GOVERNOR'S HOME

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 867, 13 July 1910, Page 8

GOVERNOR'S HOME

S\ WITHIN AND WITHOUT. iO- BE READY IN THREE WEEKS. " '':•£ PBESSMAN!S INSPECTION. . : Armed with. Ministerial authority— :Ell other is in. vain— a Dominion, repre-sentative.-took a stroll/round the hew- ; Government House yesterday with a' view ,of 'ascertaining, if .certain criticism which has been, ottered/ ..is'., justified. .';■ After an hour and a half's' trudge,from pantry to ba!l-rc6m,. from cellar' to' tower, our reprcsentativevcamo to the' . conclusion, that there.'are, two points to be' considered in- offering anything •. in. tho, way of criticism, viz.—(l; Outlook'and environment,'and (2) the general Jioustspian! of the new; vice-rcgaT residence. ■.-.

. Taking the heads in,tho order- naniad, 'little good .can come of. fault-rinding under-the, first'head. The outlook is not what 'is usually provided for a,viceregal: residence.. It overlooks a section of ;the niean streets . of. .Wellington. South, the;, foreground viol* being at present the back.prcinisos.of tho shops and houses facing the, east side of Adelaide Road, whilst the little harrow streets,' which, leave that thoroughfare practically abut .on ..the.. Government House grounds. .-Beyond the houses,".in the. middle distance, rises on an. untidy clay hill, the- : rather grim. and.. certainly unsightly' Alexandra; Military ! . Depot, -with a gang; of prisoners working under its shadow. The : background, veiled yesterday afternoon in-.the! smoke of a. thousand, chimneys, mingled with the ; mist of winter, consists of'.the depselypacked- squares of Te.Aro flat, and a section of that harbour cut. off to tho east.by a line.drawn from the To Aro railway station to a point a little beyond .-.,.• Ngahauranga. . The western outlook- takes in • another ■■ section of ' Newtown—the roofs., of the. . hospital, : the- Nurses'. Home, Aged and No'edy, and, the match factory.. ' Set;in. tho midst of • such'-a collection.of ,it is-to. be .hoped that mistakes will not' occur, •such as .inmates for the Aged and Needy- Homo being deposited on the." Gubernatorial;, doorstep, or a disv tiiiguisher!" visitor, feeing left by accident; at "the". Nurses' Roine when his ihleri-;! tioh. was tn pay Iris .lfcspcctii ic»: his. ■Majesty's- representative.. The .cabmen and'.motor chaffeurs .will have to see tothis.- The south .view is a"gr«en liill-. 'top—quite a. nice near.green hill-top—, which effectually .blocks ■'anything 'like, a-vista. It would, form a lovely ."ten" for-the golfer,. and if ;so used by. the immature at the game, might eventually be wnrii'aivay sufficiently to expose Cook. Strait." and tho. road'.to the Antarctic;:

About, tho Grounds.; : - ; It is/.'.sloppy. niid-wintcr aiid;-.ther<> "has-been" a -good deal: of. excavation,, and consequently tho ajipwraiieV of tlie grouiids does iioiai.pjeicHi'toavej' auy- . thing .'that may ■be termed aestheticallybeautiful. ..The new entrance—a .most pretentious: red, brick: (with black: scams)' j gate.; .'arid 'red brick, feiiee.'-rises into, prominence. -within a.few yards of. St. Malrk'S Church _ 'Tho. space lietweeii." the: blocked-street: and the'■',set-back-' -gates' (to.' be; massively., barred; witlr '■■ iron):;is:-to- be, ; wood-blocked, and from ' the gates,the drive sweeps southward /up a,grade of about one in fifteen pasJ the new v Wellington College...building; directly past the balustraded gardenfront of the' viee-rogal edifico, round the.: western side, to , tlie carriage or, southern: ; front. , The' building "is , rather;startling'.in; its. colour scheme! The;.lo.wer weather-boarding of, the ground story is of pbwellised jarrali, and looks, almost t black' in contrast to . tho gleaming white- rough-cast exterior • of the top story arid'the white Oamaru , stone'.pillars and- balustrading. which sets' oif tiii) northern . (gaidr-nj front verandahs, still, tho- effect is not unpleasing and' as time makes the. contrast less.harsh,, the effect might, even bbplbasiiig. The northern .aspect of the, building'-is' relieved by, a' large glazed' .conservatory,, which butts out aggressively at'.'the .eastern' corner. Tfitvdrive aforementioned has been ■metalled and'blinded. Mtis to be. firi- ' ished with the,assistance of some gravel and'the: steam roller. It is not intended to' makb provision for a sidewalk. The old Government Houso has none—and, well, tradition dies hard. . Tree's-a'ro".to.,.bo'.'planted, thickly along the eastern hank which flanks the drive. The holes are, already prepared. If a tree, grows in 'each, it will' be a glbomy tree-stifled- drive at nighttime, Higher "P. ? n front of the residence paths are being formed -'of cinders and other slaglike, stuff, and further trees are to be planted to.shut oiit.Mein Street. There is ample space for a garden of considerable extent on the northern side, arid the site of tho bid Mount View; Mental Hospital.at the.rear,: or southern front; age,,forms" an area of flat" land'capable of horticultural 'adornment. Between the-wards of the old building were concrete fountains—these are to be utilised in-decorating the grounds. Tho last of the,'old asylum—"the-'.refractory wardis now being demolished. '. •

A Comfortable Building. ■ Tho now Government buildings should be a' very. comfortable residence. The "lay-out"-of.the rooms has apparently been carefully studied; so as to provide for tho greatest convenience. The building is traversed centrally- by two main corridors,, upstairs anil downstairs'. On; the ground floor there are' the sitting rooms and officers of : his Excellency.:and suite, with French windows opening out on to'tho garden front verandah, at the. eastern end the ballroom (facing.the south), and to the west of ,tho .main entrance 'the largo dining-room, (panelled with richlygrained'rinm to a height of 8 feet), the kitchen (fitted with a huge; range- from Luke's foundry, and a gas cooker six feet in. length), and the pantry, servery, and servants' quarters. There is a room for coal and coke, fitted, with huge ; bins, and/a; drying rooni, lined-with .hot-water pipes. .The butler's apartments are near the dining-room, where there' is : also' a strong-room for'tho plate, and; below that.the wino cellar. The main Btairwny, built of heart of rimu, about ten. feet wide,-rises'opposite.the'.main entrance. His Excellency's apartments and those of- Lady Islington are situ-ated-at tho eastern end of the building, the staff are . .located about the centre, and - '.■ the servants' quarters—large comfortable' rooms— are' situated -at'the' ;we'stern end. white — white everywhere — plaster, paint, paper, canvas. A good deal of white and coloured canvas has been used instead of paper in lining the up- - stairs room's. Her ladyship's bedroom V ; is lined with white canvas to a' height of about, eight feet. Green and other colours aro used in some of tho other bedrooms. This does not precludo the . use of some very beautiful wallpapers— mostly white, with panels of pink rose.s —very clean, delicate, and pretty they are, too.

The Ballroom. Tho ballroom is too small. At first glance it looks no larger than tho ono at, the old' Government House. It is, however, a few feet wider, and about ten or twelve feet longer, which still leaves it . much too small . for. present ant] future omertneiiciqs.' .

the- plumbers are under orders to quit at tho end of the week. The foreman of the work states that he expects to bo finished within three weeks. A cottage is Swing erected near tho old entrance (in Adelaide ltbacl)_Jor tho gardener, and stops have been taken to erect a guard-house for the Permanent Artillery inside tho main gates, in Sussex Square.