Nooks and Corners of Old England by Alan Fea - HTML preview

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STANTON.

Norton House, to the north of the town, near Dover Hill (famous for

the Cotswold games in "the good old days"), is a picturesque, many-

gabled house; and at Mickleton, to the north-east, there are some

curious old buildings. Farther north are the remains of Long Marston

manor-house, still containing the roasting-jack which Charles II. as

pseudo

[Pg 91]

scullery-man omitted to wind up, and brought the wrath of the cook

upon his head, much as King Arthur did when he burnt the cakes. But

our way lies southwards through Broadway to Buckland, Stanton, and

a place that should be sylvan according to its name—Stanway-in-the-

Woods. Buckland church and rectory are both of interest. The former

has a fine Perpendicular tower with some grotesque gargoyle

demons at the corners. The benches are good, and a window dated

1585 retains some ancient painted glass, as the roof does its old

colouring, in which the Yorkist rose is conspicuous. The hall of the

rectory has a fine open-timber roof with central arch richly carved,

and upon a window is depicted a rebus representing one William

Grafton, rector of Buckland from 1450 to 1506. The manor-house

also once possessed a hall with lofty timber-framed roof and huge

fireplace of the fourteenth century; but, sad to relate, it was destroyed

when the house was modernised some years ago, but there still

remains a pretty old staircase of a later date.