The Democratic advocate., 1878-07-27
Our 0lio.
AN EouENTRIo NoBLEMAN.
The Duke of POrtland's Home at welbsOk.

Inc luke OF fortlanuS Home at MelDeck.
The London World says:-The tall,
slender, almost emaciated man, with should
ers but slightly bowed by age, with fine
clear-cut features, and with fy-away cape
eliminating in Gothic-arch collar, is the
present head of the historic family of Ben
timex. 1t pleases him to penetrate his
magnificent domain by a series Of burrows,
and to startle his dependents by unex-
pected appearances from these subterra-
mean depths. These burrows are no narrow
tunnels, but lofty spacious passages, light
ed by costly apparatus for letting in the
sun at intervals, and by innumerable gas
lights. Lined with brick and stone, and
perfectly watertight, they enable their
owner to be everywhere by turns and no
where long, unless it please him to go into
detail with any of the numerous subdirec-
tors Of the extraordinary works, complete
and in course Of fcOnstruction, at Welbeck.
The sudden apparition of a great duke
among the grooms exercising his horses
in the great riding house, whose like ex-
lists nowhere else, astonishes, but does not
dismay. As his pale face rises from the
earth in the left hand corner of the enor-
nous building, there is no sign of trepida
ton among those assembled, while their
master susveys the magnificent work raised
at cost which sets calculation ut defiance.
Nearly four hundred feet long, with width
of rather more than one-third, this riding
house, carpeted with tan, has walls of
solid stone, and Il roof of wood, glass, and
iron. Two rows of columns divide it into
nave and two aisles, the latter with beau
tiful wooden roofs. The great central
compartment is decorated with frieze of
painted brass work representing birds,
beasts, and foliage; while the whole struc-
ture is adorned with stone frieze of ele-
CANT design and perfect workmanship.
The Duke of Portland is a builder-up
of good work, and puller-down of bad.
An architect at one time employed by him
built a gateway, which when completed
became abhorrent to him; yet SO consider
ate was he of the artists feelings that he
could not find it in his heart to demonstrate
with him. So he tried another way. One
night he waited till the architect had driv-
en- off in his dog-cart, and then set all his
men to work at overtime and double pay
to pull down the hated edifce. By morn
ing not a vestige remained, and the archi-
tect on his arrival rubbed his eyes in
amazement; and neither he nor the Duke
ever took the slightest notice of its disap-
pearance. There was too a memorial bridge
erected to to the memory of Lord George
Bentinck, near the spot where he breathed
his last, close to the wood end opposite the
village of Norton. Short work was made of
this bridge, as of numerous other odds and
ends Of architecture on the domain, and
the present reign of perfection was inaug-
urated.
The half hundred lodges for keepers
and other servants on the Welbeck estatse
have all been built BY their present pro-
prietor, who has in their construction car
ried out his passion for subterranean work.
The dining rooms and bed chambers make
handsome little house enough, solidly
and perfectly built of stone. The un-
seemly part of the dwelling is buried in
in the earth; kitchens, pantries, and other
Offices are plunged below Many of the
finest apartments in the Abbey itself are
actually under the ground, and illuminated
by all kinds of ingenious devices. Wei
beck boasts subterranean library Of great
size whose natural gloom is completely dis
PEELED by gas burners sempite7nally aglOw.
Near this strange room, but above ground,
is the riding house, built by Huntingdon
Smithson, from the designs Of the Duke Of
Newcastle, in 1923, now converted into a
superb picture gallery. OF course the gas
used at Welbeck is made on the premises
and lofty mounds covered with rhoden.
drons hide four unsightly gasometers from
the eye.
Setting aside the racing tastes of his late
brother, the present Duke of Portland may
be pronounced one of the best judges of &
horse in England. Formerly an admira
bic rider, he is still aprOfound connOisseu
in horses; has a curiously perfect knOwl
edge of every i'll that horsefesh is heir to
and now and then finds an opportunity o