HIS LONDON HOUSE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 124, 27 May 1936, Page 18

HIS LONDON HOUSE.

WHERE SILASSIE WILL LIVE. — : ' 808 AND EMPRESS "VERY TIRED." ' (Special.—By Air Mall.) LONDON, May 9. No. s', Prince's Gate, London, S.W., the house which has become the freehold property of the Emperor of Abyssinia, is being decorated to the scheme of Princess Asfa- Yilma, member of the Royal Solomonic House of Ethiopia, f kinswoman of the King of Kings. At . present' she acts as hostess at the _ Ethiopian Legation for Dr. Martin,, the ( Ambassador. Her husband, Captain , Algernon Holland, is Dr. Martin s ( private secretary. , 1 Haile Silassie's beautiful mansion overlooks Hyde Park. It has five storeys ( and 27 rooms, including those in the i basement. The basement has two large. kitchens and enough accommodation for ( a staff of about a doz'eil.' Two lifts are } installed, also house .telephone circuit. £ The ground fldbr has black and white marble-floored hallway, dining room and s lounge (folding glass doors), smaller j room at the back, with balcony facing a £ beautiful garden. The first floor has T only one parquet-floored room-; —43ft _ long and more than 21ft wide. The ( second floor provides three main bed- j rooms, one with large bathroom in green j attached. The. third floor has _ four j rooms. The fourth floor divides into t seven rooms. . . i Princess Asfa Yilma • said: "I want i | the main motif of the house throughout t Ito be a very pale shell pink shade. The r I whole house will have purely European i | decoration' and furnishing. The Emperor" "g will have a suite for himself, and the- e Empress on the second floor. Tha.t ,t green bathroom will be a bright silver, r the bath jade, the principal bedroom t Will be in powder blue with carpet to J match. We shall try to make the-house a a refuge so that the Emperor can, feel a .at home and rest for a while."; ' t Dr. Martin said: "The Emperor will i certainly come to London. . He and the c Empress are very, .very tired,??