HISTORIC RESIDENCE

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 345, 28 January 1937, Page 3

HISTORIC RESIDENCE

For Bride Of Duke Of Norfolk

Particular interest attaches to the marriage of the Duke of Norfolk with the Hen. Lavinia Strutt, the darkhaired daughter of Lord Belper and the Countess of Rosebery. Not only is the Duke of Norfolk, the Premier Duke of the United Kingdom, but he is also Earl Marshal of England, and in virtue of that office he has control of the Coronation ceremonies. The young Duchess — she is not yet 21 years of age—will be chatelaine of one of the most ancient castles of England, and one, moreover, which is most beautifully situated on the banks of the silvery Arun, in the heart of lovely Sussex. Historical Associations. Arundal is associated with many phases of English history, just as the Earls of Arundal have been closely linked with the history of England. The first reference" to Arundal dates back long before the Norman Conquest, for it is contained in the will of Alfred the Great. Then the castle was' a royal fief, and Alfred devised it to his nephew. The castle still looks like a fortress of the Middle Ages, but the interior was remodelled at the beginning of the last century by the twelfth Duke, who was known as an amateur architect of ability. Every room in the house recalls a page of English history. In the great Hall —the Baron’s Hall it is called—hang actual helmets worn at Crecy, Agincourt and Flodden Field. In this hall, which was badly damaged during the siegb of the castle by Cromwell's army during the civil war, is a record of another great event of

English history, for the great window that lights the hall is a representation of the Barons laying Magna Carta before King John. It was unveiled upon the 600th anniversary of that scene at Runnymede, and just 15 days before the Battle of Waterloo. Gothic Chapel. The beautiful Gothic chapel Is of particular interest, for the Dukes of Norfolk have always been Roman Catholics, and are regarded as standing at the head of Roman Catholic community in England. In the picture gallery, from whose tall windows can be seen the Arun wending its way through the peaceful countryside, hang the family portraits, but missing front the collection is Catherine Howard, the ill-fated wife Of Henry VIII.