The Express.
London, England, 1863-03-07 00:00:00

THE ROYAL MARRIAGE.

PRKPARATIONS IN ST. GROILGEII CHAPEL.,

WINDOOB..

If one were not assured by public fame and by
the signs of festive preparation leading to the royal
Castle of Windsor, one would hardly suppose, from
the internal aspect of St. George's Chapel, that it
was to be the theatre of a gorgeous ceremony on
Tuesday next, much less that the commands of her
Majesty had been' issued to complete the prepara-
tions with the " utmost magnificence." From the
altar in the east end, where Mr. Philips's men are
busily engaged on the reredos, to the reception-hall
and the rooms surrounding it on the west, where
the workers under Mr. Seagrove are actively
employed, the space is still occupied and the eye is
displeased by • good deal of the unavoidable
"mess "of mere preparation yet remaining—bits
of alabaster here, mouldings there, carpets partly
laid sad partly .ioked—lizies of sawn timber
we en* Itpot--kliW W—paperS one room,
and furniture incongruously huddled togethqr..
But the utmost activity prevails in the chapel, And
from the quiet and confident manner in will& 'the
superintendents declare that the arrangeraidts wif
be complete and perfect before Tueadsif •wevlari,
no doubt that they will hove everything rea4pshp
that day. The preparations are, howevert.htri
advanced enough to afford us the means of giving
a sufficiently precise account of the interior of St.
George's Chapel.
Beginning then at the east end, the prominent
object that strikes the view- is the ruaguificent
memorial window, erected by the Dean and Chap-
ter of Windsor, and the reredos immediately
beneath it, both executed from designs of Ms. Al.
G. Scott. The window in its.. upper compartment?
represents oar Lord in His glory—in its middle.
portion His resurrection, and in its lower His
ministry on earth. Beneath these is •a series of
ocer,partmente illustrative of the deeds of Prince
Albert, which gives the window its 'peculiar cha-
racter as a commemorative monument. The rere-
dos is not yet complete,. but iq it sufficiently
advanced to enable one to judge pf its effect,
and to say that it will harmonise admirably
both with the painted window above the splendid
pointed oak carvings of the choir aad..the general
architecture of the chapel. This window and the
reredos displace the "B.esurrection" and the "Last
Supper" of West, and holfeer opinion might have
beau divided as to the merit of these productions of
the former president of the Royal,Academy, no one'
can deny that the change now effected is more in
consonance with the elle' and properties of the
building.
The reredos is divided into three compartments
That on the right, which is not yet fixed, represents
the appearance of Christ amongst His disciples after
the reserreetion, at thr mdment ' when He says,
"Peace be unto you." The Aseension is repre-
sented in the middle tionepartmene. Its the left the
Saviour is represented when He' Theses Mary Mag-
dalen with the words, "'Pouch me not, for I have
not yet ascended to my Father." -These subjects
are in baa relief, and are to be executed in marble,
but at present they are nitre tempoliary casts. All
the other portion of the reredos is Id clouded ala-
baster. The canopies surmounting ttllo
are of the sane material, and are verreishorate
and delicate in their execution. On either' mile of
the reredos are two oak panels, which, on • the
present occasion, will be covered with crimson
cloth. Ultimately they will be removed altogether,
and the reredos extuided over the space they at
present occupy. The execution of the reredos has
bees entrusted to. Mr. Philips, of Vauxhall-bridge-
road, and it reflects credit on his taste and abilitg.
It has been already announced that her Majesty
will not appear in the reception-hall, where the
procession is to be formed. She will take her place
in the royal closet, overlooking the altar, and im-
mediately above the exquisite screen of hammered
steel work attributed to Quintiu Matsys. The flooring
of the closet has been raised 18 inches, to enable
her Majesty to obtain a more commanding view,
and some of the heavy framing has also been re-
moved with the same object. A private entrance
has been made, by which the Queen can take her
place without observation.
The haul pas before the altar will be appropri-
ated to the members of the Royal family, and will
be covered by a carpet of garter blue velvet pile.
On each aide of the altar are tiers of seats covered
with scarlet cloth and bordered with yellow-coloured
fringe. The banners of the Knights of the Garter
remain in their usual places.
Leaving the choir, and entering the nave, we
find that the arrangements here are complete, with
the exception of the laying down of the carpet.
The seats are arranged tier above tier, and are
covered with scarlet cloth. It may be of some con-
solation to the outside world to know that the
great majcrity of even the favoured individuals
who may obtain the entree to the royal chapel on
Tuesday next, can do no more than see the bridal
procession as it passes by. The actual religious
ceremony can only be seen by the comparatively
limited number who can gain access to the choir.
The carpeting of the nave will be • coral pattern, red
on a black ground, with a white border containing the
Prince's plume, and repetitions of the cypher formed
of the initials A. E. A.

The most interesting feature of the whole, how-
ever, is when we leave the chapel altogether, and
get into the reception-hall and the rooms adjoining,
which have been constructed for the octasion. These
temporary structures are attached to the western
end of the chapel. The reception-hall is a fine
spacious room, and in it the bridal procession will
be arranged under the superintendence of the Lord
Chamberlain. The paper with which it is covered
is of Gothic design, and was prepared by Mr.
Arthur, of Sackville-street, under the superin-
tendence of Mr. Starie, of the Woods and Works
Department, and of Mr. Turnbull, clerk of the
works of Windsor Castle. The walls are full of
armorial bearings. The furniture is of oak and
gold, the cushions being covered with finely-wove
scarlet cloth, bearing the Prince's plume and motto.
The floor of the hall will be covered with a scarlet
coral-pattern carpet, with a separate bordering of
white, containing the plume and motto of the
Prince of Wales. On the right, or north side of
the reception-hall, are the bridesmaids' room, the
bride's room, and the room fur the members of the
royal family.
The bridesmaids' room is very tastefully got up,
the prevailing tone being white, relieved with a
violet border. The furniture is crimson and white.

The room of the royal bride is most elaborately
got up, and is more like a fairy bower than an or-
dinary mortal's retiring apartment. Instead of
being papered it is hung ►ll over with ruse-coloured
gland silk, having a covering of muslin and lace.
The ceiling is covered in the same manner. There are
12 pilasters, elaborately and delicately ornamented
with white roses, feetcons, and buttons. The
muslin covering the silk has a deep bor-
der, representing ferns and palms—the design
being drawn from the Palm-house at Kew.
There are festoons composed of lilies of the valley
and orange blossoms skilfully distributed in various
marts cd the room, which greatly adds to the effect.
The panels of the two folding•doors are covered
with satin paper of delicate tint relieved by gold.
Above the doors are the ►rms of Denmark. On
the other sides of the room, immediately over two