Page:A tour through the northern counties of England, and the borders of Scotland - Volume II.djvu/74

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luxuriant plain watered by the river Eden, than for any splendour of stru&ure. The ancient An- glo-Norman cathedral, chiefly built in the reign of William Rufus, having been curtailed of its origi- nal length one hundred feet by the sacrilegious hands of Cromwell, who converted the materials to the erection of batteries, has lost much of its pristine dignity; and the castle, first constructed in the 13th century, added toby Richard III. and extended by Henry VIII. though it assume the ap- pearance of strength at a distance, is found, upon a closer survey, to be neither strong nor magnifi- cent. Its walls are ruinous, and the walks lead- ing round their summit in the worst possible order. Three gateways remain, the ancient entrances into the town, called the Scotch, the English, and the French. But though Carlisle itself afford nothing; particularly worth the traveller's notice, we found the country around it replete with curiosities, both natural and artificial, and had ample entertainment in excursions to the more remote interesting ob- jects, Gilsland Spa and Naworth-Castle; and the nearer ones, Corby-Castle and Witheral Priory. The first of these places lies about eighteen miles north-east of Carlisle, five miles to the left of die great turnpike-road to Newcastle; and consists of two large houses for the accommodation of lodgers,

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