WCP170

[1]

Parkstone, Dorset.

Nov[embe]^r. 6th 1901

My dear Will

I have added further details & posted Insurance papers to address given. If you write to the Incumbent, Barking the Registrar General, Somerset House, applying for certified copy of you birth & enclosing a shilling for the fee, it will be sent you. Of course you must send full name & date, and place of Registry— Barking. I have taken advantage of a foggy cold day to trace you a copy of the Ground Plan of proposed house. The first floor, with ^all rooms all partly in the roof, will have 5 bedrooms of good sized— and a bath room & W.C. over Lavatory &c. below. Also a wide corridor [2] over part of Hall opening to a covered balcony over the Glazed Lobby. To get windows in all these rooms there will be six gables, 3 dormer windows, & a projecting Ariel Window. The outer walls will only be 3 feet above floors of bedrooms— 13 feet from ground floor, and the bedroom out of study (mine) will have nothing over it.

These gables & dormer windows will make the house picturesque. I did think of having the hollow walls filled up with sawdust or other material, but by having the floors solid below, and by covering the top of the hollow with perforated zinc all round— the two coils of cold-air in all the hollows, and mice & rats going [3] where they will, are both obviated.

The plan now sent is the third I made, and is, I think pretty near perfect. Note how I have got the hot-water drum at back of Kitchen range under stairs close to Lavatory Scullery, & Bath room above, where hot water will be wanted. Also said drum will warm Entrance Hall and staircase. The Dining Hall opening to D^r. Room & Study will be a fine Summer sitting room, and the opening from Lobby into bedroom & Study will enable inconvenient visitors when we are at dinner to be shown in to the study! Of course the house will be much larger than we want, but I look to future value ^{for you & Vi[olet]2,} and rather than build it smaller to be enlarged afterwards I would prefer to leave the drawing room & bedroom adjoining [4] with bare walls inside till they can be properly finished. The housekeeper’s room would be a nice dining room & the Hall a parlour and drawing room ^combined. But the outside must be finished on account of the garden, creeps &c.

The S.[outh] E.[ast] Side (really about S.[outh] S.[outh] E.[ast]) has the fine views. If you can arrange to come at ‘Xmas we will have a picnic on the ground the first Sunny day.

I was all last week surveying, a very difficult job, to mark out exactly 3 acres so as to take in exactly as much of each kind of ground as I wanted; & with no uninterrupted view over any one of the boundary lines! I found the sextant, & it was very useful setting out the two r[igh]t. L.O of the northern boundary. I have not got possession yet but hope to do so by next week. The house we reckon can be built for £1000 at the outside, with Carter’s help.

Some¹ months back you suggested [5] selling² Nutwood rather than this because this is a much better built house. Now there is another important reason. This can be easily looked after from Broadstone whereas Nutwood is a constant trouble & we are at the mercy of builders &c. to spend almost what they like on repairs. Violet has made no objection to selling it, & I believe I can get a purchaser, and one ^house must be sold to build the other new house. So I hope you will come back to your original idea. The present tenant of Nutwood would like to buy it, but I think I frightened him by asking him too much— £.1300. He may give £1100 or £1200, but he says it wants a deal doing to. This one would be more likely to let than to sell, & [6] one³ must be sold soon, or the new house will have to be built by borrowed money.

It should be begun as soon after ‘Xmas as possible, so as to be finished by Midsummer.

The more I see of the ground the more I am pleased with it. It is a veritable gem, and I do not think I have seen anywhere a more delightful spot. About Tunbridge Wells the general country is more beautiful, but during my numerous explorations there I never saw a site for a house to equal this.

But you shall see for yourself I hope soon.

Your affectionate Pa | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

[7] P.S. When you have studied the plan carefully let me have any suggestions at once as the working drawings will be put in hand in a week or two. Ma prefers a square window in the west wall of drawing room so that will be altered. The floors will all concreted, to avoid both damp and need of ventilation openings.

Look out for any ideas for good but cheap modes of decoration & finishing walls, ceilings, &c. and make notes & sketches.

Am sorry your seance did not turn out good,— but in time you will see better results. It is most uncertain, even when all present are firm believers.

[8] If you know any architects you might ask their opinion of the plan. Of course its arrangement largely depends on the ground, which fixes the principal garden front, the main Entrance, & the back &c.

If you can get a good air-gun cheap you might shoot us some rabbits at ‘Xmas or perhaps even a stray pheasant should one come on our ground, but I had rather not have an ordinary gun or rifle used as that will set the game keepers watching us.

We have bad fogs & cold weather now, but I hope soon to get it fine for laying out garden & moving our best plants from here.

Your affectionate Pa | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]