VOL. XVII. (2) 



EXCURSION— NORTHAMPTON 



169 



" Owing to the circumstance that the Northamptonshire district is 

 deficient in hard rocks suitable for road making, Messrs ButHn & Company's 

 slag is very largely used. The cinder, as it runs from the furnace, is moulded 

 mto rectangular blocks of about 13 cwts. in side-tipping, cast-iron bogies, 

 which cool rapidly. The blocks, when subsequently cooled, are roughly 

 broken by hand and passed through a Blake rock-breaker with drum seizing 

 sieves, which reduces the bulk up to road metal, or railway ballast size, the 

 finer chippings finding a use as ballast in making granolithic slabs. A con- 

 siderable quantity has also been used in decorative moulded work by the 

 North British Hotel at the Waverley Station in Edinburgh. As good iron 

 IS accompanied with good slag, the quality of the slag is regarded during 

 scientific experiments as an index to the character of the iron." 



The return drive to Northampton was via Castle Ashby, a short halt 

 bemg made here in order to see the Castle, which is the seat of the Marquis 

 of Northampton, and the Church. The lettered balustrades round the roof 

 of the Castle are unique. 



Thursday morning was devoted to seeing Brixworth Church, and the 

 Churches of St. Peter's and the Holy Sepulchre in Northampton. 



Brixworth Church, of the interior of which a photograph is given in 

 fig. 2, is not, as reputed, an old Roman basilica, but an early Christian basilica. 



Fig. 2. — Interior of Brixworth Church 



and was in all probability founded about 680 a.d. Roman materials were 

 largely used m the building, all the openings being built in Roman brick. 



Returning to Northampton, the Members next saw St. Peter's Church 



which IS very nch in Norman work, and especially interesting to geologists 



as the burial-place of William Smith (see also Plate XXVL in this part of the 



Proceedings). Near the Church is an imposing EHzabethan structure called 



Cromwell House," and also the site of Northampton Castle. 



The last Church visited was that of the Holy Sepulchre— one of the 

 ,?,'?'^i®^^'"'"S ^"'^'^ churches in the kingdom. It dates from about iroo 

 (PI. XXII., fig. 2). 



Most of the Members left Northampton by the 3 o'clock train. 



