The little church, which is always open, has walls of old red brick and flint, with patches of rough plaster.  It is wonderfully picturesque, with its partial covering of ivy and beautiful background of fine old trees, and no one can view the scene at sunset without recalling Gray’s immortal Elegy written in a Country Churchyard—­those exquisite verses which breathe in every line the peace of an ideal country scene.  To a lover of Nature there can be nothing more beautiful than the lines—­

  Now fades the glimmering landscape on the sight,
  And all the air a solemn stillness holds;
  Save where the beetle wheels his drony flight,
  And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds.

Near the east wall of the church is the red brick tomb where Gray sleeps his last sleep, and in the meadow by the chancel window stands the huge cenotaph raised to his memory by John Penn.  Of the little cottage where he spent his summer vacations and wrote the Elegy nothing now remains.  Gray was born in London in 1716, and died at Cambridge in 1771.

The interior of the church has lost its high old pews and galleries, so that it lacks the interest it might have had, for until these were removed the building was almost exactly what Gray knew so well.

[Illustration:  Mackenzie Fine Art Co.

STOKE POGES CHURCHYARD.

Associated with Gray’s Elegy.]

WINDSOR

=How to get there.=—­Train from Paddington.  Great Western Railway. =Nearest Station.=—­Windsor. =Distance from London.=—­21-1/4 miles. =Average Time.=—­Varies between 1/2 to 1 hour.

                    1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=—­Single 3s. 6d. 2s. 3d. 1s. 9d. 
          Return 5s. 6d. 4s. 0d. 3s. 4d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=—­“White Hart Hotel,” “Bridge House
  Hotel,” “Castle Hotel,” etc.
=Alternative Route.=—­Train from Waterloo.  L. and S.W.  Railway.

The chief interest of Windsor centres in its castle, without which visitors to the town would probably be few in number.  Some of the old streets are narrow, and there are many architecturally interesting buildings.  The business portion of the town lies nearest to the Castle, the residential parts being chiefly round the Great Park.  The Town Hall, in the High Street, was commenced in 1686, and was completed under the direction of Sir Christopher Wren.

The history of Windsor Castle commences with the granting of the site of the castle and town to the Abbot of Westminster by Edward the Confessor.  William the Conqueror, was, however, so struck with its splendid military position, that he revoked the grant, and where the castle now stands built a fortress of considerable size.  Of this there is no description extant.  The first court was held at Windsor by Henry I., and during his reign many splendid functions took place