Literary by-paths in old England . ll so far as I aminterested in it. There is a good house whereI may establish myself in comfortable views from it are superb. There are hardsmooth roads to gallop on towards any point ofthe compass, and ample space to dig and pruneunder the pure canopy of a wholesome sky. Theancient Tower of Repentance stands in a cornerof the farm, a fit memorial for reflecting was Carlyles first impression of the farm;nor did occupancy prove that distance had lentenchantment to the view. We live here on ourhill-top, enjoying a degree of solitude th
Literary by-paths in old England . ll so far as I aminterested in it. There is a good house whereI may establish myself in comfortable views from it are superb. There are hardsmooth roads to gallop on towards any point ofthe compass, and ample space to dig and pruneunder the pure canopy of a wholesome sky. Theancient Tower of Repentance stands in a cornerof the farm, a fit memorial for reflecting was Carlyles first impression of the farm;nor did occupancy prove that distance had lentenchantment to the view. We live here on ourhill-top, enjoying a degree of solitude that mightcontent the great Zimmermann himself. Fewmortals come to visit us, I go to visit years after he could recall the spot withfeelings of unmixed pleasure. Hoddam Hill,he wrote in his Reminiscences, was a neat,compact little farm, rent £100, which my fatherhad leased for me, on which was a prettyish littlecottage for dwelling-house ; and from the windowsuch a view (fifty miles in radius from beyond290 IN OLD ENGLAND. Tyndale to beyond St. Bees, Solway Firth, andall the fells to Ingleborough inclusive) as Britainor the world could hardly have matched. At the present time the Carlyle pilgrim hasconsiderable difficulty in finding Hoddam Hill, —the fact of the philosophers tenancy of that spothaving faded from ^ j ff ^ v^the local my questionswere answeredwith stolid nega-tives. I must meanMainhill. Even aman who had livedon the estate all HoDDAM HlLL his life was ignorant that Carlyle once rented oneof its farms. A twofold explanation offers ofthis somewhat surprising fact. Carlyle occupiedthe farm only for a year ; and the local name forthe house appears to be The Hill rather than Hoddam Hill. If additional proof were wanted of the indif-ference with which Carlyle is regarded in Annan-dale, it might be adduced from the deplorablecondition of the house in which he lived atHoddam Hill. The front door has been blockedup, and the building so divided intern
Size: 1903px × 1313px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorshelleyh, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1906
