The Southern Counties Camp.

Otago Witness, Issue 1874, 21 October 1887, Page 27

The Southern Counties Camp.

The Sfl'f.pxd camp this year turned oat a very successful affair. The camp was opened i on Thursday afternoon, July 28, though only a comparative few arrived then, the majority . coming down on Friday night and Saturday. Some of the clubs had been to great expense to make their canvas domiciles look attractive, and the result was very charming. Some had their interiors draped with curtains, and were furnished with pianos, mirrors, pictures, fairy lamps and every possible article which would conduce to comfort and elegance. The exteriors were decorated with coloured glass lamps in very great numbers, Japanese lanterns, bunting, designs— comical and ornamental — ferns, flowers, &c., and the effect of the whole was splendid. At night, when all the lamps were burning, it ! was strongly suggestive of the Colinderies q* Crystal Palace fetes, and if the illumina*k>ns were not quite on such a large scale^ i&e effect was quite as pretty. The following are some ojj tents worthy of mention for their decoction :.— The WandswQrtti, group, ' consisting of six sleeping tents and, a large reception marquee. T&e KUdare had four sleeping and one i seeeption'tente, and their impersonation of the Buffalo Billeries was one of the features of the meet. , The West London T.C. had fow sleeping and one reception tents, and bpd decorated them very nicely. Faust Villa (bpn, Cycling Club) was very tastefully gojt up, and was surmounted by a big banner in the dab colours. The Holborn, of course, took the cake they always do. Their Out-on-the-Spree Villa was —externally— perhaps the prettiest of all the

small marquees in the camp. Their large reception tent was, of courser yec 7 c*e * One tent was labelled " The Abode of the Innocents, or the Good In-terit," and another was most humorously arranged as " The Sloperies." The Southsea T.C. bad three prettily-decorated tents. The N.L.T.C. (The Mudlarks) had two bell tents and a reception marquee. T Catford C.C. had two bell tents,' which were — externally again— about the best decorated bell tents in the encampment. One was the home of the " Katford Kittens," and bore notices such as "Mangling done here;" ''Records broken at the shortest notice ; reduction on ordering a quantity;" "Who's for Westernham Hill ; entries taken here, &c." The other was " A quiet corner." Was it ? The Stanley had two bell' tents and a reception marquee. The Silver Cross called their home the " Bjommer's Rest." The Guildford reception marquee was naturally a fine show, and was arranged veryprettily.