The Henson Journals

[19]

Saturday, January 17th, 1931.

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I spent most of the morning in the company of Anthony Eden, who showed me the exterior of the Castle, which is most imposing. Also I saw the great Graeco–Roman Vase presented by Sir William Hamilton to Lord Warwick. He found it in Hadrian's Villa, & had it transported to England. One head which had been broken off had been replaced by a representation of Lady Hamilton, on whom, however, the Hostile sculptor had inflicted a fawn's ear!

The quaint, little, truncated marriage service in S. Mary's Church went off without untoward incident. Among the congregation were Frank & his wife. They had motored from Oxford. The bride looked a mere child, although she was an "innocent divorcée".

I was immensely impressed by the Beauchamp Chapel. The tombs, undamaged & elaborate, must be unequalled. The stained glass is of the best medieval work, & there is an elaborate frescoe [sic] of the Last Judgement on the Wall. A wooden piscina in the exquisite little oratory annexed to the Chapel is curious, and, as far as I know, unique. The incumbent most civilly showed me the Chapter House, [20] (for this was a collegiate church), which is now almost filled by the tomb of Fulke Greville, the poet, who was a friend of Sir Philip Sydney, & state the fact on his monument. There are many memorials of Sir P. Sydney in the castle. Perhaps the most interesting is a verse paraphrase of the entire Psalter, copied out in the poet's exquisite writing.

After the wedding I was shown the dungeons, which are rather terrible, and pathetically adorned with the graffiti of the prisoners.

Lady Warwick sent me in the car to Leamington, where I took train for Liverpool, where I arrived about 7.30 p.m., & was met by the Bishop's car. There came to dinner Evelyn Parker, who is some kind of a connexion of Ella's. The Bishop's family were at home, the school vacation being still in process. The eldest, a lad of 18, stutters fearfully. He is beginning his course as a medical student at the university. The next, a bright looking boy is at Rugby. He has had some frightful internal operation, which ought to have killed him. Then there are two younger children, a boy & a girl, of whom the former is deaf.

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