MANY BEAUTIFUL SIGHTS AT THE IDEAL HOMES EXHIBITION IN LONDON

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 128, 16 June 1937, Page 11

MANY BEAUTIFUL SIGHTS AT THE IDEAL HOMES EXHIBITION IN LONDON

Several readers have inquired for the promised further instalment from a Hastings traveller's .letter about the Daily Mail Tdeal Homes exhibition held in London. The first instalment was about the Golden Hall of Homage, but this part tells more. about the acbut this part tells more about the actual exhibition. "As for the exhibition itself," • she writes, " it was all' on such a truly' wonderful and magnificent scale that 1 raev as well try to describe the wholo of london as try to give y'ou an idea of how splendid it all was. That was the place to see how the 'All British > excelled, and one felt .very proud of the British productions — fascinating and attractive as well as useful articlcs of every kind from a corkscrew to a fully furnished home and a replica of the deck of the Queen Mary. "We wandered for miles and miles through what may have been a city of modern wonders, with the most artistic and exquisite furnishing, fittings and accessories for the horiie, . f.urniture fashioned from beautiful Empire woods, walnut, rosewood, sycamore, mahogany, oak, maple, etc. in most attractive designs, rich' hangings and velvety carpets in most unusual colourings and designs, dazzlin.g. displays of glittering crystal. and silver, and artieles of utility of every descriptiou. "The various furnishing. manufacturers . had their courts arranged iD rooms where one cquld wander in and out admiring the most artistic apartments papered and fully furnished in the most delightful colour schemes. A miniature house was. on a rqvolving stand which revealod the interior decorations of sitting-rood, > bedrqom, kitchen and b'athroom. ' Ai'ter walking many miles around the various exhibits one felt very' te'mpted to make use ot the beautifully-equipped bathroom ' and . then have an hour's rest on one of tbe dainty divan beds,- so attractively arrauged, for divans seem quite the latesf in. bedsteads. . . . "The bathroom accessories were, of course, the last thing in uflift'ul novelties and geysers (here called geesers)j were fitted everywbere for the quick heating of water. Very charmiug were ' the beautiful chintz bedspreads, curtains, and cushions, while tapestry chairs and stools are still great favour ites, exquisite work and charming designs being much admired. Quite an innovation. were the oil-silk curtains in the bathrooms, kitchens and sculleries —dainty fioral designs and pretty colourings made the most usefiil hangings and very labour-saving as a sponging is all the laundering required. The kitchens and bathrooms were really tfcc most attractive rooms to my mind, for so many use ul little etceteras had been introduced and the labour-saving devices in housekeeping were quite fascinating. 1 "Many of the grates and fireplaces in the living rooms served a dual pur-

pose, and the fucl and gas iires, in-sfcee-d of being only for heating tho roomp^ heated the water supply at the saine time. This, of course, was in the cold weather, and in the wariner' months gas geysers and electricity supplied the necessary heat. ' "It would be quite impossible foi) me to describe fully many of the scores ot interesting sections and the endless fascinating exhibits, so I had better just pick out one or two special ones. ' 1 The rooms of the British monarchs were particularly interesting, showing the development of architecture and the history of domestie lighting. "Queen Boadicea's hut, A.D. Gl, shov ed a wattle and daub hut with ■very primitive fiirniture, a weaving loom, potter's wheel and pottery which came from Gaul to Britain during Ihe Roman occupation. Another exhibit was a Saxon timbered haipof the time of Alfred the Great, with a raised dais for the Eing and his thanes, while the lcsser' members occupied the body of the hall. • Alfred himself paced up and down as though awaiting the approach of the Danes > BEAUTIFUL REPRODUCTIONS, "An old pillared hall, part of the old priory of Winchester (Edward I., 1239) was very interesting, the furni♦ture being monastic in character. Henry V's courtroom at the old Red Lion hotel at Southampton had been wonderfully reproduccd to show . a' half -timbered room with oak gallery and staircase. Queen Elizabeth ?s room at Hampton Palace had "been charmingly copied, and we saw a room with panelling, a» large Tudor fireplace and decorated ceiling. • The pieces of furniture were beautiful." reproductions of the period furniturei "Very beautiful was .the replica of the drawjng-room, at Kew Palace of Queen Chariotte, consort of George-.HI. The panelled' room and attractive furnishihgs were faithfully co'pied by Chippendales Ltd., and the harpsichord was similar to the one on' which the father of George III played in the same* room. Oue recalled the faet that the unfortunate King -spent- nluch of his .life at Kew Palace, especially .. during periods of. insanity, and it was due to the grea't love of gardening that Georgb III and Qiieen Chariotte had that the . nation now possesses Kew Gardens, probably the -finest botanical gardens • In the world. '•