﻿THROUGH 
  THE 
  HEART 
  OF 
  ENGLAND 
  IN 
  A 
  CANOE 
  

  

  495 
  

  

  Photograph 
  from 
  "Topical," 
  © 
  Central 
  Aerophoto 
  Co., 
  Ltd. 
  

  

  SEEING 
  THE 
  TOWER 
  OF 
  LONDON 
  FROM 
  THE 
  AIR, 
  WITHOUT 
  BY-YOUR-LEAVE 
  OF 
  THE 
  

  

  BEEF-EATERS 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  center 
  is 
  the 
  White 
  Tower, 
  with 
  its 
  treasured 
  instruments 
  of 
  torture 
  and 
  old 
  

   armor 
  and 
  the 
  prison 
  of 
  Sir 
  Walter 
  Raleigh. 
  Beneath 
  St. 
  Thomas's 
  Tower, 
  beside 
  the 
  

   Thames 
  (in 
  the 
  foreground), 
  is 
  the 
  famous 
  Traitors' 
  Gate, 
  through 
  which 
  prisoners 
  of 
  high 
  

   rank 
  were 
  led 
  to 
  their 
  confinement. 
  Just 
  behind 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  Wakefield 
  Tower, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  

   Crown 
  jewels 
  are 
  kept. 
  The 
  wardens 
  of 
  the 
  Tower 
  (the 
  Beef 
  -eaters) 
  still 
  wear 
  the 
  costumes 
  

   of 
  the 
  Tudor 
  period 
  and 
  form, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  Life 
  Guards 
  of 
  Whitehall, 
  the 
  most 
  

   interesting 
  living 
  sights 
  of 
  London. 
  

  

  which 
  entitles 
  him 
  to 
  a 
  place 
  among 
  the 
  

   immortals. 
  

  

  HOME 
  OF 
  A 
  NOTORIOUS 
  EIGHTEENTH 
  

   CENTURY 
  CLUB 
  

  

  At 
  other 
  times 
  the 
  course 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  long 
  

   open 
  reach, 
  down 
  which 
  we 
  made 
  good 
  

   progress 
  past 
  Remenham, 
  and 
  through 
  

   Hambledon 
  Lock, 
  until 
  we 
  came 
  to 
  Med- 
  

   menham 
  and 
  its 
  ruined 
  Abbey. 
  Origi- 
  

   nally 
  a 
  Cistercean 
  foundation, 
  it 
  was 
  dis- 
  

   solved 
  at 
  the 
  Reformation; 
  but 
  two 
  

   centuries 
  later 
  it 
  acquired 
  a 
  new 
  lease 
  

   of 
  life. 
  

  

  Sir 
  Francis 
  Dashwood, 
  a 
  leading 
  ex- 
  

   quisite 
  of 
  the 
  eighteenth 
  century, 
  made 
  

   the 
  Abbey 
  the 
  headquarters 
  of 
  his 
  "So- 
  

  

  ciety 
  of 
  the 
  Monks 
  of 
  St. 
  Francis, 
  " 
  or 
  the 
  

   Hell 
  Fire 
  Club, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  called. 
  

  

  Local 
  tradition 
  still 
  tells 
  how 
  on 
  the 
  

   nights 
  of 
  club 
  meetings 
  the 
  villagers 
  

   locked 
  their 
  doors, 
  turned 
  out 
  the 
  lights, 
  

   and 
  sat 
  quaking 
  for 
  fear 
  they 
  should 
  at- 
  

   tract 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  "monks." 
  Xo 
  

   greater 
  contrast 
  than 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  these 
  

   irreverent 
  jesters 
  and 
  their 
  grim 
  prede- 
  

   cessors, 
  the 
  Cistercians, 
  bound 
  by 
  a 
  vow 
  

   of 
  silence, 
  can 
  well 
  be 
  imagined. 
  

  

  BISHAM, 
  HOME 
  OF 
  ANNE, 
  PRISON 
  OF 
  

   ELIZABETH 
  

  

  A 
  little 
  lower 
  is 
  Bisham, 
  a 
  place 
  with 
  

   a 
  most 
  eventful 
  history. 
  Originally 
  a 
  

   preceptory 
  of 
  the 
  Knights 
  Templar, 
  it 
  be- 
  

  

  