andy. In 1295 it first returned representatives to
Parliament, and in 1345 was strongly fortified, and able to contribute
twenty-one ships to the Royal Navy, Portsmouth only supplying five. Many
expeditions for Normandy embarked here during the reigns of the
Plantagenets, and the men who fought and won at Crecy and Agincourt must
have passed, on the way to their ships, under the old West Gate, which
still remains much as it was in those stirring times.

The town is full of interesting relics of every description, one of the
most remarkable being the old wall, of which a considerable portion
remains; that known as The Arcades, built in a series of arches, being
specially noticeable. Close by, in Blue Anchor Lane, is a Norman house,
reputed to be King John's palace, and claiming, with several others, to
be the oldest house in England.

The town was formerly entered by several gates, two of which, Westgate
and Bargate, are still in a good state of preservation.

The Bargate stands in the centre of the High Street, and is an excellent
example of mediaeval fortification.

At the head of Blue Anchor Lane is the remarkably picturesque and
substantial Tudor house, once the residence of Henry VIII. and Anne
Boleyn, and nearly opposite rises the tall tower of St. Michael's, the
oldest church in Southampton. The building is open all day (the keys
being obtainable on inquiry), and contains a remarkable carved black
marble font, reputed to be of Byzantine origin, and a fine eagle lectern
of the fifteenth century.

[Illustration: _Photochrom Co., Ltd._

THE BARGATE IN THE HIGH STREET OF SOUTHAMPTON.]

HELMINGHAM HALL

=How to get there.=--Great Eastern Railway. Liverpool Street.
=Nearest Station.=--Woodbridge (10 miles).
=Distance from London.=--79 miles.
=Average Time.=--Varies between 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Quickest train
1 hour 56 minutes.

1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=--Single 14s. 9d. ... 6s. 8d.
Return 22s. 2d. ... 13s. 4d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"The Bull Hotel," etc., at Woodbridge.

Helmingham Hall, the seat of Lord Tollemache, lies in a beautiful park,
ten miles from Woodbridge, in Suffolk, and has been one of the homes of
the family for generations. The Tollemache family own two of the finest
Tudor houses in this country, Ham House near Richmond, the property of
the Earls of Dysart, and Helmingham, which now belongs to the other
branch of the Tollemache pee