The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 10, 1904, Page 17

‘Pages 17t02 Rsd * FRANCISCO, SUND. JULY 10. 1904. DINGY LITTLE CURZON STREET IN LONDON SUDDENLY Duke and Duchess of Marlborough the First to Build a Palace on the Thoroughfare and Americans Follow Example, been=willing to- follow- o a lead by lccating in the here Thackeray's heroine 1 i it and where Disraeli died Were it not fc- it reputatior. as one the most streets in London, future Fifth avenue of Mayfair ed as quite “impossi- rate as a place of resi- r the exc ve. Besides being v, 1t 1s awkward to om Berkeley ve to dive down and then thread a —Lansdowne Pas- th brick walls on nd so gloomy that on dark be lighted with big gas e shortest way into Cer- P lane is up a flight through z-- her rather geway that is marked street end—"To Park s Head Mews"”; “mews thing more aristo- s and S AND KINGS. awback Curzon dence for the e fact that :d with stables and unim- shops, and that one side of -Jov ‘h an out-and- The number of these small ikes one as soon Where to t as a place of tic, h ywever, t the most magn in London, and undou sprin posing litt n who has taken a there a cheese deal- er's, a small live able, a grocer’s shop and a saloon, York Arms. Result — when, the other day, the Dowager Duch of Marlborough urzon street for some time, t a party of American friends g the other ¥ people otor cars to go over Sunderland m across the Atlantic who have lo- House, the whole street was crowded ed there recently may be s Van Wart of Washingto Clapp of St. Louis and W. Wadsworth of New York. The to of Princess Alexis Dolgoroukl, which has just been taken for the sea- son by Mr. and Mrs. Frank Mackay of - o, is just around the corner in and Mrs. F. H. gaping grocers’ clerks and other ssistants, whose idea it was that Vanderbilt” had come to take n of his house, the name of 's father, oddly enough, being iuch more familiarly identified with the mansion in the neighborhood than that of the Duke himself. And, sad to say, Sunderland House backs directly upon Curzon street's house Grosvenor stréet, a step away. writ- slum. Just before one gets to the Marl. Mr. and Mrs. George borough palace, going up the street, v New York, who have there is a sort of dingy archway, and passing through this one finds himselt in a dirty little square which calls itseif “Shepherd’s Market,” and which is filled with smail shops and dwellings that, from the look of them, might be in the center of Whitechapel or Bethnal Green—anywhere but just off the street where reside the Earl of Crewe; Kath- ing the Marlboroughs recent- also taken a house in Bruton MANSION WITH A NICKNAME. pluck, pure and simple, or d be better to say ne- d the ducal coupie of decide upon Curzon treet as the site of Sunderiand House, arine, Lady Letchmere, who fs known or “Blunderiand House” as the place 45 the most exclusive of London got nick g its construction DNostesses; the Harl and Dowager sany mistakes made Countess Howe, Lady Mary Foley and Bl =k Y- MIPTIN S TOWN, FHOTSE G ai[g—;?arziz;{ (T in following the elab- ed them. True, the gested to the Duke first place, but gravia and Mayfair acke. by them in ocation that it was present and Duchess in it was not until B had been vainly ra search of 2 better finally decided to build on it. One of the drawbacks about the site was that it was occupied at the time—this was in 1899—by Curzon-st Chapel. an uncommonly fashionable little church which cost the Marlboroughs many thousands of dollar- to have pulled down. No one who knows Curzon street will wonder that the Mariboroughs wonld have preferred almost any other fash- jopable street in London 1n which to bufld their new palace. The wonder s in fact. that rich American society goodness knows how many other titled folk. It seems that this section of the neizhborhood was leased long ago for a4 hundred years or more, and that is why it will be impossible for a long time 1o come to get rid of all the little rookeries—a goodly number of which “pubs,” as they call the cheaper sort of saloon over here. DUKE'S HUMBLE NEIGHBORS. Behind Shepherd’s Market there are “mews” and more shops and it is on following the small street which sep- arates them that one discovers how the place completely surrounds Sunderland House on every side but one, and what a democratic lot of neighbors the ex- clusive Duke and Duchess have. On one side of the aristocratic mansion are the shops of a boot-mender, a green- #rocer and a clockmak, an the other T IREEN FOR THE o | oy 5 A ORI R o s S IEHANTION BECOMES THE SELECT HOME OF FASHION AND WEALTH - o o SYNTEELIND FOUEE, CUCTN 57 B o = o B DE R prehsss S 5 AURLBOROTVGH > /- two grocers’ shops; while exactly be- hind the imposing residence, and evi- dently to be regarded from its back windows, are a reeking little saloon and 2 house which seems entirely given up to “cheap lodgings.” The Marlboroughs, however, have the satisfaction, If it is any to ihem, that 2ll the nearby houses on the same side of the street also have the slum at their back doors and hitherto Ameri- cans more than any other possible ten- ants of these houses have objected to this strongly. “How could I possibly take and live in a house that looks out upon a duck- yard?” an American woman scornfully asked the real estate agent who was showing her over one of these resi- dences not long ago. Of course, the reply to such an objection is, “Well, if it is good enough for the Marlbor- oughs,” ete. However, in spite of the slums and the shops, land values have increased 25 per cent in Curzon street within the last two years, which means that whereas the Duke of Marlborough paid the young Duke of Westminster—who owns practically all Mayfair—$75,000 for the land upon which Sunderland House is built, or $50 a square foot, a similar site in the street would now cost close cn $100,000. Most of the Americans who have ta- ken establ’shments in Curzon street lately have done so for the season. The price of a furnished house there is now about ten or fifteen thousand dollars for the so-called “season,” which means three months, and the tenant has to pay the full term whether he stays that long or not. Servants are included in the temancy, but if a teg - ant wants to engage his own servan he can do so at his own expense, -n'h he must at the same time provide board-wages for the others. The figure mentioned s quite a tidy one when you consider what the addi- tional cost will be to the Americans who have set up in Mayfair and who will entertain there. According to all accounts that entertaining will be done on a scale of lavishness such as never has been attempted in London before; with such prodigality, in fact, that London duchesses and such—the state- ment comes directly from one of them —will not attempt to compete with it, but will practically leave the field in the hands of the Americans. MARLBOROUGH'S SPLENDOR. Undoubtedly Sunderland House will be the scene of the most dazzling of the season’s functions, for tre Duke and Duchess are planning to give their five-million-dollar palace such a send off as pcrhaps no other private resi- dence ever has had before. The ser- vants are in already, and the size of the staff which the Duke and Duchecs will have at their disposal is the sub- Ject of muc comment. All told they number fifty—double or quadruple the number ordinarily employed in a: great London mansion—and they all have been selected with 4 "egard to the important duties they will be called upon later on to perform. Some of them have seen service in royal houses both at home and on the Continent. A chef, who will receive $6000 a year, is already on the premises. He had charge of the culinary department dur- ing the Prince of Wales' late trip to Australia. He admits himself that his present salary is the largest he hus ever received. Perquisites from vari- ous sources will bring his income up at least another thousand dollars or more. For this munificent =:!pend he will not be asked to soil his hands, but merely to superintes” ®iichen and do the buvir 5 wuchess herseli interviewed .ery servant before he or she was en- gaged. She instructed the builders to finish the servants’ quarters first so that they might be put in residence be- fore the house was officidlly opened. The place is so huge that a stranger might easily lose himself, so the Duchess considered it expedient to give + ! f ’ ] i { 2 5 k! - = a COUNTESS OF CRAVEN L 1 AND HER ARISTO- { CAAEH - ; \ : CRATIC NEIGHBORS. e : them an opportunity of exploring the 4 place thoroughly before they would be called upon to wait upon their distin- guished master and mistress. There are so many callers even at this early stage that it takes a fully liveried ser- vant, with powdered hair carefully ar- ranged, all his time to keep answering the door. Tradesmen's carts are racing up to the kitchen entrance all day long, and huge baskets of meat and vegetables are being lowered down the great stone stairs. The wine cellar is receiving special attention, and when it is fully stocked it will be one of the best equip- ped cellars in London. The presence of such a ' number of liveried servants about the new residence has enhanced the tone and dignity of the whole neighborhood, and the little local tradesmen are counting on making their fortunes. The new house and the distinguished-looking servants have obscured everything which had hith- erto been looked upon with a certain amount of local pride and interest. Everything in the new ‘“palace,” as it is locally described, will be new with the exception of some antique stuff, which is stored away at Blenheim. Some family pictures and military trophies will also adorn the walls, but beyond this the furnishing will be new from top to bottom. The Bradley-Martins’ house in Ches. terfield Gardens, just off Curzon street, is likely to be the scene of social doings second in brilliancy only to those which will take place at Sunderland Hous.. For several seasons the Countess of Craven. Mrs. Bradley-Martin's daugh- ter, has been practically debarred from entertaining in London, simply through the lack of a town house: but not long ago her mother placed the mansion at the corner of Chesterfield Gardens at Lady Craven’s disposal. and T under- stand that she Is planning to make up for lost time by giving a series of functions that mav be expected to be as much the talk of London as the famous Bradley-Martin ball was the talk of the United States some years ago. FINCETS. LOLGORCIELS HINSI ZIASED BY HE §Mks TR MAAY I CHIAGO » » | | ! { | * Lady Curzon Has Adopted the Auto and Mo- toring Is Now the Fad Among the Smart Set of London. LONDON, July 3.—Lady Curzon the latest of the American society wo- men in London to take to motéring. She has been whizzing about from Deal is 'ving much Mr. Phelps- who have just . are to give him 2 b return home in 10 the other seaside places in the vicin- Ju1y 4o also will Marcus S, Mayer and ity of Walmer Castle (of which her Albert H. Canby. both of whom have husband is now master) during the come to London for the season. past week and exploring all the inter- Count Ward has arrived in London esting spots. It was only on the advice after enjoying a Continental motor of her physician that she rejected cy- tOUr. *‘L has b nhl M-:-r;s around fo! cling for motoring. Since the birth of x“”"::p ”“ . et her latest baby she has been in a deli- 10103 by gr :r,_'n.,. landlords, cate state of health and it was ex- decid o t up at one of the plained to her that the exertion of West E ho' He has already cyeling would have to be abandoned for commenced to entertain on a lavish understood that he will be one of the “lion” hosts of the sea- son. The King's mal fri L Mr. and Mrs. Edward Sassoon and the Countess of Lutzow—shared his hos- some time. She loved her brougham and scale and i horses and maintained that if the cycle was to have a rest they would supply all she wanted in the way of outdoor exercise. But her mother insisted that pitality recentiy A few days pre- she must be in the. fashion and viously Georgiana, Countess of Guild- straightway provided her wtih a car at ford. the Dowager Countess of Don- her own expense. It cost sm.w ond is f’uzh"\! A hu N: H;l‘R}f{\r:n:'t one of the most luxurious vehicles in Tached Mas. ' Hie . eltsiveid London. It is capable of maintaining . ..., a motor drive through a speed of twenty-five miles an hoWr Richmond Park and out to Hampton and can seat four persons comfortably Court in addition to a chauffeur. Mr. and Mrs. Parmalee Prentice have been looking over the fashion- able real estate agents’ lists si thetr recent arrival in London. They would however, that they had any of setting up immediately a establishment. All that could be gathered from them was that they desired to know the rents of houses to let in the fashionable Mayfair and Belgravia particularly. When the agents learned that Mrs. Prentice was a daughter of John D. Rockefeller they immediately pictured to themselves a mansion in Park lane or Curzon street rpassing in size and appointments even the Marlbor- ough mansion. After having given the agents a good “shaking up” with gard to rents and ground values, Mr. and Mrs. Prentice proceeded in a mo- tor through some of the most fash- fonable streets, taking notes as they went along of houses “to let.” Robert H. McCormick of Chicago and his charming young wife, who were in Rome all the winter months, have left for France. Mr, McCormick was in bad health when he arrived, but is now said to have quite recovered and Her ladyship has not yet mastered the intricacies of the machinery suffi- ciently to justify her in driving the car . ot say but she is taking lessons and Y herself, it is presumed that she will be an ac- complished driver by the time Leord Curzon reaches England. She has been for the last fortnight attending a mo- tor school in South Kensington, where she has for a teacher one of the most American drivers in England. She has frequent spins around the neighboring squares, where she |is shown how to negotiate difficult cor- ners. Unlike Lady Craven, she shows no disposition to make herself ac- quainted with the entire mechanical part of the car. She is satisfled with the knowledge necessary to control and manage the driving portion. She says the rest requires expert engineering skill and is a man's work. Following the example of Lady Cur- zon and other American society women the Duchess of Manchester, too, has taken to motoring. She is an industri- io! Londo expert ous student at the schoool attached to pag gone to meet his father for an the Automobile Club’s premises in Cur- Zutomobile trip. zon street, where she has been seen Our Rome correspondent reports daily since her return to town. She that the Pope has received in private and the Duke are at present staying at Portman Square, but there is nothing to show that the Duke {s much inter- ested in the latest society craze. He usually accompanies the Duchess to audience Mr. and Mrs. Mason of San Francisco, who were presented by Monsignor Patrick Ludden, Bishop of Syracuse, and by Mgr. Thomas Ken- nedy of Philadelphia, rector of the the school, but leaves immediately for one of his favorite clubs. He enjoys the reputation of being fond of bridge and can hold his own with the smart- est man in town at whist. He backs himself pretty heavily on occasions The Duke, however, has drawn the line at playing for heavy stakes with we- men since he and the Prince of Wales tost all their spare cash one evening at a fashionable West End establishment. SARGENT IS KEPT BUSY. Engiish peovole can no longer claim to have 2 monopoly of the services of J. A. Sargent. His studio is being in- vaded mericans during the pre: ent season and he is oblized to refuse many remunerative commission His latest ‘patron is General Charles J Paine of Boston. The Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe will sit to him later on’in the season. Sir Philip American College in Rome. Mrs. Christopher Magee of Pittsburz has left her magnificent villa in Rome fe an automobile tour with her isin. Mrs. Steward, in North Italy and France. Her house is one of the most favored by the American colony of Rome and by the aristocracy, being. all. a rendezvous for lovers of ahov m‘,lr and Mrs. A. W. Bright of New York have arrived in London and are staying at Claridge’s Hotel. Mr. and Mrs. Bright will remain in London for a brief time only. as they have planned to make a long tour on the Continent Bright's sixty-horsepower in Mercedes car. There are only three cars of this description in existence. The Erights’ travels will be principally in Ttaly, Venice being one of the fsst cities they will visit.