, 1876-02-12
A House OF many Gables.
ENGLANp's cozY BUILDING FOR THE cENTEN'
NrAL-H THE QUEEN COMING TO AMERICA.

ENGLAND's Co2Y BUILDING FOR THE cENTEN
NrAL-Es THE QUEEN COMING 10 AMERICA.
The Philadelphia Times says: Nesting
cozily in II cluster Of stately chestnut trees
at the foot of Georges hill is one of the
oldest Of the many odd buildings that
within the last few months have been
erected on the Centennial grounds. Ashort
walk under the trees leads to the wall OF
this singular building, within which II dozen
or more carpenters are at work, and on the
roof of which several more arc mailing the
shingles. This is the first of the British
governments twin buildings. and the first
building erected by foreign government on
the Centennial grounds. 1t is two story
cottage and its size is not at Nil commensu.
rate with the size and power Of the country
by which it was put up. AS it stands
among the trees in a spot so darkened 10y the
shade that the workmen almost have to use
lanterns when they have to drive nail, it
has IN air of British poetry and English ro
nance spread all over it and through it..
If some Of the old.tme novclists had
wanted to describe robbers den, or Il
pretty maldeu's cottage, or even Il ghoStIy
haunted house, they could not have found u
more appropriate place than this very
British building in the park, 1t is almost n
house with seven gables and no matter
where you stand, or from what angle you
look, one Of the gables is always staring you
in the mce-not with an impudent stare,
but with an easy, comfortable look, that
carries with it an invitation to come in and
welcome.
But the oddcst of all the odd things
about this remarkable house are the chin
neys. The architect undoubtedly started
with the intention of putting up frame
building and he succeeded as far as the cor.
ners and a few odd boards are concerned,
but when the masons began with the chin
ncys there was no room lett for much of
anything else. Stuffed into a house not
much bigger than seaside cottage are five
of the biggest and queercst chimneyS that
architect ever drew or mason ever built.
Broad chimneys, thick chimneys, high chin
neys. Outside they make about two.thirds
of the wall, AID inside they make you won
der where stout Brilisher will find space
in any OF the rooms to sit down. Broad at
the'base, each chimney runs up, square and
clumsey, till it reaches the edge of the roof /;
then it narrows suddenly and goes on ten
feet or 50 higher, when it as suddenly wdens
out again into heavy band at the top and
then quickly tapers off into space. Inside,
in every one Of the five little rooms is y
cozy, old.fIshioned fireplace, with broad
mouth and suggestion of winter evenings
and the yule log smoking,
The workmcn are unable to tell why the
Queen has made such elaborate preparations
for the warmth of her commissioners. Any
one OF the tirepaces would heat the entire
building in May or November and in any of
the intervening months would drive the
coolest Britisher into the neighboring lake.
But some jealous subject must have i'm
posed upon her majesty with the idea that
America is n frozen waste, and Fairmount
Park crowded with icebergs and avalonches.
Rolls Of building paper on the outside show
what the material Of the weather boarding
will be; and when tho bright shingles are
ali on, and cNat of cheerful paint covers
the outside wallis, and smoke from British
logs is curling from the five tall chimncys,
the odd building in the little chestnut grove
will be one of the pretiiest and queerest in
the park. Adjoining it is its mate, larger
building, but more on the American square
box plan, with holes for windows and doors.