The daily gazette., 1877-06-25
A SPLENDID MANSION
ALBERT GRANTS HOUSE IN LONDON.

The London Times thus describes the |
mansion of Albert Grant, the ruined |
speculator:
Messrs. Driver have now announced |
in our advertising columns the sale, in
Tokenhouse yard, on July 9, of the enor-
nous and costly mansion which Mr..
Albert Grant built for himself over against
kensington palace 1t has never yet been
inhabited. The house and grounds are
believed to have cost 100000 and they
occupy seven acres of land. To clear the
site two ancient residences, with gardens
old Kensington house, and Sir Thomas
Colby's mansion, were demolished, and
collection of small tenements called
Jennings buildings, containinga a popula-
| tion of 1,200 in 10 houses were also pull
ed down.
Permission was obtained to replace
the dead walls of Kensington gardens
y poste by light iron railing erected at
Mr.. Albert Grants expense, and the
boundary of the new estate was set back
some 8 feet from the road to make the
lines true. A fine lime tree is thus left in
the public footpath.
The new house is of stone and is con-
stituted by a central block and two
wings. The brown and gilded iron screen
is pierced by gates at each side, and a
carriage drive leads UP to the house. The
entrance portico is supported by two
great pillars of red Aberdeen marble,
each in one piece.
| The portlco gives admission into very
light and lofty central hall, with futed
white marble columns and stone Carya-
tids to support its roof. The view is
bounded on each side by the staircase
| windows in stained glass, representing
fruit and flowers. The stairs on each
side are marble here, as are the guests
stair, as opposed to those of the servants
throughout the building. The floor
of the central hall is tessellated
pavement. 1t gives upon marble
paved conservatory rooted by high glass
dome. A few palms and ferns placed in
this conservatory at present show how it
may hereafter be decorated. Right and
left of it are two drawing-rooms, the blue
and the yellow, their ceilings painted, as
are those of the other principal rooms, by
Mr.. Frederick Sang
Along the whole south front of the
house runs marble terrace descending
by steps INTO the gardens, and the visi-
or on his first entrance into the hall
looks, at present, through the conserva-
| tory upon the lawns and strawberries,
and the green banks which have been
built up to bound the Wow at the ex-
tremity of the estate. II, however, be-
fore entering the conservatory he turns
TO the right or left, he will find on one
side great dining ball, divided in two
by doors which rise at will with the
roof, and having its ceiling painted with
designs relating to the chase. On the
same side are library. and billiard
room. The authors whose busts are
| figured on the ceiling of the library are
| Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Bacon.
| The other wing of the mansion is oc-
cupied by the long picture gallery
which was meant to receive the collec-
ton now dispersed, and by the finest
apartment in the house, a music salon
or ballroom in white and gold, with
painted medallions of female faces on
Its walls and painted ceiling. Fluted
shafts of white marble are placed in sets
at two points, SO as to suggest division
of the hall into three. There is similar
suggestion in the picture gallery.
There is light morning-room in the
front of the house on each side. above
are three floors, with suites of state bed
rooms and baths. Below is a large
kitchen and cellarage and servants
apartments, extensive enough to recall
| the interminable passages under the
House of Parliament. The house is
warmed throughout by hot water-pipes
passing under brazen gratings. The
skirtings in the passages are of marble,
| in the rooms of wood. The floors of the
principle rooms are of parqueterie in
oak, and in the others of pitch pine.
The oak panelling of the dining-room
walls is particularly good. The stair
balustrades are of iron, painted white
and gold and surmounted by handrail
of maple. The service stairs are of
stone. Walnut wood is largely used in
| the doors.
In the grounds in front of the house
there is remarkable triple elm, three
trees rising from one stock, and in The
south gardens there are ancient mul-
berries, apple trees and other fruit trees.
Laurels, lIlacs, laurustinus and other
shrubs have been planted within the
last four years, but are now well grown,
and thrushes have built among them.
Waterfowl are kept upon the lake,
where there is also a miniature boat
house. lighthouses, an American bowl
ing-alley, an orangery, Swiss chalet. the
stables surmounted by their dock and
having sixteen stalls and four loose
boxes, complete the out door buildings.
| Gigantic lattice work has been erected
on which ivy is being trained to prevent
the gardens from being overlooked by
| neighbo ring houses and to obviate the
accretion of inconvenient rights to light
and air.