The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-06-25 00:00:00

DECORAIIONS AND ILLUMINATIONS
IN LONDON,

The decorations in every part of the metropolis
were of the most striking and attractive nature,
everything bright in bunting, cloth, glass, gilding,
metal work, flowers, and foliage being utilised. To
glance briefly at same of the chief decorations, we may
mention that Piccadilly presented a brilliant vista of
colour. Venetian roasts lined each side of Ihe street
and the circus, supporting innumerable streams of flags
and hannerets, while the centre of the circus was
furaer ornamented with a cluster of shrubs and
natural flowers. At the end of Regent-street a
triumphal arch hi three spans was erected, bearing the
Royal Arms at the apex, and the motto, "Victoria,
all nations salute you." A series of 12 large streamers
were suspended at intervals down the dechne leading
to the park, and the inscriptions could be read in suc-
cession, a few words on each s.reamer, the whole
forming the legend, "The British Isles, the Indian
Empire, Your Colonies, and Dependencies, in Europe,
in Asia, in America, in Africa, Australasia, and
Oceania, give you Welcome" At the end of Regent-
street was another handsome arch, with the inscrip-
tion "Victoria our Queen." The scene at Trafalgar-
square was remarkable for its brilliancy and colour.
Every house was decorated with flag., evergreens, and
festoons, and the windows were already filled with
spectators. The National Gallery was the only build-
ing undecorated, and this presented a marked contrast
to the gay scene around.
Tho-e who are old enough to remember Vauxhall
Gardens in their best days, on special fete occasions,
may, by multiplying the most brilliant of those dis-
plays of light a thousandfold or more, arrive at some
idea of the appearance of the metropolis on Tuesday
night. The reminiscence was specially suggested by
the coloured lamps, which for a time fell into disuse,
but are now again largely used to subdue the glare
of the gas jets by which the modern devices are
formed. From nightfall until far into the morning
hours the streets were simply a blaze of fire, which,
viewed from the suburban heights, presented the
appearance of a huge conflagration. Illuminations
are by no means an uncommon method of marking
festive occasions, but such a display as that wh:ch
was prepared for the Jubilee Celebration was beyond
comparison with anything which has gone before,
both as regards magnitude and design; and the many
thousands, who thronged the main thoroughfares
and rendered pedestrianism difficult, and vehicular
traffic impossible, must have been amply repaid by
the great feast of light in which they revelled for
hours.

In Grosvenor-place, which overlooks the gardens of
Buckingham Palace, illuminations as well as the
decorations were carried out with great taste. Sir
G. Montgomery had several iron crowns which lighted
up well, and, the night not being dark, allowed the
colours of the striking devices in flags and floral
decorations which had been provided to be visible.
The residence of the Hon. James St. Vincent Sau-
marez was prettily lighted up with strings of coloured
glasses. Mrs. Spottiswoo3e had decorated the front
of her house with the letters V.R. in coloured glasses.
Colonel Dyott exhibited a pretty variety of Chinese
lanterns, varying much in form and devices, also in
coloured glass. But the best display of this character
was at the residence of the Hon. Mrs. Lee Main-
waring, above whose portico, in a covered saloon, were
Chinese lanterns in the form of great fish, and many
curious devices dear to the soul of a Chinaman,
and making up a very remarkable display. Mrs.
Myddleton Biddulph had erected on the front of
her house a gigantic V.R. in ivy, and the
designs for lighting were crowns very graceful
in outline, and showing well in the night. Earl
S'anhope had a number of stars, varying in
shape and size, on his house. The chief display in the
Place, however, was that resulting from the adoption
of one method by the occupiers of the top terrace.
These were the residences of the Earl of Scar-
borough, the Duke of Northumberland, Lord A.
Percy, the Right Hon. W. H. Smith, the Duke of
Grafton, Sir E. C. Guinness, the Duke of Portland,
and the premises occupied by the Wellington Club.
The leading design was that of the crown supported
by gigantic floral emblems of Scotland, Wales, and
Irelan7d. These were all constructed of iron pipes,
and the effect was very fine; all the crowns were of
gigantic size. St. George's Hospital, which made a
beautiful floral display during the day, at night ex-
hibited crowns and stars in gas. The houses in Picca-
dilly were more lavishly adorned for display during
the day than at night; but upon the fronts of all were
crowns, stars, and other devices, with here and
there "God Save the Queen," or "God Bless our
Queen." In every instance where the windows
were outlined with coloured glasses, the effect
at night was very good, and this was particularly the
case at the houses of Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild,
the Duke of Cambridge, Lady Clsolmondeley, Lord
Elphinstone, Mr. W. S. Saltings, the Badminton
Club, the Naval and Military Club, and the Duke of
Devonshire. All the shops of the Royal tradesmen
were brilliantly lighted up, the designs being for the
most pal t shields of varying coloured glass, surround-
ing the Royal Arms. Messrs. Hancocks and Co. made
a very artistic and novel display at the corner of New
Bond -street and Bruton-street. Garlands of ever-
greens, tastefully arranged with bouquets of real
flowers, encircled their premises, whilst a line of gas
jets and " glories ° of gas around the Royal Arms
gave a pleasing outline. Waterloo House, in Pall
Mall, was well lighted at night; and the Grand Hotel
presented a beautiful sight, owls window on almost
every floor being outlined in coloured glasses.
With the exception of some half-dozen houses the
illuminations in Regent-street were commonplace.
An immense crowd congregated opposite the estab-
lishment of the London Stereoscopic Company, who
exhibited a novel illumination. In a gilt frame,
about eight feet high, surmounted by the Royal
arms, and draped with the Union Jack and St.
George's Cross, beautiful photographic transparencies,
representing the Queen at the date of her accession
and at the epoch of her Jubilee, were alternately dis-
played by the aid of powerful optical lanterns and
lime light. The Hudson Bay House used nearly 500 1
coloured Vauxhall lamps for tracing out the windows
and balcony of their frontage, and the effect was cue
of the most striking in the street. Turning aside
into Hanover-square the sightseers were rewarded by
the handsome gas illumination over the offices of the
Royal Agricultural Society, consisting of a large
crowu-surmounted circle bearing the words, "Prac-
tice with Science." The offices of the Zoological
Society made the corner of the square in which
they are situated bright with a device of
coloured lamps. The chief point of attraction in
Oxford-street was the house of Messrs. Marshall and
Snelgrove, which was a blaze of light. In the centre
were the words "Jubilee, 1887. God Bless our
Queen," the inscription being crowned with the
emblem of Royalty, and supported by laurel branches.
Gas stars flanked the chief device, the whole being
one of the best gas illuminations seen in the West-
End streets. Near the Marble Arch, the house of Mr.
Cyril Flower was beautifully lighted up with coloured
lamps, the arrangement and nature of the devices
producing a charming effect. Lord Randolph
Churchill contented himself with a festoon of four
rows of coloured lamps over the doorway, and a small
arch over each of the windows of his house in
Connaught-place. Turniug down Park-lane, those
who expected a brilliant show in this quarter, that
would appear to offer so much facility for a lavish
display, were disappointed. At one or two houses,
such as Nos. 39 and 42, Vauxhall lamps were dis-
played in considerable numbers, and Chinese lanterns
were hung out on several balconies, but there seems to
have been no general action on the part of the residents.
Pall-Mall was filled with a flood of light. Fascinated
by the glowing flees, the densely-packed mass of spec-
tators pressed forward from every point into Club-
land to witness the phencmenon of night almost
turned into day. The central attraction was the
brilliantly-illuminated facade of the Army and Navy
Club. The cornices of that fine building were fringed
with the white fire of many thousand jets of gas. The
long line of beaded lights not only graced the front in
Pall-Mall, but continued its course far beyond the
corner of the adjoining street, where the club com-
mands a striking situation, which is seen to great
advantage when aglow with festal fires. The added
splendour of a dozen flames, burning in classic tripods
near the base of the house, lit up the street for hun-
dreds of yards with an unwonted splendour. In the
brilliant spectacle, "V.R." with the dates of the
Cororation and the Jubilee, stood out in bright
consp.Cuousness. At the opposite angle a less
fierce, but beautiful decoration, was the happy
arrangement of arc lamps of electric light which
depended from the windows of more than one storey
of the Junior Carlton Club. The crowd also made a
stand at the Carlton over the way, where the motto
"Long Live the Queen" adorned the balcony, along
which the laurel enwreathed- a graceful device sur-
mounted with a crown, while above all shone the
stronger light of flares. This torch or flambeau
entered largely into the illumination of several of the
club houses that attempted no original design, and in
most cases the flaring beacons, with here and there a
star, served to set off the ever-recurring "_Victoria
Regina," which never seemed to weary the eye; for,
whether limited to the initials c r displayed in extended
form, it appeared to admit of almost infinite variation.
Marlborough House had a crown of unique shape
over the gateway, flanked by stars, all decorated with
fairy lamps. The "same charming method was em-
ployed in lighting up the wall facing St. James's
Palace. where the motto "God Save the Queen"
elicited a response from many thousands of loyal
hearts. Nor was the Heir to the Throne forgotten in
the midst of the Queen's Jubilee. The Pall-mall
Gallery ingeniously combined with" V.R." the Prince
of Wstles's feathers. The loyalty of the private and
business houses, of which a sprinkling have found
their way among the clubs, was fairly represented.
One had encircled the windows with fairy lights, and
another supplemented a liberal display of these with
the rich subdued colours of Chinese lanterns.
!ft The broad stream of onlookers turned into St.
James's-street with an expectation which was not dis-
appointed, and, indeed, the rest of the principal
streets of the West-end of London were all more or
less brilliantly illuminated In Great George street
the device that had most admirers was that of the
Institute of Civil Engineer?, whose somewhat prosaic
frentage blazed forth in pure white light from in-
numerable small incandescent lamps, the title of the
Institute, the date 1837-1887, and the words " Her
Most Gracious Majesty the Queen," all of which wa3
very effective upon a white ground. The illumination
at the Chinese Customs Offices, at the end of Birdcage.
walk, near Storey's-gate, was a reminiscence e`

Chinese courts at the three International Exhibitions
Fisheries, Health, and Inventions. The two dragons
that were sent from China for the allegorical pictures
over the entrance 'to the court were hung in
front of the office overlooking St. James's-park, and
were set off by coloured lamps. Above them was a
gas transparency, bringing out in red and white
colours the letters V.R., between which is a
Chinese diagram, symbolical of harmony, which
was a principal feature in the decora-
tions of the Chinese Court. -Variety and
ingenuity were more observable in Victoria-street.
Almost every balcony was hung with Chinese lanterns
of all conceivable sizes and forms, or with
small coloured lamps artistically arranged against
suitable grounds, or, even more picturesquely,
among peen foliage and bright flowers, In
many cases both lamps and lanterns were used,
and more pleasing variety thereby secured. Very
imposing was the illumination of the Australian
offices on the south side. Over the entire front of the
building were placed large crystals or "flares,"
setting out in letters of coloured fire the names
of our Australasian Colonies, and their acknowledg-
ments of loyalty to our Sovereign. The offices of
the Canadian Government were conspicuous by a
device similar in spirit, though less elaborate in exe-
cution, while over the &mar of the Primrose League
on the other side of the street shone a coloured trans-
parency of the motto of the League, surrounded by
a wreath of primroses, and surmounted by a
crown. The Army and Navy Coasperative Stores
were one blaze of lights streaming from lines of gas
jets, amid which stood a portrait of the Queen framed
with lamps of red, yellow and blue. A star encrusted
with brilliant diamonds of electric light beamed from
the imposing doorway of the Hotel Windsor, formerly
known as the Army and Navy Hotel. A Prince of
Wales feather in gas and a Crown nine feet high
were the ftatures of the Westminster Palace Hotel,
the latter illumination overlooking the Broad Sanc-
tuary, which was further lighted by stars and lines of
coloured lamps over the gateway leading into Dean's-
yard.
In the City of London proper the most attractive
point was that in which the Bank of England, the
Mansion House, and the Royal Exchange is situated.
The Bank of England presented a very magnificent
and brilliant appearance, the whole building being
outlined with variegated lamps in gas, principally
ruby and white; all the windows being surrounded
with ruby, and above the entire structure festoons of
white lamps with ruby knots, surmounted by twelve
large stars. In the centre of the building, overlook-
ing the Royal Exchange, appeared a handsome
crystal medallion bearing the motto, "Long live our
gracious Queen," surmounted by a Royal crown in
jewels, the device being in the centre of a laurel
branch in natural colours; on each side V.R. and a
Brunswick star in crystal. On the east wing of the
Bank was the date 1887, and on the west 1837, each
in the centre of a large crystal medallion with laurel,
while the ends of the building in Princes-street and
Bartholomew-lane were festooned with variegated
lamps. Altogether in the laurels, festoons, and out-
lines upwards of 10,000 lights were used.
The Royal Exchange was handsomely illuminated
by thousands of oil lamps in various colours. On the
front of the building was a gigantic oval with wreaths
of laurels, surmounted by a Royal crown; on either
side twa shields with the arms of the City in ;the
centre encircled by laurel leaves, while the stone
pillars were snaked with golden lamps, with garlands
of green lamps tied with bows in blue above. On the
two sides in Tbreadrieedle-street and Cornhill, the
pillars were outlined with rich amber-coloured lamps
with an artistic scroll device in centre, *composed of
variegated lamps representing roses, fleur-de-lis, and
baskets of flowers, supported by the letters V.R.
Above were festoons of coloured lamps. At the back
were outlines of various coloured lamp., with a
medallion containing the portrait of her Majesty,
surmounted by a Royal Crown, and surrounded by
wreaths of laurels in tinted green, with V.R. on either
side. The Mansion House, which completed the
group of three buildings, was grandly itlinninated.
Each lamp-post bore a Royal crown in shining
crystals, pillars were entwined with richly coloured
gas illumination lamps, and surmounted wi-h
garlands of lamps in green with ornaments of ruby;
and in front of the columns was a crystal medallion,
having the Royal Arms in centre, with the motto
round, "Long live our Queen," and with Imperial
Crown above; encircling this were wreaths of laurel
leaves in natural colours, and on either side handsome
letters in crystal, V.R. Below the pediment was the
motto, "God guard your Throne," the line of building
above being outlined with richly amber-coloured gas
lamps. The North British Mercantile Insurance
Company was perhaps one of the finest illuminations
in the City. Below the facia were festoons and tassels
in green lamps with ruby ornaments, the facia also
being outlined with lamps; above this was a very
handsome crystal medallion, having in the centre
portrait of her Majesty in stained glass; on the 'sur-
roundings the motto, "Long live our Gracious Queen,"
with the Royal and Colonial Arms at sides, the
whole being surmounted by a handsome Imperial
Crown, and encircled by a laurel wreath in tinted
green crystals, united by a knot in blue. On either
side were two elaborate scrolls in coloured gas lamps,
representing garlands of flour de lys and roses, each
scroll having as pendants two medallions in crystals,
surnsounted by plumes, with the portraits of the
Prince and Princess of Wales in the centre in stained
glass. Above this was a crystal star with St. George's
Crofts and Garter, with the motto, " Honi soit qui mid
y pense," and on the other side were crystal letters,
V.R., connected by garlands of coloured lamps, while
the windows were outlined with variegated lamps and
curmounted by a scroll device.