It is a
manufacturing town, and the tall brick chimneys rise numerously in the
neighborhood, and are so near Smithell's Hall that I suspect the
atmosphere is somewhat impregnated with their breath. Mr. ------ can
comfort himself with the rent which he receives from the factories
erected upon his own grounds; and I suppose the value of his estate has
greatly increased by the growth of manufactories; although, unless he
wish to sell it, I do not see what good this can do him.
Smithell's Hall is one of the oldest residences of England, and still
retains very much the aspect that it must have had several centuries ago.
The house formerly stood around all four sides of a quadrangle, enclosing
a court, and with an entrance through an archway. One side of this
quadrangle was removed in the time of the present Mr. ------'s father,
and the front is now formed by the remaining three sides. They look
exceedingly ancient and venerable, with their range of gables and lesser
peaks. The house is probably timber-framed throughout, and is overlaid
with plaster, and its generally light line is painted with a row of
trefoils in black, producing a very quaint effect. The wing, forming one
side of the quadrangle, is a chapel, and has been so from time
immemorial; and Mr. ------ told me that he had a clergyman, and even a
bishop, in his own diocese. The drawing-room is on the opposite side of
the quadrangle; and through an arched door, in the central portion, there
is a passage to the rear of the house.
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