﻿494 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  Photograph 
  from 
  Aerofilms, 
  Ltd. 
  

   ETON, 
  THE 
  MOST 
  FAMOUS 
  OF 
  THE 
  ANCIENT 
  PUBLIC 
  SCHOOLS 
  OE 
  ENGLAND 
  

  

  Half-way 
  down 
  this 
  stretch 
  we 
  passed 
  

   the 
  famous 
  Hardwick 
  house. 
  Lying 
  well 
  

   back 
  from 
  the 
  river, 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  a 
  mag- 
  

   nificent 
  avenue 
  of 
  oaks 
  and 
  cedars, 
  it 
  is 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  oldest 
  houses 
  in 
  the 
  country. 
  

   Parts 
  of 
  it 
  date 
  from 
  the 
  14th 
  century, 
  

   but 
  the 
  main 
  building 
  is 
  Tudor. 
  Queen 
  

   Elizabeth 
  stayed 
  here 
  and 
  Charles 
  I 
  spent 
  

   many 
  hours 
  on 
  the 
  old 
  bowling 
  green 
  in 
  

   front 
  of 
  the 
  house. 
  

  

  READING, 
  FAMOUS 
  EOR 
  ITS 
  BISCUIT 
  

   FACTORY 
  

  

  We 
  did 
  not 
  stay 
  long 
  in 
  Reading. 
  It 
  

   is 
  obviously 
  a 
  creation 
  of 
  the 
  railway 
  

   rather 
  than 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  by 
  becoming 
  in 
  

   size 
  and 
  wealth 
  the 
  first 
  town 
  on 
  the 
  river 
  

   above 
  London, 
  it 
  has 
  lost 
  the 
  charm 
  it 
  

   once 
  possessed. 
  

  

  A 
  busy, 
  dirty 
  town, 
  it 
  is 
  famous 
  the 
  

   world 
  over 
  as 
  the 
  seat 
  of 
  Messrs. 
  Hunt- 
  

   ley 
  & 
  Palmer's 
  biscuit 
  factory 
  and 
  Messrs. 
  

   Sutton 
  & 
  Sons' 
  seed 
  gardens 
  ; 
  but 
  to 
  one 
  

   who 
  loves 
  the 
  Thames 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  depress- 
  

   ing 
  place. 
  We 
  hurried 
  through 
  it 
  and 
  

   paddled 
  away 
  past 
  Sonning 
  to 
  Shiplake, 
  

   where 
  we 
  camped 
  on 
  the 
  long 
  island 
  by 
  

   the 
  lock, 
  getting 
  up 
  early 
  the 
  next 
  morn- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  reaching 
  Henley 
  in 
  good 
  time. 
  

  

  Henley 
  is 
  a 
  quiet 
  little 
  place 
  for 
  fifty- 
  

   one 
  weeks 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  ; 
  but 
  for 
  one 
  

   crowded 
  week 
  in 
  July 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  scene 
  of 
  

   the 
  first 
  river 
  regatta 
  in 
  the 
  world, 
  and 
  

   here 
  once 
  again 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  typical 
  picture 
  

   of 
  English 
  life. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  bridge 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  clear 
  view 
  

   of 
  the 
  course 
  almost 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  starting 
  

   point. 
  The 
  course 
  is 
  kept 
  clear 
  by 
  white 
  

   booms 
  and 
  posts, 
  and 
  along 
  these 
  on 
  

   either 
  side 
  are 
  the 
  boats 
  and 
  punts 
  of 
  the 
  

   spectators, 
  often 
  twelve 
  or 
  fifteen 
  rows 
  

   deep 
  (see 
  page 
  489). 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  left 
  runs 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  club 
  lawns, 
  

   chief 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  famous 
  Phyllis 
  

   Court 
  Club, 
  gay 
  with 
  trees, 
  flowers, 
  flan- 
  

   nels, 
  blazers, 
  and 
  dresses. 
  On 
  the 
  right 
  

   is 
  the 
  tow-path, 
  hidden 
  beneath 
  the 
  crowd 
  

   who 
  press 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  water's 
  edge. 
  

  

  The 
  whole 
  scene 
  is 
  a 
  glorious 
  riot 
  of 
  

   color, 
  health, 
  and 
  sunshine, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  

   middle 
  is 
  the 
  cool 
  green 
  water, 
  broken 
  

   only 
  by 
  the 
  racing 
  boats 
  coming 
  swiftly 
  

   up 
  the 
  straight, 
  accompanied 
  by 
  an 
  ever- 
  

   growing 
  roar 
  from 
  the 
  partisans 
  on 
  either 
  

   side. 
  

  

  To 
  be 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  crew 
  which 
  

   wins 
  the 
  Grand 
  Challenge 
  Cup 
  at 
  Henley 
  

   is 
  every 
  oarsman's 
  ambition 
  and 
  is 
  a 
  feat 
  

  

  

  