Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1894-01-13
WARWICK CASTLE.


A Peep Into the Famous English Palace Of
the 'sKingmaker."
One could spend days looking at the
pictures at Warwick and at the sculp-
ture and curios. There is table, the
slab Of which is made of fine marble
mosaic, lapis lazuli, and precious stones
which belonged to Marie Antoinette. In
the red drawing room are rare speci-
mems Of Limousin enamels, also Bohe-
milan glass and Venetian crystals. This
room leads to the cedar drawing room,
whose walls are 10 feet in thickness.
One of the many valuable and beautiful
ornaments in this room is bust of
Proserpine, by our American sculptor
Power.
The living rooms" of the castle ex-
tend $50 feet in length, and each win
dow gives charming views Of the
grounds. In one of these rooms, the
gilt drawing room, is Florentine mo-
sale table, enriched with precious stones,
brought from the Grinani palace in
Venice. Its value is $40, which,
please remember, is $50, 900 of Yankee
money. The Grimani arms, the pope's
triple crown, lion of st. Mark, doge's
cap, keys of st. Peter and cardinals
hat are. illustrated in jasper, onyx, am
sthyst, malachite and comedian on its
surface.
A moment after leaving the gilt draw
ing room and we are in the state bed
roon, where good Queen Anne slept,
and In which her big dreary looking
bed still stands. We don't seem to know
much about Queen Anne's belongings,
thus her bed and travelling trunks at its
foot arouse our interest. In these trunks
were her majesty's clothes. They are
sensible, ponderous trunks, covered with
brown leather and studded with brass
nails. Even an American baggage
smashing porter would have found
Queen Anne's trunks too large an or
der" to destroy. George III presented
this bedstead, with its faded crimson
curtains and its Is feet high posts. Over
the fireplace hangs fine portrait of the
queen herself painted by Sir Godfrey
Kneller. 1t is in this state bedroom
that Queen Victoria slept when she
visited Warwick castle with the late
prince consort. don't know whether
she occupied Anne's bed, but if so /
hope it was more comfortable than 1t
looks.
From the bedroom is boudoir, lit
orally crammed with paintings. Here
is Holbein g Henry VIII" IA Boar
Hunt" by Rubens; ga Dead Christ,
on copper, by follower of Correggio;
Charles us Beauties" by Lely; a
San Sebastian by Vandyke; card
Players" by Teni RS, and Salvador
Rosa landscape.
The castles state dining room was
burned out in 1871, but it has been re-
produced on the old lires and is truly
royal apartment. On either side of the
massive fireplace, where many Yule
log has slowly burned itself out to white
ashes, there are gilt Venetian figures.
Above the fireplace hangs Ruben's
sketch of lions. There is also in this
room droll portrait of George III in
the arms of his mother.
The castle boasts Shakespeare room,
designed and added by the late earl,
and to which the county of Warwick
presented the Kenilworth buffet in an
cient oak. Into this room have been col
lected all procurablo Shakespeare rel
les, and resting on an old claw footed
oak table are all the works, with the
admirable edition of Shakespeare of
the late Halliwell Phillips.
The place has been called the castle
of the kingmaker. Who can visit this
historic house and not desire to lNread
Lord Lytton 's-or Bulwer's, as you
please The Last of the Barons, :"
whose text of composition is furnished
oy the annals of this wonderful castle
and its wonderful earl, Richard Nevil.
DO n Herald.