The Henson Journals

[153]

Friday, September 9th, 1921.

The last day of our holiday is as brilliant as its predecessor – a perfect autumnal day.

Yesterday I asked Colonel Darwin how the Enabling Act was working in his parish. He replied that it was a total farce. Nobody had attended the parochial church meeting save the parson & the two churchwardens of whom he himself was one. Accordingly things went on as before! This is perhaps, typical of the smaller rural parishes.

We left Carlton–on–Trent at 10 a.m., and motored to Auckland Castle where we arrived about 5.15 p.m.: the distance is about 130 miles. At Doncaster we found the roads filled with countless motors carrying crowds to the races. We stopped at Selby, and saw the church which is, indeed, a glorious pile. The Vicar happened to be on the spot. He recognized me, and showed us some of the more interesting features of the church. Very curious are the 'palimpsest' grave stones on the floor of the nave aisle. One pier of the nave is incised after the Durham manner. The long hagioscope–9 feet long – in the north ambulatory is extraordinary. We stopped to see the church at Northallerton, but were disappointed in it.

On arriving at the Castle, I was annoyed and surprised to find the lawns grown rankly with grass, the lawn–tennis court obliterated, and every indication of total neglect. As visitors are expected immediately this is very inconvenient, as well as very humiliating. It places the coping–stone on Taylor's faults. He must be got rid of.

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