Bray. From Eighty Picturesque Views of the Thames and Medway.
Text accompanying the engraving
[Leaving Maidenhead, one] soon arrives at the village of Bray, within whose parochial limits Maidenhead is situated. Camden supposes this place to have been inhabited by the Bibroci. It is considered part of the royal demesne, and possesses the same privileges as Cookham. The church is an ancient structure, composed of various materials, and exhibiting a mixture of almost every style of architecture. Bray has, however, been rendered memorable by the accommodating conscience of one of its early vicars, named Symond Symonds, who possessed the benefice in the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, and queens Mary and Elizabeth; having become twice a papist and twice a protestant; and when reproached for his want of moral principle, which allowed him to alter his religious creed in accordance with the different political changes of the times, replied, that he governed himself by what he thought a very laudable maxim, never, on any terms, to part with his vicarage. The current, on leaving Bray, widens and, flowing to the left, passes Monkey-Island, which owes its name to a rustic building, erected by Charles, duke of Marlborough, as a fishing seat. The interior of the refreshment-room was decorated with ludicrous groups and figures of monkeys, similar to the amusing and clever designs in the Monkeyana of the talented Landseer. It is a favorite place of resort of the Etonians, in their aquatic excursions from Windsor, as well as Surley Hall, an excellent inn, which lies a little in advance, near Willows, the delightful seat of the late H. Townly Ward, Esquire. [61-62]
Related Material
- In Bray Village (drawing by R. Sharpley)
Text and formatting by George P. Landow. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the University of California Library and the Internet Archive and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite it in a print one.]
Bibliography
Fearnside, W. G. Eighty Picturesque Views of the Thames and Medway, Engraved on Steel by the First Artists. London: Black and Armstrong, [n.d. after 1837]. Internet Archive version of a copy in the University of California at Berkley Library. Web. 30 March 2012.
Last modified 30 April 2012