SEEING ENGLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 221, 18 September 1930, Page 20

SEEING ENGLAND.

WARWICK'S GREAT PAGEANT. ALFONSO'S COMMERCIAL FLARE. LONDON'S NOVEL PLAYHOUSE. (By Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, August 5. There began last month in the beautiful grounds of Warwick Castle, the first of four performances of one of the greatest pageants ever staged. Warwickshire, surely the most truly English, and certainly one of the most celebrated and historic of counties in this country, has been noted for its skill iii pageantry since Shakespeare's day, and on this occasion every town and village has united in an effort to make "The Spirit of Warwickshire" worthy of its great setting.

The various episodes of tlie pageant, which was produced under the direction of Miss Gwen Lally, were prepared by different distriots, the town of Warwick itself being responsible for the "Funeral of Richard Beauehamp." Over 5000 people took part in the pageant and the colossal task of b.aing Mistress/of Robes was taken on by Lady Bird, who also played the part of Queen Elizabeth in the "Kenilworth Revels" episode. Many of the. dresses were designed by Mr. Shanks, a young artist well known in Paris, but the stuffs they were made from were dyed by the women of Warwickshire villages from patterns supplied by Lady Bird and her debutante daughter after many experiments. Most of the gowns were of velvet and brocade and have been very trying, to their wearers in this hot summer weather, though the beautj r of their colours made a wonderful scene beneath the grey walls of the old castle.

Many famous people have been taking part, including Lady Cynthia Asquith, who played Titania, Mr. Ronald Greville, who impersonated his famous ancestor, "Warwick the Kingmaker," Lady Fielding, Lady Ilkeston, the Hon. Betty Askwith, and many others. The women of some famous Warwickshire families wore the most wonderful headdresses, copied from the eiFigies on the tombs at Warwick.

The Queen's Youngest Lady. Lady Katharine Hamilton, one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting,, who has just become engaged to Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Seymour, an Equerry of the King, became one of Her Majesty's "ladies" three years ago, at the age of 27, and is one of the youngest women to hold such a post for many years. Lady Katharine is extremely capable, and at one time it was thought that she would adopt a Parliamentary career. She is interested in housing and social welfare and has a thoroughly practical knowledge of these questions, which has endeared her very much to the Queem. who is herself very interested in these subjects. Lady Katharine has also been trained as a secretary, and her perfect knowledge of shorthand and typewriting has stood her in good stead when doing voluntary work for charities. She is not, however, anything of a "bluestocking." Dark< and vivacious and- with great charm, of manner, she is considered one of the best women conversationalists of the day, and.she is very ' fond;,, of - amateur theatricals and all outdoor sport. ' ■ ,'■..', ><;■.> -■■■ . A Naval Centenary.

. It is now a hundred years since the world's most famous gunnery school was established at Portsmouth, when H.M.s. Excellent, which had been commanded by Admiral , Collingwood at Trafalgar, was turned into a school for teaching "one perfect and complete system of gunnery;" and the centenary »vas celebrated by a naval pageant from July 24 to 30. The gunnery school is now housed on Whale Island, but so strong is the Navy's sense of tradition that the school keeps its old name a'nd, though actually located ashore, remains officially H.M.s. Excellent to this clav.

The pageant, which was staged on the island, with the twinkling lights of Portsmouth harbour as a backcloth, reproduced a series of tableau*, giving scenes from naval history, and dealing largely, of ■ course, with the i>rogress of naval guiinery. St. Barbara, the patron saint of the school, first introduces the Earl of Warwick, in /full armour and mounted on a stout horse, who leads a company of picturesquely garbed archers, crossbownien and catapulters. Aftei'r wards come Drake and his seamen, who, using culverins from the deck of a fatiip, light a Spaniard, and they are followed by a detachment of Royal Marines in the uniforms of 1664, a crowd of Nelson's seamen) and a naval hrigade, which puts up a thrilling iight with a. 9.7 ftiui that was used in the South African War. The pageant ended with a thrilling display of a night action between a modern battleship and destroyer,-in which the spectators, at close quarters, see the men, using a battery of 6in. guns, attack and sink the destroyer.

. f'l Know the Stuff." It is said that King Alfonso, who has been making a'n extended stay here, is the finest commercial traveller Ms country possesses. Not long ago, when he gave an audience to the Swedish Minister, King Alfonso spoke for live minutes about the merits of sherry. At the end of it, he turned to his equerry, who came from Jerez, the home of sherry, and said, with a smile: "What do you think that is worth to me"?" Since then one of the best brands of sherry has been named after him.

f King Alfonso knows, all about the things he advertises, too. He recently inspected the London cellars,of a Spanish wine merchant. "How old do you say this wine is?" he : asked the .proprietor. "Five years old," was the reply. "Eive years old?" asked the King, raising his stick with mock severity. "One year you mean. I know the stuff." And the wine merchant had to admit that he was ■.right. -'.... r t ..'. • . '- • When His Majesty visited the Spanish Club in London, a photographer perched on top of a ladder asked him to stand up. The king, who was talking to a Spanish Bishop, paid no attention. The photographer again made his request, this time raising his voice. "It's: quite all right," was the royal rebuke, ( "I can see you perfectly well from where I ami" > v ; v Always Hungry. ,' '} '* The newest and most amusing place' in which-to dine on a.hot night is at the Zoological Gardens where, under a myriad coloured light and. in the close proximity of many a sleeping beast, one may sit and feed at will. One may even, if one is lucky, catch • a glimpse of Gluttons at play. No, I do not mean the two-legged variety, but the genuine article, who spells his name with a capital, is a member of the weasel family, and comes from Norway. He is small and furry and looks, something like a bear and got his name, as you

can guess, because of. his enormous appetite. He can consume, among other things, a-41b ■joint -daily and is the despair of zoo caterers.

The Glutton's ingenuity is regarded by Arctic hunters •as devilish. When they attempt to catch it they have to conceal the bait as thoroughly as it is paraded to allure other animals. It also has a penchant for stealing kettles and blankets, though for'what uses has not yet been discovered.

Something New in Theatres. Mr. Terence Gray, a theatre enthusiast and pioneer, who runs the Festival Theatre at Cambridge, is shortly to start operations in London in a new theatre now being constructed "on the site of the, premises of the old National Sporting Club, which promises to be the most modern playhouse in the metropolis.

The theatre, which, has been designed by Mr. Felix Goldsmith, will be the first in London to be equipped with a circular stage and a permanent cyclorama. The settings will be directed not at a few seats in the middle, but diagonally at the two wings of the auditorium, so that, the audience will be the third and fourth walls, rather than the fourth as in an ordinary theatre. The stage itself will be circular and constructed in sixteen sections, which can be raised independently by hydraulic machinery.

The cheatre will also have a restaurant to seat 150 people "so that there shall be no excuse for being late for the play" as Mr. Gray remarked.. .

"I am anxious to make the Festival Theatre a.meeting place for intelligent playgoers," he said; "hence the very big foyer. The stage calls for a new producing technique, but our experiments at Cambridge have proved that it can be done. The whole principle is to.get away from the make-believe of the stage since the eighteenth century. I hope to produce a proportion of Greek plays and Shakespeare and some eighteenthcentury works, but I also want to dp ultra-modern Continental plays—if the censor will allow me. The plays will first be produced at Cambridge or at the theatre at Oxford which Mr. J. B. Fagan and I run together, where we shall, we hope, learn by our mistakes." (N.A.N.A. Copyright.) ..