HOME OF STATESMEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 667, 20 May 1929, Page 2

HOME OF STATESMEN

WHERE PALMERSTON LIVED SALE DECIDED ON The Earl of Balfour has decided to sell his London house, 4 Carlton Gardens, St. James’s, S.W. No nlans have yet been made for Lord Baliour’s future residence in when the house has been sold, ) s the “Daily Mail.” No. 4 Carlto.. Gardens lias j been the home of great statesmen for most of the 104 years of its existence. Here Lord Balfour has lived sinfce j 1871. Before him, it was the home of j Lord Palmerston, when he was Prime Minister. Within its walls the two statesmen considered some of the greatest Empire problems of their times and were visited by the outstand’ng political personalities of generations that were rich in great men. The only tenant to occupy the house before Lord Palmerston was Adrian Hope, who built it in 1825, and fhe son of Adrian Hope occupied it when Lord Palmerston’s lease expired until Lord i Balfour bought it 58 years ago. So i the house has a better title to the de- i scription, “the home of great statesmen,” than any other of London's famous houses with the exception of the official residences No. 10 and No 11 Downing Street. There is much of great interest j about the building itself, the improvements inspired by Lord Balfour, and the objects of art within it. The site was once part of the gardens of Carlton House, the residence of King George IV. when he was Prince of ' Wales. Parts of the old mansion were embodied in the house. Several of : the mantelpieces and some of the old ironwork were part of tbe old Carlton | House. Lord Balfour had extensive alterations made. A single staircase round the hall replaced two separate stairs. The library, one of the two principal rooms on the ground floor, has been considerably enlarged. It still contains the mahogany and ormolu bookcases used by Lord Palmerston. There are pieces of furniture, silver and original political cartoons that have been presented to Lord Balfour. His thousands of books are chiefly psychological and religious works and political and legal records, although Shakespeare has an honoured place. There is old china and porcelain, Fulham pottery, and, most interesting of all, a lino collection of pictures painted by j Sir Edward Burne-Jones for Lord Bal- j four. The drawing room was specially constructed to hold the set of eight paintings depicting the adventures of Pei-seus and Andromeda. Only four were completed, and two which the artist was unable to complete before his death still bear rough chalkmarks. The remaining two are mere rough ehalklngs on brown paper.