Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-10

partioularA He was surprised to learn
that 1t was North Mimms again, which he
had not recognized at all by the descrip-
tion.
The Heir Is but schoolboy.
Finally Mr.. Phipps was offered and ac-
cepted Knebworth, the ancestral home of
the Lyttons, which is vacant at present by
reason of the recent death of Lord Lytton
(Owen Meredith)-the young son who suo-
ceeds to the estate and the earldom being
but schoolboy of Is summers Mr. Phipps
will presumably take possession of Kneb-
worth at once, and his children, two
daughters and three sons, the former now
at school in Paris and the latter at Dres-
den, will spend their holidays in this beau
tiful rural retreat later on.
1t is to be doubted if Mr.. Phipps could
have found a lovelier place to spend the
summer months in all England The great
BuIwer used to say that he would sooner
live in Knebworth than anywhere on earth,
and he usually contrived to stay here from
July to December, leaving it with reluc-
tance for his seaside villa at Torquay or
Nice, and returning to it gladly after the
London season.
Knebworth is reached by the Great North
ern Railroad, one of the finest in England,
but not so much patronized by Americans
as the roads which lead directly from Liver
pool to London. Twenty-nine miles out
from London on the Great Northe m, the
train stops at little old-fashioned village
called Stevenage, which in the coaching
days used to be something of place, with
its wide street, trim cottages and many
taverns.
The Castle From a Car Window.
Before you get to Stevenage, if you look
out of the car windows on the left hand side,
you may see the turrets and pinnacles of a
great stone house deeply set among masses
of chestnuts and oaks This is Knebworth.
1t is three miles drive from the station, the
last mile through an avenue Of immense
trees, between which you may catch
glimpses of the park, OF the deer among the
bracken possibly, of the gardens, with their
fountains, lawns and gay parterres, and at
last the noble lines of the portico loom up
befo re you. A terrace extends along the
Who'll front, aud gravel paths lead off from
it in every direction between beds of flow
ers to the lawns and shrubberv beyond. The
hou Sc itself extends about 160 feet and a
vie W OF the south front is given herewith.
The style of the architecture is Early
Tu dor, and decidedly fiorid 1t runs to
ri nnacles and towers everywhere. The tur-
re is of gray stone and the gilded vanes, the
b attlements and stone balustrades, the pro-
use carving, and the stone-mullioned win
dows, many of which are stained glass in
small panes, combine to make a rather be-
wildering ensemble. The main entrance is
protected by massive projecting porch,
and high square tower rises above it.
On. of the Oldest in England.
There is no mistake about the antiquity
of Knebworth. Its very name means 1.-THE
Estate of Knebba," a Saxon chief, whose
castle existed on the site of the present
building before the Norman invasion The
house as it stands to-day dates back to
Henry WIS time, when Robert Lytton,
the first master of Knebworth, bearing that
name, made it his chief abiding place and
improved its appearance in Tudor style The
building was a quadrangle until Mrs
Bulwer-Lytton, who lived there before the
great novelist made it his home, pulled
down the Oldest portion, some parts of
which were 500 years old, and reserved only
the western side.
This old lady must have had singular
ideas for Lytton, for she covered grand
old fireplace of solid oak with plaster, and
whitewashed some of the oak wainscotting.
The house is big enough in all conscience,
altogether bevond the ordinary Amer
ican conception of what is needed in
dwelling, and Mrs. Lytton LEFT enough for
palace after all.
The first room you enter from the hall, |
passing through screen draped with Vene- 1