GARDEN VISTAS IN TOWN HOUSE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17997, 6 November 1926, Page 21

GARDEN VISTAS IN TOWN HOUSE.

LONDON ARTIST LEADS IN DECORATIVE ART. (Special to the “Star.”) LONDON, September 13. An entirely new scheme of house decoration was described to a Press representative yesterday by Mr John Bull, who has had fifty years’ experience, as a scenic artist. He was explaining a group of mural paintings he has just finished in Lady Weigall's town house. Here was a riot of gorgeously painted rhododendrons, there a replica of a 1 ountain in a miniature lake.-and again a rose-clustered arboyf. They are all scenes from Lady Weigall's . country’ place, at Pet wood, and have been painted in corners of her town residence, thus bringing the country, as it were, into the heart of London. ‘‘The vista from the best of London houses is most unsatisfactory—.chimney-, puts or lamp-postfe,’ and in some in-

stances half. an acre of square,” Mr John Bull said. “Lady Weigall, by- her new scheme, will be able to look at replicas-of some of the beautiful scenes on her Lincolnshire estate.” lie pointed to two sketches of a flower garden. These will take the place of two ordinary’ closed cupboards. The doors have been taken away, and curtained windows fixed in their place, and the floral scenes painted on the walls at the back of the cupboard. At night they will be illuminated bv a special light, which will give the-ap-pearance of eventide. THROUGH THE LATTICE. - Through a latticed window in the drawing-room Lady Weigall will be able to look out on what appears to he her own flower garden at Petwood, though, of-course, it is only painted on the wall of an alcove. But here, again, it will be illuminated in a way’ which will give it the appearance of reality’. “Society, is showing a keen interest in this new departure in mural decoration,” Mr Bull concluded, “and several other prominent London hostesses will certainly follow suit!” ’ Mr Bull, who is sixty-two, has followed in the footsteps of his father, who painted scenery for the famous Samuel Phelps. In his time, he has designed scenery for over 500 stage pro-

ductions, as well as many of the pageants at Olympia. In his studio one may see.in miniature Cyrano de Bergerac expiring. before the dim-lit windows of an old abbey-, or Romeo plighting his troth in a beautiful moonlight scene, - and scores of other familiar stage settings. John Bull is, by the way, the artist’s actual name, and not a pseudony-m, as a good many- people imagine.