MAYFAIR JOTTINGS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 833, 5 August 1933, Page 20 (Supplement)

MAYFAIR JOTTINGS.

| Society Gossip From * London. THE SLUM PROBLEM. <*rom Oir London Lafly Correspondent.) Some housing experts have, despite r their great admiration for the Prince' '■ of Wales, been inclined to criticise his / recent outspoken comments on London slum conditions. But the Prince of i Wales is himself a big London landlord, „ and those who care to inspect the demo* e cratic homes now being built on his e Kennington estate will have to admit that H.R.BT. is living right up to his s own precepte. His new blocks of dwellings in the Oval neighbourhood, a very a congested and hitherto deplorable 1 locality, will serve as models of their a. kind to landlords elsewhere. He is trans--2 forming the place, and his. tenants will e be most happily environed. The Prince E has expert advisers, of course, but he is taking the keenest personal interest i in the work and has not been lacking in s practical suggestions. 1 4 i STATELY LONDON HOME. t This year, as last, the Countess of r Ellesmere had the honour of being - hostess to the Queen on Derby njght. The dinner, of course, took place in ' Bridgewater House, one of the few | stately patrician homos now left in Londou. It is a huge mansion in Cleveland Square, with spacious marble hall, * a splendid reception room and a picture gallery that contains many masterpieces J by well-known painters. Its only rivals now at the West End are Londonderry House and Wimborne House, all the , rest have vanished in the post-war holo- . caust of Mayfair social landmarks. lam told Queen Mary is a most gracious

guest to entertain, and that Her Majesty sets a delightfully informal tone for everybody. It is, all the same, an anxious responsibility for any hostess to undertake. NOBLESSE OBLIGE. Derby Day brought birthdays for twv» distinguished noblemen. The Duke of Devonshire is 65 and the Earl of Ilehester is 59. Throughout his career the only ambition betrayed by his Grace has been to serve the State to the best of his ability. To that end he was trained under the direction of his grandfather, the seventh Duke. The training included a period on a stool in a chartered accountant’s office to qualify him for the management of the Cavendish estates. It qualified him for other work besides, for he has been Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Secretary of State for the Colonies and Governor-General of Canada. His marriage with the daughter of the late Lord Lansdowne united two traditionally Whig families. x ART AND HORSES. Lord Ilehester belongs to the family which gave us Charles James Fox, and he married Lord Londonderry’s sister. His pursuits are characterised by variety. He is a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery, a. member of the Turf Club, a devotee of racing and fishing, and no mean litterateur, having more than one scholarly tome to his credit. Nothing pleases his lordship better than to steal away across the Atlantic to combine looking after some of his Canadian interests with fishing in the splendid waters of the Dominion. DUCHESS’ NIECE.

Miss Rosemary Bowes-Lycn, for whom her mother, Lady Christian Martin, gave a “coming-out” dance this week, is & niece of H.R.H. the Duchess of York, her father having been Captain Fergus Bowes-Lyon of the Black Watch, who was killed in action two months after her birth. The Bowes-Lyons are a numerous clan, so this week’s function was naturally well attended. The debuof the evening is not only a granddaughter of the Earl of Strathmore, but her maternal grandfather was the sth Earl of Portarlington, who owned some 20,000 acres in Ireland. THE PRINCE’S ZEAL. I wonder if any other amateur golfer ‘3 as keen on improving his game as is the Prince of Wales. Whenever he has an hour to spare he rushes down to one of the nearby London clubs to get' a little practice, either on the links or under the tutorial eye of the local professional. But this is not all. I heard to day of his playing in a team match recently when he was very dissatisfied with his morning round. He was playing in the foursomes again in the afternoon, and, instead of going into luncheon, he stuffed a couple of biscuits into his pocket, went out on to the links with his caddie and practised industriously during the entire luncheon hour. I sometimes think be rather overdoes it. He has a beautiful swing, but he would play better if he was not always thinking of what different pros, have told him. • SOCIETY SKETCHES. The Earl of Albemarle, who gave an exhibition of character sketches last week at Walker’s Galleries, is, I am sorry to hear, not in the best of health. This prevented him from attending the private view, but Lady Albemarle and her eon, Viscount Bury, were both there to welcome visitors. Those who go down to Cowes are already familiar with some of the caricatures which the earl has done of the notabilities of his time, for quite a number of them hang on the walls of the Royal Yacht Squadron. He has often been pressed to give an exhibition of them, but has hitherto refrained from a fear that their intimate nature might give offence to some of the subjects. Painting is his favourite hobby, "but he is a keen sportsman as well. He is fond of yachting and shooting, and is a member of several of the best-known clubs in London. BOTTOMLEY’S KINDNESS. Horatio Bottomley, as company promoter, brought such misery and penury into so many homes that it is nice to be able to recall one particularly gracious side to his amazing personality. He was always ready to help a man who was down, gave away amazing sums of money, and was passionately fond of animals. A friend of mine had an illustration of this some years ago. A case came up in the Courts of a man who had brutally ill-used his pony. He was fined as usual, and Bottom ley publiclv attacked the inadequacy of the sentence. My friend was so concerned at the idea of the ponv remaining in the possession of such a brute that she sets steps on foot to purchase it herself. The man was approached as to the price he would take, and returned the surly reply that the horse no longer belonged to him. It had been bought by Mr. Bottomleyi