The Red Cloud chief., 1913-01-16


deus natural rock wood and
prospect. OF the duke Of Buck.
ingham's building--of extraor
dinary expanse. The grotts in
the chalky rock are pretty--it Is ro-
mantle object. and the place alto
gether answers the most poetical de
scription that can be made of solitude.
precipice. prospect or whatever can
/ contribute to thing so very like
their imaginations The stand Is
something like Frascati as to its front.
and on the platform is circular view
| 10 the utmost verge Of the horizon.
which with the serpenting OF the
I Thames. Is admirable. The staircase
as for its materials singular. and the
cloisters. descents. gardens and ave
/ nue. through the wood august and
and producing nothing but ferne. In.
deed. as told his majesty that eve
ming ,asking me how | liked Clifden
without fattery. that 1t did not please
me so well as Windsor for the pros
pect and park, there being but only
one opening. and that narrow, which
led one to any variety"
| John Evelyn made this entry i'm his
diary more than two centuries ago.
but the impression made on the mod.
ern visitor is no less rich and strik.
ing. Nothing of the dukes house re-
| mains except the great under-building
OF the magnificent terrace. 400 feet
long and 25 feet wide. but even this
has been much altered. especially In
the disposition Of the stairways. The
gardens have been changed and the
prospect Of the neighboring country Is
no longer bare. but cultivated and
smiling.
cheekered History.
Although Evelyn was right in claim
Ing for the royal castle great and
unconfined outlook, the view from the
terrace at Windsor overlooking Eton
college and the meadows scarcely sur.
passes the splendid picture which
meets the eye from the terrace at
C!iveden. with the Thames winding
like a silver thread through the gaps
In a foreground of trees. The house
has had an unusually checkered his
tory. There does not seem to have
been any building on the site until 1t
was bought by George Villiers, second
duke Of buckingham. some time after
the restoration. The architect was
Captain Wynne. or Winde. a native of
Holland and pupil OF Sir Balthazar
Gerber. He was "A man OF considera-
BILE ability. and is. perhaps. best re-
membered now for his design Of New.
castle house. Lincoln's Inn Fields.
which remains, though somewhat al.
tered Very little Is known of
Wynne. lie must have been a friend
OF Samuel Pepys. for he received a
twenty-shilling mourning ring at his
funeral In 1903. but there Is no men.
ton Of him In the diary. We have no
space here to attempt sketch OF so
vivid and contradictory a character
as George Villiers. Like Charles H..
ne ddbbled In the arts and sciences.
and as Bryan Fairfax wrote OF him.
spent much on building in that sore
of architecture which Cicero calls In.
sanae substructiOnes." Unfortunately.
Fairfax. the author OF the only con.
temporary biography of the duke.
gives no details OF his architectural
employments The work at Cliveden
was begun about 1866. and among the
| state papers there is significant
warrant dated June 81. 1877. The
duke was then prisoner In the tow.
er and had permission to go to Give.
| den. ATTENDED by Sir John Robinson.
to take order about carrying on some
buildings OF his there. and to remain
| till the 23d and then return to the
tower"
In 1875 more building was done at
Cliveden. Giacoda Leoni. the Italian.
who was architect OF Clandon park
designed the small octagonal temple
which stands southwest OF the main
building.
Stately Structure
The year 1895 proved disastrous for
Cliveden. for on May 20 it was almost
wholly consumed by fire. with the ex.
ception. we may well suppose. OF the
"insane substructiones." In 1924
the estate was bought by Sir George
Warrender, who rebuilt the house. In
| lS49 1t again changed hands. and be-
| came the property OF the duke of Suth.
| erland. Within six months II was
| again burnt down, but straightway
rebuilt In the form In which we see 1t