TALBOT2150

L. Abbey
15^th March

My Dear Henry

Strong ¹ not holding the pen of a ready writer, I have undertaken to expound the difficulty to you, which awaits your decision as soon as may be. You know the Stone Arch at the Dining room end of the Gallery owning to its being splayed, the 2^d Door must be an immense size & gothickly ornamented or carved or whatever it was to be very expensive. Now he proposes to lower the arch & make the door a better proportion & all in one (which from its being smaller it easily can be) which will obviate the hideous defect of its folding back, which besides being ugly would prevent the possibility of his making the gothic edge which he originally intended & without which it would always have looked too bare. The arch now there you understand will not be touched, because it must in any case have been built to support the old wall which was very crumbly, & he says this will cost much less than the large door, & I am sure it will be much prettier, so I hope this idea will meet with your approbation as much as it does with ours. If you like it C. ² shall send you a sketch how it is to be – only give your attention to it as soon as you can as they are getting on faster a good deal than they did so don’t cause any delay if you please. If you will let her & me settle it I am sure you will like it, & a slight sketch will not perhaps convey a better idea than a description, in this case & cause delay. Blackburn tells me there has not been know such a flood here for 80 years. The people at Chippenham ³ are climbing into their upper stories. There is to be great Meeting this day fortnight, you had better come down to us & attend it. Caroline has made a beautiful Drawing of the Stone Gallery