Cathedrals, abbeys and churches of England and Wales : descriptive, historical, pictorial . outh-west—the glorious landscapecommanded from the terrace seats outside the churchyard—Buckinghamshire andBerkshire lie outspread, rich in English homes, in woodland and pasturage; theSurrey hills change the prospect in another direction, with Knockholt Beeches,Hayes Common, and Shooters Hill trending eastward. The churchyard brings us back by a cherished tradition to the associationof Harrow with Lord Byron. Within a few yards of the church tower is a flatmonumental stone, to which the poet, two years
Cathedrals, abbeys and churches of England and Wales : descriptive, historical, pictorial . outh-west—the glorious landscapecommanded from the terrace seats outside the churchyard—Buckinghamshire andBerkshire lie outspread, rich in English homes, in woodland and pasturage; theSurrey hills change the prospect in another direction, with Knockholt Beeches,Hayes Common, and Shooters Hill trending eastward. The churchyard brings us back by a cherished tradition to the associationof Harrow with Lord Byron. Within a few yards of the church tower is a flatmonumental stone, to which the poet, two years before his death, in one of hisletters to Murray, the publisher, thus referred:—There is a spot in the church-yard near the footpath, on the brow of the hill, looking towards Windsor, anda tomb under a large tree (bearing the name of Peachie or Peachey) where Iused to sit for hours and hours when a boy. This was my favourite sundry entries in his journals, and from his poems, we get glimpses ofByron at Harrow, engaging in the athletics of the playground. He recounts his. HARROW : VIEW FUOM THE CHURCHYARD. battles, and his prowess at cricket and swimming; yet he admits that he was amost unpopular boy, but led latterly. We know also that for two years and 526 ABBEYS AND CHURCHES. [Harrow and a half he hated Harrow. From some of his contemporaries it may be gathered thatat Harrow, as at Cambridge, he did not excel as a scholar. The spirit of poetrywas burning within him, nevertheless, and the favomite spot in the chmxh-yard doubtless was the tin-one of the dreamer, productive of more delight to hisprecocious genius than the rough contests of the playground, in which he wasphysically unable to share with enthusiasm. Only a few of the published poemswere produced during the Harrow period, but there is one written the year afterhe left, directly bearing upon the stone slab, which was called Byrons tombby his comrades. The verse is well remembered:— Again I behold w
Size: 1920px × 1302px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., book, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectchurchbuildings
