Page:A tour through the northern counties of England, and the borders of Scotland - Volume II.djvu/269

 winding through an extensive plantation to a magnificent bridge of one arch, built by the late Earl of Warwick, over the Avon. That, however, in which we were, still detained us. It stretches a mile in length, was disposed entirely by his Lordship about twenty years ago, and may dispute the palm of taste with any example of picturesque improvement. Descending towards the river, the walk opens upon a lawn, where we have the grandest association possible of beautiful objects; the green-house, its shrubs, and velvet turf to the left; beyond it a mass of wood, its dark line broken by proud towers and spires. Further on, a member of the castle rising high above the Avon, which flows at its foot, broken into a cascade; and more still to the right, a gently-rising wooded bank, and fertile distance. Crossing the bottom of the lawn, we reached the pavillion, where a magical change takes place in the picture; a solemn scene, beautifully harmonizing with serious sentiment and stillness of soul. The fore ground is now shut up by a groupe of trees, whilst to the right the eye is led along a reach of the river, finished by the cascade, which seems to make its fall beneath the Gothic arch of an ancient ruined bridge, whose battlements are destroyed, and its neglected head overgrown with weeds. To the right, also, the eye is precluded