Observations On The River Wye
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The Wye Tour was an excursion past and through a series of scenic buildings, natural phenomena, and factories located along the
River Wye The River Wye (; cy, Afon Gwy ) is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn estuary. For much of its length the river forms part of Wal ...
. It was a popular destination for British travellers from 1782 to around 1850,, p. 86 and reached its peak popularity during the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, when travel (especially the
Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...
) to
Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...
was not an option., p. 125


History

Although tourists had been travelling down the River Wye since the middle of the 18th century, the Wye Tour became a must-see series of destinations after the publication of William Gilpin's ''Observations on the River Wye and several parts of South Wales, etc. relative chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the summer of the year 1770'', which established the
Wye valley The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; cy, Dyffryn Gwy) is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. The River Wye ( cy, Afon Gwy) is the fourth-longest river in th ...
as an area rich in
Picturesque Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in ''Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year ...
scenes. After ''Observations'' was published in 1782, travellers from all across Britain flocked to
Ross-on-Wye Ross-on-Wye (Welsh: ''Rhosan ar Wy'') is a market town in England, near the border with Wales. It had a population of 10,582 according to the 2011 census, estimated at 11,309 in 2019. It lies in south-eastern Herefordshire, on the River Wye and ...
, typically used as a launching point for the Tour, and sailed downriver to
Chepstow Chepstow ( cy, Cas-gwent) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western ...
,, p. 124, p. 87 the Tour's final destination, over a course of two days. For British travellers unable to travel to continental Europe during the Napoleonic Wars, the Wye Tour became a replacement for the
Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...
. In his ''Wye Tour'' (1818),
Thomas Dudley Fosbroke Thomas Dudley Fosbroke (sometime Fosbrooke) FSA (27 May 17701 January 1842) was an English clergyman and antiquary. He was curate of Horsley, Gloucestershire, until 1810 and then of Walford in Herefordshire. He wrote ''British Monachism'' (2 vol ...
compared the Wye Tour to the
Grecian The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, other ...
Tempe (he called the Tour "a portrait of the celebrated Grecian Tempe enlarged"), thereby elevating the Wye Tour "to the highest level of classical beauty". During the early 19th century, the popularity of the Wye and other
Picturesque Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in ''Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year ...
Tours skyrocketed. Thousands of tourists descended upon Ross-on-Wye each summer to take a Picturesque tour, and to appreciate scenery that the fastidious Gilpin had declared "properly Picturesque". During this time, Wye Tourists (and seekers of the Picturesque in general) were widely lampooned by British
caricaturists A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...
(e.g.
William Combe William Combe (25 March 174219 June 1823) was a British miscellaneous writer. His early life was that of an adventurer, his later was passed chiefly within the "rules" of the King's Bench Prison. He is chiefly remembered as the author of ''Th ...
's ''The Adventures of Dr. Syntax, In Search of the Picturesque'') and satirical poets, who mocked their ignorance of local customs, single-minded pursuit of Picturesque views, and disregard for one another. Despite this (frequently accurate) criticism, the popularity of the tour endured until the middle of the 19th century – well after the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the Picturesque fad. Wye Tour destinations like
Tintern Abbey Tintern Abbey ( cy, Abaty Tyndyrn ) was founded on 9 May 1131 by Walter de Clare, Lord of Chepstow. It is situated adjacent to the village of Tintern in Monmouthshire, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye, which at this location forms the bor ...
remain some of the most popular weekend destinations for British tourists to the present day


The Tour

During the height of the Wye Tour's popularity (the first decade of the nineteenth century,, p. 89 there were no fewer than eight to ten "pleasure boats" launching from Ross-on-Wye towards Chepstow each day. These pleasure boats were equipped with drawing tables, at which tourists would either read travel journals (usually Gilpin's ''Observations...'') or sit and rapidly sketch scenes that struck them as especially Picturesque. The boats also featured canopies (to protect travellers from the sun), and crews to steer and row the boats downriver. Such boats could be retained for the price of three
guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from t ...
per passenger per day., p. 94 Alternately, a tourist could elect to walk along the banks of the Wye (as
William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ' ...
did before writing "
Lines Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Arts ...
Composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey, on Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour, 13 July 1798"), or, if they were exceptionally rich, take a private carriage. Each Tour followed the same general itinerary. First, tourists would leave Ross-on-Wye, appreciating the "mazy course and lofty banks". of the river on the way to their next major destination,
Goodrich Castle Goodrich Castle is a Norman medieval castle ruin north of the village of Goodrich in Herefordshire, England, controlling a key location between Monmouth and Ross-on-Wye. It was praised by William Wordsworth as the "noblest ruin in Herefordshir ...
. Gilpin deemed the castle "correctly Picturesque". in its own right, and the crumbling structure, entwined with vines and set on a large hill that loomed over the viewer, "was generally considered to rank as the second grand object of the tour". From Goodrich Castle, tourists would sail past the ironworks at New Weir (sometimes spelled "New Wear"). Tourists of the time (like Thomas Whateley, who reverentially mentioned "a path or the ironworkers worn into steps narrow and steep, winding among the precipices" and commented on a "sullen sound that, at stated intervals from the strokes of the great hammers in the forge, deadens the roar of the water-fall") thought of the ironworks as enhancing the Picturesque qualities of the surrounding landscape; "the natural scene itself is awesome, and therefore positively enhanced by the presence of industry". After sailing past New Weir, the boats would next pass under Symond's Yat, a rock that impressed passers-by with a sense of the Sublime. At the end of the first day of the Tour, the travellers would arrive at the town of
Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...
, and spend the night in an inn. The following morning, tourists would pass riverside hamlets and Picturesque natural scenery before finally arriving at the Tour's greatest spectacle,
Tintern Abbey Tintern Abbey ( cy, Abaty Tyndyrn ) was founded on 9 May 1131 by Walter de Clare, Lord of Chepstow. It is situated adjacent to the village of Tintern in Monmouthshire, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye, which at this location forms the bor ...
. There, awestruck seekers of the Picturesque observed the bare columns and walls of what was once a massive structure, overrun with vegetation and decay. Before the Abbey was immortalised by William Wordsworth's poem ''" Lines composed a few miles above Tintern Abbey..."'' it was considered to be an impressive, although imperfectly Picturesque, ruin. During the 18th century, the Abbey was purchased by the
Duke of Beaufort Duke of Beaufort (), a title in the Peerage of England, was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of So ...
, who had immediately attempted to "restore" the Abbey. The Duke's restorative efforts, which included hammering bronze letters into the brick floor, introducing plants that compromised the structural integrity of arches and hallways, and other such harmful practices, ultimately did more damage than good to the ruins. Despite the Duke's restorative efforts, Gilpin remained unimpressed with the Abbey, and complained that "though the parts are beautiful, the whole is ill-shaped". Most tourists, however, generally considered Tintern Abbey to be the most important and beautiful location on the Wye Tour., p. 128 Later tourists were probably familiar with Wordsworth's famous poem ''"Lines.."'' and the importance of that piece only increased the aura of the Abbey. After walking through the ruins of the Abbey, tourists returned to their boats and sailed further down the Wye, noting the cliff "Lover's Leap" and especially the Picturesque plains of Piercefield before arriving at the end of the Tour, the junction of the Rivers Wye and
Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...
in
Chepstow Chepstow ( cy, Cas-gwent) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western ...
. The ruins of
Chepstow Castle Chepstow Castle ( cy, Castell Cas-gwent) at Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales is the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain. Located above cliffs on the River Wye, construction began in 1067 under the instruction of the Norman L ...
were the final spectacle of the Wye Tour. After arriving in Chepstow, Tourists would arrange for transportation back to their respective homes.


The Wye Tour and the Picturesque

The Wye Tour was first popularised by William Gilpin's ''Observations on the River Wye...'' (1782), a travel journal, complete with sketches. Gilpin had been encouraged to make the journey by his friend
Thomas Gray Thomas Gray (26 December 1716 – 30 July 1771) was an English poet, letter-writer, classics, classical scholar, and professor at Pembroke College, Cambridge, Pembroke College, Cambridge. He is widely known for his ''Elegy Written in a Country ...
, who had found the tour to be "a succession of nameless beauties". Gilpin's book did more than encourage British citizens to observe the beauties of the
Wye Valley The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; cy, Dyffryn Gwy) is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. The River Wye ( cy, Afon Gwy) is the fourth-longest river in th ...
– it marked the first time that Gilpin discussed the Picturesque (originally defined as "that peculiar kind of beauty, which is agreeable in a picture") at length. As a result, the Wye Valley was more or less constantly associated with the Picturesque, and as public awareness and appreciation for the Picturesque increased, so too did the popularity of the Wye Tour.


Modern exhibitions

From May to September 2010,
Chepstow Museum Chepstow Museum is a museum in Chepstow, Monmouthshire, south east Wales. It is operated by Monmouthshire Museums Service. Location Chepstow Museum is located close to the town centre, opposite Chepstow Castle in Bridge Street, near the Ri ...
held a temporary exhibition, 'The Wye Tour and its Artists', of period art from the Wye Tour. A catalogue and detailed guide was published.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * {{authority control River Wye Tourism in England Tourism in Wales History of Monmouthshire History of Herefordshire