525
THE ESTATES GAZETTE,
April 1, 1899.
remarks to subjects that you understand, although these be few, as I know.” If this correspondent is not altogether polite, he is certainly plain in his statements and facts.
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The ancient Sussex town of Rye, which proposes to celebrate this year the six hundredth anniversary of its municipal existence, must have possessed the privileges of local self-government for much more than six centuries, for it has been a Cinque Port since the time of Henry III., and some of its charters date back to Edward the Confessor, says the “ Daily Chronicle.” But the possession of a complete list of six hundred mayors has probably induced the burgesses to rest their claim to incorporation upon no earlier grant than that of the 27th year of Edward I. Rye has struggled pluckily against difficulties, before which many communities would have succumbed. The sea has retired and left it high and dry; and it has lost its Parliamentary representation. Yet the little red-brick town still looks cheery and comfortable.
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Not a little surprise, painful surprise, we should say, has been caused by the publication of the prospectus, etc., of “The Warwick Estates Company, Limited,” or, as a daily contemporary has put ■it with facetious irony, “ Earl and Countess of Warwick, Limited.” The occurrence brings at once to mind the famous phrase, “splendid paupers,” used by Lady Warwick herself in connection with some articles in the “ Review of Reviews” a few years since, and the Gilbertian character of the Duke of Plaza Toro. Yet it has its serious side, a very serious side, too, for if such a means of raising income is to become general, then good-bye to any reverence for the nobility of the English aristocracy. The directors of the new company, which has a capital of £120,000, in £10 shares, are the Earl of Warwick, Lord Kenyon, Major W. T. E. Fos-bery, F.S.I., agent for the Warwick Estates, and Mr. Tyndale White, J.P., Stondon Place, near Brentwood, and the secretary of the company is Mr. Godfrey-Payton, who has long been Major Fosbery’s right hand. The Duke of Sutherland and Sir Henry Burdett act as trustees for the debenture stockholders. The property of the company consists of the life interests of Lord and Lady Warwick in their Warwickshire, Essex, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire estates, of the lease of the Glutton Collieries, and of heavy insurance policies on the lives of the Earl and Countess.
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The Meon Valley railway, in connection with which we gave a report of the hearing of the claim for compensation, by Colonel Woods, in our last issue, will run from Alton to Fareham, and have a length of about 26 miles. It will be an almost straight line, and will run through country hitherto quite untouched by any railway. With the widening of the main line of the L. and S.W. railway from Alton and Fareham, a rapid and direct means of communication will be established between Aldershot and the southern ports and defences of Portsmouth, Southampton and Gosport. The estate of Colonel Woods is one of many large properties through which the line passes, and the only one in which the claim has not been settled privately.
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In an introduction to an interesting series of sketches and designs of semi-detached villas which it is proposed to erect on the Queen’s and Prince’s Gate Estate, Halifax, Messrs. Butler, Wilson and Oglesby, architects, of Leeds, refer to the need for greater taste and culture in design and decoration of modern buildings. It is proposed to erect 26 semi-detached houses of more than usual beauty and comfort, and each pair is so grouped so as to obtain varying outlines and features, the question of artistic and aesthetic treatment having been specially considered. The general colouring, is to be varied. In some cases half-timbered work in rough cast plaster will be introduced, and red tiles on the bays. The chimneys and roofs are to be varied in design and height, and a broken sky line will be secured with harmonious colouring. The first view' is one of Nos. 1 and 2, Queen’s-gate, which is bold in outline, but pleasing in appearance, the mullioned windows being a_marked feature. In this some of the characteristics of Elizabethan architecture are introduced. The next view reveals some of the quaintness of the half-timbered dwellings. The elevation of Nos. 9 and 10, Queen’s-gate reveals several other striking features on which the eye rests with pleasure. The same may be said of the other views presented. When complete the whole front of Queen’s-gate facing Savile-park will be one of the most beautiful and varied in Halifax, each house having an artistic individuality, and will add an attractive feature to this district. The value of each dwelling is not to be less than £40 per annum.
Auctioneers and Estate Agents desiring to secure Partners, Purchase a Business, or engage Professional Assistance, should consult the “Wanted” Advertisements in the centre of the Paper•
large and well-frequented watering place, possessing a fine pier, a magnificent esplanade, and beautiful ■winter gardens. In one of its best positions is situated the valuable freehold family residence, known as Blencathra, which Messrs. Churton, Elphick and Co. will offer for sale at the Alexandra Hotel, Rhyl, on the 11th inst. The rooms throughout the house are spacious and handsome, and the property is admirably suited for a private hotel, school or boarding establishment.
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One of the finest houses in the beautiful and fashionable watering place, Harrogate, is to be submitted to auction, at the Royal Hotel there, on April 10, by Messrs. Renton and Renton. This is Portland House, which was built by the late owner for his own occupation and possesses every architectural and constructional advantage that one would expect to find under the circumstances. The rooms are large and lofty, commanding pleasant views, and the interior decorations are highly artistic and luxurious. The residence is nicely situated in West End Park, and stands in its own delightful grounds. To anyone desirous of acquiring a first-class residence in a fashionable health resort the sale offers a good opportunity.
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The impending marriage between Lord Petre and Miss Audrey Clark is arousing considerable interest in Essex, in the southernmost portion of which the Petre family are extensive land-owners ; and it is hoped that the alliance will be the means of restoring the former glory of Thomdon Hall, Lord Petre’s beautiful sear■, which -was destroyed by fire some years ago. Thomdon Hall was a spacious and finely-conceived structure in the classic style, with a semi-circular front and two wrings, standing in a very noble and beautifully wooded park, through which herds of deer roam at will. The town of Brentwood is about three miles distant. Lord Petre is a member of a very old family, and it was an ancestor of his who, in a silly frolic, cut off a lock of Miss Arabella Fermor’s hair, an act which Pope has immortalised by his famous poem, “ The Rape of the Lock.”
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Mr. R. D. M. Littler, Q.C., as chairman of the Middlesex County Council, and Mr. Charles Pinkham, chairman of the Willesden Parish Council, are appealing for help to secure Dollis-hill House and its 98 acres of beautiful surrounding land as an open space, formerly the residence of Lord Aberdeen, and frequently visited by Mr. Gladstone. Until April 30, it is possible to acquire the property for £50,000, and towards this sum the Willesden District Council has undertaken to find £30,000, and the County Council of Middlesex, under its Act of last Session, has voted the largest sum it thinks it is fairly entitled to do, viz., £12,500. Thus only £7,500 is needed, but it is needed, and at once. A committee is being formed, but time is short, and Messrs. Littler and Pink-ham earnestly appeal to all those interested in securing additional lung space for the vast city to prevent the calamity of this chance being lost.
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The famous■ seat of the Earls of Derby, Knowsley, has been sheltering a large and distinguished party in connection with the Liverpool races. Knowsley has many interesting associations clinging about it. In the early days of the century, the then Lord of Knowsley cared, above all things, for wild• beasts and birds, and the place was a great and splendid menagerie. Then came the Prime Minister Earl, “the Rupert of Debate,” the politician and Homeric scholar, whose great ambition was to do what he never succeeded in accomplishing—win the race to which his grandfather gave his name. He was succeeded by a remarkable statesman, who never attended race courses <r even entered ■his stables, and only took interest in his trees and shrubs, and he in turn gave way to a1 brother who, albeit a statesman, is one of the most admirable of country gentlemen, and is never so happy as when dispensing his princely income in his own county and among his own people.
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The question of “to be or not to be,” in regard to the Old Priory buildings at Bedford appears to have given rise to some lively correspondence, if we may judge from the following letter, addressed to a member of the Town Council, published by a local journal: —“What good ■will it do you ‘to move that the Old Priory be pulled down forthwith ’ ? You and a few more will not be elected again, I give you my word. Let us have as much of the antiquities of England left unmolested as possible. Remember poor old St. Alban’s Abbey and weep for its present deplorable condition. A magnificent Norman specimen of architecture (the tower and parts even earlier) ruthlessly given over to a brother 1 bounder ’ of yours to do as he liked with, and what has he done ? Restored it! So that it now resembles a modern Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, or something worse. When you and such fossils as Lord ‘ Grim ’ can design and build anything I approaching the Old Priory (which the saints I preserve), then England and its men will be I happy. Until then, my friend, confine your
position at the recent meeting of the Institute of House and Estate Agents, should notify the same through the medium of your columns, as up to now the only known names we have in sympathy with the movement are those of the proposer, Mr. H. C. Trollope, Messrs. Aldridge and Co., Messrs. Chesterton and Sons, and Messrs. Jones, Lang and Co., we should then see where we are, and what chances there are of this much looked for boon becoming an actual fact this season, as I can assure you the utmost interest is taken in the question by those who, like myself, help to form
ONE OF AN AUCTIONEER’S STAFF.
[We think that with this correspondence the clerks’ view of the proposal has been fairly expressed; it now remains for the principals to take some decided action.—Ed. E. G."]
$0t£s tro tlj£ ®ay.
Earl Howe has sold the site of the famous Curzon Chapel, Mayfair, to the Duke of Marlborough, who will erect thereon a magnificent town house.
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A feeling of satisfaction was caused in the minds of those who have some reverence for the historic houses of our metropolis by the announcement that the house at Hampstead, which Dr. Johnson is reported to have occupied at one time, viz., Priory Lodge, Frognal, had been taken by a community of nuns from Mary-lebone. This, however, is now denied, and it is stated that the house is to make way for “ flats ” as soon as possible.
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Neither the Allotments Act of 1887 nor that of 1890 was extended to the county of London, and as there is a demand in the metropolis for allotments the County Council are promoting a Bill facilitating their provision by that body. The measure has been drafted, and it proposes to empower the County Council to acquire by purchase or hire suitable land, whether within or without the county of London, for the convenience of persons desiring to take the same.
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Skibo Castle, the Highland residence of Mr. Andrew Carnegie, is about to be extended, says the “Builder.” The plans have been prepared by Messrs. Ross and Macbeth, architects, Inverness. The work, which is to cost a sum of £25,000, has been begun. The present main part of the castle forms the east elevation. The new additions will form the south and west elevations, which are situated on high terraces overlooking the Dornoch Firth, the Kyle of Sutherland, and the glens and ranges of hills to the west.
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The city of Leeds possesses most excellent means of communication both by rail and water, and in this respect stands unrivalled in the north of England ; whilst as a much alive centre of commerce and industry it occupies a no less ■eminent position. Since the beginning of the 18th century, when Leeds outstripped its rival Wakefield, it 1has been the chief seat of the woollen manufacture. It ■has, however, gathered within its area a multitude of other industries, and this variety of trade accounts, as Mr. John Hepper observed in his recent address before the Leeds and Yorkshire Architectural Society, for the fact that the city is never idle or depressed. But the manufacture of cloth has been its staple trade for centuries, and long has its Cloth Hall been the centre of its civic and commercial life. Though the growth and development of Leeds has been steady and continuous over a long period of time, it has marched ahead with greater vigour than ever during the past 15 years, and its population ■has increased so rapidly that it now numbers no less than 420,000.
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As a result of this wonderful growth, land values in Leeds have increased very considerably during the last few years. From time to time we have recorded! in our columns successful sales of properties, and some of the sites which have come into the market in connection with the various important street improvements have realised very ■high prices. There is about to be offered to auction, by Messrs. Hepper and Sons, a valuable site of some 1,030 square yards, with a frontage of 128ft. to the important thoroughfare of Infirmary-street. The site to be offered immediately adjoins that lately acquired by the Standard Insurance Company, who paid no less than £75 per foot therefor, and it is in no way less eligible. With the site will be offered the Cloth Hall Tavern, an old-established and fully-licensed house. The sale has been fixed to take place at Messrs. Hepper and Sons’ auction rooms, Leeds, on April 25.
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To those in search of the most eligible place for the establishment of a private hotel, school or boarding house, we should not hesitate to name the beautiful and salubrious town of Rhyl, on the north Wales coast. Few places have undergone a more rapid or a more remarkable development. So late as 1830, It was a mere fishing village. It has now become a
SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY.
To the Editor of the ESTATES GAZETTE.
Sib,—Having regard to the recent correspondence which has taken place in your journal, the opinion seems to be somewhat divided as to the method of bringing this matter to a final and favourable issue.
On referring to your publication of the 18th ult., “Surveyor’s Assistant” ■has no doubt well expressed his views, but his suggested method that the assistants themselves should bring the matter to the notice of the firms with whom they are employed is taking a course which may be resented by the principals themselves, and for that reason would perhaps be hardly wise to pursue.
It seems to me that■ the ideas expressed m your last week’s issue by “ Auctio are much more to the point. Our principals, as represented by the Institute of House and Estate Agents, have already favourably expressed, themselves, and it will therefore only be for the committees of the ■Surveyors’ Institution and the Auctioneers’ Institute to express their views in a similar manner.
As an alternative, could not Mr. Trollope be induced to give his important and very appreciable consideration to the matter by himself making a further personal effort, such, for instance, as framing a note to the various leading firms asking them if they are agreeable to the course he proposes, viz., to close offices at one o’clock on Saturdays.
You, sir, in a foot note to the original letter, observed that the suggestion is certainly one that might .with advantage to all be generally adopted, and you have a wide personal experience of both principals and assistants upon which to form your opinion.
Yours, etc.,
“ TYBURNIA.”
To tie Editor of the ESTATES GAZETTE.
gin,—No one would be more pleased than mvself to see carried out the suggestion which “ Auctio ” makes in his letter m your issue of Saturday last, especially as I thoroughly agree with him that the Surveyors’ Institution and the Auctioneers’ Institute might well take some action in the matter.
May we, then, ask the gentleman to whom we are indebted for the opening up of the whole question, kindly to take the steps necessary to bring the subject before the societies referred to?
Yours, etc.,
A SURVEYOR’S ASSISTANT (P.A.S.I.).
To the Editor of the ESTATES GAZETTE.
Sm,—I have seen with pleasure the correspondence which has been going on in your paper with reference to closing estate offices at one o’clock on Saturdays. The proposal is one which I am certain meets with the approval of all concerned, but to approve of an alteration is one thing, and to take steps to get it made is another. I quite agree with the letter from “A ■Surveyor’s Assistant” in your issue of the 18th ult., that a definite move should be made.
I need not repeat what has been said about the uselessness of Saturdays under the present arrangement, which is only too true, but what I want to say is that I cannot see any difficulty, which is alleged there is, in the way of closing at one o’clock, and if there is one it could surely be got over, if principals would only come to their offices earlier. Some never trouble to come up at all on Saturdays, and others come late and only stay a short time ; they, therefore, do not feel the unsatisfactory effects caused by the present arrangement, and it would appear that they care less, whereas if they came up in good■ time all work could be done early.
What harm can one hour less do from a monetary or any other point of view ?
If offices closed at one on ■Saturdays, the public would soon know it and come earlier; and further, I feel sure that they would sympathise with the step and■ do their best to help.
I propose that offices open at 9 o’clock on Saturdays and close at one o’clock, and that a signed petition, respectfully worded, as already suggested, be sent round to the principals of the different firms, strongly urging them to move in the matter.
Yours, etc.,
AN ADVOCATE FOR ONE O’CLOCK ON SATURDAYS.
To the Editor of the estates Gazette.
Sm,—With reference to the discussion in your paper respecting the earlier closing of offices on Saturday, which has been carried on in such a desultory fashion, may I point out that while no decision has been arrived at on the matter in question, time rolls on, and we are within a few weeks of the period when the concession would be of the greatest value. I would therefore respectfully suggest that those principals who are favourable to the nroposal coming into force on the first■ Saturday in May next, with those who helped to pass the pro-