Abbeychurch had been a quiet dull place, scarcely more than a large
village, until the days of railroads, when the sober inhabitants, and
especially the Vicar and his family, were startled by the news that
the line of the new Baysmouth railway was marked out so as to pass
exactly through the centre of the court round which the alms-houses
were built. Happily, however, the difficulty of gaining possession
of the property required for this course, proved too great even for
the railway company, and they changed the line, cutting their way
through the opposite side of St. Austin's Hill, and spoiling three or
four water-meadows by the river. Soon after the completion of this
work, the town was further improved, by the erection of various rows
of smart houses, which arose on the slope of the hill, once the airy
and healthy play-place of the rising generation of Abbeychurch, and
the best spot for flying kites in all the neighbourhood. London
tradesmen were tempted to retire to 'the beautiful and venerable town
of Abbeychurch;' the houses were quickly filled, one street after
another was built, till the population of the town was more than
doubled. A deficiency in church accommodation was soon felt, for the
old church had before been but just sufficient for the inhabitants.
Various proposals were made--to fill up the arches with galleries,
and to choke the centre aisle with narrow pews; but all were equally
distasteful to Mr. Woodbourne, who, placing some benches in the aisle
for the temporary accommodation of his new parishioners, made every
effort to raise funds to build and endow an additional church. He
succeeded, as we have heard; and it was the tall white spire of the
now Church of St. Austin's, which greeted Anne Merton's delighted
eyes, as on the 27th of August, she, with her father and mother, came
to the top of a long hill, about five miles from Abbeychurch. What
that sight was to her, only those who have shared in the joys of
church-building can know. She had many a time built the church in