A FOREST WONDER.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1412, 4 July 1884, Page 2

A FOREST WONDER.

(Fore, try.) "Wt'lbeck Abbey, the Scat. oC f.ho Duke of T*ortl«nic', ie; tt)B cliief tlceuvre of liutiuo ecceuti'iofcy, s plm;e n* I^bylintliiiie as .Mount Ids., a j^ct^ous {jpec<.meu of perverted ingenuity a.: perplexing as it is" astonishing. O>igina,ily it was a mouas u ry J"or monkw of the Prsemon st.ra.ten?iu«n Order, sn-l like all structu/«8 devoted to Uk- •' mortification of the flesh,'' it i> s^icu?.fc«c< in a goodly vale su"ro».id.i i>y ;■ thickly-wooded barrier, wi'.h ev:-ry foi'est luxury obi<: ; ,hiab!e >t a mooiment's notice.. As a work ot Architectural art little need besrlki.. but th.proportions are ample, and \ hnt it lacks in external grace i» comy>erisatad Tor l»y internal , comfort. I'oe jreul wovk oi reconstructing Wpl'vc'c w-ts started, and was far fvom complete at the time of the eccentnc nobJeiny-n's 'leath. For yeo..:s he s>pp.^ his jj-incely iycome, airiuo.HJir: from S ..id *l me to upward of iil'7U,ooo per nn^-jtim. iv ; ;he recoosiiructio'ii of tlie Abbey, and enough of the work was finished at his deiith i.o make tlie house one of the most extraordinai'y bui!oings in the world. Five years a^o Wei beck was like a " tiet^ed book." and the fortunate visitor who had pener.rated the mysfcevious region felfc as elated as if he had discovered the North west Passage and did not fail to retail his experiences on every favourable occasion. $hut up in his favourite library the imis'i> : e duke pursued his daily avocation of planning for theconstruc-'oio-i of tome ingenious marvel, or 'i.'otiiug to keep his magnificent mau^ sion moi/e completely secluded from 'be eyes of the vulgar world. At times upwards of 1000 artificers were eraI ploycc l on the estate j so that to keep i he Abbey from the rude gaze of even workmen required a stretch of genius which iv its accomplishment has never 1 been surpassed. Across the park the workmen were in the habit of passing to their homes at Cresswell, Whitw«ll, ami Workshop, and the occasional Hances they gave at the ducal residence disturbed that feeling of seclusion which the owner desired, and consequently ingennity was taxed, and cost disregarded, in the attempt to make the mile and a half footpath across the park as joyless as possible. Following a strange inclination for subterranean construction, the latu Duke hib upon the expedient of making a tunnel across the park, so diat his army of workmen could pass to and fro without disturbing the serene repose which he longed for ; and in the famous Welbeck Tunnel he created — what Mr Gladstone has endorsed — one of the wonders of the world, The structure is as wonderful as it is gigantic. In tbe day it is lighted by enormous plateglass bull's eyes superseded at night by hundreds of gas jets. The floor is excellently asphalted, and the tunnel is high enough and wide enough for carriages to pass along. It was on this subterranean roadway that the Prince of Wales was cou veyed when he honoured the Present Duke of Portland with a visit at the end of the year 1881. Nothing more effectual could have been designed for the object the eccentric nobleman had in view. Stepping into the tuunel during the hot days of summer the traveller feels as if he had walked into an icehouse, and the whole length of its interior can be traversed without catching the slightest glimpse of the Abbey, or the beautiful park under which it passes. Walking through the park the pedestrain can trace the tunnel by means of the skylights referred to, as it passes under clumps of trees and groves of rhododendrons ; and the same idea of burrowing is carried out in the wellappointed lodges scattered over the huge domian. Under and about the Abbey, however, the duke displayed the most brilliant capacity for subterranean construction. The private tunnels and underground apartments attached to the Abbey are indescribable specimens of costly thought and princely effort, and afford the most astonishing indication of the eccentricity which marked the career of the late Duke of Portland. In these labyrinths the noble owner could pass from one building to another in all sorts of weather, and appear at any moment at a required spot without giving warning of his approach. The perfectly constructed passages lead to an underground suite of rooms of extraordinary magnificence. ' Upwards of £20,000 to £30,000 was spent in draining and preparing the ground for this Palace of Aladdin, and the work was carried out with a total disregard of the cost. A subterranean ballroom, lGGft long, forms part of the number, and for festive delight it would be difficult to imagine a more perfect apaitment. The walls are hung with mirrors of great value, with beautifully -adovned alcoves wherein "the whirlers" can retire and seek seclusion from the arena of gaiety. The decoration is artisically pleasing, and the visitors can roam ahout from one underground conservatory to another, or be " lifted without effort " to the upper air. The doors are of enormous weight and size and, like the famous Chatsworth "garded gate," are so perfectly hung that they respond to the slightest touch and close with a precision accurate and

astonishing. Through these subterranean apartments the visitor can roam until worderment becomes entirely satiated ; passing through a magnificent library into a spacious billiard-chamber, with reception-rooms and writing-rooms in proximity to these superb salons of d-elight. In every detail the most refined taste has been displayed, and the furniture compares favourably with the elegance of the decorations. The abseucejif fireplaces is a noticeable feature, the underground palace being warmed without visible flame or annoying; draught. An underground excursion through one of the most'* inviting" tunnels, if such dark passages can^be so termed, ends at the new ridingschool, built by the v invisible nobleman" to supersede the o«$ just described. Externally the edifice, presents the appearance of a gigantic public hall, and is of massive aud portentous aspect Undoubtedly the building is the finest ridingrschool in the world, and an internal view is absolutely startling. A perfect forest of columns serves to support the finelyarched roof, and the bewildered spectator would immediately come to-*- ~ J * i *' i the conclusion that be had been suddenly transported into a large rail-way-station, if it were not for the artistic features which prevail through' out the interior.' The roof is of glass and highly-ornamented^ iron, with cornices beautifully decorated ;with foliage and f ran tafttrio groups of birds and beasts. The sohoo) is 879 ft in length? by 106 ft in width and 50ft in height, so that some idea may be gained of its* enormous capacity; aud some 50 horses can easily be exercised witliin its area. Upwards of 8000 gas-jets areemployed to illuminate the building, and when so illuminated a sight i» presented which is truly marvellous. A little further on are the stables, coachhouse, &c.' and the covered "gallop"" of 1000 ft long— another of th* wonders of Wei beck. Around these buildings are picturesque dwellings, forming a. little village, and chiefly occupied by stableman and others. -The houses are models of elegance and oomfort and as much care has been bestowed in their construction as in any of the marvels which are everywhere present in the vast domain. Not less remarkable are the extensive kennels*, the eowyard s, cowhouses, and dairies,, while the gardens of Welbeck, stretching down to the edge of the lake, with a peach wall a thousand feet long, and an avenue of fruit tree 3of similiar length, are features which no visitor would care to pass unnoticed. Since the death of the" eccentric nobleman, which' took place a few years ago, to whoseingenuity and skill these marvellous. achievements ai'e mainly due, and the advent of the present Duke of Portland, a young nvui now about 25 years of age, and at the time of succeeding to the inheritance holding an important commission in the army, the palace of Welbeck has not been so effectually obscured from the public With a generosity which has , earneclits reward the young duke threw open the barred gutes, and allowed the public to inspect a domain which for . years had been invisible. The princes, of the blood royal, and the sious of noble houses, who had stood at the= gate like the Peri at the gate of Paradise, claiming impossible admission, quickly iuvited to inspect the wonders of the place, and many availed: themselves of thfr noble owner's profferred hospitality, The reception accorded to the Prince bf Wales when he visited the Abbey Was 1 'brilliant and imposing, and the WelhWk welkin rang with shouts of festivity such as had not been experienced for years before. The fine park was thrown open, and the public walked at will through the beautiful .grounds, entering: the hitherto sacred place with .a wondering and astonished gaze.