Had I been aware that the chief
hotel of Grantham were such a time-honored establishment, I should have
arranged to pass the night there, especially as there were interesting
objects enough in the town to occupy us pleasantly. The church--the
steeple of which is seen over the market-place, but is removed from it by
a street or two--is very fine; the tower and spire being adorned with
arches, canopies, and niches,--twelve of the latter for the twelve
Apostles, all of whom have now vanished,--and with fragments of other
Gothic ornaments. The jackdaws have taken up their abodes in the
crevices and crannies of the upper half of the steeple.
We left Grantham at nearly seven, and reached
NOTTINGHAM
just before eight. The castle, situated on a high and precipitous rock,
directly over the edge of which look the walls, was visible, as we drove
from the station to our hotel. We followed the advice of a railway
attendant in going first to the May Pole, which proved to be a commercial
inn, with the air of a drinking-shop, in a by-alley; and, furthermore,
they could not take us in. So we drove to the George the Fourth, which
seems to be an excellent house; and here I have remained quiet, the size
of the town discouraging me from going out in the twilight which was fast
coming on after tea.
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