[12 Upper Gower Street]
Sunday
My dear Catty
You must have been surprised at not having heard sooner about the House.. Emma & I only returned yesterday afternoon from sleeping
there.— I will give you in detail, as my Father would like, my opinion
on it.— Emma's slightly differs.— Position.—about 14 of a mile from small village of Down in Kent 16 miles from St.
Pauls— eight-miles & 12 from Station, (with many trains) which station is only 10 from
London— This is bad, as the drive from the hills is long.— I
calculate we are two hour's journey from London Bridge.—
Westcroft was 1 & 34 from Vauxhall Bridge.— Village about 40 houses with old
walnut trees in middle where stands an old flint Church & the lanes
meet.— Inhabitants very respectable.—infant school—grown
up people great musicians— all touch their hats as in Wales, & sit at
their open doors in evening, no high-road leads through village.— The little
pot-house, where we slept is a grocers-shop & the land-lord is the
carpenter—so you may guess style of village— There are butcher
& baker & post-office.— A carrier goes weekly to London
& calls anywhere for anything in London, & takes anything
anywhere.— On the road to the village, on fine day scenery absolutely
beautiful: from close to our house, view, very distant & rather
beautiful—but house being situated on rather high table-land, has somewhat of
desolate air— There is most beautiful old farm-house with great thatched barns
& old stumps, of oak-trees like that of Shelton, one field off.— The
charm of the place to me is that almost every field is intersected (as alas is
our's) by one or more foot-patths— I never saw so many walks in any
other country— The country is extraordinarily rural & quiet with
narrow lanes & high hedges & hardly any ruts— It is really
surprising to think London is only 16 miles off.— The house stands
very badly close to a tiny lane & near another man's field—
Our field is 15 acres & flat, looking into flat-bottomed valleys on
both sides, but no view from drawing-room, wh: faces due South except our own flat field
& bits of rather ugly distant horizon.— Close in front, there are some
old (very productive) cherry-trees,
walnut-trees.—yew.—spanish-chesnut,—pear—old
larch, scotch-fir & silver fir & old mulberry-trees make rather a pretty
group— They give the ground an old look, but from not flourishing much also
give it rather a desolate look. There are quinces & medlars & plums with
plenty of fruit, & Morells-cherries, but few apples.— The purple
magnolia flowers against house: There is a really fine beech in view in our
hedge.— The Kitchen garden is a detestable slip & the soil looks
wretched from quantity of chalk flints, but I really believe it is productive. The
hedges grow well all round our field, & it is a noted piece of Hay-land This
year the crop was bad, but was bought, as it stood, for 2£ per acre, that: is
30£.—the purchaser getting it in— Last year it was sold
for £45.—no manure put on in interval. Does not this sound well
ask my father? Does the mulberry & magnolia show it is not very cold in
winter, which I fear is the case.— Tell Susan it is 9 miles from
Knole Park—6 from Westerham—seven from
Seven-Oaks—at all which places I hear scenery is beautiful.— There
are many very odd views round our house deepish flat-bottomed valley & nice
farm-house, but big white, many, ugly fallow fields;—much wheat grown here
— —
House ugly, looks neither old nor new.—walls two feet thick—windows
rather small—lower story rather low.— Capital study 18 X
18. Dining room, 21. X 18.— Drawing-room can easily be added to is 21. X 15.
Three stories, plenty of bed-rooms— We could hold the Hensleighs & you
& Susan & Erasmus all together.— House in good repair
Mr Cresy a few years ago laid out for the
owner 1500£ and made new roof— Water-pipes over—two
bath-rooms—pretty good office & good stable yard & & a
cottage.— House in good repair.— I believe the price is
about 2200£, & I have no doubt I shall get it for one year on lease
first to try.—so that I shall do nothing to house at first.—
(Last owner kept 3 cows, one horse & one donkey & sold some
hay annually from our field)—. I have no doubt, if we complete purchase, I
shall at least save 1000£ over Westcroft, or any other house. we have
seen— Emma was at first a good-deal disappointed & at the country
round the house; the day was gloomy & cold with NE wind. She likes the actual
field & house better than I; the house is just situated, as she likes for
retirement, not too near or too far from other houses—but she thinks the
country looks desolate— I think all chalk-countries do, but I am used to
Cambridgeshire, which is ten times worse.— Emma is rapidly coming
round.— she was dreadfully bad with toothache, headache, in the evening, of
Friday—but in coming back yesterday she was so delighted with the scenery for
the first few miles from Down, that it has worked great change in her.— We go
there again the first fine day Emma is able & we then finally settle what to
do.— Do not tell Marianne how likely it is we shall give up this house so
soon, as I will write to her, when it is fixed— I am very sorry to think that
my not being in London will be a drawback to her comfort regarding
Robert.—
The great Astronomer Sir J. Lubbock is owner of 3000 acres here,
& is building a grand house a mile off— I believe he is very reserved
& shy & proud or fine—so I suspect he will be no catch,
& will never honour us—
Besides, the farm-house, which a field off—there is new villa, about two
fields off, inhabited by Mr Edward
Price—(a friend of Mr Cresy having married a relation) a
Shrewsbury
