298 The Forty-Sixth General Meeting. 



to all restorers of old buildings of what may be done to secure their 

 safety without altering, renewing, or rebuilding the ancient surface 

 of the walls. Here again — though Mr. Duke's collection of 

 antiquities has been dispersed, many of them going to the British 

 Museum, there remains a valuable and interesting collection of 

 books concerning Wiltshire and books by Wiltshire authors, and a 

 number of birds shot at Lake, some of them of great interest and 

 rarity, e.g., a Chough and a Night Heron. 



By the kindness of Mr. Lovibond the party were ferried across 

 the river to GREAT DURNFORD CHURCH, where Mr. E. Doran 

 Webb, F.S.A., pointed out the features of interest — the north and 

 south doorways, the font and the chancel arch, all of good Norman 

 of the 12th century — the lectern, with its chained book, of Jacobean 

 oak — the pulpit hanging of blue-green velvet dated "I. Gr. 1657 " 

 on the pulpit of 1619 — and the remains of glass in the north 

 window of the nave, containing a figure of St. Nicholas, and a 

 crucifix. Altogether a very interesting Church, which it is much to 

 be hoped may not be spoiled when its restoration is taken in hand. 



By permission of the Hon. Louis Grreville, HE ALE HOUSE was 

 next visited, Mr. Doran Webb again acting as guide. The 

 house, of brick, and of no great size, is a nice example of the 

 architecture of Queen Anne's time — but in the drawing-room there 

 is a good Elizabethan oak mantelpiece, which doubtless came from 

 the older house in which Charles II. lay hidden after the Battle of 

 Worcester. 



As the party left Heale a visit was paid to a cottage, now in 

 ruins, near the entrance gate, which contains upstairs a good 

 plaster ceiling of Elizabethan character with griffins depicted on it 

 as a crest. Mr. Doran Webb considered that the house was 

 never any larger than it is now, but was one of the very small 

 manors of which there were a number in this valley of the Avon. 

 From this point the carriages returned to Amesbury for lunch, 

 leaving afterwards for DURRINGTON CHURCH, passing through 

 " Durrington Walls " on the way. Here The Yicar (the Eev. 

 C. S. Euddle) gave some account of the Church, and Mr. Doran 

 Webb described the architecture. The chief feature of interest is 



