LONDON'S NEW ATTRACTION

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1628, 13 May 1903, Page 21

LONDON'S NEW ATTRACTION

r ‘PHENE’S PHEN E-OMEN ON.”

(From Our Special Correspondent.)

LONDON, March 27. For some years past the residents of Chelsea have been accustomed to see right up the front of a large unoccupi 2 cl mansion in Oalcley street, not a stone's throw from Carlyle's old house, a huge boarding. Last Monday the hoarding disappeared and passers-by stared aghast at one of the most weird and fantastic spectacles. The entire face of the .tourstoreyed mansion is studded with huge mystic devices, figures, heads, armorial bearings, balustrades, columns, and Capitols in hopeless confusion —a perfect architectural nightmare. The incongruity, is increased by a riot of colour. The front of the mansion is abalze in brilliant yellow, gilt, chocolate brown, bright reds, greens and other striking tints. At first glance the building looks like concentrated essence of all the Eastern courts in the Crystal Palace, or a fantastic building from the “Arabian Nights.” Altogether, it stands out as one of the most remarkable structures in London or any other city. The originator of this daring departure from the architeciual convenances of Chelsea is an antiquary of some celebrity named Dr. Phene, and the place will doubtless be known as “Phene's Phenomenon" among the wits of “World's End." Phene is a man of substance, and many years ago he conceived the idea of using this “spacious and convenient" residence for am external display of all that is best in ancient and modern architecture. For years past he has been spending two or three hundred pounds per annum in realising his dream, and it must be admitted that he lias succeeded in producing a master-piece of incongruity. Eight huge fei&ule figures form the basis of the scheme, and in between the great figure heads above are patches of tablets and medallions, on which are depicted suoh figures as Minerva, Neptune, palm trees, elephants, sacred bulls, kingly heads, snakes, orowns, ecclesiastical emblems and gods and godesses galore. Then there and borderings -of gilt shamrock, thistles and elaborate Greek designs, and a portcullis and- Tudor rose, conspicuous among the gods by their coatings of gold. Crowning all the building are immense dragons and ether figures, and in the centre is a device bearing the words: “Ex supero spe Pugnam," A feature of the schemeTls tha/t every window in the

front of the house appears' to have been blocked up, and the only opening is that of a"very dilapidated doorway, which will no doubt ere long be brought into harmony (!) with the rest of the scheme. The top of the building is set off with a couple of towers, and what looks like an observatory. At present the sides and back of the house are in a fearful state of broken windows and general disxepair, but doubtless time will render them examples of '“the house beautiful,” according to Dr. Phene. Meanwhile, the front is drawing all London, and not even Mortimer Menpes’s startling deviation from the accepted style of house decoration has caused so much talk as “Phene’s Phene-omenon.”