Not far away are the manors of Crittenden, Puttenden, and Crowhurst.  This last is one of the most picturesque in Surrey, with its moat, across which there is a fine view of the house, its half-timber work, the straight uprights placed close together signifying early work, and the striking character of the interior.  The Gaynesford family became lords of the manor of Crowhurst in 1337, and continued to hold it until 1700, a very long record.  In 1903 the Place was purchased by the Rev. ——­ Gaynesford, of Hitchin, a descendant of the family of the former owners.  This is a rare instance of the repossession of a medieval residence by an ancient family after the lapse of two hundred years.  It was built in the fifteenth century, and is a complete specimen of its age and style, having been unspoilt by later alterations and additions.  The part nearer the moat is, however, a little later than the gables further back.  The dining-room is the contracted remains of the great hall of Crowhurst Place, the upper part of which was converted into a series of bedrooms in the eighteenth century.  We give an illustration of a very fine hinge to a cupboard door in one of the bedrooms, a good example of the blacksmith’s skill.  It is noticeable that the points of the linen-fold in the panelling of the door are undercut and project sharply.  We see the open framed floor with moulded beams.  Later on the fashion changed, and the builders preferred to have square-shaped beams.  We notice the fine old panelling, the elaborate mouldings, and the fixed bench running along one end of the chamber, of which we give an illustration.  The design and workmanship of this fixture show it to belong to the period of Henry VIII.  All the work is of stout timber, save the fire-place.  The smith’s art is shown in the fine candelabrum and in the knocker or ring-plate, perforated with Gothic design, still backed with its original morocco leather.  It is worthy of a sanctuary, and doubtless many generations of Crowhurst squires have found a very dear sanctuary in this grand old English home.  This ring-plate is in one of the original bedrooms.  Immense labour was often bestowed upon the mouldings of beams in these fifteenth-century houses.  There was a very fine moulded beam in a farm-house in my own parish, but a recent restoration has, alas! covered it.  We give some illustrations of the cornice mouldings of the Church House, Goudhurst, Kent, and of a fine Gothic door-head.

[Illustration:  Cupboard Hinge, Crowhurst Place, Surrey]

It is impossible for us to traverse many shires in our search for old houses.  But a word must be said for the priceless contents of many of our historic mansions and manors.  These often vanish and are lost for ever.  I have alluded to the thirst of American millionaires for these valuables, which causes so many of our treasures to cross the Atlantic and find their home in the palaces of Boston and Washington and elsewhere.  Perhaps if our valuables must