Bolton Abbey
Newman Hall
Entranced with varied loveliness, I gaze
On Bolton's hallowed fane. Its hoary walls,
More eloquent, in ruin, than the halls
Of princely pomp, their solemn features raise
Mid thick embowering elms. Meek cattle graze
The peaceful pastures circling it around;
Old Wharf flows sparkling by with pensive sound,
And heathery hills look down through purple haze.
All lend their aid to prompt these humble lays;
Some kind and soothing influence all have given,—
The mouldering abbey and the moss-grown grave,
The breezy moorland and the rock-nurst wave,
Cliff, meadow, forest,—all direct to heaven,
All blend their voices in one psalm of praise.
The picturesque ruin of Bolton Abbey rises beside the River Wharf. The Abbey was an Augustinian House, the original building dating from the early 12th century with later additions. The Monastery was dissolved in 1539 under Henry VIII.
