Rampant Horse Hotel Norwich.
Wednesday August 19th /68
My dear Father,
I got here yesterday rather late, and found room at this hotel. – I saw the Abbey Mills pumping Station <1> of the Metropolitan main drainage works from the Gt Eastern railway as I left London. – There was a drawing of it in the last Illustrated <2>
This morning I have got my tickets programmes &c, and afterwards I went to look at the Cathedral, and the churches of St Peter Mancroft, <3> and St Stephen. <4> The two last have fine timber roofs particularly the former which is a large perpendicular church, bearing a good deal of similarity to Gt St Mary’s at Cambridge. The cathedral is a fine Norman one, altered in the perpendicular period. I do not however think the Norman work equal to Peterborough or Ely. It is rather more rude and not so noble. – The spire is not to be compared with Salisbury.
The conventual buildings for I believe it was a conventual have nearly dissappeared. – I think that the building called St Andrews hall is the remains of a conventual church of Black Friars. <5> I have not yet been inside it.
I think it likely that when I return I shall stop at Cambridge and perhaps at Ely, but I shall write and say. The upper part of the octagon lantern of Ely has apparently been finished since I saw it, and great alterations have taken place at Cambridge St John’s <6> having a new chapel with a tower which is a conspicuous object in that landscape in which Kings Chapel used to be the only object.
The rain cleared yesterday afternoon. It rained again heavily in the night but today has been fine with an occassional [sic] threatening.
I have not yet seen any body of my acquaintance.
Did you as an old [illegible deletion] Life Member, previous to 1845 pay in addition to your life composition of 5£ a further book subscription of 1£, not any subsequent period did you pay a further subscription of 5£, for if you did it is obvious that you will be entitled to the “Transactions” gratuitously, which would be a consideration if I thought of getting them. If you did not you dont get them cheaper than I should.
Your affect son
Charles.–
[envelope:]
H. Fox Talbot Esq
Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
Notes:
1. Built in the east end of London between 1865–1868, this was a vital and grand overground part of Sir Joseph William Bazalgette’s scheme to solve London’s increasingly serious sewage problem.
2. Possibly the Illustrated Times, London, printed between 1855–1872.
3. Norwich, built in the early to mid 15th Century.
4. Norwich, mostly built in the 16th Century.
5. Norwich
6. Trinity College, Cambridge, rebuilt by Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811–1878), Gothic Revival architect.