àpkil 22, 1899.
THE ESTATES GAZETTE
6M
hand to skimp the work to the latter’s dimensions, or to construct such a palace as would alone meet the former’s ideas of a cowhouse.
Now, here is the first and chief difficulty in the path of one who plans farm buildings. He must so limit the space as to keep down the expense, and at the same time comfortably house the farmer’s live stock. He must also economise labour in such a way that the animals can be fed in the shortest possible time, and he must so locate his granaries, haylofts and turnip houses that the different contents can be mixed and available for all purposes in vhe handiest manner. The doors of his stables, and those of his cowhouses, must bear such relationships to each other that the manures of each eani be bestowed on the common midden with the least effort. The teamster must not have to lead his horses half round the buildings in search of the cart shed ; nor must the piggeries be too far from the washtub, nor yet too near the dwelling house. But when we begin to talk of dwelling houses, we are carrying our pupil to the topmost rung of the ladder, and he would do well to study any plans of cottages or houses the office cupboard may contain. Tracings of these, with their necessary specifications and quantities, will some day prove of value to him. Ere, however, he has completed what we have set him to do, there will probably be some simple improvement required on the estate to a farmhouse or building, and he will be quite qualified, to draw out the plan and specifications himself, and then	watch his	own handiwork grow
from foundations to ridge, under the mason’s trowel. His valuation of the work will receive the best possible test, if he keeps a careful record of the cost of each item of labour or materials as it progresses. Such a process will bring him in contact with the carpenter’s shops, where he will learn the practical difference between rabbet and dovetail, purlin and strut, king post and principal, and he will find himself at the forge, watching the blacksmith weld into shape, hinges and latches, bolts and ties, bars and braces ; or half an hour in the painter’s shop will give him a knowledge of patent dryers, white lead, and the proportions of oil to turpentine in the mixture of paints, until he will soon find his evenings fully occupied in the posting of hurried notes from his pocket book to his neater diary.
In obtaining particulars of the cost of any building, our beginner is brought into contact, not only with the setting of masonry, the joinery of woodwork, the welding of iron, and the mixing of paints, but with the materials themselves. He watches the stone hewn from the quarry, the clay excavated at the brickworks, the timber cut down in the woods, or purchased from the merchant, and each of these opens out a separate field of investigation.
Kates anîr Eating.
DEWSBURY GASWORKS.
The Corporation of Dewsbury recently appealed against the poor rate made in April, 1898, by the Assessment Committee of the Dewsbury Union, and the overseers of several parishes in that union, in respect of the Dewsbury Gasworks.
Mr. Balfour Browne, Q.C., and Mr. W. J. Waugh were for the appellants, and Mr. E. Tindal Atkinson, Q.C., and Mr. A. P. Long-staffe appeared for the Assessment Committee.
Mr. Balfour Browne explained that the assessment was fixed in 1886, the total rateable value of the whole of the works and mains being then determined by the Assessment Committee at £7,314 10s. In that year there was an appeal, and the rating was confirmed. It had remained the same for 14 years, and the Corporation said that the value was far higher than it ought to be. In testing the value of property of this kind it was usual to ascertain the rent, that a hypothetical tenant would pay by a calculation of the receipts. The total receipts of the undertaking for the year ended March, 1898 (including an allowance of £1,303 for gas supplied for public lighting), amounted to £31,276, and the total working expenses amounted to £18,253, leaving the net receipts £13,023. Taking into consideration the money which a hypothetical tenant would have to provide for various purposes before he could enter into possession of the works, he submitted that the rateable value should be £5,727.
Before any witnesses were called, Mr. Browne informed the magistrates that an agreement had been arrived at by which the appeal would be withdrawn upon terms to be endorsed on counsels’ briefs. Those terms were that the assessment should remain at £7,314 10s. for five years from the date of the last rate. He might state that one of the reasons for coming to this agreement was that they had been improving the works to some extent quite recently, and it was quite possible that, even if they had succeeded that day, they might not succeed in an appeal next year. Therefore, both parties had agreed to give and take to a certain extent.
ESTATE BUILDINGS. *
BY H. W. RAFFETY, F.S.I.
BUILDINGS.
The item, “Additions, alterations and re pairs,” occupies a prominent place in the annual estate account, and is responsible for a great part of the expenditure of the year. This being so, it is evident that the agent should be thoroughly acquainted with buildings and building operations, and also be able to form a correct idea of the requirements of a tenant in this way. Where there are some hundreds of buildings on an estate, it is clear that there must be constant repairs, alterations and improvements, necessitating the employent of a staff of masons, carpenters, painters and labourers, all of whom require guidance and supervision. On large estates this department is usually under the charge of an expert, technically termed the clerk of the works, whose duty is to report to the agent any repairs or alterations that want doing, and on the latter’s approval, to get out plans, specifications anJ estimates, and superintend and constantly visit the work till it is completed. Now, it is evident that the agent should be so skilled as to be able to intelligently criticise the plan and specifications in the first instance, alter, if necessary, some of their details, and pronounce judgment on their estimated cost. Also lie must be able to make sure that the clerk of works is doing his duty as the work goes on. If, too, the building to be carried out is on a large scale, it is usually let by contract to some local builder, whose tender requires close scrutiny, and whose work must be sharply looked after, both by daily visits from the clerk of the works, and less frequent ones by the agent himself. It must, too, be borne in mind, that on small estates, where no clerk of works is employed, the agent himself must perform the latter’s duties ; that such agencies are usually filled by the younger and less experienced members of the profession, and that such a post, therefore, is, in all probability the next rung of the ladder of our pupils’ ascent. How important, then, is it that a beginner should be able to draw plans, make out specifications, abstract quantities, form estimates, and generally understand the varieties of terms used by the building trades.
The student should commence by endeavouring to obtain a thoroughly practical knowledge of 'building construction. A good text book, such as Rivington’s, or even some of the smaller handbooks published, .will give him the descriptions and technical terms; and if he makes careful and painstaking drawings to scale of the illustrations he finds therein, it will both increase his theoretical knowledge and improve his draughtsmanship. Nowadays, in many towns, he will find there are classes on the subject at the technical schools, the teaching at which is very inexpensive and often uncommonly good. But this theoretical knowledge is only a preliminary step, and the student must supplement his studies by personal observations of existing buildings, and- particularly of new ones in course of construction, as much more can be seen under such circumstances. By carefully keeping his eyes open, he will not only assist his understanding of the plans he has been drawing, but he will learn their application in practice. He will notice the points of construction and the class of materials used in the best work, and also those adopted in inferior erections, and this knowledge will help him later on, when he comes to draw up his specifications. His theoretical knowledge gained in the classes will enable him to discern errors of construction or to appreciate clever planning and design, while the combined effect, if he continues to honestly carry out these directions, will be to make him capable of understanding complete plans and specifications, and, what is more important, enable him to see that these are adhered to, that only the best work and materials are employed, and when he sees “ scamping,” he will be able to put his foot down and hold his own in an argument on the subject with a plausible contractor.
Having got so far, our pupil is ready to draw his own plans and specifications, such as for a stable or cowhouse, or even a complete set of buildings ; but if he attempts the last he must remember that he is undertaking a task which has occupied the wisest heads in tne building profession, and where perfection is yet unattained. Nothing daunted, let him by all means make the attempt under the certainty that every failure will teach him much. In our pupilage we once attempted an original plan for a cowhouse. First, we sought the bailiff and set out a plan from the pickings of his brain, then we got the clerk of works to give us his views, until we found ourselves on the horns of a dilemma, whether on the one
* From “Land Agency” (new edition). Bevised and brought up to date by H. W. Baffety, F.S.I.
The ruin of Chepstow Castle is most picturesquely situated on the top of a lofty limestone crag overlooking the river Wye, which flows at its base, and was in early days an effective barrier against enemies, while it was separated from the town by a deep foss now grown over with trees ; the principal front, with its massive round towers, is well seen from the Tintern road.
Tintern Abbey stands in a secluded spot on the banks of what is probably the most beautiful river in England. It owes its fame to the rich endowments of nature quite as much as to the munificence of the Clares and the Bigods, or the genius of its Cistercian builders. Of the work of its founder, Walter de Clare, no remains are now to be seen, but the greater part of the church as it now stands was built between 1269 and 1288, by Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk.
The ancient city of Wells owes its name to the springs which lie near the east end of the cathedral. Leland, in 1540, says: “The town of Wells is large, I esteeme it to lack little of two miles in cumfrace, al for the most part builded of stone. The streates have
streamlettes of springs almost in everyone running. There is a conduet in the market place derived from the Bisshop’s conduet by the licens of Thomas Beckington, Bisshop sumtyme of Bath, for the which the burgesses one a yeare solemply visite hys tumbe, and pray for hys sowl.”
We next pass on to Glastonbury and its abbey. Of all the greater churches of England, Glastonbury is the only one where (as Freeman says) we may be content to lay aside the name of England to fall back upon the older name of Britain. It was the one great religious foundation which lived through the storm of the English Conquest, and in -which Briton and Englishman have an equal share.
ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE VISIT.
Admirable arrangements have been made by the reception committee, which is constituted of the following members of the Somerset, Gloucester and North Wilts Provincial Committee:—Messrs. Charles R. Wainwright, Edwin Haggs Hippisley, and Henry Spackman (Somerset); Henry William Bruton, John Joseph Harle, and Robert Anderson (Gloucestershire) ; Harry Augustus Hood Daniel, Philip Munro, Peter Addie, Thomas Scammell, Win. Sturge (Past President), Robert Fowler Sturge, A. Player Isaac Cotterell, and Theodore Sturge (Bristol); H. Herbert Smith, H. Burroughes Napier, and Lionel Hasler Marshall (North Wilts). Mr. Theodore Sturge, 24, Corn-street, Bristol, is acting as honorary secretary of the committee.
On Wednesday, the 26th inst., the members will assemble at 10.30 a.m. in the reception room of the Council House, where they will be received by Mr. Robert Yigers, the President of the Institution, who, at 11 o’clock, will temporarily vacate the chair in favour of the Right Worshipful the Mayor of Bristol, who will welcome the members to the city. The President of the Institution will then resume the chair, and the business of the conference commence. The following papers will be real and discussed: —
1.	A paper on “ Bristol,” by Mr. William Sturge, Past President.
2.	A paper entitled “The Railways and the Farmers,” by Mr. W. M. Acworth (barrister-at-law).
3.	A paper on “The Recent Proposals to enable Working Men to Purchase their Dwellings by means of Loans from Local Authorities,” by Mr. Howard Martin (Fellow).
In the evening the members will dine together at the Grand Hotel, Broad-street, Bristol, this function being fixed to take place at 6.30 for 7 p.m.
On Thursday, the 27th inst., the members will visit the various places of interest in rhe city and the surrounding district.
For the visit to Bristol and its vicinity members will assemble at the Council House at 10 a.m., where they will be met by Mr. H. A. Hood Daniel (Fellow). After inspecting the Corporation insignia they will proceed in carriages to view St. Peter’s Hospital, St. Mary Redcliffe, the cathedral, the Cabot Tower, Clifton Suspension Bridge, and Durdham Downs Luncheon at the Clifton Hotel.
For the excursion to Tintern Abbey and Chepstow Castle the party will leave Bristol joint station at 9.45 a.m., booking to Tintern. On arriving at Tintern at 11,27, the. visitors will be met by Mr. S. H. Cowper Coles (Fellow), who will conduct them over Tintern Abbey. The Marquis of Worcester will entertain the members at luncheon, after which the party will proceed in carriages to the Wynd Cliff and Chepstow, leaving the latter place at 5.35 and arriving at Bristol at 6.56, in time for the late trains for London and the north.
Those visiting Wblls and Glastonbury will leave the Bristol joint station at 9.10 a.m., booking to Wells, and arriving at 10.50, where they will be met by Mr. Edwin M. Hippisley (Fellow), and proceed by special train to Glastonbury to view the Abbey, etc., returning to Wells about 1.30 p.m. Luncheon at the Swan Hotel. After luncheon the party will be conducted over the cathedral, bishop’s palace, etc. The party will leave Wells at 5.40 p.m. by train due at Bristol at 7.7 p.m.
An admirable little handbook giving all particulars in regard to the meeting and an interesting sketch of the various places of interest to be visited has been prepared by the secretary of the Institution, Mr. Julian Rogers,