Excerpt: "The wide hilly street was lined by noble and imposing residences, that looked as if they had quitted country parks and pleasure grounds, and flocked together for company liberally planned gardens celebrated for fruit and roses - sloped away from French Windows at the rear of these mansions, to the very brink of a slow brown canalmonce glorified by fly boats galloping teams and gay passengers, but now abandoned to lethargic barges, bear ing freights of turf and manure. In the good old days the town was peopled by retired oflicers (naval and military), wealthy widows, and well-born spinsters, and actually numbered a baronet, and the brother of a Viscount among its tenants."
