February 11, 1899.
THE ESTATES GAZETTE,
234
lodging house again shows a surplus of £149, and the Green-street and Gun-street (Southwark) scheme a surplus of £252. The financial position of the eight schemes at the end of the year gave a surplus of £2,154, from which must be taken the sum of £832 raised by rate in 1894-95 to meet deficiencies in connection with Parker-street lodging house and the Duf-ferin-street dwellings, leaving a net surplus of £1,322. The second table deals with schemes upon sites upon which the Council had no option but to build, as no purchasers could be found for the land. This table includes five schemes, two under the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, and the others under the Thames Tunnel (Blackwall) Acts, 1887 and 1888. Each ׳of them exhibits a! deficiency, the total loss to the end of the year being £4,965, towards which £1,751 was specially raised by rate in 1897-98. The largest deficiencies are in the Hughes-street (Deptford) scheme, amounting to £2,232, and on the West-view-cottages (East Greenwich), aggregating £1,606.
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Dropmore House, Bucks, the residence of the late Lady Fortescue, is seated in a verj fine park celebrated for its rare trees and its rhododendrons; and the gardens, which are some of the finest in England, have been an attraction for thousands of visitors. The Corporation of London are very partial to Drop-more Park, and invariably pay this pretty spot a visit on the occasion of their annual inspection of Burnham Beeches. Dropmore has another attraction in its aviaties, and in the Chinese summer house, which is built entirely of Chinese ware brought over by Lord Grenville. In this summer house Queen Victoria partook of tea some׳ four decades ago on the occasion of a fete. The historical associations of Dropmore are chiefly with Lord Grenville, who was one of the four Prime׳ Ministers Bucks has given to England. It was this nobleman who built the mansion, commencing in 1794. The house is in the form of a parallelogram, with a cupola at each end. From the south front there is a prospect extending over some 30 miles of country, Windsor Castle, !Richmond Hill, and Ascot and Epsom Grand Stands being visible on favourable days. From a spot near the mansion an even greater stretch of country can be seen, as far as Harrow in one direction and the Hampshire hills in another.
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The little Dorsetshire village of Puneknowle boasts of quite a curious and interesting specimen of the lych gate. It is said that there is only one other like it in the whole of England. It has stood where it still stands for several hundred years, and, like the parish church, it bears upon it the marks of a withered old age. It has naturally acquired an association for the village folks which made them anxious to see it still preserved. They feel that it is a prominent and characteristic feature׳ of their village, and has seen generation after generation of their “rude׳ forefathers” pass under it every Sunday on their way to the house of prayer. The spirit of rampant vandalism has left its bad marks on many of the interesting antiquities of our parishes—(Puneknowle Church has suffered from it)—and for a time it threatened to destroy this ancient and curious lych gate. But, fortunately, wiser counsels prevailed, and this interesting link with the past has been preserved. The old roof hits been taken down, and the whole of its woodwork has been renewed ; the old stone tiles have been used again as far as possible; the inside has been match-boarded, stained and varnished; and two handsome oak gates have replaced the old ones. The unique characteristics of the lych gate have been carefully preserved.
(©iritaarp.
MR. HENRY CTJRTIS.
We regret to announce the death of Mr. Henry Curtis, estate agent and valuer, of the well-known firm of Curtis and Henson, 5, Mount-street, Grosvenor-square, W. The deceased gentleman had been away from the office for about four months, owing to ill-health, and the sad event occurred on Tuesday last at his residence on Shoohup-hill, Brondesbury. His age was 48 years. The funeral takes place to-day (Saturday) at West Hampstead cemetery•
!totes b!j tlji Wag,
Eangemore Hall, Lord Burton’s place in Staffordshire, is about to be rebuilt. It is expected that the work will extend over two years, and during that time Lord and Lady Burton will reside at Needwood House, Burton-on-Trent.
*	*	*
Light railway schemes are growing apace. One of the latest is that by which it is proposed to connect St. Margaret’s Bay with the South Eastern alid London and Chatham systems, between that watering place and Martin Hill station on the Dover and Deal railway.
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The Pantiles is at once the best known and most delightful of the promenades at Tunbridge Wells. The right to the ownership of this historic terrace is now in dispute between the Corporation and the lady of the manor. The Council the other day declared the Pantiles a public street, but the lady of the manor denies this. The Corporation have therefore instructed the Town Clerk to take counsel’s opinion as to their position.
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Probably a good many will regret that Sir Henry Hawkins has chosen the title of Baron Brampton of Brampton, in the county of Huntingdon, and has not preserved for himself the name by which he has been known so long. This for more reasons than one. There is no real ground, however, for the statement made in a contemporary that his lordship, in not using his family name as his title, has departed from the custom of nearly all great lawyers who have been raised to the peerage, says the “ Law Journal.” It is true that Lords Cairns, Her-schell, Bramwell, Coleridge, Field׳ and James chose to retain the names by which they first became eminent in the profession; but this course was not adopted by Lords Westbury, Cranworth, Chelmsford, Hatherley, Selbome, Halsbury or Esher.
* * *
Mrs. Mary T. Carpenter, of Scarsdale, N.Y., recently bought, for $7,500, a village at auction, and is probably the only owner of a village corporation in the United States, and possibly in the world, says the “Chicago Tribune.” The village is Glen Eyre, in Pike County, Pa., on the line of the Honesdale branch of the Erie railroad. It covers 842 acres of land, and consists of a dozen houses, railroad station, post office, dry goods store, storehouse blacksmith’s shop, sawmills, stone yard, and factory buildings. The property was originally owned by John Deeming and his wife, who gave a mortgage, which was foreclosed. The: amount of the mortgage was $6,000. A crowd attended the sale, and the bidding was spirited, but none of the villagers succeeded in raising enough money to buy the whole. The borough was knocked down to Mrs. Carpenter for $7,500.
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The Housing of the Working Classes Committee of the London County Council issued on Saturday a detailed return showing the receipts and expenditure to the end of the year 1897-98 in respect of all workmen’s dwellings and model lodging houses erected or owned by the Council. S"he return gives two tables, the first of which shows the financial result up to the end of the year of the dwellings and lodging houses erected on sites upon which the Council elected to build. In this table eight schemes are dealt with which involved a capital expenditure up to the end of March last of £309,567. Upon two of the schemes only is any net deficiency shown. In the case of the Goldsmith’s-row building (Shoreditch) there has for the last year been a deficiency of £48, absorbing all the previous surplus on the buildings and leaving a net deficiency of about £4. On the Dufferin-street costermongers’ dwellings there is a deficiency for the year of £27, which, added to previous losses, makes a net deficiency of £215. On the Boundary-street scheme no loss is shown, and the׳ total surplus amounts to £1,306.
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The Brooks-market scheme (Holbom) shows a surplus of £67. Deficiencies are exhibited on the accounts of the schemes at Cable-street (Shadwell) and Shelton-street (Drury-lane), but the deficiencies are more than counterbalanced by previous surpluses. The Parker-street 1
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J po sale was effected, the auctioneer putting in a bid of £11,000 on behalf of the vendors. The Grove, Hampstead, formerly the residence of the late Mr. George Du Maurier, and now let on a 21 years’ lease, at £140 a year, was next offered, and bought in at £2,500 when the bidding had reached £2,200. The only lot sold by Mr. Breach consisted of a leasehold semi-detached residence, No. 4, Thurlow-road, Rosslyn-hill, Hampstead, which is held for 52 years unexpired, and produces a net income of £75 per annum. It was purchased by the tenant, the Rev. Joshua Kirkman, for £950. My reference to a sale conducted by Mr. Arthur Aldridge (Messrs. Arthur Aldridge and Go.), in my Mems in the Estates Gazette of January 28, would make it appear as if the £3,780 realised for the two freehold residential properties, Nos. 1 and 2, Second-avenue, Cliftonville, Margate, let at £240, included the piece of land opposite. This was not so, however, for the land was put up separately but not sold, the reserve not being reached.
Friday.
“An opportunitythat occurs Fi׳np nfv only once in a lifetime,” said Site. Mr. Alfred Baker (Messrs. Baker and Sons) when he submitted this afternoon the important City site, comprising 18,000ft., and forming the premises, Nos. 70 and 80, Cowcross-street, Smithfield. That the event created great interest was apparent from the large attendance and the expectant curiosity evinced on all hands. Among the company I noticed Mr. R. St. Quintin, Mr. Harry Marks (Ludgate-hill), Mr. Leopold Farmer, and representatives of Messrs. Farebrother, Ellis and Co., Messrs. Charles and Tubbs, Messrs. R. Ellis and Son, and Messrs. Bliss and Sons. The buildings now on the site consist of warehouses, shops and business premises, abutting on Cowcross-street and the Metropolitan railway, and the rental derived is £1,160 per annum, excluding the warehouses, which are occupied by Messrs. Keevil and Best, provision merchants, the vendors, and vacant building land. From the considerable area of the property now offered, its central position and contiguity to the central markets, and the business advantages it possesses, the site is practically unique for any large undertaking. Mr. Baker, in his genial way, said he need not dwell at any great length on the merits of such an important freehold property, as all knew where it was and what a splendid position it occupied for practically any business purpose. The area measured upwards of half an acre. “ Here,” observed Mr. Baker, “ you have an unrivalled site.” To give some idea of the value, the auctioneer estimated the worth of the buildings at the low figure of £25,000, and put the land at;£ 10 per f oot super, producing £180,000 or a total of £205,000 as a fair market value for the estate. “ Whoever buys it today,” added he, “ is sure to make a very large profit out of the transaction.” Had the vendors taken his advice they would have turned it into a limited liability company. “ What may I say, gentlemen, for this splendid site—£200,000, £180,000, or what ? give me a bid,” suggested Mr. Baker, and in response came the reply, “ I’ll give you £100,000.” By £10,000 at a time these figures were advanced to £180,000, and afterwards biddings ceased at £180,500. This sum was declined, the reserve being declared at £185,000.
Mr. Wm. Thos. Pearce Residences (Messrs. Dolman and Pearce) succeeded in disposing of every lot in his list, comprising five long-leasehold residences, Nos. 4 to 14, Mount Pleasant-villas, Stroud-green, four of which he sold at £425 each, and the last at £480. There was a crowded room, presided over by Mr. J. R. Thornton, who sold the freehold villas, Nos. 70 and 72, Ranelagh-road, Ealing-green, for £1,570, whilst he withdrew a building site in Brook-green-road at £7,000, and declined to let it at £250 per annum.
Onlooker.
On־ February 2, Messrs. Jackson Bros, sold by auction, at the Star and Garter Hotel, Middlesbrough, a freehold house and shop, with off beer license, and a small shop, cottage and stable in Market-place, North Ormesby, for £3,700.
property at 2s. per foot, and I gathered that his reserve was just above £3,000. At all events the flats were bought in at £3,005, after a very poor competition. Again there were plenty of buyers for small investments of the ordinary character, and very few properties were withdrawn. Mr. H. J. Bromley, of West Norwood, who was among the most successful, found a purchaser for a pair of semi-detached residences in Gipsy-hill, Upper Norwood, one containing nine rooms, also coachhouse and stable, with loft over, let at £30 a year, and the other 11 rooms, with bath, etc., estimated rental £40, leasehold for 24J years unexpired at a ground rent of £14 10s., at £425; for a freehold cottage in Romany-road, West Norwood, let at weekly rentals amounting to £18 4s. per annum, at £230 ; for a freehold double-fronted shop in the same thoroughfare, let at £20 per annum, at £300; and for a leasehold terrace dwelling house in the same thoroughfare, weekly rentals amounting to £23 8s., lease 71 years unexpired, ground rent £5, at £190. Mr. Vincent S. Leigh sold five leasehold dwelling houses in Corn-wail-place, Cornwall-road, Bethnal-green, producing £117 per annum, unexpired term 76 years, ground rent £20, for £520; a leasehold house in Baxter-road, Balls-pond, estimated rental £35 a year, 60 years unexpired, ground rent £5 5s., for £320 ; and a freehold house in College-avenue, Hackney, let at £39, for £425. A freehold ground rent of £36 per annum, secured on three houses and shops in Cable-street, St. George’s East, rack rentals £170 a year, was withdrawn by Mr. Leigh at £875. Among the properties disposed of by Mr. Carpenter, on behalf of Messrs. Boyce and Evens, was a freehold house, No. 236, Roman-road, Old Ford, let at £35, which realised £730, whilst other transactions included the sale of No. 302, Regent-street, 20| years’ lease, rental £280, by Messrs. W. H. Brown and Co., for £1,500, and No. 73, Knatchbull-road, Camberwell, estimated rental £55 a year, leasehold for 68-| years unexpired, ground rent £9, by Mr. Charles Caney, for £500. Mr. Alfred Richards was engaged for a considerable time in dealing with Gas, Light and Coke Company Stock ; £150,000 three per cent. Consolidated Debenture Stock realised from 100 to 101 per cent. ; £2,375 three per cent, ditto, 100J to lOOf ; £2,275 four per cent. Consolidated Preference Stock from 126 to 127, and £6,360 Ordinary Stock, from 1204־ to 124|.
Thursday.
Despite the unpropitious Bush Tavern, w.fther w^ch Prevailed this Hampstead afternoon there was no fall• Heath. ing off in the attendance.
There was a general rush for the rooms chartered by Messrs. Stimson and Sons, and Newbon, Edwards and Shephard, for these firms, as usual, had plenty to attract the small investor. The proceedings, on the whole, were extremely business-like, as may well be imagined from the results. Mr. Edward Stimson had in his list a number of leasehold properties in Peckham, East Finchley, Olapham and other suburbs; whilst brick and mortar investments, both freehold and leasehold, situate in various northern districts of the metropolis, engaged the attention of Mr. G. F. Edwards. In each instance a good total was realised. A sale conducted by Mr. B. I’Anson Breach (Messrs. Farebrother, Ellis and Co.) formed, perhaps, a special attraction, inasmuch as the properties on offer included the well-known Holly Bush Tavern, Hampstead-heath, and also the Hampstead Constitutional Club. Together with three cottages, also in the list, this freehold property forms a site of nearly 10,000 square feet, which, the auctioneer said, was admirably adapted for the erection of a first-class hotel, public hall or residential flats. Its value as a site was estimated by Mr. Breach to be Is. per foot, which would give a ground rent of something like £500 a year; 20 years’ purchase, £10,000. The rentals produced under three separate leases, expiring in 1900, 1909 and 1912, amount to £245 per annum. As soon as competition was invited bids came freely, the starting offer being £5,000. This amount was nearly doubled before the hammer fell, bat