Efq. who, in 180, took the name and arms of Carew This houfe is one of the many faid to have been a refidence of Queen Elizabeth. A lock, with her arms, is certainly on one of the doors; and, about half a mile to the east of the houfe, upon the higheft ground in the place, is an avenue of trees, called Queen Elizabeth's Walk. Beddington Park is ftill famous for walnut trees. The church is a beautiful Gothic pile, built of tone, in the aifles of which are feveral ftalls, after the manner of cathedrals. BEECHWOOD, near St. Alban's, the feat of Sir John Sebright, Baronet. BELFONT, a village, 13 M. F. L. on the road to Staines. In the church-yard, two yew trees unite to form an arch over the foot-path, and exhibit, in fombre verdure, the date of the year 1704. BELLHOUSE, the feat of the Dowager Lady Dacre, at Aveley, in Effex, 20 M. F. L. in the road to Tilbury, is fituated in a well wooded park, and was rebuilt in the reign of Henry VIII. The late Lord much improved this noble manfion'; and to his skill in architecture Bellhoufe owes the elegant neatness of its decorations, from defigns made by himself, and executed under his own infpection. BELLHOUSE, the feat of the Hon. George Petre, at Hare Street, 18 M. F. L. on the left of the road to Ongar.' BELL MOUNT, an elegant villa and park, in the parifh of Great Stanmore; occupied at prefent, by John Drummond, Efq. during the minority of his nephew. BELVEDERE HOUSE, the feat of Lord Eardly, is fituated on the brow of a hill, near Erith, in Kent, and commands a vast extent of country beyond the Thames, which is a' mile and a half diftant. This river adds greatly to the beauty of the fcene, which exhibits a very pleafing landfcape. The fhips employed in the trade of London dre feen failing up and down the river. On the ether fide are profpects not lefs beautiful, though of another kind. His lordthip has very judicioufly laid out his grounds. The old houfe was but fall; he, therefore built a very noble manfion, and the only apartment left of of the former is an elegant drawing-room, built by his father. The collection of pictures contains many capital productions of the greatest mafters. The following is a catalogue of them: View of Venice, and Ditto with the Doge marrying the fea, its companion, Canaletti; Time bringing Truth to light, a fketch, Rubens; the Alchemist, Teniers; Portrait of Sir John Gage, Holbein; a landfcape, G. Pouffin; Battle of the Amazons, Rottenhamer; the unjuft Steward, Quintip Matfys; Noah's Ark, Velvet Brughel; St. Catherine, Leonardo da Vinci; Van Tromp, Francis Hals; Vulcan, or the Element of Fire, Baffan; Horfes, its companion, Wouvermans; Two infides of churches, small, De Neef; a Dutch Woman and her three children, Sir Ant. More; Rembrandt painting an old woman, by himself; a courtezan and her gallant, Giorgione; the golden age, Velvet Brughel; Synders, with his wife and child, Rubens; Rebecca bringing prefents to Laban, De la Hyre; Boors at cards, Teniers; the Element of Earth, Jai. Baffan; Marriage in Cana, P. Veronefe; two landfcapes, G. Pouffin; the genealogy of Chrift, Albert Durer; Beggar-boys at cards, Sal. Rofa; Herod confulting the wife men, Rembrandt; Marriage of St. Catherine, Old Palma; the Conception, for an altar piece, Murillo; the Flight into Egypt, its companion, Ditto; Vulcan, Venus, Cupid, and fundry figures, an emblematic fubject, Tintoret; Mars and Venus, P. Veronefe; Chrift among the Doctors, L. Giordano; Duke of Buckingham's miftrefs, her three children, and a son of Rubens, by himfelf; a landfcape, Claude; Leopold's gallery, Teniers; Teniers' own gallery, Ditto. BENTLEY PRIORY, the magnificent feat of the Marquis of Abercorn, is feated on the fuminit of Stanmore Hill, but in the parish of Harrow. The fite of it is fuppofed to be that of an ancient priory, which, at the diffolution, was converted into a private house. The present ftructure, which commands extenfive views over Middlefex and the neighbouring counties, was built from the defigns of Mr. Soame; but the beautiful plantations were laid out by the noble owner himself. BERTIE PLACE, near Chiflehurft, in Kent, an an F. 2 cient cient manfion, long in the poffeffion of the family of Farrington, Thomas Farrington, Efq. bequeathed it to his nephew, the late Lord Robert Bertie, who greatly improved the house and grounds. Is is now the refidence of the Right Hon. Charles Townshend. vogo Tie BETCHWORTH, a village in Surry, between Dorking and Ryegate, with a caftle of the fame name, the feat of Mifs Tucker, lady of the manor.. A mile from this is Tranquil Dale, the elegant villa of Mr. Petty. The fituation of this charming place feems perfectly correfpondent to its appellation; confecrated, as it were, more particularly, to the lover of rural quiet and contemplation. Who, when young Spring protrudes the bursting gems, THOMSON. BEXLEY, a village, 12 M. F. L. a little to the right of the Dover road. Bexley Manor was in the poffeffion of the celebrated Camden, who bequeathed it for the endowing of a profefforfhip of Hiftory at Oxford. In this parifh is Hall Place, an ancient feat, in which Richard Calvert, Efq. refides. See Danfon Hill. BILLERICAY, a market town, 231 M. F. L. on a fine eminence in the road from Chelmsford to Tilbury, commanding a beautiful profpect over a rich valley to the Thames. It is a hamlet to the parish of Great Bursted. BLACKHEATH, a fine elevated heath, in the parifhes. of Greenwich, Lewitham, and Lee, commands fome noble profpects, particularly from that part called "The Point," which is a delightful lawn, fituated behind a pleafant grove, at the weft end of Chocolate Row. On this heath are the villas of Richard Hulfe, Efq. the late Earl of Chesterfield's; of the late Duke of Montague, now the Duke of Buccleugh's; of Mr. Latham, late Lord Falkland's; of the Earl of Dartmouth, and Capt. Larkin. But the greatest ornament of Blackheath, was the magnificent feat of Sir Gregory Page. It confifted of a centre, united to two wings by a colonnade; and was adorned with mafterly masterly paintings, rich rangings, marbles, and alto relievos. But how unftable is human grandeur! Sir Gregory died in 1775, and left this feat to his nephew, Sir Gregory Turner, who took the name and arms of Page. -Sir Gregory Page Turner difpofed of the noble collection of paintings by auction; and, by virtue of an act of parliament, the house and grounds were fold by auction to John Cator, Efq. of Beckenham, for 22,550l. This gentleman fold it again by auction, in 1787, in a very different way; all the materials, with its magnificent decorations, being fold in feparate lots, no The remains of this noble feat, now a melancholy fhell, may remind the reader of Canons, near Edgware, the once princely palace of the princely Chandos, which rofe and disappeared in lefs than half a century! Similar was the fate of Eaftbury in Dorsetshire, a magnificent feat which coft 100,cool. It was built by the famous George Bubb Doddington, whom Thomfon celebrates, in his "Summer," for all the public virtues; whofe own Diary, publifhed fince his death, has unmasked the wily courtier and intriguing ftatefman, and whofe vanity, at the age of fourfcore, when he had no heir to inherit his honours, induced him to accept the title of Lord Melcombe Regis. This feat, on his death, devolved on the late Earl Temple, who lent it to his brother, Mr. Henry Grenville, on whofe death, the Earl offered to give 2ool. a year to gentleman to occupy and keep it up; but the propofal not being accepted, he determined to pull it down, and the materials produced little more than the prime coft of the plumber and glazie.'s work. Events of this kind muft lead the mind into the most awful reflections on the viciffitude and inftability of the proud monuments of human grandeur; directing our attention to the final confummation of all things, when The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces," any SHAKSPEARE. In In 1780 a curious cavern was discovered, on the left fide of the afcent to Blackheath, in the road to Dover. It confifts of feven large rooms, from 12 to 36 feet wide each way, which have a communication with each other by arched avenues. Some of the apartments have large conical domes upwards of 36 feet high, fupported by a column of chalk, 43 yards in circumference. The bottom of the cavern is 50 feet from the entrance; at the extre: mities 160 feet; and it is defcended by a regular flight of fteps. The fides and roof are rocks of chalk; the bottom is a fine dry fand; and, upwards of 170 feet under ground, is a well of remarkably fine water 27 feet deepi BLACKMORE, a village in Effex, between Ongar and Ingatestone, feven miles from Chelmsford. An ancient priory stood near the church. "It is reported," fays Morant, to have been one of King Henry the Eighth's pleasure houfes, and difguifed by the name of Jericho ; fo that when this lafcivious prince had a mind to repair to his courtezans, the cant word among his courtiers was, that he was gone to Jericho." Here was born his natural fon Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerfet, and Earl of Nottingham, the friend and companion of the gallant and accomplished Earl of Surry, whofe poetry makes fuch a diftinguished figure in the li terature of the 16th century. This ancient ftructure was repaired, and fome additions made to it, about 70 years ago, by Sir James Ackworth, Bart. whofe daughter, Lady Wheate, fold it to the prefent poffeffor, Richard Prefton. Efq. The river Can, which partly furrounds the gar den, is ftill called here the River Fordan. Not far from Jericho is Smyth Hall, the feat of Charles Alexander Crickitt, Efq. to whom it was left by his uncle Captain Charles Alexander. Mr. Crickitt has entirely repaired and new fronted the old manfion, in a window of which was fome fine ftained glafs, of great antiquity, represent. ing ancient military figures. Thefe he has carefully preferved, and formed into a beautiful window for the ftaircafe. BLACKWALL, in Middlesex, between the eastern extremity of Poplar (to which hamlet it belongs) and the mouth of the river Lea, is remarkable for the fhip-yard and |