MUSEUM OF ROBES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3359, 27 October 1911, Page 7

MUSEUM OF ROBES.

THE QUEEN’S GIFT.

The London Museum at Kensington Palace lias just acquired from Mr. fcjeymour Lucas, R.A., a collection of English historical costumes. “We had a ■ very narrow shave of missing this splendid collection,” said Mr. Guy Laking, the keeper of the museum. “Mr.' Seymour Lucas was approached by "the Metropolitan Museum, of New York, with an extremely advantageous offer. This, however, after being closely pressed by the Americans, lie patriotically declined, and offered the collection to us for a much smaller sum in order that it might remain, m England. While we were considering the matter, a pressing letter came from the Metropolitan urging Mr. Lucas to decide. And so we bought it. “The collection dates from Henry VIII. and goes down to the middle of the 18th century. Our own collection carries it on to the time of Queen Victoria*, and the remainder, up to the present day, lias been given to us» by Queen Victoria, King Edward, and Queen Alexandra and the present King and Queen. Queen Mary has given us the robes in which she saw King Edward’s Coronation and also those in which she herself was crowned. “We are aiming at making the display as attractive as possible. It is no good putting the costumes into glass cases. The public won’t look at them. So wo are having them all fitted on to figures complete with wigs and all details. “The costumes are many of them extrardinarily beautiful. There are some gorgeous uniforms of the’ time of William 111. A CHAMBER OF HORRORS. “By the way, we are going to have a Chamber of Horrors in the museum. For this I hope to get an, old oak-lined prison I know of, which has names and verses and all kinds of “human documents’ carved on its walls. It is complete with its manacles and chains, and it would make a most effective setting for our thumbscrews and other instruments of torture.’’ Mr. Laking’s office at. Kensington Palace is the actual room in which Queen Anne died.