da nosa alma colectivo, de novos folgos para a xusta loita pola nosa independencia total.
Fican convidados ás xuntanzas secretas do Comité Arredista Galego que eu mesmo presido na Habana, onde se pode tamén organizar encontro futbolístico cos fillos de galegos que aquí residen, substuíndo desta volta a cervexa Bucanero e Cristal pola malta e os mojitos.
Bienvenido y gracias por tus elogios y por el ofrecimiento.
Una pretemporada en Cuba de Os Porcos Bravos sería digna de estudio para las generaciones venideras.
Lo tendremos en cuenta para nuestro próximo orzamento.
Apertas.
Lo que faltaba. A ¡Cuba !a visitar museos y bibliotecas. Hay que joderse con estos Porcos.Panda de desahogados.Panda de vividores.A picar piedra y cavar cortafuegos de una puta vez.
Cuando querais cruzamos de verdad nuestra leyenda con la vuestra a ver quien la tiene más larga.
Día,lugar y hora.
Gracias por la visita. Pero podias haberme traido flores.
Pero te llevamos unas pintas del "Scotsmans Pack Inn". No te quejes.Y la banda sonora era el álbum "As The Flower Withers"
Menos humos. Los Merry Men y servidor estamos acostumbrados a cazar wild boars....
Me parece de pésimo gusto que una Brigada se denomine John Wilkes Booth
Menudos philohooligans.No se menciona la visita al Museo de los Retretes ni las horas felices disfrutadas en la Galeria de Arte de Casas de Las Moquetas Malolientes y Sucias en la Ciudad Contaminada del Acero.
Por pedir que no quede.Falta la guía de pubs de Lincoln..
Amparado otra vez en vuestra socorrida coletilla de voto no presencial,apoyo al pub de Lincoln llamada Turks Head, la Cabeza Del Turco. 3 puntos.
Reseñar la visión de los brezos azotados por el viento mientras apurabamos nuestras pintas de " Windgather" en el pintoresco Millstone Country Inn, acompañados por Shabba y Thommo.
Apunta Beerbellysco Black Sabbath:
-Victoria: Harvest ales.
-Strugglers:Bass.
-The Jolly Brewer: Dowbridge Bonum Mild.
-Sippers: Crop Circle.
-The Green Dragon: Harmish Town Lighthouse Bitter.
-Wig And The Mitre: Batemans XSB.
-The Morning Star: Bombardier.
-The Bull and Chain:Manns Chesnut.
Enxebre el Sippers. A nivel personal me quedo con el Morning Star y el Strugglers.
Lincon es una ciudad preciosa.
Mis plegarias han sido atendidas una vez más.A este paso peregrinaré a la catedral de Lincoln.Esta vez con relación de las cervezas bebidas, inclusive.La cosa se profesionaliza. Para la Colonia Domitiana Lindensium mi voto no presencial recae en The Green Dragon
I drank my faith and doubts in The Wig And The Mitre.
I like this title
Ah Lincolnshire!, a lovely county.
El río Witham me motiva más.Por eso meto un voto con calzador al "Lord Nelson Inn" 1 Market Rasen Road, Dunholme, que es una villa, unas 6 millas al norte de Lincoln y de cuyo brandy disfrute tanto.
En mi línea hubitual,mis dos votos van para el pub más viejo de esta venerable ciudad: "Adam and Eve Tavern", un más que amistoso boozer.
¿ Desde cuando los jabalies temen a los petirrojos ?
¿No hay más bravatas que aportar ni leyendas que cruzar ?
El silencio de los puercos.
Moitísimas gracias por ista lembranza o historial do meu club.
Sorprendeume sempre ca un equipo con un alcume tan galego non teña mais siadeiros no noso país.
Vuestro silencio sobre mi estatua clama al cielo.
Voto al The Lord Tennyson por fidelidad a mi amo y volveré por aqui para ladrar.
Primero ene l tiempo primero en mi corazón tatuado:The Victoria. A la sombra del castillo de Lincoln.
One Pint, One Pint,
One Pint onward,
All in the streets of Lincoln
Rode the nine Porcos.
"Forward, Porcos Bravos!
"Charge for the Ales!" he said:
Into the streets of Lincoln
Rode the nine Porcos.
Loable intento.
Pero en Lincoln cargaron 6 porcos y no 9. Si esos Porcos eran los orixinais o no es harina de otro costal.
El gordo del gato con parche que respire tranquilo:Un voto para el Jolly Brewer.
Si es presencial o no, ellos sabran.
Si al final de todo habra que exhibir pedigrí de porco bravo para que se tomen en serio a uno.Menos lluvia en la cabeza y más tolerancia.
Asunto Lincoln. El alegre cervecero.Da buen rollo.
He makes no friends who never made a foe.
The Dog and Bone.
George & Dragon.
The Lord Tennyson.
Lo que digan Betjeman, Tennyson y su perro:
The Dog and Bone.
George & Dragon.
The Lord Tennyson.
The Wig And The Mitre.
The Lord Tennyson.
Nueva duda.
El impresionante edificio de las tres torres ¿ Es un pub?
The Lion And The Snake.
Es obvio que el por el nombre. También por presumir de ser un pub del siglo decimosexto
I have always held and proposed against all comers to maintain that the Cathedral of Lincoln is out and out the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles
Ladrando de nuevo y moviendo la cola.En los jardines de parte trasera de la catedral me encontráis.
The Adam and Eve Tavern ( Dogs allowed) realmente es mi pub favorito de Lincoln.
Mis dos pubs de Lincoln:
Vitoria
Strugglers
Nuevamente interesante la hoguera y la feria de vanidades por estos pagos, ¡Voto a Bríos!.
3 Points para The Morning Star. Por el casco militar, las maquetas de tanques t yodo el aire marcial que impregnaba la atmósfera del pub.
2 Points para los huevos cocidos del " Jolly Brewer".
1 Point para el Sippers.Por sobrevivir como pub en el siglo XXI siendo tan auténtico.
Defendiendo el patronímico:
Los mejores de Lincoln son
1-Lincolnshire Poacher
2-Lion & Snake ( Bien culebrillas, bien)
3-Magna Carta
No Doutb.
Strugglers:
Originally the Struggler Beer shop, the addition of the "s" being relatively modern. It is said to take its name from victims struggling while being taken from the court in the Castle for execution at the gallows sited some 100 yards beyond the pub.
Petirrojo a los Puercos. A este paso vamos a disputar el partido un 30 de febrero.Si os pone más jugamos en las almenas del castillo.
Un pub: Robin Hood and Little John
en Aslackby en Sleaford en Lincolnshire
.
The Magna Carta.Lincoln.
Ja,ja,ja.
The Dog & Bone.
Un pub laureado para un perro laureado. Lo demás son ladridos.
El Ave Turuta o The Crazy Bird. Siempre le paga Patson a Huggins. Por aquello de la ornitología, córvida cerveza en The Crows Nest
( Lincoln)
Vosotros a lo vuestro.Nosotros respondemos cuando nos sale de los huevos.Pocas veces pero merecen la pena.Menudas celebraciones.Impetuosas, Homericas. Aún me repite la Guinness desde Marzo.
¡Galiza,Galiza
Xuntiños, cóbado con cóbado,fouciño con fouciño,cunca con cunca
Nos respostaremos a chamada da Galiza!
Dudo que los comedores de patatas sean un espejo para nadie. Simpáticos perdedores siempre sodomizados por el Vaticano y los Ingleses esa nación folclórica de brillantes perdedores y grandes bebedores sólo son un ejemplo de lo que no debe hacerse nunca.
Fantastic day.
We won two nil to the soft southerners.
Gallicieans bring the luck
A personal Lincoln Podium.
"The Golden Eagle"
21 High St.LN5 8BD .
Two small bars, wood - panelled and comfortable, describe the architecture. Crowded, bubbly in one bar especially if a lunchtime game is on, quiet, reflective and thoughtful, describes the locals in the smaller front bar. Don't come late on matchday if you want a seat. Loads of Lincoln City memorabilia, programmes etc. are found here and often their will be an affectionate chat about the plight of Lincoln City and Boston derbies.
PINTS: Castle Rock Harvest Pale, Hadrian and Border Bitter Blues, Hemlock, Everards Beacon, Original, Nethergate Old Growler, Oldershaw’s High Dyke, Theakston’s Old Peculier
"Sippers"
26 Melville St LN5 7HW
Traditional pub food. With rooms arranged around a central bar, this pub has a feel of a quality tap room. With a regular dark beer on sale and staff who patently know, as well as love their beer, the pub is rightly popular with locals and visitors alike. The pub has no pretensions to anything other than a great drinking place. Perhaps because of its location it has a regular clientele that have made an extra effort to get there. Yet it is so close to the station that it would be the ideal to visit on arrival and departure from Lincoln. Sippers is a top boozer in a town with many good pubs. The difference here is the great welcome you get from the locals.
"The Strugglers Inn"
Strugglers is a typical town back - street boozer located in a fantastic tourist location, directly beneath the castle walls. The pub, Alan the Landlord, and the regulars, are the stuff of Lincoln legends. On my afternoon visit the first impression was that the locals and the Guvn'or are in a continual contest to out do each other on the banter front. I was glad not to receive “the customary cheer” as described by the spoof version of the Lincolnshire Echo that perfectly describes the characters that frequent this top notch hostelry. The pub is always busy. The beer, especially the Bass, is top quality and Brenda’s food so popular that the menu is often quickly emptied of the specially prepared meals. The door to the award winning marquee / garden says “like Alan, it swings both ways.” He and his locals are typical real ale fans with a healthy disregard for those who wish to talk rather than sup ale. It is totally spotless, quirky and thoroughly entertaining for this occasional earwigger who was left in perfect peace to indulge myself with the ales. The right hand bar is a beautiful little snug, the left hand a longer bar; I wondered what the summer tourists would make of this typically English eccentricity. No doubt they would, like I did, merely take it as just part of life's rich tapestry.
pINTS: Bass Draught, Bateman Dark Mild, Black Sheep Bitter, Fuller’s London Pride, Greene King Abbot, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Young’s Bitter
Lincoln,ancient LINDUM,city and administrative dictrict (pop.,2001:85,616),administrative and historic county of Lincolnshire,eastern England.Under the name Lindum,it served as a Roman Fortress and by AD 71 it had become a settlement for retired soldiers.It later came under Danish Rule,and in the Middle Ages it was one of England´s mayor town.Henry II gave the city its first charter in 1154. It is a market centre for an aglicultural region ansd also posseses some manufacturing.It has many medieval buildings including the Castle and the Cathedral ( begun 1075).Their best pub is The Dog & Bone.
SIEMPRE RECORDARÉ LAS EMPINADAS CALLES DE LINCOLN.ESAS DANEGATE FLAXENGATE Y MICLEGATE. SIEMPRE.
FUERON LA CLAVE PARA NUESTRA MEJORA FÍSICA EN EL PARTIDO DE SHEFFIELD.
SIEMPRE RECORDARÉ LAS EMPINADAS CONVERSACIONES EN THE VARSITY DE LINCOLN.SIEMPRE. FUERON LA CLAVE PARA, ESAS,VALE,ARGGHHH ¿ ME COMPRENDEN ?
Es el problema que tiene empinar el codo con cerveza inglesa.Luego te pasa la noche empinado con las huérfanas y toda la mañana soltando pinos.Pero los braves ganasteis con lo cual deberias repetir este viaje una y otra vez cuando piseis Inglaterra hasta que cambie la racha victoriosa.Por vuestro bien espero que nunca.
Lincoln,en una garganta del Río Witham que atraviesa una línea de colinas jurásicas llamadas Altos de Lincoln.Importante centro administraivo e industrial.A finales del slo XI era la tercera ciudad más importante de Inglaterra.Su catedral es el edificio más importante de la arquitectura inglesa ojival en su primer período.Lincoln conserva además una iglesia del siglo XIII llamada Saint Mary-le-Wigford,gran parte de los restos de un Castillo,una puerta romana
( Lincoln fue fundada en la época romana con el nombre de Lindum Colonia),varias puertas de la muralla que en los siglos XIV y XV
rodeaban la ciudad,asi como numerosas casas antiguas,calles empinadas y un número estimable de pubs maravillosos con propensión a la decoración bélica.
Mirando hacia atrás, lo mejor o mejor dicho lo más perdurable del viaje fue la excursión a Peak District.La visión de los páramos barridos por el viento,riscos de piedra oscurecida por el frío y la humedad,extensiones y extensiones de brezo y barro negro.A pesar de todo el espíritu de los páramos es jubiloso.A lo que nos pusó alegres fueron las pintas del "Scotsmans Pack Inn".
me parece bien,que se haga de la oscuridad,una bandera.me parece bien que no se de tregua,a posibles e hipotéticos lectores,y escamoteéis aclaraciones básicas y elementales acerca del verdadero significado del Blog.estáis en vuestro derecho.ahora bien, me gusta mucho la ciudad de la foto.
¿ se puede decir el nombre o son muchas pistas? ¿ es el verdadero bosque de los sheffield stags o el robin hood?.muchas.
La fotografía "scaneada", es de la Catedral de Lincoln.De su lado noroeste, para ser más exactos.Se sacó desde una de las almenas del Castillo de la misma ciudad.Siguiendo con los detalles exhaustivos,preciso que el origen de la foto es una postal que se compró el 3 de Abril de 2009, en la Lincoln Minster shop.Su autoría, esta enlazada.
De nada.
Mire VD.: el que viaja es Vd., el que cae por su propio peso sobre la misma cama de la misma habitación del mismo hotel, es Vd., el que sale en la fotografía con un fondo cambiante que siempre es el mismo es Vd., el pub en el que se emborracha Vd. es el que le patrocina. El pedo que se agarra Vd. es siempre el mismo. Vd. no cambia nunca. Vd. nos aburre. La pinta que sostiene en la foto nunca la paga Vd.Cómo nos sobra Vd.
Viaje sentimental por las tierras de Lincolnshire.Subimos las cuetas de la ciudad,porque el ascenso seduce,como sedujó el ascenso.Subes a la almena de castillo y apuntas con el cañon,hacia la catedral.Entrenas el higado,falta hace en Inglaterra el en Victoria Inn bajo las alas protectoras de los Supermarine Spitfire.Ahora hay otras batallas en esas tierras pero están en esta.El peor viaje no es aquel, donde se huye de uno mismo.El peor viaje,es el que no se hace.
Cómo Vds. occidentales ser! "Sin salir de casa, conozco el mundo", Lao-Tzè dijo. Ah!, tanto hablar de dónde estar. Sabio callar y ver montañas cambiar colores estación.
Por cielto, muy bueno lo de Tristram Shandy, el que siemple se liaba cuando algo explicaba; a veces palecemos Walter y el tío Toby, Vd. señol, ya entiende a yo.
Yo también cometí un viaje sentimental por tierras de Lincolnshire.Lo más seguro, que en compañia del famoso Mr Shandy.Pero a diferencia de él yo no subí cuetas sino cuestas.No apunté a la catedral,la admiré.Bebí en los mismos pubs que el triste de la cerveza y el limón.Pero preferí luchar en el Strugglers, a la memorabilia bélica de Victoria Inn o el Morning Star.Mi ardor guerrero lo aplaqué contra los Merry Men y los Stags.Luego recorrí los páramos de Yorkshire, y rebudié.
Los páramos de Yorkshire y Derbyshire como expresión de un estado del alma.
Lincolnshire,un 1 fijo en las quinielas para próximos viajes:Arte,cuestas y clase.
Warwickshire aportó una provinciana y decepcionante ciudad de rugby.
Veredicto:Los salvajes páramos de Peak District y las tumbas del cementerio circundante. Little John y los pubs de Hathersage como grandes ganadores morales de esta edición.
Las banderas y los pasaportes me parecen baratijas peligrosas.Yo he he estado en mi casa en muchísimos países.Bebí del agua del grifo en todos los pubs de Lincoln.Ví en mi alfombra todos los brezos de Yorkshire.La próxima convocatoria de Os Porcos Bravos la voy a rechazar.Detesto,aborrezco,odio, el nacionalismo brave.
Strugglers Inn que no es llamado así porque los porcos luchen contra la báscula de forma perenne.
Strugglers Inn; uno de los predilectos por los bravos en su breve pero inolvidable estancia en Lincoln, ha repetido en 2010, título CAMRA de pub del año. La anterior vez fue en 2005.
Strugglers Inn donde bebieron Bass bajo las alas de los Spitfire, es un merecido ganador.
Aún no tienen claro si nací en Londres o en Lincoln, de cuya catedral fue organista entre 1563 y 1572.Por la propaganda gratuita que habéis hecho a mi ciudad notal,que igual no lo fue ,os voy a ceder mis How long shall mine enemies y Sing joyfully para que compongáis vuestro himno.Pero no os recomiendo ningún pub,que a mí,uno casí me cuesta la cabeza.
Después de tres pintas descubrimos la virtud total,después de otro par de litros de lager color orín,retornamos a la amable naturaleza del Peak District e incrementamos el caudal de sus ríos.Más ¡ay! la perfección que alcanzamos ebrios desaparece a nuestro despertar solos en un bed&breakfast de Lincoln.
Se perdemos imos ser cortados en anaquiños: o meu brazo rematará en Lincoln, o meu torso en Norfolk e os meus xenitais nunha árbore nalgures en Peak District.
No estaría de más declarar un día de fiesta nacional durante el cual la gente pudiera visitar sus difuntas convicciones.
A servidor,por ejemplo,no le gustaba nada Inglaterra hasta que viajó a Lincoln.
Buena papilla de liebre,buena cerveza,fuerte y amarga,
soy un noble inglés del corazón de Albión,
mis ríos,mis castillos,mis páramos os esperan.
Y Lincoln os agradece la publicidad.
Gracias Porcos Bravos.
Gracias.
Ave,Lincoln¡
When mighty Roast Beef was the Englishman's food,
It ennobled our brains and enriched our blood.
Our soldiers were brave and our courtiers were good
Oh! the Roast Beef of old England,
And old English Roast Beef!
Ciudades catedralicias de alabastro pulidas por lágrimas de cerveza,buenas ediciones de la anglocian,nuevas fronteras,olas doradas de cebada,una huérfana con el vestido corto y las cuestas de Lincoln
Sé de un porco bravo que exclamó al comprobar los salvajes páramos de Peak District:"¡ Ni el diablo me seguiría hasta aquí!".Al año siguiente volvio.
Ahora es inimaginable una anglogalician sin el peak district.
La duda és. ¿ Sigue el diablo persiguiendo a los porcos bravos?
.Tres De Abril- El Día de los Tres Condados.
The shire is based on rural England and not any other country in the world. The toponymy of the shire’ is a parody of that of rural England, in much the same sense are its inhabitants: they go together and are meant to. after all the book is English, and by an Englishman.
No es por llevar la contraria a os porcos bravos todopoderosos.
De verdad.
Pero tengo que insistir.
A mi,Lincoln nunca me gustó.
Como mucho,forzando,su Theatre Royal Lincoln y Ye Olde Crowne Inn.
Que daría una por volver a tomarse unas pintas en The Scotsmans Pack Inn.
O volver a comer conejo viejo cerca de Stanage Edge.
Apoyaría a Os Porcos Bravos contra mis compatriotas ,ascendería a cumbres borrascosas,escucharía impávida la voz del trueno,le llevaría flores frescas al pequeño Juan.
Que no haría con ustedes,porcos,por volver a Hathersage
Me alegro de volver a Inglaterra, porco bravo. Me alegro de ir a esa isla.
No es mi isla.
Creo que nunca fue mi isla, porque incluso cuando fui feliz alli, entonces no entendí las moquetas ,los olores a especie,la ausencia del sol, los cielos grises,la ropa oscura,el futbol primitivo.
Pero me alegro de volver a Inglaterra.
No sabría decirte una razón.
Quizás si ascendieses conmigo por las calles de Lincoln,podrías entenderlo.
No hay razón por la que el porcobravismo on tour a lomos de un tracor por Inglaterra pueda ser confundido, como lo ha sido por la mayoría de expertos y enterados de barra de bar , con la mera vida disoluta del viajero procaz,sicalíptico y cervecero.
El contacto con la vida disoluta,que existe y se reconoce, es, desde luego, no más que uno de los accidentes del arte de ser un porco bravo.
Eh -gritó un porco´s bravo-, la gente de Lincolnshire corre como si ya hubiera llegado la Tormenta!.
¡Llegó -gritó otro porco bravo-, la tormenta somos nosotros
Se bajaba Broadgate hacia el inefable Sippers cuando decidimos parar en The Jolly Brewer. Nombre sugerente,huevos cocidos a un dropping,ambiente universitario y camareras guapas.
Viene a cuento del cuento porque le han dado el premio al mejor pub de Lincoln 2011.
Se lo merece.
El rebote me sale por los codos.
Nuestro regreso a Lincolshire va a ser como la saga del Padrino.
La segunda parte siempre es la mejor.
Stamford,are you ready ?
Stags,están resignados ?
El Castillo de Lincoln es un gran castillo (que no burdel) construido en Lincoln, Inglaterra durante la segunda mitad del siglo XI por Guillermo el Conquistador en el mismo sitio donde antes existió una fortaleza romana. Permaneció siendo prisión y juzgados todavía en la época moderna, y es uno de los castillos mejor conservados de Inglaterra. Está abierto al público como un museo.
Como en Norwich y otros lugares, el castillo fue usado como un lugar seguro en el que establecer una prisión. En Lincoln, la prisión fue construida en 1787 y ampliada en 1847. A los deudores encarcelados se le permitía mantener contacots con el exterior, pero elm régimen para criminales fue concebido para ser de tipo de aislamiento. En consecuencia, los asientos de la capilla de la cárcel estaban diseñados para encerrar individualmente a cada preso de manera que el sacerdote pudiera ver a todos pero cada preso sólo pudiera ver al cura. En 1878 el sistema fue desacreditado y los reclusos fueron trasladados a una nueva cárcel en las afueras de Lincoln. La prisión del castillo no tuvo ningún uso hasta que los Archivos de Linconshire fueron alojados en las celdas.
William Marwood, un pionero en despachar convictos, llevó a cabo su primera ejecución en Lincoln. Usó una horca de descenso largo, diseñada para romper el cuello de las víctimas en vez de esrangularlas, para ejecutar a Fred Horry en 1872. Hasta 1868, los prisioneros eran ahorcados públicamente en la pared de la torre en la esquina noreste del muro-cortina, con vistas a la parte alta de la ciudad.
El Castilo de Lincoln fue otra vez el lugar donde se produjo un asedio seguido de la Segunda Batalla de Lincoln, el 20 de mayo de 1217, durante el reinado del Rey Juan I de Inglaterra, durante el curso de la Primera Battala de los Barones. Este fue el período de lucha política que condujo a la firma de la Carta Magna el 15 de junio de 1215. Después de esto, se construyeron nuevas barbacanas en las puertas este y oeste.
Lincoln atrae la suerte para os porcos bravos.
Habrá que resucitar a las Brigadas Beau Brummie y John Wilkes Booth para la X donde se espera que los stags apelen a las Brigadas Internacionales.
Vuelvan a Lincoln y ganarán otra vez en Minas Sheffield
banda sonora de The Ravens antes de ser perversos
Lincoln is an antient, ragged, decay'd, and still decaying city; it is so full of the ruins of monasteries and religious houses, that, in short, the very barns, stables, out-houses, and, as they shew'd me, some of the very hog-styes, were built church-fashion; that is to say, with stone walls and arch'd windows and doors. There are here 13 churches, but the meanest to look on that are any where to be seen; the cathedral indeed and the ruins of the old castle are very venerable pieces of antiquity.
The situation of the city is very particular; one part is on the flat and in a bottom, so that the Wittham, a little river that runs through the town, flows sometimes into the street, the other part lies upon the top of a high hill, where the cathedral stands, and the very steepest part of the ascent of the hill is the best part of the city for trade and business.
Nothing is more troublesome than the communication of the upper and lower town, the street is so steep and so strait, the coaches and horses are oblig'd to fetch a compass another way, as well on one hand as on the other.
The River Wittham, which as I said runs thro' the city, is arch'd over, so that you see nothing of it as you go thro' the main street; but it makes a large lake on the west side, and has a canal, by which it has a communication with the Trent, by which means the navigation of the Trent is made useful for trade to the city; this canal is called the Foss-dike.
There are some very good buildings, and a great deal of very good company, in the upper city, and several families of gentlemen have houses there, besides those of the prebendaries and other clergy belonging to the cathedral.
This cathedral is in itself a very noble structure, and is counted very fine, though I thought it not equal to some that I have already describ'd, particularly not to that at Litchfield: Its situation indeed is infinitely more to advantage, than any cathedral in England, for it is seen far and wide; it stands upon an exceeding high hill, and is seen into five or six counties.
The building in general is very noble, and the church itself is very large; it has a double cross, one in the nave or center on which the great tower stands, and one at the east end of the choir, under which are several antient rnonuments; the length of the church is near 500 foot, the breadth 126; so that it is much larger than that at Litchfield; but the spires on the towers at the angles of the west end are mean, small, and low, and not to be nam'd with those at Litchfield: The tower also is very plain, and has only four very ill-proportion'd spires, or rather pinnacles, at the four corners small and very mean.
As the church is very large, so the revenue of the bishoprick is large also, and was formerly immensely great, as may be seen by the Monasticon , where there is an astonishing account of the wealth of the place.
The church, as it is the seat of the bishoprick, is not antient, the see being remov'd, since the Norman Conquest, from Dorchester, a little town in Oxfordshire, on the River Thames, not far from Tame, of which I have spoken in its place; but the city is antient, and the ruins of it tell us as much; it was certainly a flourishing city in the time of the Romans, and continued so after the fall of their empire.
Mr. Cambden says King Vortimer, that valiant Britain, dy'd here, and was bury'd in the church of the great monastery; but we see nothing of his remains in the cathedral, for that was not built 'till several ages after.
Lincoln was, London is, and Liverpool shall be.
The city was a large and flourishing place at the time of the Norman Conquest, tho' neither the castle or the great church were then built; there were then three and fifty parish churches in it, of which I think only thirteen remain; the chief extent of the city then was from the foot of the hill south, and from the lake or lough which is call'd Swanpool east; and by the Domesday Book they tell us it must be one of the greatest cities in England, whence perhaps that old English proverbial line:
Lincoln was, London is, and York shall be.
It is certain William the Conqueror built the castle, and, as 'tis said, to curb the potent citizens; and the ruins show that it was a most magnificent work, well fortify'd, and capable of receiving a numerous garrison.
The bishoprick of Lincoln at that time contain'd all that now is contain'd in the diocesses of Ely, Peterborough, and Oxford, besides what is now the diocess of Lincoln: and 'tis still the largest diocess, tho' not of the greatest revenue, in England; containing the several counties of Lincoln, Leicester, Huntingdon, Bedford, Bucks, and part of Hertford; and in them 1255 parishes, whereof 577 are impropriations; and there are in this bounds six archdeacons, viz. Lincoln, Leicester, Bedford, Buckingham, Stow. and Huntington.
But all this relates to times past, and is an excursion, which I shall attone for by making no more. Such is the present state of Lincoln, that it is an old dying, decay'd, dirty city; and except that part, which, as above, lies between the castle and the church, on the top of the hill, it is scarce tolerable to call it a city.
Yet it stands in a most rich, pleasant, and agreeable country; for on the north, and again on the south east, the noble plain, call'd Lincoln Heath, extends itself, like the plains about Salisbury, for above fifty miles; namely, from Sleeford and Ancaster south to the bank of the Humber north, tho' not with a breadth equal to the vast stretch'd out length; for the plain is hardly any where above three or four miles broad.
On the west side of this plain, the Trent waters a pleasant and rich valley, running from Newark to Gainsborough, a town of good trade, as well foreign as home trade, thence to Burton, and so into the Humber.
As the middle of the country is all hilly, and the west side low, so the east side is the richest, most fruitful, and best cultivated of any county in England, so far from London; one part is all fen or marsh grounds. and extends itself south to the Isle of Ely, and here it is that so vast a quantity of sheep are fed, as makes this county and that of Leicester an inexhaustible fountain of wool for all the manufacturing counties in England.
There are abundance of very good towns too in this part, especially on the sea coast, as Grimsby, in the utmost point of the county north east, facing the Humber and the ocean, and almost opposite to Hull: a little farther within Humber is Barton, a town noted for nothing that I know of, but an ill-favoured dangerous passage, or ferry, over the Humber to Hull; where in an open boat, in which we had about fifteen horses, and ten or twelve cows, mingled with about seventeen or eighteen passengers, call'd Christians; we were about four hours toss'd about on the Humber, before we could get into the harbour at Hull; whether I was sea-sick or not, is not worth notice, but that we were all sick of the passage, any one may suppose, and particularly I was so uneasy at it, that I chose to go round by York, rather than return to Barton, at least for that time.
Grimsby is a good town, but I think 'tis but an indifferent road for shipping; and in the great storm, (ann. 1703.) it was proved to be so, for almost all the ships that lay in Grimsby road were driven from their anchors, and many of them lost.
Here within land we see Brigg upon the River Ankam, Castor, Louth, Horncastle, Bolingbroke, Spilsby, Wainfleet, and Boston: As these are all, except the last, inland towns, they afford little remarkable, only to intimate that all this country is employ'd in husbandry, in breeding and feeding innumerable droves and flocks of black cattle and sheep: Indeed I should not have said black cattle. I should have call'd them red cattle; for it was remarkable, that almost all their cows for 50 miles together are red, or py'd red and white, and consequently all the cattle raised there, are the same; what they feed which are brought from other counties, (for the fens feed infinite numbers which they buy from other places); that (I say) is another case.
The Fen Country begins about Wainfleet, which is within twenty miles of Grimsby, and extends itself to the Isle of Ely south, and to the grounds opposite to Lynn Regis in Norfolk east.
This part is indeed very properly call'd Holland, for 'tis a flat, level, and often drowned country, like Holland itself; here the very ditches are navigable, and the people pass from town to town in boats, as in Holland: Here we had the uncouth musick of the bittern, a bird formerly counted ominous and presaging, and who, as fame tells us, (but as I believe no body knows) thrusts its bill into a reed, and then gives the dull, heavy groan or sound, like a sigh, which it does so loud, that with a deep base, like the sound of a gun at a great distance, 'tis heard two or three miles, (say the people) but perhaps not quite so far.
Here we first saw Boston, a handsome well-built sea port town, at the mouth of the River Wittham. The tower of this church is, without question, the largest and highest in England; and, as it stands in a country, which (they say) has no bottom, nothing is more strange, than that they should find a foundation for so noble and lofty a structure; it had no ornament, spire, or pinnacle on the top, but it is so very high, that few spires in England, can match it, and is not only beautiful by land, but is very useful at sea to guide pilots into that port, and even into the mouth of the River Ouse; for in clear weather 'tis seen quite out at sea to the entrance of those channels, which they call Lynn Deeps, and Boston Deeps, which are as difficult places as most upon the whole eastern shore of Britain.
The town of Boston is a large, populous, and well-built town, full of good merchants, and has a good share of foreign trade, as well as Lynn. Here is held one of those annual fairs, which preserve the antient title of a Mart, whereof I remember only four in England of any considerable note, viz. Lynn, Gainsborough, Beverly, and Boston.
The country round this place is all fenn and marsh grounds, the land very rich, and which feeds prodigious numbers of large sheep, and also oxen of the largest size, the overplus and best of which goes all to London market; and from this part, as also from the downs or heath above-mentioned, comes the greatest part of the wool, known, as a distinction for its credit, because of its fineness, by the name of Lincolnshire Wool; which is sent in great quantities into Norfolk and Suffolk, for the manufacturers of those counties, and indeed to several other of the most trading counties in England.
These fens are indeed very considerable for their extent, for they reach in length in some places fifty miles, and in breadth above thirty: and as they are so level that there is no interruption to the sight, any building of extraordinary hight is seen a long way; for example, Boston steeple is seen upon Lincoln Heath near thirty miles, Peterborough and Ely minsters are seen almost throughout the whole level, so are the spires of Lynn, Whittlesea, and Crowland, seen at a very great distance, which adds a beauty to the country.
From Boston we came on through the fen country to Spalding, which is another sea port in the level, but standing far within the land on the River Welland. Here was nothing very remarkable to be seen as to antiquity, but the ruins of an old famous monastry, of which the Monasticon gives a particular description. There is a bridge over the Welland, and vessels of about fifty or sixty ton may come up to the town, and that is sufficient for the trade of Spalding, which is chiefly in corn and coal.
We must not pass by Crowland, another place of great religious antiquity, here being once a famous monastry, the remains of which are still to be seen: The monks of Crowland were eminent in history, and a great many stories are told of the devils of Crowland also, and what conversation they had with the monks, which tales are more out of date now, than they were formerly; for they tell us, that in antient times those things were as certainly believ'd for truths, as if they had been done before their faces.
There is one thing here that is curious indeed, and very remarkable, and which is not to be seen in any other place in Britain, if it be in Europe; namely, a triangular bridge: The case is this; The River Welland and another river, or rather branch from the River Nyne, join together just at Crowland, and the bridge being fixed at the very point where they join, stands upon a center in the middle of the united waters, and then parting into two bridges, lands you one to the right upon Thorney, and one to the left upon Holland; and yet they tell us there is a whirlpool, or bottomless pit, in the middle too; but that part I see no reason to give credit to.
The town of Spalding is not large, but pretty well built and well inhabited; but for the healthyness or pleasantness of it, I have no more to say than this, that I was very glad when I got out of it, and out of the rest of the fen country; for 'tis a horrid air for a stranger to breathe in.
The history of the draining those fens, by a set of gentlemen call'd the Adventurers, the several laws for securing and preserving the banks, and dividing the lands; how they were by the extraordinary conflux of waters from all the inland counties of England frequently overflow'd, and sometimes lay under water most part of the year; how all the water in this part of England, which does not run into the Thames, the Trent, or the Severn, falls together into these low grounds, and empty themselves into the sea by those drains, as thro' a sink; and how by the skill of these Adventurers, and, at a prodigious expence, they have cut new channels, and even whole rivers, with particular drains from one river to another, to carry off the great flux of waters, when floods or freshes come down either on one side or on the other; and how notwithstanding all that hands could do, or art contrive, yet sometimes the waters do still prevail, the banks break, and whole levels are overflow'd together; all this, tho' it would be very useful and agreeable to have it fully and geographically describ'd, yet it would take up so much room, and be so tedious here, where you are expecting a summary description of things, rather than the history and reasons of them, that I cannot think of entering any farther into it.
I have only to add, that these fens of Lincolnshire are of the same kind with, and contiguous to those already mentioned in the Isle of Ely, in the counties of Cambridge and Huntingdon, and that here as well as there, we see innumerable numbers of cattle, which are fed up to an extraordinary size by the richness of the soil.
From the Fenns, longing to be deliver'd from fogs and stagnate air, and the water of the colour of brew'd ale, like the rivers of the Peak, we first set foot on dry land, as I call'd it, at Peterborough.
This is a little city, and indeed 'tis the least in England; for Bath, or Wells, or Ely, or Carlisle, which are all call'd cities, are yet much bigger; yet Peterborough is no contemptible place neither; there are some good houses in it, and the streets are fair and well-built; but the glory of Peterborough is the cathedral, which is truly fine and beautiful; the building appears to be more modern, than the story of the raising this pile implies, and it wants only a fine tower steeple, and a spire on the top of it, as St. Paul's at London had, or as Salisbury still has; I say, it wants this only to make it the finest cathedral in Britain, except St. Paul's, which is quite new, and the church of St. Peter at York.
In this church was bury'd the body of the unhappy Mary Queen of Scots, mother to King James the First, who was beheaded not far off in Fotheringay Castle in the same county; but her body was afterwards remov'd by King James the First, her son, into Westminster Abbey, where a monument is erected for her, in King Henry the VIIth's chappel; tho' some do not stick to tell us, that tho' the monument was erected, the body was never remov'd.
Here also lies interred another unhappy queen, namely, the Lady Katherine of Spain, the divorc'd wife of King Henry VIII. and mother to Queen Mary: who reigned immediately after King Edward VI. Her monument is not very magnificent, but 'tis far from mean. Here is an old decay'd monument of Bishop Wulfer, the founder of the church; but this church has so often been burnt and demolish'd, since that time, that 'tis doubtful when they shew it you, whether it be authentick or not.
The chappel here, call'd St. Mary's, is a very curious building, tho' now not in use; the choir has been often repair'd and beautify'd, and is now very fine; but the west end, or great gate, is a prodigy for its beauty and variety: 'Tis remarkable, that as this church, when a monastry, was famous for its great revenues, so now, as reduced, 'tis one of the poorest bishopricks in England, if not the meanest.
Coming to this little city landed us in Northamptonshire; but as great part of Lincolnshire, which is a vastly extended large county, remain'd yet unseen, we were oblig'd to turn north from Peterborough, and take a view of the fens again, though we kept them at some distance too. Here we pass'd the Welland at Market Deeping, an old, ill-built and dirty town; then we went thro' Bourn to Folkingham, near which we saw two pieces of decay'd magnificence; one was the old demolish'd monastry of Sempringham, the seat of the Gilbertine nuns, so famous for austerity, and the severest rules, that any other religious order have yielded to, and the other was the antient house of the Lord Clinton, Queen Elizabeth's admiral, where that great and noble person once liv'd in the utmost splendor and magnificence; the house, tho' in its full decay, shows what it has been, and the plaister of the cielings and walls in some rooms is so fine, so firm, and so entire, that they break it off in large flakes, and it will bear writing on it with a pencil or steel pen, like the leaves of a table book. This sort of plaister I have not seen anywhere so very fine, except in the palace of Nonesuch in Surrey, near Epsom, before it was demolish'd by the Lord Berkeley.
From hence we cross'd part of the great heath mentioned before, and came into the high road again at Ankaster, a small but antient Roman village, and full of remnants of antiquity: This town gives now the title of duke to the ancient family of Lindsey, now Dukes of Ankaster, formerly only Earls of Lindsey, and hereditary Lords Chamberlains of England.
This place and Panton, a village near it, would afford great subject of discourse, if antiquity was my present province, for here are found abundance of Roman coins, urns, and other remains of antiquity, as also in several parts here about; and Mr. Cambden puts it out of doubt, that at this town of Ankaster there was a station or colony settled of Romans, which afterwards swell'd up into a city, but is now sunk again out of knowledge. From hence we came to Grantham, famous for a very fine church and spire steeple, so finely built, and so very high, that I do not know many higher and finer built in Britain. The vulgar opinion, that this steeple stands leaning, is certainly a vulgar error: I had no instrument indeed to judge it by, but, according to the strictest observation, I could not perceive it, or anything like it, and am much of opinion with that excellent poet:
'Tis hight makes Grantham steeple stand awry. This is a neat, pleasant, well-built and populous town, has a good market, and the inhabitants are said to have a very good trade, and are generally rich. There is also a very good free-school here. This town lying on the great northern road is famous, as well as Stamford, for abundance of very good inns, some of them fit to entertain persons of the greatest quality and their retinues, and it is a great advantage to the place.
From a hill, about a mile beyond this town north west, being on the great York road, we had a prospect again into the Vale of Bever, or Belvoir, which I mentioned before; and which spreads itself here into 3 counties, to wit, Lincoln, Leicester, and Rutlandshires: also here we had a distant view of Bever, or Bellevoir Castle, which 'tis supposed took its name from the situation, from whence there is so fine a prospect, or Bellevoir over the country; so that you see from the hill into six counties, namely, into Lincoln, Nottingham, Darby, Leicester, Rutland, and Northampton Shires. The castle or palace (for such it now is) of Bevoir, is now the seat of the noble family of Mannors, Dukes of Rutland, who have also a very noble estate, equal to the demesnes of some sovereign princes, and extending itself into Nottingham and Darbyshire far and wide, and in which estate they have an immense subterranean treasure, never to be exhausted; I mean the lead mines and coal-pits, of which I shall say more in its place.
Turning southward from hence we enter'd Rutlandshire, remarkable for being the least county in England, having but two market towns in it, viz. Okeham and Uppingham, but famous for abundance of fine seats of the gentlemen, and some of the first rank, as particularly the Earls of Gainsborough and Nottingham; the latter has at a very great expence, and some years labour, rebuilt the ancient seat of Burleigh on the Hill, near Okeham, and on the edge of the vale of Cathross. This house would indeed require a volume of itself, to describe the pleasant situation, and magnificent structure, the fine gardens, the perfectly well-finish'd apartments, the curious paintings, and well-stor'd library: all these merit a particular view, and consequently an exact description; but it is not the work of a few pages, and it would be to lessen the fame of this palace, to say any thing by way of abstract, where every part calls for a full account: at present, all I can say of it is, there may be some extraordinary palaces in England, where there are so many fine ones, I say there may be some that excell in this or that particular, but I do not know a house in Britain, which excels all the rest in so many particulars, or that goes so near to excelling them all in every thing.
From hence we came to Stamford; the town is placed in a kind of an angle of the county of Lincoln, just upon the edge of three counties, viz. Lincoln, Northampton, and Rutland: this town boasts greatly too of its antiquity, and indeed it has evident marks of its having been a very great place in former days.
History tells us it was burnt by the Danes above 1500 years ago, being then a flourishing city: Tradition tells us, it was once a university, and that the schools were first erected by Bladud King of the Britains; the same whose figure stands up at the King's Bath in the city of Bath, and who liv'd 300 years before our Saviour's time: But the famous camps and military ways, which still appear at and near this town, are a more visible testimony of its having been a very ancient town, and that it was considerable in the Romans time.
It is at this time a very fair, well-built, considerable and wealthy town, consisting of six parishes, including that of St. Martin in Stamford-Baron; that is to say, in that part of the town which stands over the river, which, tho' it is not a part of the town, critically speaking, being not in the liberty, and in another county, yet 'tis all called Stamford, and is rated with it in the taxes, and the like.
This town is the property, as it may be called, of the Earles of Excester; for the author of the Survey of Stamford , page 15, says, "William Cecil, Baron Burleigh, and afterwards Earl of Excester, obtain'd the fee farm of Queen Elizabeth for himself, in whose posterity it yet remains."
The government of this town is not, it seems, as most towns of such note are, by a mayor and aldermen, but by an alderman, who is chief magistrate, and twelve comburgesses, and twenty four capital burgesses, which, abating their worships titles, is, to me, much the same thing as a mayor, aldermen, and common council.
They boast in this town of very great privileges, especially to their alderman, who is their chief magistrate, and his com-burgesses; such as being freed from the sheriffs jurisdiction, and from being empannel'd on juries out of the town; to have the return of all writs, to be freed from all lords lieutenants, and from their musters, and for having the militia of the town commanded by their own officers, the alderman being the king's Lord Lieutenant, and immediately under his Majesty's command, and to be (within the liberties and jurisdiction of the town) esteem'd the second man in the kingdom; and the grant of those privileges concludes thus; Ut ab antiguo usu fuerunt , as of antient time they had been accustomed: So that this Charter, which was granted by Edward IV. ann. 1461. seems to be only a confirmation of former privileges, not a grant of new ones.
But the beauty of Stamford is the neighbourhood of the noble palace of the Earl of Excester, call'd Burleigh House, built by the famous Sir William Cecil, Lord Burleigh, and Lord High Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth, the same whose monument I just now mentioned, being in St. Martin's Church at Stamford-Baron, just without the park.
This house, built all of free-stone, looks more like a town than a house, at which avenue soever you come to it; the towers and the pinnacles so high, and placed at such a distance from one another, look like so many distant parish-churches in a great town, and a large spire cover'd with lead, over the great clock in the center, looks like the cathedral, or chief church of the town.
The house stands on an eminence, which rises from the north en trance of the park, coming from Stamford: On the other side, viz. south and west, the country lies on a level with the house, and is a fine plain, with posts and other marks for horse-races; As the entrance looks towards the flat low grounds of Lincolnshire, it gives the house a most extraordinary prospect into the Fens, so that you may see from thence twenty or near thirty miles, without any thing to intercept the sight.
As you mount the hill, you come to a fine esplanade, before the great gate or first entrance of the house, where there is a small but very handsome semi-circle, taken in with an iron balustrade, and from this, rising a few steps, you enter a most noble hall, but made infinitely more noble by the invaluable paintings, with which it is so fill'd, that there is not room to place any thing between them.
The late Earl of Excester, father of his present lordship, had a great genius for painting and architecture, and a superior judgment in both, as every part of this noble structure will testify; for he chang'd the whole face of the building; he pull'd down great part of the front next the garden, and turn'd the old Gothic windows into those spacious sashes which are now seen there; and tho' the founder or first builder, who had an exquisite fancy also, (as the manner of buildings then was) had so well ordered the situation and avenues of the whole fabrick, that nothing was wanting of that kind, and had also contriv'd the house itself in a most magnificent manner; the rooms spacious, well directed, the cielings lofty, and the decorations just, yet the late earl found room for alterations, infinitely to the advantage of the whole; as particularly, a noble stair case, a whole set of fine apartments, with rooms of state, fitting for the entertainment of a prince, especially those on the garden side; tho' at present a little out of repair again and several blow jobs.
As this admirable genius, the late earl, lov'd paintings, so he had infinite advantage in procuring them; for he not only travell'd three times into Italy, and stay'd every time a considerable while at Florence, but he was so entertain'd at the Court of Tuscany, and had, by his most princely deportment and excellent accomplishments, so far obtain'd upon the great duke, that he might be said indeed to love him, and his highness shew'd the earl many ways that esteem; and more particularly, in assisting him to purchase many excellent pieces at reasonable prices; and not only so, but his highness presented him with several pieces of great value.
Among the rest, there is. in the great hall, his lordship's picture, on horseback, done by the great duke's principal painter, at his highness's charge, and given to his lordship, as a mark of the great duke's special favour: There is also a fine piece of Seneca bleeding to death in the warm bath, and dictating his last morals to his scholars; the passions are in so lively a manner described in the scholars, their eager attention, their generous regard to their master, their vigilant catching at his words, and some of them taking minutes, that it is indeed admirable and inexpressible. I have been told, that the King of France offer'd the earl 6000 pistoles for it.
It would be endless to give a detail of the fine pieces his lordship brought from Italy. all originals, and by the best masters; 'tis enough to say, they infinitely exceed all that can be seen in England, and are of more value than the house itself, and all the park belonging to it.
His lordship had indeed infinite advantage, join'd to his very good judgment, besides what I have mention'd, at the Court of the grand duke, for the furnishing himself with extraordinary paintings, having made his three journeys into Italy by several routs, and stopt at several Courts of princes; and his collection would doubtless have been still enlarg'd, had he liv'd to finish a fourth tour, which he was taking; but he was surpriz'd with a sudden and violent distemper, and dy'd at Paris (as we were told) of a dysentrie.
Besides the pictures, which, as above, were brought from abroad, the house itself, at least the new apartments may be said to be one entire picture. The stair-case, the cielings of all the fine lodgings, the chapel, the hall, the late earl's closet, are all finely painted by VARRIO ( a spaghetti faggott), of whose work I need say no more than this, that the earl kept him twelve years in his family, wholly employ'd in painting those cielings and staircases, &. and allow'd him a coach and horses, and equipage, a table, and servants, and a very considerable pension.
N.B. The character this gentleman left behind him at this town, is, that he deserv'd it all for his paintings; but for nothing else; his scandalous life, and his unpaid debts, it seems, causing him to be but very meanly spoken of in the town of Stamford. I might dwell a long while upon this subject, and could do it with great pleasure, Burleigh House being well worth a full and compleat description; but this work will not admit of enlargements.
By the park wall, or, as some think, through the park, adjoining to Burleigh House, pass'd an old Roman highway, beginning at Castor, a little village near Peterborough; but which was anciently a Roman station, or colony, call'd Durobrevum; this way is still to be seen, and is now call'd The 40 Foot Way, passing from Gunworth Ferry (and Peterborough) to Stamford: This was, as the antiquaries are of opinion, the great road into the north, which is since turn'd from Stilton in Huntingdonshire to Wandsworth or Wandsford, where there is a very good bridge over the River Nyne; which coming down from Northampton, as I have observ'd already, passes thence by Peterborough, and so into the Fen country: But if I may straggle a little into antiquity, (which I have studiously avoided) I am of opinion, neither this or Wandsford was the ancient northern road in use by the Romans; for 'tis evident, that the great Roman causway is still seen on the left hand of that road, and passing the Nyne at a place call'd Water Neuton, went directly to Stamford, and pass'd the Welland, just above that town, not in the place where the bridge stands now; and this Roman way is still to be seen, both on the south and the north side of the Welland, stretching itself on to Brig Casterton, a little town upon the River Guash, about three miles beyond Stamford; which was, as all writers agree, another Roman station, and was call'd Guasennæ by the antients, from whence the river is supposed also to take its name; whence it went on to Panton, another very considerable colony, and so to Newark, where it cross'd the Foss.
This Forty Foot Way then must be a cross road from Castor, and by that from the Fen Country, so leading into the great highway at Stamford: as likewise another cross road went out of the said great road at Panton, above-named, to Ankaster, where was a Roman cohort plac'd, and thence join'd the Foss again at Lincoln.
Near this little village of Castor lives the Lord FitzWilliams, of an ancient family, tho' an Irish title, and his lordship has lately built a very fine stone bridge over the River Nyne, near Gunworth, where formerly was the ferry.
I was very much applauding this generous action of my lord's, knowing the inconvenience of the passage there before, especially if the waters of the Nyne were but a little swell'd, and I thought it a piece of publick charity; but my applause was much abated, when coming to pass the bridge (being in a coach) we could not be allow'd to go over it, without paying 2s. 6d. of which I shall only say this, That I think 'tis the only half crown toll that is in Britain, at least that ever I met with.
As we pass by Burleigh Park wall, on the great road, we see on the west side, not above a mile from it, another house, built by the same Lord Burleigh, and which might pass for a very noble seat, were not Burleigh by. This is call'd Wathorp, and stands just on the Great Roman Way, mention'd above; this is the house of which the old earl said he built it to remove to, and to be out of the dust, while Burleigh House was a sweeping. This saying is indeed father'd upon the noble founder, but I must acknowledge, I think it too haughty an expression to come from so wise and great a man.
At Overton, now call'd Cherry Orton, a village near Gunworth Ferry, is an old mansion house, formerly belonging to a very antient and almost forgotten race, or family of great men, call'd Lovetoft, which I nam'd for a particular reason. The estate is now in the heirs of the late Duke of Newcastle, and the house lies neglected. On the other side of the river is a fine new-built house, all of free stone, possess'd by Sir Francis St. John, Bart. which affords a very beautiful prospect to travellers, as they pass from the hill beyond Stilton to Wansford Bridge. This Wansford has obtain'd an idle addition to its name, from a story so firmly believ'd by the country people, that they will hardly allow any room for contradiction; namely, That a great flood coming hastily down the River Nyne, in hay-making-time, a country fellow, having taken up his lodging on a cock of hay in the meadow, was driven down the stream in the night, while he was fast asleep; and the hay swimming, and the fellow sleeping, they drove together towards Wisbech in the Fens, whence he was fairly going on to the sea; when being wakened, he was seen and taken up by some fishermen, almost in the open sea; and being ask'd, who he was? he told them his name; and where he liv'd? he answer'd, at Wansford in England: from this story the town is called Wansford in England; and we see at the great inn, by the south end of the bridge, the sign of a man floating on a cock of hay, and over him written, Wansford in England.
Coming south from hence we pass'd Stilton, a town famous for cheese, which is call'd our English Parmesan, and is brought to table with the mites, or maggots round it, so thick, that they bring a spoon with them for you to eat the mites with, as you do the cheese.
Hence we came through Sautrey Lane, a deep descent between two hills, in which is Stangate Hole, famous for being the most noted robbing-place in all this part of the country. Hence we pass'd to Huntington, the county town, otherwise not considerable; it is full of very good inns, is a strong pass upon the Ouse, and in the late times of rebellion it was esteemed so by both parties.
Here are the most beautiful meadows on the banks of the River Ouse, that I think are to be seen in any part of England; and to see them in the summer season, cover'd with such innumerable stocks of cattle and sheep, is one of the most agreeable sights of its kind in the world.
This town has nothing remarkable in it; 'tis a long continued Street, pretty well built, has three parish churches, and a pretty good market-place; but the bridge, or bridges rather, and causway over the Ouse is a very great ornament to the place. On the west side of this town, and in view of the plain lower side of the county, is a noble, tho' ancient seat, of the Earl of Sandwich; the gardens very fine and well kept; the situation seems a little obscur'd by the town of Huntington. In the same plain we saw Bugden, a small village, in which is remarkable a very pleasant, tho' ancient house or palace, of the Bishops of Lincoln: The house and garden surrounded by a very large and deep moat of water; the house is old, but pleasant, the chappel very pretty, 'tho' small; there is an organ painted against the wall, but in a seeming organ-loft, and so properly placed and well painted, that we at first believed it really to be an organ.
... la fuerza transparente del mediodía púrpura.
No pesa el soplo de la brisa húmeda
en los capullos sin abrir...
Lincoln tiene un castillo, Lincoln tiene un volcán
Lincoln tiene 4 putas que huelen a mazapán
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