gather that it was a Roman station of considerable importance. The remains of the camp may still be traced near the present house.

The castle mansion is irregularly built, and with the court-yards and outer offices covers a vast extent of ground. The garden-court comprises on two of its sides nearly the whole of the buildings occupied by the family. At the lower end of this court is a massive arched entrance

ENTRANCE GATEWAY TO BROUGHAM HALL, WESTMORELAND.

gateway, which, together with the surrounding buildings, is very old and picturesque, and clothed with a garb of most luxuriant ivy. The western side of the hall is considered to be the most ancient part of the structure. It is singularly solid in construction, the works being several yards in thickness. The large tower contains the apartment

formerly the armoury. The terrace commands an extensive view of scenes rich in historic interest, and of great natural beauty; comprising in the distance the whole of the mountains of the Lake district, which rear their airy summits, chain upon chain, peak upon peak, in almost countless numbers. Nearer, the eye ranges over thick woods, chequered here and there with grey rocks and quiet holms; while nearer, unseen, but plainly heard, the Lowther brawls over its rocky bed, and through the wide arches of Lowther Bridge, a famous and most picturesque structure. Higher up the river, the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway passes over an immense viaduct, of which three or four of the most central arches are distinctly visible from the Hall. Nothing can exceed the beauty of this scene on a clear sunny afternoon, when the dull red bridge is in shade; the light touched clearly but delicately along the parapet, and down the inner sides of the shafted piers; the whole framed, as it were, in ponderous masses of richly-coloured foliage, subdued and harmonized by ever-recurring passages of most delicious shade. The interior contains many apartments of great interest; several of them having been renovated in the best possible taste, and in perfect harmony with the edifice. The Great Hall is a double cube, forty feet by twenty, and twenty high; the roof supported by arches, with open spandrils, made of walnut wood. The ceiling has been lately restored; the fire-places, also the windows (six in number), are filled with very fine stained glass, chiefly of the end of the fifteenth, and beginning of the sixteenth century. There is a good deal of curious armour here, especially a very old and perfect suit of Edward IV. or Richard III.'s time. The armoury was a room about sixteen feet square at the top of the highest tower, with a fine oak roof, but is now used as a bed room. All its contents were recently moved into the hall. In this apartment is a very old iron chest, with a lock in the lid, which shoots twelve bolts by one key, that turns in the centre of the lid. This was probably used in ancient times to keep the vessels belonging to the chapel. The most curious relic in the hall is an ivory horn, of very early workmanship, and used (as is believed) in the service of Cornage-an ancient border service, by which certain of the lands of Brougham are held. In former times, this service consisted in blowing a horn from the top of the high tower, to give notice of the approach of an enemy (most usually the Scotch), so that the neighbouring Barons might be prepared for the

threatened attack; or the nearest beacon (which is on the top of Penrith Fell, and still in existence), might be lighted up to alarm the

country. This service in later times was changed into a corn rent, and hence it has been erroneously supposed, that it was called Cornage; the original service, however, was that of blowing the horn. Over the chimney-piece in the old drawing-room, are the arms of Edward VI. This room, and many others in the house, are rich in tapestry and old stamped leather.

The Chapel, of which we annex an engraving, is a most interesting and picturesque building. It is of very ancient erection, and was repaired and beautified in 1659. In this Chapel was formerly a holy well, dedicated to St. Wilfred, which rose through the ancient font by a hole bored through the shaft into the bowl. The hill near the chapel,

was cut through about fifty years ago for the purpose of lowering the road; and from that time, the spring which supplied the well was cut off, so that the water now only rises to the height of the chapel floor. There still remains the shrine, or a considerable portion of it, now fixed at the west-end of the chapel, noticed by Leland in his "Itinerary,"

THE CHAPEL, BROUGHAM HALL, WESTMORELAND.

and to which he says there was a great pilgrimage. The shrine at the east-end consists of three compartments, of very remarkable carving, said to be by Albert Dürer, but, apparently from the architecture of the canopy work, of an earlier date. It is said to have come from the church of St. Cunegonde, at Cologne. The windows at the east-end are early Anglo-Norman, and are filled with the earliest stained glass known in England. At one side of the altar in the north wall, is the ancient "Ambrie," or small cupboard, cut in the solid wall, in which were kept the vessels; some of them are still preserved, and are of great curiosity -the pix-now very rarely to be met with; the remonstrance, a small

oblong box, either used as a reliquary, or, more probably, to contain the cruet or phial of sacred oil. These are gilt and finely enamelled, and are in a state of good preservation. The chalice and paten (silver gilt), are of great antiquity, and are also well preserved. The door of the ambrie is of black oak, curiously carved; on the back is fixed a very singular gilt and enamelled crucifixion, with a remarkable representation of a glory above the head of our Saviour. This cross is of the very earliest age, probably of the sixth or eighth century. The sedilia of black wood, still stands upon the raised part of the floor, on the south-side of the altar; and the old drain, or piscina, is still to be

seen.

Service is performed here whenever the family are resident, and generally by the rector, after his duty at the parish church is over.

The situation of the parish church is remarkable. It is placed on the borders of a meadow, close to the river Eamont, at a point where there is a ford. It is about two miles from the nearest village, called Woodside, and still further from the place where the town of Brougham formerly stood; there is no trace of any habitations having ever existed near it. The great lawyer, philosopher, statesman, and critic, Lord Brougham, the owner of this fine property, and Scales Hall, and Highead Castle, generally resides at the hall while Parliament is sitting, but his favourite dwelling is at Cannes, in the south of France, where he has a chateau.

While in this neighbourhood, the visitor should see LOWTHER CASTLE, the seat of the Earl of Lonsdale. The castle, which was built by Mr. W. Smirke, in the Gothic style, forms, with its towers, a fine mass in the distance. The interior has also a fine effect from a large and splendid staircase. Nevertheless, it is easy to perceive, that the architect has failed to observe the real principles of his art. Instead of the lightness and elegance which the Gothic style permits in its supporting members, the shafted pillars are here thick and heavy enough to support the cupola of a great dome, while the profile of the separate features, cornices, &c., in no way corresponds with the character of this architecture.

There is a very valuable collection of paintings in this mansion, the strength chiefly lying in very choice works of the Netherlands School of the seventeenth century. There are good specimens also of the Italian, Spanish and German schools.