The Washington herald., 1910-10-14
ONE OF THE RELICS
OF LONDON TOWN

|
dows to the basement ratings. stands az
old red-brlck house, tragedy IN bricks
and mortar. II must have been n grand
old place once, bat now # stands dss-
olate, deserted. and 20 It has stood this
many a long day. Broken windows are
boarded up, and the very signs that tell
you that the old place Is 10 LET are grow
ing old with age and dust.
| Who would believe that this relic once
was center Of elegance, fashion. frelic.
and learning! And yet such was TIE case
/ IN the days when York street was known
az petty France" and was the main
outlet from Westminster 20 the pleasant
places OF the Gfosyenors, when coaches
sped by. picking up their fares ~ the
| Coach and Horses opposite. and the
Petty France" gardens and flower beds
spread their fragrance down % the edge
OF 81 James Lake old residenteFs in
/ the vicinity know from tradition. and
VIII tell you so. how great were the Do
! ings IN that dwelling IN the long ago.
Some connect Il with Cardinal Pole. the
fierce terror Of the. paie-faced" Protes-
tants IN bloody Queen Mary's dag. But
/ If such was the case. which r. by no
means certain. the place has undergone
many changes since. for. inside and out,
/ the structure announces Itself as a char
acteristlc product II the age Of Queen
Anne whose Gate" l. near by
/ More likely IL the story that the person
atty who gave the place IT'S FIRST dis
/ tlnction was Archbishop sharp, 81 YORK,
/ Queen Anne's "confessor" and trusted ad-
wiser. Records in Westminster at least
prove that he lived there In 1908. After
/ all these 5ears the old place stln pre-
serves in its very heart some Of the
/ traces Of those splendid times. But he
who is anxious 10 see them has 20 climb
through broken cellar window. for de-
spite diligent inquiry no owner o. the
property could be discovered short Of the
tax Office
/ But the sight within is worth the risk
/ Of being arrested for burglary. Amid
piles of refuse and debris a majestic,
/ broad oaken staircase. with corkscrew
lbalustrades that would make any anti
ouarian green with envy. reaches up TO
the third floor. Each room. all the doors.
| Ingly open. IS a vista OF splend0r IN de-
cay. Old mantelpieces still are adorned
/ with rocco sheIlwork. From the walls
hang ragged sheets of comparatively
modern wall paper. revealing behind
costly tapestry. still velvety % the touch.
! These again cover beautiful oak paneling,
/ richly carved. and behind this one can
plant his cane three feet or more until
/ he touches the actual wall Who knows
| but many a fugitive--brave or fair, who
could tell now?-has found temporary
| refuge behind those tell-tale panels?
/ But the savory archbishop. Swift 5
/ friend and rival. was not the last IA
nous inhabitant Of this secretive old
place. Here. about a century later. roy
atty itself found refuge in the person
/ OF FREDERIC Augustus. Duke of York, son
| OF George III, hero OF the shaft az Wa
! terloo Place. and OF the immortal verse.
The noble Duke q York
With twice ten thousand men
He marched them up the hill
And marched them down EEain.
II is recorded that this royal field mar
shall at a time when he found himself
under a cloud. owing 10 certain disclo-
| sures regarding a Mrs Clark, sought and
/ found temporary retreat from scan
dalous" tongues within these same walls
/ Here, so the story goes. he entertained
/ both Pitt and Wellington. and often they
must have surveyed scenes OF grandeur
/ and high life from those dust-rimmed
windows.
| Lady Arthur" Crosvenor, wife OF
Lord Arthur Hugh GrOsvenor. brother
and heir presumptive 70 the present (sec-
/ ond) Duke OF Westminster. is nothing il
not original and what IS more, she GER
/ tsinly likes the simple" life. Lady Ar
| thur and her travelling caravan were the
| great attraction at an open-air church
| fair and bazaar in a Cheshire village the
/ other day.
The bazaar took the form OF a gypsy
| encampment on the greensward, and il
i must be acknowledged the camp tents
and the dark-eyed Romany women, with
/ their gaudy kerchiefs and shining ear
| rings, laade picturesque spectacle. But
/ the crowd had eyes for little else than
the caravan OF "syeira Lee" licensed
/ hawker, Broxton. Chester. In front OF
/ her caravan, a vehicle OF conventional
| design. Its exterior painted In green.
| with touches Of red. and having a white
roof with a chimney funnel, stood "Syeira
Lee" otherwise Lady Arthur Grosvenor.
dressed in neat myrtle green blouse
with sailor collar a tight-ltting red
skirt, brown velvet sloueh hat, and white
| silk kerchief.
| For the modest sum OF tWopence a hes
Lady Arthur allowed an inspection
the internal economy OF her traveli
abode, she herself acting as guide.
van is divided into two compartments,
| sleeping chamber, and n living room
| is delightfully."- coy and perfectly ecu
ped. Lady Arthur explained how she
/ the simple" life. doing her own cook
washing her own utensils. and even
ishing her bright and FURNISHED br
| fireplace.
All the afternoon the caravan was
sieged by eager crowds Of women, a
/ Lady Arthur reaped fine harvest q
twopence, which she turned over TO the
church.
On tour Lady Arthur quite lives up TO
! Aei dSSNIiSu S4a4 atttEs Siio uoeS Ie5-
| ular trade in wicker baskets and pegs,
and greatly enjoys the frequent humor-
Gus situations, caused by her concealed
| identity, during the bargaining process
! on the part OF some village housewife.
/ Lady Arthur's maiden name was Helen.
She is the second daughter OF Sir Rob-
ert Sheffield, the fifth baronet. and she
has three children, Robert Arthur. in line
of succession to the dukedom. born in
1895; Constance Isolde. born in 1900 and
Barbara, two years her Junior. The fam
lily home is at Old Hall. Broxton, in
| Cheshire FT .Nr-rrp