"CARNATION CASTLE"

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 25, 29 July 1933, Page 13

"CARNATION CASTLE"

POINT HOWARD EDIFICE

OWNER BOUND OVER

The owner and builder of "Carnation Castle," a quaint • structure at Point Howard, familiar to users of the Day's Bay Road, Archibald George Gledhill, appeared before Mr.- E. Page, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday on a summons issued by John Bradley Yaldwin, solicitor, of Wellington. Mr. Yaldwin, whose property adjoins .that on ■ which "Carnation Castle" is still in the course of erection, applied to have Gledhill bound over to keep tho peace. • The complaint was laid as the result of some threatening language Gledhill was alleged to have used from the top of his "castle." The complainant stated in evidence that when he was engaged in making measurements for a tennis court on his property on Sunday, June 25, the defendant shouted various offensive and insulting remarks to him from the top of his building, and said: "I will cut your nose off your damn face." His manner was extremely violent and threatening, said witness, and he seemed to mean what he said. Mr. Page: What is 'it all about, Mr. Yaldwin? Witness: It is a little difficult to explain what it is all about.- Nothing was said to the defendant, and his presence was not apparent until he commenced to shout out. I think possibly what started him off "was that 1 leaned against one of my fence posts. This appeared to annoy him. I may be wrong, but that is how it appeared to me. NAMING OF THE CASTLE. The defendant, before commencing his cross-examination, said that he had built "Carnation Castle" with his.own hands, Mr. Page: Is it for the purpose of growing carnations? Tho defendant: No, sir, it was a romance.. The defendant explained that he had once iieard Dame Clara Butt at tho Town Hall, arid had been inspired by her to name the castle "Carnation Castle.'' Another factor, that influenced him in naming the "castle" was the fact that the present Queen was a lover of carnations. Questioned by the defendant as to whether he had ever "broken into" "Carnation Castle," the witness said that with the knowledge of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, he had oiicc gone into the "castle" to rescue a kitten and some other animals that were starving. The defendant, in reply to this, said that he had left the animals in the care of a man while he was away on holiday. Witness was then cross-oxamined as to tho^planting of trees, removal of gravel from the road, holes in ■ fences, and on various other "matters which the defendant regarded as nuisances. ALLEGED NUISANCES. "Sowe two or three years ago, just to annoy, you put against my bank a dirty motor-car case," said* the defendant. . ; - ..'■.-...- \ Witness replied that he had erected a temporary garage with the permission of the Hutt County Council and on the council's property. The defendant then complained that since the garage had been taken away some of the complainant's friends had made a practice of parking their cars in frdnt of. his property on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. To this, the complainant replied that the place where the cars had been parked was twelve to fifteen feet from the defendant's property, and was hidden from.it by a hedge of thick gorsc. The defendant continued his crossexamination on the subject of nuisances fdr some time, : Philip W. Hector corroborated the evidence of the complainant regarding the language alleged to have been used by the defendant. Cross-examined by the defendant, witness admitted that he had s{;ood on top of a fencing post for.some time while he and the complainant were taking measurements for the tennis court. . The defendant did not give evidence, but asked that he should not be bound over or else he would not be able to protect his fences, and his castle would be broken up. "I am afraid I will have to make an order in this case," said Mr. Page. "It seems clear that the defendant was a little bit hot under the collar over his neighbour, and I think the propercourse is to bind1 him over to keep the peace.?:' ..'■ / ' , y.

The Magistrate ordered that the defendant should; within seven days, enter into a bond tp keep the peace for a period of twelve months. ' The defendant was told that he had a .right to appeal to the Supreme Court if ho so desired.