MILLIONAIRE CHEMIST

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19129, 25 September 1936, Page 11

MILLIONAIRE CHEMIST

KEPT HOUSE FOR CATS LIVED IN HOTEL LONDON, July 37. Every piece of furniture in (he house of Sir Henry Wellcome, tho millionaire chemist who died in London during the week-end, has been wrapped in brown paper for the last 10 years. The house, with ballroom anil a score of other rooms, is in Gloucester Gate, Regent’s Park, N.W. In those 10 -years Sir Henry live! there for only three -weeks. For that period—when he was ill three years ago—two rooms and tlie hall were stripped of the brown paper. The rooms wore,his bedroom on tho third floor and the library on the floor beneath.

Sir Henry, who was 82, did not use the house. There was no lift. When in London he stayed at an hotel in Portland plaee, W. Sir Henry used his Regent’s Park house for two .purposes—-for this correspondence to be addressed there, and for his three favourite cats.

Every .Sunday morning, when, in London, he called there to see them and to inspect the rooms. Sir Henry also kept his throe ears in the garages of the house.

On. each paper-sealed piece of furniture Sir Henry had a label affixed The label bore a description of tho object and the room or hall where it should be placed. One of his employees said last night: “Sir Henry was always interested in his house in Gloucester Gate, and planned to return there to live. But the stairs were too much for him, and plans had been prepared to install a lift and make other alterations to the place.’’ Born in Wisconsin, TJ.S..A., Henry Wellcome spent his early days among the Dakota Indian tribes. He choso chemistry and pharmacy as a career, and, attracted lo London, there founded with the late Mr. 8. M. Burroughs the linn of Burroughs, Wellcome and Company, manufacturers of fine chemicals.