 |
|
| THE DUKE OF PORTLAND William John Cavendish Bentinck-Scott, the fifth Duke of Portland, retired from politics in 1826. He withdrew to Welbeck Abbey, his estate in Nottinghamshire, becoming increasingly reclusive with each passing year. The Duke was a gentle man with a passion for home improvement. He particularly favored building schemes carried out underground, enhancing the Abbey with a mirrored riding school with crystal chandeliers, a pink ballroom big enough for 2,000 people and a railway which carried his dinner from the kitchen to the dinning room. Though no one ever visited Welbeck, the Duke often had as many as 15,000 people in his employ, none of whom was permitted to address or acknowledge him. All workers who observed this rule were rewarded with a donkey and an umbrella. Housemaids were forbidden to sweep to clean. Those who were caught doing so were banished to the skating rink and forced to skate whether they wanted to or not. |
|