should be mentioned, is the only one existing to-day of the various houses he occupied. For those who are not residents in the parish a charge of sixpence is made for admission. The poet's room, which is on the right on entering, is rather dark, and has a low ceiling. One notices the wide, open fireplace where the white-bearded old man would sit in winter days, and the lattice-paned windows through which in summer-time came the humming of bees and the scent of the flowers growing in the old-fashioned garden. The pleasant indications of his surroundings must have been a great solace to the blind old man. In these simple surroundings one must picture Milton dictating his stately verse, with his thoughts concentrated on the serried ranks of the hosts of heaven.

Milton came to Chalfont in 1665, in order to escape from the plague. His eldest daughter was at that time about seventeen years of age, and as she and her sisters are supposed to have remained with their father until about 1670, it is probable that they came to Chalfont with him.

The church of Chalfont St. Giles has a Norman font, and there are other traces of Norman work in the bases of the pillars and elsewhere. The south wall of the nave and the north chapel are specially interesting on account of their frescoes.

[Illustration: MILTON'S COTTAGE, CHALFONT ST. GILES.

Milton moved here from London in 1665, to avoid the Plague.]

WESTERHAM

THE HOME OF GENERAL WOLFE

=How to get there.=—Train from Charing Cross, Cannon Street, or
  London Bridge. South-Eastern and Chatham Railway.
=Nearest Station.=—Westerham.
=Distance from London.=—25 miles.
=Average Time.=—Varies between 1 to 2 hours.

                    1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=—Single 3s. 10d. 2s. 5d. 2s. 0d.
          Return 6s. 8d. 4s. 10d. 4s. 0d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=—"The King's Arms," "The Bull,"
  "The George and Dragon," etc.

Westerham as a small country town is not very remarkable in itself, although not devoid of interest, but as containing the birthplace of General Wolfe it becomes a place worthy of a pilgrimage. Colonel and Mrs. Wolfe, the parents of the hero of Quebec, had just come to Westerham, and occupied the vicarage at the time of the birth of their son James in 1727. This, being previous to 1752, was during the old style, when the year began on March 25. The day was December 22, now represented by January 2. Colonel Wolfe's infant was christened in Westerham Church by the vicar, the Rev. George Lewis; but although born at the vicarage, James's parents must have moved into the house now known as Quebec House almost immediately afterwards, for practically the whole of the first twelve years of the boy's life were spent in the fine old Tudor house which is still standing to-day. The vicarage is also to be seen, and though much altered at the back, the front portion, containing the actual room in which Wolfe was born, is the same as in the past. It has a three-light window towards the front, and two small windows in the gable at the side. Quebec House is near the vicarage. It does not bear its name upon it, but it will be pointed out on inquiry. The front is a most disappointing stucco affair, but this merely hides the beautiful Elizabethan gables which originally adorned the house from every point of view. Two private tenants now occupy the house, but the interior is on the whole very little altered since little James Wolfe played hide-and-seek in the old passages and rooms. Squerryes Court, the seat of Lieut.-Colonel C.A.M. Warde, J.P., is the local storehouse of Wolfe relics. Numbers of letters, portraits, and other interesting objects are all carefully preserved there. Young Wolfe was constantly at Squerryes, and the spot in the park where he received his first commission is marked by a stone cenotaph.

[Illustration: QUEBEC HOUSE, WESTERHAM.

Where General James Wolfe spent the first twelve years of his life.]

GUILDFORD, SURREY

=How to get there.=—Train from Waterloo. South-Western Railway.
=Nearest Station.=—Guildford.
=Distance from London.=—29-3/4 miles.
=Average Time.=—Varies from 50 minutes to 1-1/2 hours.

                    1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=—Single 5s. 0d. 3s. 2d. 2s. 6d.
          Return 8s. 9d. 5s. 6d. 5s. 0d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=—"Angel," "White Lion," "Castle,"
  etc.
=Alternative Route.=—South-Eastern and Chatham Railway from
  Charing Cross Station, and other South-Eastern and Chatham
  Railway termini.

Guildford High Street is without doubt one of the most picturesque in England. When one stands beneath the shadow of the quaint seventeenth-century town hall, with its great clock projecting half-way across the street towards the Corn Exchange, with its classic stone portico, a most charming picture is spread before one. The steep street dropping down to the river Wey, with the great green slopes of the Hog's Back rising immediately beyond, framed in with quaint gabled fronts and projecting windows. The castle, though very much in ruins, still possesses its huge square keep standing upon an artificial mound. Both the keep and the other portions of the fortress were probably built in the reign of Henry II. Those who are endeavouring to read the history of the castle should bear in mind that in 1623 it was converted into a private dwelling-house, and this accounts for the red brick mullions in the upper windows of the keep. From the highest portion of the walls there is an exceedingly pretty view up the winding course of the Wey. Abbot's Hospital, at the top of the High Street, was built in 1619. It is an exceedingly picturesque old structure of red brick, with conspicuously fine chimney-stacks. The buildings enclose a beautiful courtyard full of the richest architectural detail. The dining-hall is oak-panelled almost to the ceiling, and contains oak tables, benches, and stools. The chapel in the north-east corner contains an alms-box and a "Vinegar" Bible, and two of the windows are remarkable for their fine old glass.

The Angel Hotel in the High Street is built over a thirteenth-century crypt and contains much panelling.

The old stone grammar school in Spital Street was founded by Edward VI. St. Mary's Church, in the centre of the town, has a painted roof to one of its chapels and some Saxon features.

[Illustration: HIGH STREET, GUILDFORD.

Showing the Town Hall, with its projecting clock, and the Corn
Exchange.]