SOUTHAMPTON.

THE principal entrance to Southampton on the land side, is by the large and extremely beautiful Gate, called emphatically the Bar. Its north front is of rather uncommon form, being a sort of semi-octagon, flanked with two lower semicircular turrets, and crowned with large and handsome machicollations. The arch of entrance is highly pointed, and adorned with a profusion of mouldings, which now end abruptly, a part of the flanks of the arch having been cut away to enlarge the carriage way, which was inconveniently narrow. Above the arch is a row of elegant sunk pannels, alternately square and oblong. In each of the squares is a shield in relief, painted with a coat of arms. These ornaments were added to the Gate after the accession of James I.

The footways on each side are modern perforations through the old flanking towers, as the brick-work entirely covers the ancient walls; but, by inspecting the sides of the principal arch, it seems as if there had formerly been arches opening laterally into these towers. The arches and front hitherto described, though probably 450 years old, are modern, when compared with the central part of the Gate, which is of early Norman work, if not more ancient than the Conquest. Its plain and massive round arches, which are considerably wider than the outer pointed one, are a full proof of this. Within this most ancient part, another addition has been made, forming a plain and flat front; which, though never very handsome, was much injured by an awkward attempt to adorn it, at the beginning of the last century.

The battlements have, however, escaped the ravages of improvement; and an ancient alarm bell hangs in a niche formed for it, between two of them. The leads are spacious; and from these the gradual increase of this noble Gate is easily traced. The original gate was flanked by two semicircular towers, towards the country; between these, and projecting beyond them, the present beautiful exterior front was added; the front towards the town appears the most modern of all. The two lions sejant, cast in lead, which now form a respectable guard at the entrance of the Gate, were formerly placed at the extremities of the parapet of a bridge which crossed the ditch before the Gate, and were removed to their present situation when the ditch was filled up, and the bridge demolished.