496 A Walk from Wanstead, Essex. reigns, Prove as a desert, and none there make stay But savage beasts, and men as wild as they!" Although it may be said certainly that the county has been greatly improved since this stigma was fixed upon it, yet it is most probable that the "courtly Waller" knew very little of this, to him, Baotian district, which, if it cannot boast of scenes possessing high romantic interest, has many spots of great amenity and pastoral beauty; and if we except, perhaps, that part of the county contiguous to the estuary of the Thames, so far from being unhealthy, is very salubrious. Like that of the worthy Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop of Winchester, walking is my favourite relaxation,* and in my rambles I can answer for having visited many interesting objects surrounding my own house, not the least of which are those considerable remains of the ancient forest that in foriner ages nearly overspread the county, but which is now subdivided into the forests of Waltham, Epping, and Hainault. These I have so often explored, that I may say, in the beautiful language of Comus, "I know each lane, and every alley green, Dingle, or hashy dell of this wild wood, And every bosky bourn from side to side, My daily walks and ancient neighbourhood." With your permission, I will transport myself in fancy to the village of Waltham, whose parish churcht is "He would often profess, that to observe the grass, herbs, corn, trees, cattle, earth, waters, heavens, any of the creatures, and to contemplate their natures, orders, qualities, virtues, uses, was ever to him the greatest mirth, content, and recreation that could be and this he held to his dying day!!"-Fuller's Abel Redivivus, article Andrewes. + The nave of the conventual church. [June, nearly all that has escaped the hammers of destruction of the once splendid mitred abbey of that name, in which reposed the remains of Harold Infelix. A step will bring me to the sedgy Lea, and revive a whole train of delightful recollections, of Izaack Walton, "that happy, garrulous, old man," one of the best, yet most unostentatious of philosophers, who, living in an age of civil dissension, was an exemplar of contented quietness, and who bequeathed to posterity a most valuable moral in the humble disguise of a fishing book.§ Many other spots I could enumerate interesting to the topographer, but I must repress the wings of my imagination, or I shall have no chance of being allowed a corner of your useful Miscellany for my rough notes of a visit which I have recently made in propria persona. VIATOR. 13th Dec. 1829.-One of the most inviting mornings I ever witnessed. It was not frosty, yet the sun shone gloriously forth, and there was a dryness at the same time, a mild elasticity in the air, highly exhilarating to the spirits, it was more like a foretaste of spring than a prelude to the winter: I could not remain at home. But in what direction shall be my ramble? It matters not. So I sallied forth at the postern gate of the garden, and accident determined it. Forcing my way through "brake and briar" in that part of the forest These two impressive words are said to have been all that were engraven on his tomb. § I am waiting with impatience for the appearance of Mr. Pickering's long announced quarto edition of the Angler, which is so much wanted by the "illustrators," Major's pretty edition being too small for their purpose; and I trust that it will contain some engravings of the scenery about the streams aud villages mentioned in that sweet pastoral. And here let me ask what have the "Walton Club" of London done to commemorate his name?-Look into Prior Silsteed's Chapel in the south transept of that glorious cathedral at Winchester. Surely the name of the gentle Piscator, engraven on a memorial worthy of him, would not dishonour even those hallowed walls. 1830.] Wanstead House.-Smart Lethieullier, Esq. F.S.A. where the trees (including some splendid specimens of Spanish chesnut, and two stately lime groves) now stand marked for felling by their ruthless lord, I reached that extensive portion of uninclosed level ground, known here by the name of the Flats, having Wanstead Park on the left., Now and then, through the trees, I obtained a sight of the church, which stands on a gentle eminence in the middle of the park. Near to the church, eight or nine years since, stood: Wanstead House, one of the most splendid mansions in the kingdom, the glory of this county, or at least, if I must award that pre-eminence to Audley End, yielding only to that interesting relic of the Tudor style in antiquarian interest. But, alas! thoughtless extravagance has laid it low, and one of the noblest monuments of successful in dustry has perished for ever! . Crossing the great road which leads through the county of Essex to Suffolk and Norfolk, I came presently to the church and rectory house of Little Ilford, The exterior of the church has nothing worthy of notice. It consists of a rough-cast nave, and a redbricked chancel. On the western end is a small wooden receptacle for a bell; and abutting upon the north side of the nave is a plain brick building like the chancel. The interior is such as you might be led to expect from its unpromising exterior,-unadorned as a village school-house. In fact, the clerk, or some such dignitary, was beating (in his hand was a formidable rattan) the rudiments of knowledge into the pericraniums of a class of vociferous urchins marshalled in the aisle. But, traveller, if peradventure thou art an inquisitive one, do not suppose from this my description that the church of Little Ilford is altogether unworthy of a passing visit,-far otherwise; be merry, but wise, and turn into the plain brick building before noticed, which you will find the private burial place of a gentleman's family, though, from the smallness of 497 the church, it is allowed to be used as a vestry-room. Beneath this chapel are interred the remains of Sinart Lethieullier, one of those patient yet enthusiastic investigators, who, not allabsorbed in the pursuits of the "ignorant present time," take delight in tracing the history of by-gone ages, and those remains of antiquity, that serve to illustrate it. The monuments in this chapel, which present, a very elegant appearance, consist principally of a large sarcophagus of red-veined marble, and two pedestals on, either side of it, bearing urns of white marble, that to the left inscribed as follows; "To the memory of Smart Lethieullier, esq. of Aldersbrook, a gentleman of polite literature and elegant taste; an encourager of arts and ingenious artists; a studious promoter of literary inquiries; a companion and friend of learned men; judiciously versed in the science of antiquity; and richly possessed of the curious productions of nature; but who modestly desired no other inscription upon his tomb than what he had made the rule of his life, an admonition to the reader, by example, to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with his God." Mr. Lethieullier was descended from an ancient family that fled from France in time of persecution. His desire to improve the civil and natural history of his country led him to visit all parts of it; the itineraries in his library, and the discoveries he made relating to its antiquities, with drawings of every thing remarkable, are evidences of his great application to rescue so many ancient remains from mouldering in oblivion. Mr. Lethieullier did not publish the result of his labours, further than by some papers to the Archæologia, &c. He died without issue, in 1760, and Mr. Hulse of Portman-square, who married the heir general of the Lethieullier family, possesses his valuable manuscripts, in cluding a History of Barking Abbey; also his collection of natural history, fossils, &c. On the death of Mr. Lethieullier, the mansion house at Alders WANSTEAD HOUSE was a very magnificent structure, and was built by the celebrated Colin Campbell about the year 1715, for Sir Richard Child, Bart. afterwards created Earl of Tylney, son of Sir Josiah Child, who was a merchant of London. Wanstead House was considered one of Campbell's best works. The principal front, shown in the annexed view, drawn in 1787, (see Plate :) was 260 feet in length. It consisted of two stories, the basement and the state story, and was adorned by a noble portico of Corinthian columns. In the tympanum of the portico was the arms of the Tylney family. A further account of it may be seen in vol. xc. i. p. 627.—Edit. GENT. MAG. June, 1830. 498 Little Ilford Church.-East Ham Church. brook was purchased by Sir James Tylney Long, Bart. of Waustead Park, and immediately pulled down. Its site is now occupied by a farm house. Within the church, on the north side of the chancel, is an interesting alabaster monument, with two figures kneeling; beneath them are effigies of several sons and daughters. The women are in high-crowned hats and ruffs, with small hoops. The inscription states it to be in memory of William Waldegrave, "of the ancient fa mily of that name in this county," who died in 1610, and Dorothy, his wife; she died in 1586. Leaving the church of Little Ilford, and bearing to the right across a few fields, I reached the village of East Ham, which, though it presents some poverty-stricken tenements, can reckon also several substantial houses, not withstanding the apparent disadvantage of its situation, being close upon the marshes of the Thames. At some distance from where the houses terminate, and the country lies open to the river, from which it is situated about a mile, stands the venerable church of East Ham. Time and circumstances will sometimes give an aspect to things which otherwise perhaps they would not seem to warrant. Possibly it was to the splendour of the day, or it might be to a certain indistinct recollection that I should find here some relics of antiquity, that I owe the interest I felt when this time-worn edifice first came in view. There was, moreover, I thought, something striking in the landscape beyond what I had expected, the grey, sombre-looking church, with its ponderous though somewhat low tower, supported in its tottering age by a massive brick buttress,-the villagers assembling for evening prayer individually or by groupes, summoned by the sonorous knell from this tower, to the right Woolwich, and the crowd of masts from those rich "argosies" in the East India Docks. A mile or more distant to the left rose the embattled tower of the ancient church of Barking, near to which stood the celebrated abbey so named, the first convent for women established in this kingdom. For a back-ground [June, Shooter's Hill in Kent; whilst to enliven the scene numerous vessels, some of large burthen, were passing up and down the river, their sails lighted up by the now setting sun. East Ham Church consists of a nave, a double chancel, (the farthest having a semicircular apsis), and the massive tower before mentioned, strengthened by brick buttresses, one of them of amazing bulk. It is much disfigured by plaster and rough-cast, but enough is visible to show that it is built of stones and flint. The walls of the chancel are three feet thick; this, with the semicircular east end, Saxon roundheaded windows, and, I think, the door-way at the western extremity, mentioned below, bespeak it a striking specimen of church architecture about the period of the twelfth century. Along the string course of the tower are a few ornamental bosses, among which is to be seen that elegant device the portcullis, the Badge of the House of Tudor, which is represented with such profusion and fine effect in the chapel of King's College, Cambridge. At the western angles are gargoiles, representing eagles, or other birds. The outer entrance to the tower is mean, and apparently modern; but within is concealed a door-way of the boldest proportions, with three semicircular receding arches. The capitals of the columns are without ornament, and the whole presents a fine example of early Norman architecture. This was, probably, before the erection of the tower, the great western entrance to the church, as it is not likely that the architect would have made so poor an entrance to the tower from without, and at the same time concealed from view this noble door-way. To the south of the altar, within a deep recess formed by two trefoil arches, united in the centre by a slender detached column, is a Piscina with a double drain. This elegant piece of architecture is covered by a thick coating of white-wash. On the opposite of the altar is one of those interesting monuments, not infrequently to be seen in our parochial churches, but which often unexpectedly present themselves to the ardent topographer, in requital of his toils,† *There is a S. E. view of this church in Mrs. Ogborne's "History of Essex;" and a N. W. view in Woodburn's "Ecclesiastical Topography." The vexatious annoyances to which the topographer was subjected in the prosecu tion of his labours in the days of the first James are thus alluded to by old Weever, |