WCP51

[1]

Parkstone, Dorset.

May 11^th. 1902

My dear Will¹

I enclose you the sketch of Clay head omitted last time as Ma² closed up & posted the letter & I forgot to tell her. Also I sent Miss Buckton’s drawing of Monogram for house, which has been drawn out full size (13 1/2 inches square) by Jennings & they are making it in Terra cotta. We can find no way of working an ordinary "W" to look well with the other letters.

Your sketch for a sideboard is not bad, but I think it is too high. However Violet³ & Ma [2] will decide on what they like in this matter.

The main walls ^{(some most of them)} & some of the cross walls, are nearly up to their full height, and an extra carpenter is coming next week to get the roof timbers ready. I went up to the first floor one day & standing at the East balcony the view is really fine, better even than I expected, as you seem to look down upon the two lakes of Poole inner harbour & over to the Purbeck Hills, while the Orchard & water-lily pond form a fine foreground without at all interrupting the view as they do on the ground floor. From the [3] West balcony the view will be somewhat different, but almost as good. The orchard-trees are now almost all in blossom or leaf. The pears cherrye's[sic], & plums have lost their blossoms & getting their leaves, while the apple trees — more than a dozen in all — mostly small & scraggy — are just in bud or flower & are looking very nice. I have just heard from an old man who has known the place for a long time and who says he himself planted the trees (chestnut beeches firs &c.) in the West wood ^{35 years ago,} that there was no well but the people at the cottage got water from what they call a dip well in the flat field below. I have however set [4] Pennington to dig 6 feet deep at the very bottom of the orchard close to Ma’s fernery where water is much wanted, & we shall see if any can be found.

Mr. Curtis Sen?[?] was over last Tuesday & settled some details about roof &c. He says we have quite enough men, as with more it is more difficult to avoid waste of time & materials, & we shall not want more than one or two bricklayers, after the walls are up, to lay drains build cesspool, water-tanks &c. It has been very cold weather, and very dry the last two weeks. We have really had no April showers (warm & wet) yet! I am glad to say my pond & tank both seem perfectly water tight now, & when both are stocked will look fine, I hope.

Your affectionate Pa | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]