A short distance from the house, embosomed in
trees, stands the church, built in the time of Henry III.; with a
sublime Gothic arch, richly painted windows, and a ceiling fretted with
the heraldic fires of the Lyttleton family, whose tombs are placed on
all sides; among them, the resting-place of the gay poet is
distinguished by the following plain inscription:--
This unadorned stone was placed here
By the particular desire and express
Directions of the Right Honourable
GEORGE, LORD LYTTLETON,
Who died August 22, 1773, aged 64.
Leaving the church we ascend to the crest of a hill, on which stands the
Prince of Wales's Pillar. From this point, the view is inexpressibly
beautiful, in which may be seen an octagon seat sacred to the memory of
Thomson, and erected on the brow of a verdant steep, his favourite spot.
In the foreground is a gently winding valley; on the rising hill beyond
is a noble wood, whilst to the right the open country fades in the
distance; on the left the Clent hills appear, and a dusky antique tower
stands just below them at the extremity of the wood; whilst in the midst
of it, we can discern the _Doric temple sacred to Pope_. This exquisite
gem of the picturesque is represented in our Engraving.
In the adjoining grove of oaks is the antique tower; in a beautiful
amphitheatre of wood, an Ionic rotunda; and in an embowering grove a
Palladian bridge, with a light airy portico.
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