The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-07-14
Remington House.
THIS LUXURIOUS HOME WHICH ALBERT GRANT
BUILT.

|
| From the London Tiroesl
| A garden.paitv given on Saturday. un-
| fortunately in rainy weather. by the officers
of inc Grcnadier Guards TO the Prince and
Princess Of Wales and other guests. afforded
an oppoitunity 10 large assembIage Of
persons, from 1900 TO 1900 In number,
10 see. under some Disadvantages, the
house which Mr.. Albert Grant built ai
Kensington. For the present wear Sir
Wilford Brett and Mr.. Hwfa Williams,
who made Kempton Park, and are to
endeavor to repeat their success al Ken
sington House, place the house at the dis
posal OF charitable and other associations and
individuals for such ttteS a. that given last
Saturday and in the previous week. les
tiyaI in aid Of the sufferers by the sinking
OF the htalania l., Tor example. projected
to be held in the house and grounds, and
Messrs. Defries have been consulted as to
the illumination OF the place. Next year u
! is likely 10 be the headquarters OF club ol
the same nature as the Orleans Club, on the
banks Of the Thames at Twickenham. open
TO ladies as well "a to gentlemen, hut by its
situation serving the purpose oi place Tor
Tt1nions IN winter az well a. IN summer.
Just at the end OF the drive which skirts
the south Of HYDE Park and Kensineton
| Gardens Kensington House affords point
to reach in the afternoon such ~ is sup
piled by the chalets in the BOis de BoC-
logne, the PradO. or the Cascine. AT present
there Is no carriage-driye round the gardens
OF Kensington House, but it could easily be
so arranged that, instead OF descending ~
the door OF the house. members OF the cluD
should drive at once into the grount -
Any mitigation OF the block OF carriages in
Ia IN hoe NtFh N
member, OF the new club ~ we'll as those
admitted TO it. As London has grown
weslihier. snd the display Of wealth more
fashionable. be mob Of vehicles in the park
has increased without a corresponding In
crease OF room for them. To supply a
terminus nd Q,iem 10 hose who form part
Of the throng, and 30 10 diminish the
thronr, would be one 0f the missions or L @
new club. Members would al>O be able 10
use the rooms OF the house for giving enter
tainments in, and ii is spacious enough
for twenty parties 10 be given ut one time.
The house has never yet been Inhabited.
Mr. Grant began building it in AuguN,
1872, having acquired the freehold site by
n protracled series OF negotiations. 10
prepare the ground for the new mansion
he pulled down old kenslngton House ana
Colby House, the residence OF Sir Thomas
Colby. and also demolished a collection "t
ltenpments known as Jennings Rents,
and inhabited by 1,200 people. One OF the
larger houses pulled down had been uscd
as a lunatlc aSylum-a fact OF when 'he
auctiOneer, who put up the house Tor SAFE
in 1877, was uDkindly reminded. Mr. Dri-
yer stated on This occasion that the cost OF
the house alone had exceeded Gl6j,OOO,
the sum then bid for the house and
grounds, and the whole ccst OF The
mansion and appurtenances was SAID
to be $500. 600 or G35000O. Ii was heavily
mOrtgaged. and the present provisional
contract OF sale and purchase Is understood
TO be made with the mortgages. Mr. >. :
Knowle, was the architect. The style IN
which he built was a mixture Of Renaissance
and Italian. The material Is stone. The siZe oi
the rooms is very great, and makes them
suitable only for public purposes or Tor
person whose chief object IN owUlng the
house would be TO give great entertain.
ments. When Mr.. Grant was prevented
from occupy ing Kepsington House himself,
he suggested that it should be acquired by
the nation to use as national palace for
the reception OF foreign visitors, and II
there were a mayor for the West OF London
it might serve "a an excellent mansion
house. The exterior is not magnificent
architecturally, except by reason OF IT. size
and obvious costliness. Ii is a villa built OF
most valuable materials, and very large
and well propoItoned. but has little OF the
charm Of style which distinguishes, for eX-
ample. the neigbbOring residence bullt by
Mr.. William Lowther. The interi0: l.
grander and more striking. 1t is decorated
bv Mr.. Frederick Sang. The porticO is SHp-
ported by two great pillars OF red Aberdeen
marble, and this gives admission into loiiy
central hall, from which on each side RE
marble stairs, lighted Dy windows Of cOlored
and ornamented glass. the landings ,up-
Dorted by stone caryatidS. This yeStinuIC
is paved with mosaic, and leads to side halls,
which give access on the left or east 10
the picture.galIery on the right, to The
dining-room, &c. The main feature on
the east side Of the house is tie
long music saloon, with a lofty cel.'
iny painted in French style, with Gu
pidS playing the pan-pipe>, the Tyre, ano
instruments unknown 10 the anclentS-the
fiddle and the yiOllncelO. The walls are
decorated half with portraits OF sir Peter
Lely's beauties and half with pictures OF
Continental beauties, and the doors leading
TO the picture gallery represent IN the Tor
eign half OF the room Versailles, ana IN
the English half Richmond. The picture
gallery is nearly as long as the ball-roou'
and leads into the blue drawing-room,
which has panels OF light blue enclosed IN
frame. ofgcream and gold. On the painted
ceiling the Loves are playing with flowers
land shooting with the bow. Across the
glass. .domed conservatory Ia prolongation
of the entrance halD the way is made into
the yellow drswing-roOm, where lie
panels are yellow and the frames blue
On the painted ceiling Love ha'
grown to Hymen, and accompanies hl'
mother with lighted torch IN his
hand. A long passage leads TO The am
ing-room, divided at will 10 two by screen
which rises up or sinks after the manner OF
a portculls. The Loves on the ceiling
tread the wine-press, fish among the water
lilies, shoot at ground game, and carry Tea
thered game home. On the same floor are
a library with portraits OF Chaucer, ShaGs-
peare. Milton, and Bacon; billnrd'room,
dres sing. rooms, ana mOrnlng-rOOms. There
are three floors above, from which. in front,
a fine view Of KepsiGgt Palace and gar
dens Is afforded. The underground ac-
eommodnton is large enough 10 contain
hall the cellars in Harley street. The house
is warmed by hOt-water pipes under brazCn
gratings. The floors are in parqueterie, IN
oak, and in pitch pine. The skirtlng- in
the passages are OF marble; those Of the
dniDg-roOm are OF oak.
The grounds contain an orangery. lakes
(oE which on Saturday canoes we've placed)'
beautiful plantations OF trees, &c., and give
access, through paths difficult to discover
for anv one who has not the map ~ II
country, TO an American bowllng-alley,