Our Second Tour in Search of the Picturesque - Windermere

In my last posting I described our visit to Coniston, where we followed the guidance provided by Thomas West in his "Guide to the Lakes" to locate those points (or 'stations', as he called them) from which the most sublime views could be obtained.

Next we turned our attention to Windermere, the largest of England's lakes and a mecca for lovers of landscape and the picturesque, both in Thomas West's day (late 18th century) and now. Thomas West nominates five stations for the best views of Windermere, but two of these (his second and third stations) are located on Belle Isle, a privately owned island in the lake across from Bowness. Hence these two are inaccessible. This left three for us to explore, two on the west side and one on the east side of the lake, which is long and thin broadly along a north-south axis.

The stations are shown on the maps of the lakes published by Peter Crosthwaite in 1794.





Travelling from the east it was West's fifth station that first claimed our attention. This is reached by a short climb to the summit of Brant Fell, which at 192m high commands long views of the lake both north and south. Brant Fell is located just south of Bowness and about a mile east of the point from which the chain ferry across the lake operates. The Ferry is clearly marked on Crosthwaite's map.

The view from Brant Fell is (unlike that from some other Thomas West stations) not obscured by trees and is truly magnificent.

To the north is the classic stretch of the lake with the Langdale Pikes in the distance:








In his "Guide", Thomas West provides an aquatint showing the view from Calgarth north of Windermere on the east side of the lake:


To the south is a gentler prospect as the Fells slope away towards Newby Bridge and Morecambe Bay beyond:


From here, looking across the lake it is possible to see West's first station, which is on a rise on the west side of the lake near the ferry.


We took the ferry across the lake and proceeded to this station. At this point a tower was built in West's time (Claife Station), from which the tourists could admire the view. The tower even had coloured glass windows to create the effects of sunrise and sunset, so the seekers for the picturesque would not miss out on any of nature's moods.


Sadly, the tower is now a picturesque ruin, or at least it would be if it were not surrounded by dismal fencing preventing access. This was no doubt installed for health and safety reasons but the present owners (the National Trust) should really do better at what could be a hugely impressive site. Also, the spread of trees over the last 200 years prevents all but a tiny slice of the view that so captivated Thomas West.


There is a view in West's "Guide" showing Belle Isle and which is not dissimilar to the view that would have been seen from Claife Station in its heyday:


There is also a steel engraving by Thomas Allom, dating from the 1830's, that gives the view from the Ferry House on the west side of the lake near to Claife Station:


West's fourth station is at Rawlinson's Nab, which forms a promontory on the west side of the lake about two miles south of Claife. A short walk along the lakeside brings you to this station, which commands views both north and south along the lake. The view north includes Belle Isle and on to the Langdales:





The view south, again, is gentler and, became even more bucolic as we
passed through a herd of cattle on our return walk.





There is a view in J B Pyne's "Lake Scenery of England" (1859), which provides a prospect of the south part of the lake:


Enriched by our experience of the picturesque, it was now time for lunch at Hawkshead, a bustling honeypot for tourists, where the good folk of the Sun Inn provided us with Herdwick Lamb, washed down, appropriately enough, with Stickle Pike Ale.





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Wordsworth and his Publisher, a Bookplate and an Inscription

Barely had the ink dried on my recent musings on bookplates, when a visit to a local bookshop (one of the old school and one of the finest not just in this area, but in any area) turned up five volumes each bearing the bookplate of William Wordsworth, the books stated to be from his library at Rydal Mount near Grasmere in the Lake District, the poet's home from 1813 to his death in 1850.


The five volumes were all published by Edward Moxon and dated between 1838 and 1846. Further, four of the volumes contain a hand written inscription by Moxon presenting the books to William Wordsworth Jnr. (the poet's son).


The volumes are Moxon editions of Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Massinger and Ford, Chaucer and Sheridan.


Edward Moxon (1801-1858) was a poet turned publisher, who started his own publishing business in 1830.


One of his early successes was an edition of Samuel Rogers' popular poem "Italy", with fine steel engravings by Turner. It was these engravings that the young Ruskin enthused about when he was given the book as a present. This was followed up by the equally fine "Poems" by Samuel Rogers in 1834.





Wordsworth and Moxon were to become firm friends and in 1835 Wordsworth entrusted the publishing of his books to Moxon, which led to an increase in sales and more fame for both poet and publisher. Moxon, from his publishing house on Dover Street, London, was now the publisher of choice for many poets of the day, including Tennyson, and it was in 1857 that the first edition of the incomparable "Moxon Tennyson" appeared with illustrations by the Pre-Raphaelites - Millais, Holman Hunt and Rossetti, their only collaborative book project.





Moxon regularly stayed with the Wordsworths at Rydal Mount and the two travelled together to Paris on one occasion. Moxon also visited the Pyrennes with Wordsworth's children. The ageing Wordsworth must have recognised a kindred spirit in the energetic and talented publisher (very different, one imagines, from the publishers he had suffered before).


The letters of William Wordsworth (edited by Ernest de Selincourt and published in handsome volumes by Oxford University Press) contain many letters to Moxon, often thanking him for parcels of books which have arrived at Rydal Mount. For example, on July 28th 1838, Wordsworth writes:

"The parcel of Books arrived during my absence, and I have not yet had time to do more than glance at it. Mrs W began to thank you, which I do also, on my own part, for your kindness to my Son, who, we are most happy to hear, is shaking off the sad effect of his Fever."

Then again, on December 11th 1838:

"Very many thanks for your valuable present of Shakespeare and Jonson, they are handsome books and I hope will repay you .."

So, there we have it - bookplates of England's finest romantic poet, presentation inscriptions to Wordsworth's son from the poetry publisher of the day and Wordsworth's fulsome thanks for the gifts in his published letters. A bibliophile's day to treasure.






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