SELBORNE SOCIETY NOTICES 
159 
Saturday , June 23. — Under the leadership of Mr. S. Willson, a party of 
twenty-eight visited Wimbledon. The parish church, although almost entirely 
rebuilt in 1843, still contains interesting relics dating from about 1400, notably 
the Mortuary Chapel with the tomb of the Cecils, fragments of armour and fine 
old stained glass. After inspecting these, the party was entertained by Mr. and 
Mrs. Willson at the Old Rectory House, tea being enjoyed on the lawn. A 
paper upon the old house was read by Mr. Willson, showing the date of the 
original portion to be about 1500, and that it is reputed to have been the 
residence of the great Lord Burleigh. The house, which contains many relics 
of the past, was explored ; and after rambling through the grounds, the party 
started on a walk through the old village across the Common to Ctesar’s Camp 
and Well, thence through a delightful wood, teeming with bird and plant life, 
to Queen’s Mere and the Windmill, old houses and objects of interest being 
pointed out on the way. Unfortunately the evening was dull and misty, which 
somewhat spoiled the glorious views from this part of the Common, including 
the sunset across Queen’s Mere. 
Saturday, June 30. — In perfect weather a party of Selbornians went to 
Romford and walked thence through one of the prettiest parts of Essex to 
Havering-atte-Bower, the way leading along a lane with trees meeting overhead 
and affording a welcome shade, up the stiff hill that is a standing protest against 
the popularly held opinion as to the flatness of the county. At the top of this 
hill representatives of the Lady of the Manor — Mrs. McIntosh — conducted the 
members over the delightful grounds and conservatories of Havering Park, 
which is built upon the spot where stood the Bower or Palace of the ancient 
kings of England. The first monarch recorded as residing here was Edward the 
Confessor and the last was Charles I. The view from the grounds, including 
five counties and giving a glimpse of the Thames, was much admired. A visit 
was next paid to the pretty little modern church, where the Vicar had kindly 
thrown open the registers for inspection : the earliest entry in these is of the 
date 1679, the registers antecedent to this date having been transferred to 
Hornchurch. An old font also attracted interest. After viewing the well- 
preserved stocks and whipping-post on the village green, shaded by a curiously 
bricked-up elm which is certainly over six hundred years old, tea was taken, 
after which Mr. A. B. Hornblower read a short paper giving a brief resume of 
the history of the place and discussing the origin of the name. 
A detour brought into view Pyrgo Hall, the seat of Lord O’Hagan, by 
whose permission a visit was paid to the well-defined site of the Queen’s Palace 
or Dower in the Park, the shelter of most if not all our queens from 1027 to 1649. 
Saturday, July 7. --On this day Dr. Henry Willson once again led a party 
of Selbornians on one of his enjoyable rambles round Weybridge. The route 
followed led across the Common and along a pleasant road to the foot of St. 
George’s Hill. Thence under the welcome shade of the magnificent pines, the 
party slowly wended its way upward, frequently stooping to watch the activities 
of the ants, which swarmed everywhere, foraging for food, and triumphantly 
bearing back to their nests their prey, which here seemed to consist chiefly of 
moths and the smaller beetles. Arriving at the summit a long pause was made 
to admire the fine views of the Thames Valley, which unfold themselves from 
this vantage point. After tea the party proceeded to Fox Warren, through Mrs. 
Buxton’s picturesque estate, on the way narrowly escaping from a hooligan on 
a motor car dashing recklessly round a bend in the road. A little further on 
another fine view was enjoyed of a wide stretch of well-wooded country watered 
by the River Wey. The homeward route lay for the most part through leafy 
lanes and broad meadows fragrant with honeysuckle and meadowsweet, while 
the songs of the birds were a striking feature of this portion of the walk. This 
is certainly a ramble well worthy of repetition on some future occasion. 
NEWS FROM THE BRANCHES. 
Birmingham and Midland Branch.— A botanical excursion was 
arranged for Saturday, June 23, when a party of members and friends went by 
train to Kidderminster and thence to Hornport. Mr. John Humphries kindly 
acted as guide, pointing out many interesting plants growing in the locality, and 
a very pleasant afternoon was spent. 
