Part 12

_West London Railway_ (now better known as the _West London Extension Railway_) can hardly be said to have an independent commercial existence. It was an old and unsuccessful affair, till taken up by four of the great companies, and enlarged in an important way. It now includes a railway bridge over the Thames at Battersea; it is connected with the London and North-Western, the Great Western, and the Metropolitan, on the north, and with the South-Western, the Brighton, and the Chatham and Dover, on the south. There are stations at Kensington, Chelsea, and Battersea.

_Hammersmith and City Junction Railway_ crosses the last-named line at Shepherds’ Bush, and joins the Great Western at Kensal New Town, a mile or two beyond Paddington.

_North and South-Western Junction Railway_ is, perhaps, valuable rather as a link between the greater railways, than as an independent line. It joins the North London at Camden Town, and the South-Western at Kew; and has stations at Kentish Town, Hampstead, Finchley New Road, Edgeware Road, Kensal Green, Acton, and Hammersmith. It establishes through trains with other companies; and although it has no actual London terminus of its own, it is a great convenience to the western margin of the metropolis, for the fares are low.

_South-Western Railway_ has its terminus in the Waterloo Road, which has been placed in connection with the London Bridge Station. The main lines of the company extend to Portsmouth in one direction, Dorchester in another, and Exeter in a third; while there is a multitude of branches—from Wimbledon to Croydon, from Wimbledon to Epsom and Leatherhead, from Wandsworth to Richmond and Windsor, from Barnes to Hounslow, from Staines to Reading, &c. There is no good hotel whatever near the Waterloo or Vauxhall Stations—a defect which seems to need a remedy.

_Victoria and Crystal Palace Railway_ is a concern in which so many companies have an interest, that it is not easy to define the ownership. The Victoria Station, within a quarter of a mile of the Queen’s Palace, Pimlico, is very large, but certainly not very handsome. The _Grosvenor Hotel_, attached to it, may rank among the finest in the metropolis. The Brighton, the Chatham and Dover, and the Great Western, are accommodated at this station, where both the broad and narrow gauges are laid down. The railway leads thence, to join the Brighton at Sydenham and Norwood, by a railway-bridge across the Thames; it has stations at Battersea, Wandsworth, Balham, Streatham, Norwood, and the Crystal Palace; and throws off branches to meet the lines of the other three companies above named.

_London_, _Brighton_, _and South Coast Railway_ has for its terminus a portion of the great London Bridge Station, contiguous to which a hotel has been constructed. It also has termini at Victoria and Kensington. The line leads nearly due south to the sea at Brighton, and then along the sea-coast, from Hastings in the east to Portsmouth in the west. There are also several branches to accommodate Surrey and Sussex. Taken altogether, this is the most remarkable _pleasure-line_ in England,—the traffic of this kind between London and Brighton being something marvellous.

_South-Eastern Railway_ has another portion of the large but incongruous London Bridge Station in its possession. The seaside termini of the line are at Margate, Ramsgate, Deal, Dover, and Hastings. The Greenwich and North Kent branches are important feeders; while there are others of less value. The company have spent a vast sum of money in extending their line to the north of the Thames—by forming a city station in Cannon Street, with a bridge over the river midway between London and Southwark Bridges; and a West-end Station at Charing Cross, with a bridge over the river at (what was till lately) Hungerford Market. There is also a connection with the South-Western terminus in the Waterloo Road. The company have been forced to pay a sum of £300,000 for St. Thomas’s Hospital, as the only means of insuring a convenient course for this extension—a striking instance of the stupendous scale on which railway operations are now conducted.

_London_, _Chatham_, _and Dover Railway_ is a very costly enterprise. It may be said to start from two junctions with the Metropolitan, has a large station near Ludgate Hill, (involving great destruction of property,) crosses the Thames a little eastward of Blackfriars Bridge, and proceeds through Surrey and Kent to Sydenham, Bromley, Crays, Sevenoaks, Chatham, Sheerness, Faversham, Herne Bay, Margate, Ramsgate, Canterbury, Dover Pier, &c. It also comprises a curvilinear line from Ludgate to Pimlico, with stations at Blackfriars, Newington, Walworth, Camberwell, Loughborough Road, Brixton, Clapham, Wandsworth Road, and Battersea; and a branch to Peckham, Nunhead, and the Crystal Palace.

_Blackwall Railway_, with which is associated the _Tilbury and Southend_, has its terminus in Fenchurch Street. The station is small and unattractive; but it accommodates a wonderful amount of passenger traffic. The original line extended only from London to Blackwall, with intermediate stations at Shadwell, Stepney, Limehouse, West India Docks, and Poplar. An important branch from Stepney to Bow establishes a connection with the Great Eastern Railway valuable to both companies. At Stepney also begins the Tilbury and Southend line, passing through Bromley, Barking, and numerous other places. Accommodation is provided, a little way from the Fenchurch Street Station, for a large amount of goods traffic. The line is now leased in perpetuity to the Great Eastern Company.

_Great Eastern Railway_ has its terminus in Bishopsgate Street, or rather Shoreditch, and a large depôt and station at Stratford. The Shoreditch station is large. This terminus, however, will shortly be removed to Broad Street, City. The lines of this company are numerous, and ramify in many directions towards the east, north-east, and north. Its terminal points (with those of the associated companies) at present are—Peterborough, Hunstanton, Wells, Yarmouth, Aldborough, and Harwich; with less distant termini at Ongar and North Woolwich.

_North London Railway_, consisting wholly of viaduct and cutting, has its terminus at Broad Street, Finsbury. All its stations are considered to be in London. It joins the London and North-Western near Primrose Hill, and the Blackwall at Stepney. It has intermediate stations at Camden Road, Caledonian Road, Islington, Cannonbury, Kingsland, Dalston, Hackney, Victoria Park, and Bow. Trains run every quarter of an hour, in both directions, at fares varying from 2d. to 4d.; and the number of passengers is immense.

_Metropolitan Railway_, from Finsbury to Paddington, is a very remarkable one, nearly all tunnel, and requiring the carriages to be constantly lighted with gas. It runs from Westminster Bridge, _viâ_ Pimlico, Brompton, Kensington, Notting Hill, and Bayswater, to Paddington, where it joins the Great Western. It then goes under Praed Street and the New Road to King’s Cross. There it joins the Great Northern, and thence goes on to Holborn Bridge, Smithfield Dead Meat Market, and Moorgate Street. Since the opening of the Metropolitan District Extension Railway, you can go at present (July, 1870) from the Mansion House, under the Northern Thames Embankment, before described, to Westminster Bridge, &c. There are stations near the Mansion House, the terminus; at Blackfriars, the Temple, Charing Cross, and Westminster.

_Steamers_ and _Steamboat Piers_ have been already referred to.

SHORT EXCURSIONS.

WE shall now direct the stranger’s attention to a few places of interest easily accessible from the metropolis—beginning with those situated westward, or up the river.

UP THE RIVER.

[Picture: Chelsea Hospital]

Chelsea.—Chelsea, once a village, is now a part of the metropolis, Pimlico and Belgravia having supplied the intervening link. During the last century a pleasant ramble across the fields was much in favour to the _Chelsea bunhouse_; but no one thinks of Chelsea now, except as part of London. Sloane Square and Street, and Hans Place, were named after Sir Hans Sloane, who lived in that neighbourhood. The chief place of interest at Chelsea is the _Hospital_ for retired invalid soldiers, an institution similar to the asylum for old seamen at Greenwich. The hospital, which is situated on a flat stretch of ground bordering the Thames, and was planned by Sir Christopher Wren, consists chiefly of one large edifice of red brick, several stories in height, forming a centre and two wings, or three sides of a square, with the open side towards the bank of the Thames. On the north, in which is the main entrance, the style of architecture is simple, being ornamented with only a plain portico. The inner part of the centre building is more decorated, there being here a piazza of good proportions, forming a sheltered walk for the veteran inmates. In the centre of the open square stands a statue, by Grinling Gibbons, of Charles II., in whose time the hospital took its rise. The only parts of the structure considered worthy to be shewn to strangers are the chapel and old dining-hall, both in the central building. The chapel is neat and plain in appearance; the rows of benches being furnished with prayer-books and hassocks, and the floor being paved with chequered marble. Above the communion-table is a painting of the Ascension, by Sebastian Ricci. The dining-hall is equally spacious, but is now disused as a refectory. In the hall and chapel are about 100 flags, taken by British troops in various battles. The usual number of in-pensioners is about 500, and of out-pensioners not fewer than 60,000 to 70,000, who reside in all parts of the United Kingdom. The former are provided with all necessaries, while the latter have each pensions varying according to their grade. The inmates wear an antique garb of red cloth, in which they may be seen loitering about the neighbourhood.

Near Sloane Square is situated a large building forming the _Royal Military Asylum_, familiarly called the _Duke of York’s School_, for the support and education of about 500 poor children, whose fathers were non-commissioned officers and privates in the army. Each regiment of the British army contributes annually one day’s pay, to aid in supporting the institution. Between Sloane Square and Chelsea Bridge is the fine new Barracks for the Foot Guards: the only handsome barrack structure in the metropolis.

[Picture: Star and Garter, Putney]

Chelsea to Chiswick.—_Battersea Park_, elsewhere described, is just opposite Chelsea. Beyond the park are _Battersea_ and _Wandsworth_, places containing very few objects of interest; and backed by _Clapham_ and _Wimbledon_, where many London merchants and tradesmen have their private residences. Beyond Wandsworth lie _Putney_, _Barnes_, and _Mortlake_, where the river makes a great bend towards Kew. Between Putney and Kew many _Regattas_, or boat-races, take place during the summer; especially the famous annual contest, from Putney to Mortlake, between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge: these are among the most pleasant of the up-river scenes. Omnibuses, steamboats, and the South-Western Railway, give abundant accommodation to the places here named. On the Middlesex side of the river, just beyond Chelsea, are _Cremorne Gardens_. Next, we get into a region of Market-Gardens, from which London is supplied with vast quantities of fruit and vegetables. _Walham Green_, _Parson’s Green_, and _Fulham_, lie in the immediate vicinity of these gardens. Strangers would find an hour or two pleasantly spent hereabouts. The bishops of London have their palace at Fulham, a picturesque old structure. After passing _Hammersmith_, where there is a pretty suspension bridge, we come to _Chiswick_, noted for its market-gardens; here is the house in which Hogarth died; and in the churchyard is his tomb, with an inscription by David Garrick. The Duke of Sutherland has a fine mansion at Chiswick; and near at hand are the old gardens of the Horticultural Society.

[Picture: Palm-House, Kew Gardens]

Kew Gardens.—_Kew_ is one of the pleasantest villages near London. When we have crossed the Thames from Brentford, by the bridge, we come upon the green, bounded on three sides by countryfied-looking houses, and on the fourth by the splendid gardens. The place is very easily reached—by omnibuses from the city to the Middlesex end of the bridge; by steamers every half-hour during summer; and by trains from the Waterloo and the North London Stations. It may be well to remember, however, that the so-called Kew Station is not actually at Kew. There is another, however, near the Gardens. By far the most interesting object at Kew is the famous _Botanic Gardens_. This is a very beautiful establishment, maintained at the public expense. It contains a rare collection of plants, obtained from all parts of the world, arranged and labelled in admirable order by Dr. Dalton Hooker. The flower-beds, hot-houses, and conservatories, are very numerous. The _great palm __house_, with its exotics, reaching to a height of 60 feet, and constructed at a cost of £30,000, forms a grand object. The new _temperate-house_ was constructed from the designs of Mr. Burton; 212 feet long, 137 wide, and 60 high, with two wings 112 feet by 62. Extensive new works have been added—including a lake having a communication with the Thames by a tunnel under the river-terrace, and a winter-garden, or enclosed conservatory, more than twice as large as the palm-house. Three detached buildings have been fitted up as a _Museum of Economic Botany_. The _Pleasure Grounds_ form a kind of Park contiguous to the Botanic Gardens; the gardens are 75 acres in extent, and the grounds 240 acres. This beautiful place is freely open to the public in the afternoon, on Sundays as well as week-days, after one o’clock.

[Picture: Richmond Bridge]

Richmond.—_Richmond_ is a village situated on the south bank of the Thames, at about 9 miles by land from Hyde Park Corner, and 16 miles by following the windings of the river. The most pleasant mode of conveyance to it used to be by one of the small steamboats from Hungerford Pier; for then an opportunity was afforded of seeing numerous beautiful and interesting spots on both banks of the river. The river is now, however, so shallow, that steamers can seldom reach this spot; and the trip is usually made by railway—from the Waterloo and Vauxhall Stations, and from all stations on the Blackwall, North London, and North and South Western lines. Omnibuses also run very frequently from the City and West End. Richmond stands on a slope overhanging the river. Opposite the village is a stone bridge crossing the Thames. South from the village, a pretty steep bank ascends to the green and bushy eminence called _Richmond Hill_; and from the terrace on its summit a view is obtained of the beautifully wooded country up the river, stretching away to Windsor. Among numerous villas, ornamental grounds, and other attractive objects, may be seen _Twickenham_, situated in the immediate vicinity, on the left bank of the Thames. In the house for which the present was erected as a substitute, lived Pope the poet, and his body is entombed in the church. [Picture: Pope’s Villa] Close by Twickenham is _Strawberry Mill_, once the seat of Horace Walpole, and now belonging to Lady Waldegrave. Moving onwards along the brow of the eminence, and passing the well known but expensive hotel called the _Star and Garter_, we enter the famous _Richmond Park_, which is eight miles in circumference, and enriched with magnificent trees. These extensive grounds were at one time connected with a royal palace, but there is now no such edifice—one or two hunting-lodges excepted; the park is, however, still a domain of the Crown, and freely open to the public. Foreigners are great admirers of this vicinity.

[Picture: Hampton Court]

Hampton Court.—_Hampton_ is about 13 miles from London by railway, and 24 by water. Trains run there very frequently, and at low fares, from Waterloo Station. The village is unimportant, but rendered pleasant by its large and open green. The chief object of attraction is _Hampton Court Palace_, situated within an enclosed garden near the north bank of the Thames. The palace was originally built by Cardinal Wolsey, and a portion of the structure which he reared is still extant in the northern quadrangle. Here was the scene of the humiliation and forfeiture of that favourite of Henry VIII., who at this place often held his court, and made it the scene of his Christmas festivities; there Edward VI. was born; here were held the masques, mummeries, and tournaments of Philip and Mary, and Elizabeth; here James I. held his court and famous meeting of controversialists; here Charles I. was immured as a state prisoner, and took leave of his children; here was celebrated the marriage of Cromwell’s daughter and Lord Falconberg; here Charles II. sojourned occasionally with his dissolute courtiers; here lived William and Mary after the revolution of 1688; and here, till the reign of George II., royal courts were sometimes held. The palace, in external appearance, is a lofty and magnificent structure of red brick, with stone cornices and dressings. The older part, including the famous Great Hall, the scene of the court masques and revels, is of the time of Henry VIII.; the eastern part, including the public rooms and the long garden front, was built by Wren for William III. Altogether, the edifice consists of three quadrangles. Entering by the grand staircase, which is decorated with paintings by Antonio Verrio, the visitor is conducted through a suite of lofty and large apartments, furnished in an old-fashioned style. The guard-room, which is first in order, contains, besides a series of English admirals by Kneller and Dahl, a variety of ancient warlike instruments. In the next apartment are portraits of various beauties of Charles II.’s court, painted by Sir Peter Lely, who has here depicted several lovely countenances, though a sensual character is common to them all. In the third room, or audience-chamber, is seen what is generally regarded as the finest painting in the palace—a portrait of Charles I. on horseback, by Vandyck. The third room has also some good pictures; among others, a painting of the family of Louis Cornaro, a person celebrated for his extraordinary temperance. The picture, which is from an original by Titian, shews Cornaro and three generations of descendants, who appear in the act of adoration at a shrine. There are likewise portraits of Titian and his uncle, painted by Titian himself, and a spirited battle-piece by Giulio Romano. The fourth apartment, or Queen’s drawing-room, is enriched with an exceedingly fine painting of Charles I., a whole length, by Vandyck, esteemed the best likeness we have of that monarch. There is a well known and beautiful print from it by Sir Robert Strange, the prince of English line-engravers. In the next room, or state bedchamber, the visitor will see a portrait of Ann Hyde, daughter of Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, and mother of the successive queens, Mary and Anne. The Queen’s dressing-room and writing-closet, and Queen Mary’s state bedchamber, which follow, contain many fine pictures, by Holbein, Sir Peter Lely, Sebastian del Piombo, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Durer, and others. A series known as the Beauties of the Court of William and Mary comprises portraits (by Kneller) more staid than those of the court of Charles II., and, it must be admitted, more tame and dull. After having traversed these stately and silent halls, one of which contains a valuable collection of historical portraits, the visitor is led out through the gallery lately containing the famous Cartoons of Raphael—which were transferred in 1865 to the South Kensington Museum. Another room contains a fine series of Cartoons by Andrea Mantegna. The whole of the pictures at Hampton Court are little less than 1000 in number.

The palace garden has a _Vinery_, where there is a grape vine ninety years old, which has sometimes yielded 3000 bunches of grapes in one year. The garden also possesses a _Maze_, a source of great delight to holiday juveniles. On the opposite side of the Hampton Wick Road from the palace gardens, is _Bushy Park_, a royal domain, embellished with an avenue of horse-chestnut trees, which present a splendid sight when in full bloom. The palace grounds are also exceedingly beautiful. Bushy Park is open for omnibuses and other vehicles, as well as for pedestrians. The palace is open free every day except Friday, from 10 till 4 or 6, according to the season; and the grounds or gardens till dusk. This is one of the very few public buildings in or near the metropolis open on Sundays.

Windsor.—Passing over the country between Hampton and Windsor, which does not comprise many spots interesting to strangers, we come to the famous royal domain. _Windsor_ is situated in the county of Berks, at the distance of 22 miles west from London by the road through Brentford; but it may now be reached in an hour or less by the Great Western Railway from Paddington, or the South-Western from Waterloo Bridge. Windsor occupies a rising-ground on the south bank of the Thames, and is interesting for its ancient and extensive castle, the grandest royal residence in this country. The gates of the castle are close upon the main street of the town, and lead to enclosures containing a number of quadrangles, towers, gates, mansions, barracks, and other structures. [Picture: Round Tower, Windsor] The principal portion of the castle occupies two courts, an upper and lower, of spacious dimensions, and having between them a large round tower or keep, in which the governor resides. The top of this keep is 220 feet above the Thames, and twelve counties can be seen from it in fine weather. In the lower court is St. George’s Chapel, an elegant Gothic edifice, in which service is performed on Sundays, occasionally in presence of the royal residents. Besides the chapel and keep, the chief parts of the castle attractive to strangers are the state apartments in the upper or northern court; these are exhibited _free_ to visitors on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Tickets can be obtained of Messrs. Colnaghi, 13 and 14 Pall Mall East. The days, hours, and conditions of visiting are notified on the tickets. The apartments here meant are the _old_ state rooms, not those actually occupied by the Queen, her family, and retinue.

[Picture: Windsor Castle]

Outside the castle, facing the north, is the famed _terrace_, from which a view is obtained over a most beautiful expanse of country. On another side are the new royal stables, the finest in England, having, with the Riding House, cost £70,000. In the gardens immediately adjoining the Queen’s apartments, the royal family, before the death of the Prince Consort, were wont occasionally to promenade, at an hour when the public might see them. The _Home Park_, bounding the palace on two sides, is not open to the public; but the _Great Park_ is freely open, to persons on foot, on horseback, or in vehicles. The _Long Walk_ through this park, extending 3 miles, is one of the finest things of the kind in England.

[Picture: Eton College]

_Eton College_, with its school-rooms for 900 boys, chapel, quadrangles, and playing-fields, lies beautifully situated opposite Windsor Castle.

A ramble from the Slough Station, near Eton, would take a visitor to the scenes rendered memorable by Gray’s _Elegy_.

DOWN THE RIVER.