What to See in England | Page 6

designed by Sir Christopher
Wren, and form one of the best examples of his work. In this part of the
building are the picture galleries, containing a priceless collection of
works, comprising Sir Peter Lely's Beauties of King Charles II.'s time,
valuable specimens of Holbein, Kneller, West, Jansen, Vandyck,
Reynolds, and other masters, and seven wonderful cartoons by
Raphael.
The splendidly kept gardens, about 44 acres in extent, are still very
much as they were in the time of William III. Hampton Court "Maze"
is one of the most intricate in the country.
The palace, grounds, and picture galleries are open to the public daily,
free, except on Fridays; summer, 10 to 6; winter, 10 to 4. Sundays,
summer, 2 to 6; winter, 2 to 4.
[Illustration: THE EAST SIDE OF THE CLOCK TOWER,
HAMPTON COURT.]

RYE HOUSE, BROXBOURNE
=How to get there.=--Train from Liverpool Street. Great Eastern Rly.
=Nearest Station.=--Broxbourne (quite close to Rye House). =Distance
from London.=--17 miles. =Average Time.=--50 minutes. Quickest
train, 39 minutes.
1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 3s. 3d. 2s. 3d. 1s. 6d. } reduced during
Return 4s. 9d. 3s. 6d. 2s. 6d. } summer months.
=Accommodation Obtainable.=--Rye House has been converted into an
hotel.
Rye House stands close to the banks of the river Lea, and is now
perhaps more of a resort than some would wish it to be, for it has been

altered from a manor-house into an hotel. It has not, however, quite lost
its picturesqueness, as one will see from the illustration given here, and
within one may see the fine old dining-hall and the famous "Great bed
of Ware," large enough, it is said, to contain twelve people! The
historical interest which attaches itself to Rye House, though well
known, may be briefly given here. It was in 1683 the scene of a plot, in
Charles II.'s reign, to assassinate the king and his brother the Duke of
York, afterwards James II., on their way to London from Newmarket.
Charles, though restored to the throne, was giving great dissatisfaction
to many in the country. Though professedly a Protestant, it was well
known that his leanings were towards Roman Catholicism, and his
brother the Duke of York was an avowed Catholic. Then it was
discovered that Charles had been receiving a pension from Louis XIV.
of France, on condition that this country did not go to war with the
French, an arrangement which was most humiliating to the English
people. The nation was thoroughly alarmed, and at the next meeting of
Parliament the Commons brought in a bill to exclude the Duke of York
from ever coming to the throne. Many of the leading Whigs, including
Lord William Russell, Algernon Sidney, and the Earl of Essex, formed
a confederacy. It has never been proved that they ever meant the
country to rise against the king, but unfortunately, just at the same time,
some bolder and fiercer spirits of the Whig party determined to kill
both Charles and James at the lonely Rye House belonging to Rumbolt.
The plot failed from the fact that the house which the king occupied at
Newmarket accidentally caught fire, and Charles was obliged to leave
Newmarket a week sooner than was expected. This conspiracy as well
as the meetings of the Whig party were betrayed to the king's ministers.
Russell was beheaded in 1683, and Sidney shared the same fate.
[Illustration: RYE HOUSE.
The scene of the famous Rye House Plot in 1683.]

HATFIELD HOUSE, HERTS
=How to get there.=--From King's Cross. Great Northern Railway.

=Nearest Station.=--Hatfield. =Distance from London.=--17-3/4 miles.
=Average Time.=--35 minutes.
1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 2s. 6d. ... 1s. 5-1/2d. Return 5s. 0d. ... 2s.
11d.
=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"Red Lion Hotel," etc.
Permission to see the interior of Hatfield House can be obtained when
the Marquess of Salisbury is not in residence.
After the Norman Conquest Hatfield, the Haethfield of the Saxons,
became the property of the bishops of Ely, and was known as Bishops
Hatfield, as indeed it is marked on many maps. There was here a
magnificent palace, which at the Reformation became the property of
Henry VIII., and was afterwards given to the Cecils by James I., who
received Theobalds in exchange.
The town of Hatfield is a quaint, straggling place, with narrow streets
and many antique houses. A steep declivity leads up to the old church,
dedicated to St. Etheldreda, just outside one of the entrances to the
grounds of Hatfield House. The church contains a monument to Sir
Robert Cecil, first Earl of Salisbury, also tombs of the Botelers,
Brockets, and Reads of Brocket Hall.
The entrance gateway, close to the churchyard, leads to what are now
the stables of Hatfield House, a fine red-brick structure, once the
banqueting-hall of the Bishop's Palace. This building, with its fine open