What to See in England by Gordon Home
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page 8 of 292 (02%)
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=Nearest Station.=--Hayes (2 miles from Keston village). About 3
miles from Holwood House. =Distance from London.=--12 miles. =Average Time.=--35 minutes. 1st 2nd 3rd =Fares.=--Single 2s. 0d. 1s. 3d. 1s. 0-1/2d. Return 3s. 3d. 2s. 4d. 1s. 10d. =Accommodation Obtainable.=--"The Fox Inn," "The George." =Alternative Route.=--To Orpington Station by the South-Eastern and Chatham Railway, about 4 miles distant. _Visitors are able to pass through the park on a public footpath._ About 3 miles' walk from Hayes Station by a pleasant road over Hayes Common is Holwood House, a stately, classic building, for many years the home of William Pitt, the famous statesman and son of the Earl of Chatham. He owned the estate between 1785 and 1802, and it was during this period that the British camp in the park suffered so severely. The earth-works were occupied by some early British tribe before Caesar crossed the Channel, and the place probably owed its strength to its well-chosen position. Pitt, however, caused these fascinating remains to be levelled to a considerable extent, in order to carry out some of his ideas of landscape gardening. A magnificent tree growing near the house is known as "Pitt's Oak," from the tradition that Pitt was specially fond of spending long periods of quiet reading beneath its overshadowing boughs. Another tree of more interest still stands quite near the public footpath through the park. This is known as "Wilberforce's Oak," and is easily distinguished from the surrounding trees by the stone seat |
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