PASSING OF BRITISH PAVILION

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 185, 2 May 1940, Page 11

PASSING OF BRITISH PAVILION

Regretted By Many

General regret has been expressed by recent visitors to the United Kingdom Pavilion at the Exhibition that this fine building must be demolished, said Mr. G. H. Meadmore, commis-sioner-general for the pavilion, in an interview yesterday. He said that the universal comment was “What a shame I” Mr. Meadmore said he could not at present announce what would be the destiny of the actual building. The models, however, were of considerable value, and would be returned to London—possibly to be used , again for similar displays in other parts of the world. The great statue of Maurice Lambert which dominated the foyer would probably not be shipped Home; it was of plaster, and was a difficult object to transport. The lions outside the Pavilion were also of plaster, and would probably be demolished in removal. They bad already suffered considerably from persons pulling out teeth, and climbing on their backs and kicking holes in them. He proposed himself to leave Wellington within three week's, returning to London via the United States, where he wished to visit the New York World Fair.

He would be sorry to leave the building. and the pleasant room there in which he had had many happy parties. The saddest blow was parting with the people he had met in New Zealand. He had been here long enough to make many real friends, and to come to know people well, and it was going to be a wrench parting with them again.

Mr, Meadmore said there was no doubt whatever that in spite of the disadvantages and difficulties with which the directors had been confronted, they bad made the Exhibition a very great success. They should lie extremely proud of the way the whole show had been staged. No fault could lx? found with layout or design; buildings and grounds were very delightful and made a charming sight, brightly lighted by night. The exhibits and displays were of very high standard and would hold their own at any of the great European international exhibitions. “I cannot but think if. ir very wonderful result that So many people have visited the Exhibition in spite of all adverse circumstances,” he said, “1 am convinced the United Kingdom Pavilion has enjoyed all the attention that could possibly have been hoped for. At one time we went very seriously about checking the proportion of visitors who inspected our pavilion. We took counts on good day.K and bad days, fine days and wet days, and found that approximately 22 per cent, of I he total number of visitors to the Exhibition came through our pavilion. So certainly more than half a million people have seen it.” 1 •

Yesterday the staff of the pavilion presented Mr. Meadmore with a framed photograph of the personnel of the court, as a memento and a token of their esteem.