visible to the public. The party noticed with interest the ancient oak wains coting. Especially interesting is the bedroom with its open-timbered roof supported by a massive principal and a corresponding kingpost. The eaves are adorned with beautifully-carved pateræ in the device of the Tudor rose, and the spandrels also tastefully worked.

THE "HALLE OF JOHN HALLE' (now a china shop)-a beautiful 15th Century house; the CROSS KEYS INN, with a picturesque wooden staircase, were depicted on the way to

ST. EDMUND'S CHURCH.

It was indeed hard to believe, as Mr. Doran Webb assured the party, when they had sat down in the present nave of five bays, that it was really not a nave at all, but the original chancel of the 15th Century church, the nave and transepts of which were demolished, after being damaged by the fall of the western tower of 1653.

The whole church originally measured from east to west from 200 to 300 feet, and was the longest and largest church in Salisbury, with the exception of the Cathedral. In or about 1539 the good people of Salisbury received so heavy a bill from their plumber for re-leading the lead-covered wooden spire that, to prevent the recurrence of a similar item of expense, they forthwith pulled it down. The new chancel was built by Sir Gilbert Scott.

TRINITY HOSPITAL-an ancient place of shelter, sustenance, and repose for twelve old men-was next visited.

The almshouse, said Mr. Doran Webb, was founded by Mr. William Chandler, who died in 1411. It consisted originally of chapel and hall, dormitory, kitchen, buttery, store-house, and solar. Rebuilt in 1704, it is now an excellent specimen of the much maligned Queen Anne" period. The chapel preserves some of the old glass. Mr. Geo. Fulford, chairman of the trustees, courteously attended, with Mr. W. H. Baker, a local antiquary, and some fellow trustees, and by their kind leave, Mr. Hamilton Fulton, their clerk, produced for inspection the ancient communion plate, and the cherished papal bull. It was stated that the Elizabethan chalice bearing the date 1598 was given in exchange for the pre-Reformation chalice, and there is a paten of 1704, and a pewter flagon with the date 1707. The precious parchment, a bull of Pope Boniface, is a fine specimen of mediæval penmanship, of the date 1379, and promising a fortnight's indulgence for obedience to its behests.

The Club were taken next to ST. MARTIN'S CHURCH, which is said to have been rebuilt from a much earlier church which stood down by Harnham Bridge.

Even the present building is the oldest existing church in Salisbury save the cathedral, since the chancel and tower are Early English. The three-light east window was a restoration of 1849, replacing a Perpendicular window which was an undesirable anachronism.

THE CATHEDRAL.

Shortly after four o'clock the Mother Church of the diocese was reached. The visitors were courteously received by the DEAN, who had asked Canon Bourne, from his long and familiar knowledge of the fabric, to act as guide on this occasion.

As he led the party on from chapel and chantry to choir and chapter-house, he dealt in detail, not only with the fabric itself, as beautiful in its symmetry and grace as a perfect poem, but also with the richly-dight stained-glass windows and monuments, the brasses and the banners, which repose under this mighty and marvellous efflorescence of Early English architecture. Calling attention to the pair of inconspicuous inverted arches built high up in the transepts, he mentioned how they were inserted, by the ingenuity of the media. val builder, as a remedy against the perilous thrust caused by the erection of the tower. The spire was not begun until some 40 years after the completion of the Cathedral. The architect was not known, or really anything about the work. The only record preserved in the Chapter was that between the years 1335 and 1370 a great deal of money was spent upon building operations, and this presumably was upon the spire. It was supposed that a special book of account was kept, but this had been lost. The immense weight of the spire at once began to thrust the building away, and so the north and south inverted arches were built to counteract the movement, and this device had been successful. The spire is now 23 inches out of the perpendicular, with a list to the north-east; but for a couple of centuries it has not given way at all. We may here mention that in the cathedral the party were joined by Canon Eldon S. Bankes, for 40 years the devoted and beloved rector of Corfe Castle, and since a canon residentiary in the cathedral city. In the circuit of the Cathedral Canon Bourne pointed out the tomb of John Bampton, a prebendary of the cathedral and founder of the Bampton lectures. He also called attention to the segmental cope chest, of which, he said he believed, only four fellow chests were extant in English cathedrals. Formerly every canon on attaining that dignity had to present a cope, and thereby a magnificent collection of copes came into being; but copes are not worn in the cathedral now. There was left only a red chasuble, probably in the reign of Queen Mary. In the retrochoir, or the Chapel of the Holy Trinity and All Saints, Canon Bourne halted

and invited his company to admire the extreme beauty of the slender shafts of Purbeck marble springing from floor to roof. From the Cathedral the way was led to the cloisters, the broad paved quadrangular walk, pillared and with groyned roof, bordering the square cloister garth, and thence the party entered the Chapter House, familiar to many present as the scene of animated debates at the Diocesan Synod. Canon Bourne invited admiration of the one central pillar of Purbeck marble, supplemented by slender columns of the same material, supporting like the trunk of a tree the roof of this flawless and glorious example of 13th Century architecture. The Canon referred to the carvings of Old Testament subjects right round the walls as "quaint and in some cases objectionable; but while all assented to the description “quaint," the word objectionable" did not seem anywhere justified.

The Dean then led the way into the garden of the Deanery, where Mrs. Page Roberts was awaiting the arrival of the Club, and an enjoyable and very welcome tea was laid upon tables under the trees.

MEETING AND DINNER.

At 7.15 a short business meeting was held at the hotel, at which four new members were elected. Five more nominations were announced, and (on the motion of Mr. Alfred Pope) the sum of £5 14s. was voted to the Maumbury Excavations Fund.

At dinner the club had the pleasure of welcoming two guests-Canon Bourne and Dr. Blackmore, who sat with the President and Mrs. Richardson. To everybody's regret, the Dean and Mr. Doran Webb were both unable to come.

The party walked after dinner to the Salisbury and South Wilts and Blackmore Museums, in St. Ann's-street, over which they were shown by Dr. Blackmore, brother of the deceased founder of the museum of that name, Mr. William Blackmore, of Liverpool and London.

The Blackmore Museum is famous throughout the scientific world for its magnificent collection of prehistoric flint tools and weapons, gathered not only in England, but from the Continent and indeed all quarters of the globe"eoliths," palæoliths, and neoliths-many of them, celts, axes, hammers, of great size and marvels of flint-knapping, and others, especially the neolithic arrowheads, beautifully pointed, barbed, and tanged, wonders of delicate workmanship. The arrangement of the collection is orderly and progressive, facilitating study and comparison.

OLD SARUM.

At 9.45 on Tuesday morning a start was made for Old Sarum, that famous "city set on a hill," the Sorbiodunum of Antoninus, and, for many years before the Roman occupation, a hill fort of importance.

Its strategic value was recognised by the Saxons, and it became in the ninth century the object of contention between Saxon and Dane. Alfred in 871 gave orders for the strengthening of its fortifications. Sweyn is said to have captured and burnt the town in 1003, and here 30 years later died Canute, Sweyn's son. Herman, Bishop of the united sees of Ramsbury and Sherborne, in consequence of the decision of the Council of London held under Archbishop Lanfranc, translated the seat of the bishopric to Old Sarum, and in 1078 laid the foundations of a Cathedral which was finished by Bishop Osmund, the Conqueror's nephew, who drew up the celebrated "Sarum Use" which still bears his name. After it was deserted by Bishop Poore, who laid the found. ation of the present Cathedral in 1220, and after the incorporation of the new city which sprang up around it seven years later, Old Sarum soon began to decay, and in 1331 the materials of its Cathedral and other buildings were brought down to build the present close wall, and possibly the spire in the city. The old town itself seems to have afforded a convenient quarry for all those in its neighbourhood who wished to build, so that when Leland in Henry VIII.'s reign viewed the place it was entirely deserted, “not one house, neither within nor without Old Saresbyrie, inhabited.” The subsequent history of

Old Sarum, how though deserted it still returned two members to represent it in Parliament, and became notorious as the rottenest of rotten boroughs until the Reform Bill swept it away, are matters of modern history. Purchased by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, it passed into the possession of the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury, who, having placed it under the pro tection of the Conservators of Ancient Monuments, have consented to the systematic excavation of the site which is now in progress.

On arrival at Old Sarum the party, who were accompanied by Dr. Blackmore and Mr. Doran Webb, were received by Colonel Hawley, who is in charge of the excavations, and who, leading the way, pointed out clearly exactly what has been done, and also stated what has been found, in the excavation of the Norman Castle.

The site of Old Sarum cathedral, lying between the prehistoric outer vallum and the Norman castle vallum, was uncovered some 80 years ago and then covered in again, and the work now in progress is on the site of the castle. Passing over the causeway and through the gatehouse, with its drum towers, and walking through the inner bailey, the party came to the site of the great tower

or keep, where the most extensive and remarkable work has been done. Some deep square vaults have here been cleared out to a considerable depth, showing the walls to be of massive well-squared stones, and closely jointed. Through. out the foundations the ashlar is an excellent example of Norman masonry.

Entering the Museum on the spot where all interesting finds are deposited, the party viewed the carved stones, remains of pottery and old glass, &c., recovered during the excavations. The PRESIDENT, in expressing the thanks of the Club to Colonel Hawley for kindly acting as guide, spoke of how greatly the interest which the club took in Old Sarum had been enhanced by the excavations.

AMESBURY PRIORY CHURCH.

A drive over the downs brought the Club to Amesbury, where, under the guidance of Mr. Doran Webb, an examination was made of the Church, a fine cruciform building with a low central tower.

Its architecture dates from the 12th Century onwards. There is a handsome 15th Century wooden roof to the nave; the tower arches and transepts are of Early English work, the chancel being somewhat later. The present East window is an unfortunate bit of "restoration by Mr. Butterfield, replacing a Perpendicular window (shown in Hutchins). A controversy arose, about the year 1860, as to whether this church, or a church some distance to the north, was the real priory Church; but Mr. Doran Webb was able to show ample grounds in support of the historic view. To Dorset visitors the quaintly carved Norman corbels were a reminder of Studland and Worth Matravers,

STONEHENGE.

After lunch at the George Inn, another drive over the downs brought the party to Stonehenge, to which they were admitted by the permission of Sir E. Antrobus.

Dr. BLACKMORE, standing upon the prone upright lying over the so-called altar or sacrificial stone, first described clearly the plan upon which Stonehenge was constructed, and then the different kinds of stone used-the larger stones sarsens from Salisbury Plain, obtained from the wasting of the Reading and Woolwich beds, and the smaller the so-called "blue stones," syenite or diabase, of which there are nine different varieties, and which are spoken of as "the mystery of Ston henge," and it cannot be told whence they came. The plan of the horse-shoe enclosed in a circle is se n in similar remains scattered over a wide are of the world, ranging from the Indian hills through Persia, Spain, and the north of France to Salisbury Plain. Dr. Blackmore gave his