January 7, 1899.
THÉ ESTATES GAZETTE*
24
JVIems from the ]Wart
Thursday.
“You are requested not to smoke in the Auction Mart, smoking being strictly prohibited.” This was the notice which confronted investors and others upon their reappearance at the Mart for the first sales of the new year. Inquiries upon my part elicited the fact that the directors had met and decided to make a determined effort to put a stop to a nuisance which was fast becoming intolerable. Henceforth I shall pity the man who is bold enough to treat the notice with contempt as hitherto for he will run the risk of expulsion. The directors of the Auction Mart are certainly to be commended for their promptness in dealing with the nuisance to which I may claim the honour of having first called attention in this column, and there was ample evidence to - day that the step taken meets with the general approbation of those who have business at the Mart.
The honour of holding the The Start f!rst; sales of the year was the Year shared by Messrs. H. E.
Foster and Cranfield, who invariably make an early start, and Messrs. Sim and Randall, the Romford-road firm. These were the only auctioneers engaged this week, The programme for the remainder of the month is of a light character, and we shall have to wait soma little time yet for any heavy transactions. To-day’s results, however, were highly satisfactory. Messrs. Foster and Cranfield realised for reversions no less a total than £14,010.
There is no doubt that Shops Lewisham, like all other Lewisham. London suburbs, has developed considerably of recent years. In 1891 its population was 72,272, but five years ago it was 90,000. Assuming that there has since been as great an increase it is not surprising that the demand for houses in this extensive district is much greater than the supply. We have it on the authority of Mr. Sim that houses are being built at the rate of 500 per annum, but the cry is for more. Under these circumstances, the capitalist who invests his money in shop property at Lewisham might reasonably expect a substantial profit. There were evidently many in the auction room to-day who were convinced of this fact, for Mr. Sim, whose firm was acting in conjunction with Messrs. Horace Randall and Co., had not the slightest difficulty in disposing of four commanding shops, Nos. 4, 5 and 6, Springbank-market, Hither-green. These premises, which are situate on the estate of Mr. Cameron Corbett, M.P., are held on separate perpetual leases, viz., 999 years unexpired at an annual ground rent of £12 per shop, and each produces a net rental of £58 per annum, It was stated that other shops erected by Mr. Corbett, and originally let at £65 a year now produced £140. In the result two of the shops realised £830 each, whilst the third fetched £850. It appears that a shop and dwelling house in Springfield-road, held under similar conditions and producing the same rental, had been sold privately for £900. Four long-leasehold villas in Romford-road, Forest-gate, producing £120 per annum, the tenants paying all rates and taxes, and held for 99 years unexpired at a ground rent of £6 per house, were quickly sold to Mr. Bacon, a well-known dealer, at £295 each. Another property sold by Mr. Sim, comprised a double-fronted residence, No. 48, Argyle-road, Ilford, on the favourite Grange Estate. It is let for a term of 5J years at £42 a ׳ year, and held on a 999 years’ lease, granted by Mr. Cameron Corbett, from 1894, at an annual ground rent of £7 17s. The price realised was £445.
It now remains for me to Reversions particularise the several items in the catalogue of Messrs. Foster and Cranfield’s periodical sale of reversions. As usual, Mr. W. B. Cranfield officiated in the rostrum, and I have previously hinted that his efforts were very successful. The absolute reversion to one-twelfth share of a trust fund of the present estimated value of £21,741, receivable on the decease of a gentleman aged 75,
thousand pounds towards the building from ' George II., and the trees used in the construction were felled in Honduras by the King's officers in such a fashion as very nearly to precipitate a war with Spain. The Earl of Pembroke designed the house, the first floor rooms being large and imposing; Pope laid out the gardens, Dean Swift stocked the cellar, of which he was appointed keeper, and Gay also helped in the business. Mrs. Howard named two of the rooms “Gay’s rooms,” and begs him in a letter not to mention about the plans; the King’s share in the scheme making secrecy a desirable object, no doubt. Swift, in two humorous epistles, describes the house as having exhausted her ladyship’s means, and predicts that a broker from the City would purchase the property and waste the fine plantations. A noble mahogany grand staircase is one of the principal features of the interior, Cobbett stating, in his “Memorials,” that “it is made of finely-carved mahogany and some of the floors are of the same wood.” Lady Suffolk, or “ Good Howard,” as Queen Caroline was wont to call her, must have gathered about her here some of the finest spirits of the age. After her death in 1760, the Earl of Buckinghamshire lived here, and he left it to Miss Hotham. Subsequently the estate came into the possession successively of Lady Bath and Lady Howe, and later was celebrated as the home of the Marquis of Wellesley, Governor-General of India and Wellington’s brother. In 1824, it became the property of General and Lady Alice Peel (a daughter of the Marquis of Ailsa).
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Many will remember the stir that was caused by the disallowance by the Local Government auditor of the payment made to Mr. Leicester Gataker, water finder, by a Bedfordshire local authority, for his services. He disallowed the payment to Mr. Gataker on three grounds : — First, that Mr. Gataker’s claim to be able to discover subterranean sources of water was such a pretence as constituted an indictable offence, and that, therefore, the consideration for his employment was illegal and the contract void. Secondly, that in disregarding a certain geological report and employing Mr. Gataker, the district council incurred expenditure without any sufficient ground and recklessly wasted the public money under their control. Thirdly, that Mr. Gataker’s claim to be able to discover subterranean sources of water was practically an attempt at imposition ; and that, therefore, he was not a proper person for the district council to employ. However, the Local Government Board have now, we understand, reversed the auditor’s decision, and have written a letter on the subject to the following effect:•—“As regards the auditor’s first reason, the Board do not consider that it has been proved that Mr. Gataker committed an indictable offence ; or that, if he did so, the members of the district council were aware that his pretences were illegal. This being the case, the Board are of opinion that it must be held that the first reason assigned by the auditor fails to support his decision. As regards his second reason, the Board cannot but consider the action of the district council as unwise, but it does not appear to them, having regard to the recommendations the council received as to Mr. Gataker’s capabilities, that the council can be considered as having acted with such recklessness that the disallowance and surcharge can be confirmed on this ground. In view of the above considerations respecting the auditor’s first and second reasons, the objection taken by him in his third reason appears to this Board to be insufficient to support his decision, and in the circumstances the Board propose to reverse the disallowance and surcharge. An order has been issued accordingly.”
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We have received a copy of “Fairlight Glen, Lovers’ Seat, and other poems,” by John Morgan, author of “Hastings, by Camera and in Canto.” The poems contained in this little work are mainly descriptive of the charming places named in the title. It was a happy instinct •that led Mr. Morgan to choose as a theme the romantic Fairlight Glen—one of the most enchanted spots in the neighbourhood of Hastings. It is said that there are few places in the south of England with so picturesque an admixture of rock, foliage and water. It is, to use the words of a writer in describing it,
“ a beautiful ravine, bedecked with wild flowers in ׳the spring, and beautifully wooded •from beginning to end. Nowhere will a search for the first primrose be more surely rewarded than here, and I have seen daisies on the grass all through the winter months.” Mr. Morgan’s pleasing verses describe the Glen as it appears in October. In the poem on the Lovers’ Seat the author relates the story of the lovers who made the spot famous. A perusal of the little volume gives us the impression that the poems which it contains are written with perfect sincerity and truth. Here and there, particularly in the sea pieces, are felicitious phrases and lines indicating the author’s love of nature. The book (which is beautifully illustrated and well printed) is published by Messrs. Burfield and Pennells, Hastings.
No
Smoking Allowed !
mity of the two houses that led to the union of Lady Jane Grey with Guilford Dudley, son of the Duke of Northumberland. It was at Syon House that this youthful princess first heard that she had been raised to a throne which she graced for only seven days. Some few years previously Syon House had sheltered the ill-fated Queen Catherine Howard, who was sent there after her arrest at Hampton Court, and previous to being conveyed to the Tower. In our own times Syon House has had more agreeable associations in the delightful garden parties which for many years past have been given by the Countess Percy, now Duchess of Northumberland.
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A very useful suggestion, and one that is within certain limits quite practical, is made by the “Penny Illustrated Paper.” Old London is disappearing—that is inevitable—but why not preserve its finest specimens of architecture as they are taken down, by setting them up again in the garden of the new South Kensington Museum ? It would make a permanent Old London Street of the greatest interest and charm. A •fancy sketch of the project, as a thing realised, represents the new-old street with the old houses from Staple-inn, on the one side, and with Temple-bar to close the perspective, or St. John’s-gate as an alternative. It would be very attractive; and if it were associated with the labours of the light refreshment department, it might be made to pay. Our contemporary urges that the so-called Cardinal Wolsey’s Palace, in Fleet-street, should form part of the scheme, when “time is ripe” for its removal. It is ripe already, for the quaint old pile is now in the hands of the “ housebreaker.’ A part• of it, w,e believe, may possibly go to ;South Kensington. The Museum already has many sections of the sort. A whole thoroughfare of such relics might serve to cultivate public taste, and to induce a more reverent care of the beauties of those that still keep their pride of place in the public thoroughfares.
* * *
The restoration of Castle Coch, or the Red Castle, by Lord Bute reminds us that in ancient times it was a. celebrated stronghold. It was once occupied by Ifor Bach, who was regarded as a patriot by the "Welsh, but a ■dangerous freebooter by the Normans. He boasted that his 1,200 men would beat the best 12,000 in the world. People used to say there was a subterranean passage from Cardiff Castle to Oastell Coch. In the mysterious and romantic stories of Wales it is stated that during the civil wars the Master of Castell Coch secreted jewels, money, and plate in the passage. He was killed on the battlefield, and never returned for the treasure. But his ghost appeared to people, and when a search party followed the apparition, they were scared by the presence of two gigantic eagles perched upon the iron chest containing the treasure. Early in the present century the country folk still believed that the great eagles with red eyes remained in that passage, and determinedly defied everybody. The ghost was said to be a venerable and stately gentleman in a full dress suit of the time of Charles I. His face was “ deadly pale, and his countenance impressed with sorrow. ”
* * *
1 There was a painful interest attached to the objects lately sold at the Depot du Mobilier de FEtat, Paris. The articles brought to the hammer were relics of the calamitous fire at the Charity Bazaar. There were a few ladies’ watches quite uninjured, and, what is more surprising, a small pile of memorandum books, with entries of purchases at the bazaar, that were not even scorched. A watch was identified just before the sale by M. Lourmond. It belonged, to his daughter, and marked 4.40, the time when the fire broke out. All the relics were on a big table. Brokers and hunters were visibly disappointed when it was stated that no memorandum book, visiting card or manuscript would be sold. All such objects were to be destroyed. A card of Baroness Branverger had on it a few words written in pencil, •evidently to be sent on to another lady patroness. The bidding was very brisk. Twenty-eight ordinary mourning pins in steel, and some bonnet pins, with black heads, fetched 28 francs. When new all could have been bought for half-a-franc. The purchaser was M. Turquet. A good-sized brilliant in a bit of one earring, to which an atom of charred flesh adhered, went at 925 francs. A lot of partially melted half-pence and half-franc pieces sold for 173 ■francs. Bits of rings, some containing stones, went at 200 francs, a half-calcined cameo at 125 francs, a necklace of small broken pearls at 260 ■francs, a lot of bits of parasol handles, parasol ribs, bits of sidecombs, some containing hair, at 209 francs, an earring with a tiny brilliant at 509 francs.
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Marble Hill, a famous riverside mansion, on the Thames bank at Twickenham, which was sold early in the year to Mr. Cunard, head of the celebrated shipping firm, is again in the market. It was erected early in the 17th century by Henrietta Howard, afterwards Countess of Suffolk, who was credited with receiving ten
Ho Us bg tfe Mag.
—■to!•—I
On Monday, at a great county gathering in the Shire Hall, Warwick, Lord Leigh, Lord-Lieutenant of Warwick, was presented with his portrait, painted by Mr. Ouless, R.A., on the occasion of his golden wedding. Diamond ornaments were presented to Lady Leigh, and an address to his lordship from Leigh Mills, which he established to alleviate the distress in the silk trade at Coventry consequent upon the French treaty.
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The beautiful and historic Brudenell Monument—one of the oldest and most interesting in Buckinghamshire—is to. be removed from the old to the new church at Stoke Mandeville in that county. The cost of removal has been undertaken by the Marquis of Ailesbury. The requisite assent has been given by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and by the timely action of his lordship the monument is saved from threatened destruction.
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Mr. Charles Sheath, the secretary of the South Eastern and London and Chatham Railways, in making a brief speech at a staff dinner held at the Folkestone Central Hotel the other night, referred to the union, or “marriage,” between the two railways, and; said he believed it would be found that the new arrangement would prove of great benefit to the town of Folkestone. He was not there to give secrets away, but he would tell them that Folkestone and its district had everything to gain and nothing to lose by the “ marriage.”
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A circular has been issued by the National Agricultural Union asking for subscriptions towards a memorial to the late president of the union, the Earl of Winchilsea. It is proposed to devote the proceeds of the appeal to the three following objects:—(1) A portion to be presented to Lady Winchilsea, to be expended at her discretion; (2) one-half of the remainder to be used for the benefit of distressed farmers, by the purchase of annuities, or otherwise ; and (3) a like amount to be applied •to the relief of distressed labourers, membership of the National Agricultural Union being a necessary qualification in both cases. Cheques can be sent either direct to the bankers, Messrs. Hoare, 37, Fleet-street; or to the secretary of the National Agricultural Union, 30, Fleet-street׳, London, E.C., by whom all receipts will be gladly acknowledged.
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Alnwick Castle—where the body of the Duke of Northumberland has been lying in state—looks out over a quiet river, to rich woodlands and wide meadows of a gentle upward slope. The town of Alnwick nestles closely at its back, so that one is reminded of some great fighting general of the olden days surveying the field of battle with his army close pressing behind him. A stranger might enter the town through the square grim tower which was built by Hotspur’s son, and press on through the long winding street, towards the moors, without guessing that any castle was to be seen thereabouts; but should he take׳ a turn to the right he would shortly come to the walls which enclose the stables and the Guest Hall, and then to the great Baibican, dark, and tall, and threatening, with mimic warriors on its battlements, and the ramping lion of Brabant sculptured on its face. Hence, the outer wall trends swiftly downwards to the river Ain, and there, from a bridge that is not without renown, the strong, beautiful towers of the keep burst into view, and one understands at once why Alnwick is called “The Windsor of the North.”
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It is to Algernon, the fourth Duke, that many of the more striking of the beauties of Alnwick Castle are to be ascribed ; and especially that central tower which gives so much majesty to the proportions of the keep. Duke Algernon was a sailor of distinction. He commanded the “Caledonia” in the action with the French fleet off Toulon in 1815, and he continued in the service until he rose to admiral’s rank ; but he was also a scholar, a traveller, and an archaeologist. His alterations of Alnwick Castle, his great acts of liberality, the kindness of nature which he united with a full appreciation of his rank, earned for him the title of “ Algernon the Magnificent.” It was computed that in the 17 years during which he held the dukedom he expended £39,000 on bridges and roads, £176,000 in drainage, £100,000 on churches, £308,000 in building cottages for his tenantry, and a quarter of a million sterling in making Alnwick Castle the monument of a splendid taste.
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The Dukes of Northumberland are owners of many beautiful homes, and probably the most interesting of them all, from the purely historical point of view, is Syon House, near Richmond. Up to the time of the Reformation it was a famous Benedictine nunnery, and was presented by Henry VIII. to the Dukes of Northumberland. Almost facing it was Sheen House, which had been a Carthusian Priory, and was given to the Duke of Suffolk, father of Lady Jane Grey. It was no doubt the proxi-