[The Times: Search: "Wandsworth Common"].
[BNA: Buckmaster Battersea 1876]
[BNA: Buckmaster Wandsworth 1876]
[London Evening Standard: Buckmaster Wandsworth 1876]
[Add image of first part of article.]
South London Press - Saturday 01 January 1876
Halbrake House School, New Wandsworth. SPEECH DAY. On Monday nail Tues.lay evenings the annual carnival of the pupils of Ha'brake house Collegiate School, presided over by the Rev. J. Conder, LL.D., was celebrated with the customary (Idol, the schoolroom being filled each evening with a highly fashionable and influential audience. Amongst those present were her Highness the Princess de Nar Hey. Mr. and Mrs. Prior, Dr. St. Aubyn Hawker, Mr. and Mrs. Mossop. Mr. Langton and party. Rev. and Mrs .Gilbert, Mr. and Miss Long, Mr. and Mrs. Dower, Mrs. CorseMs. Mr. and Mrs. Abbott. Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence, Rev. and Mrs. Faunthorpe, Rev. C. E. Jones, Mr. P. Davis (an old pupil, and wrangler at Cambridge this year), the Misses Halle, Miss Davis, Mr. Cleave, Mr. Parry, Mr. and Mrs. Goddard, Mr. and: Mrs. Pemberton, Mrs. Lihone, &c., (t.c. - - The schoolroom had been suitably decorated with flags, evergreens, do., and the stage had been rendered replete with the usual accessories, a handsome dropscene having been painted for the occasion by a scenic artist attached to one of the metropolitan theatres, the handsome proscenium transforming the schoolroom for the nonce into a bijou theatre, to which additional similitude was given by the ladies in evening dresses; and it needed but a slight stretch of the imagination to believe that the stalls were really in existence.
The scenery, it should be stated, had been painted by the pupils, and reflected the greatest possible credit upon the youthful disciples of the brush. Indeed, we have seen far worse scenery at leading provincial theatres. The dresses were thoroughly in keeping with the Ps scene, and this was more eepecially noticeable in the Shakesperian play. They were also genealogically correct, the view of the Principal being to render the pupils familiar with the costumes of the period, thus appealing to both the eye and ear to enforce a dual lesson. The best indication of the studious care and attention devoted to the boys was thus r, adored apparent; and that no little pains had been devoted to rehearsal was evident from the almost letter-perfect delivery of the text which characterized the by no means light programme which was set before the patrons, and which was frequently interrupted by universal applause. The plays selected were Shakespeare's "King John," Diolire's " L'Avare,' and the screaming farce "Turn Him Out," which were through out so evenly rendered as to make any individual praise almost invidious. Exception to this rifle must, however, be taken in favour of Lawrence, whose excellent rendering of Arthur in the Shakesperian play deserves more than passing notice; and it is only just to say that In the concluding faros Mr. Mathews, one of the masters, rendered most excellently the low-comedy part of Nicodemus Nobbs, the itinerant vendor of toys. The part of the dandy and fop (Roselt at), well played, served to inculcate in the youthful mind a wholesome detestation of ridiculous dandyism and foppery. The following are 'he complete castes of the various pieces:
Metropolitan Board of Works. YESTERDAY.
. . . Mr. Meaden (of the Wandsworth District Board of Works) was unanimously elected a conservator under the Wandsworth Common Act, 1871 - Mr. Richardson, who proposed him, remarking that that gentleman had always taken the greatest interest in the commons in his locality.
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The Preservation of Wandsworth Common.
The statement made in an evening contemporary, that " Wandsworth Common is already being encroached upon, and some effort is speedily made, will be swallowed up in the insatiable maw of the brick - and-mortar-covered province called London," most surely emanate from mime one entirely unacquainted with the Common itself, and who is entirely oblivious of the fact that a Board of Conservators exists, appointed under the Wandsworth Common Act of 1871, who are a body of local gentlemen - hiving, as their chairman, Mr. James Du Buisson, J.P. - and are rigidly jealous of any interference with the Common, either for building or any purpose whatever not legally recognized by the Act in question. It is not only a fact that " not a single rood of the Common has been diverted from public use since the passing of the Act," so writes Mr. Du Buisson; but, as that gentleman points out, so successful have been the efforts of the Conservators, "that very many acres, enclosed long before the Act was passed, have been restored to the Common; and they do not despair of presently seeing fourteen more acres again subject to rights of Common, which, during the last twenty years, have been lost."
We republish Mr. Du Buisson's disclaimer with the more pleasure, inasmuch as it must be patent to all residents in the vicinity that the Conservators have most admirably fulfilled their teak. The great boon the people now enjoy is owing to the determined efforts of those who fought the good tight to conserve the Common for ever to the people, aided by the munificence of the present senior Member for the County, Sir Henry Peek. That the present condition of the Common would have been is erroneously described by the writer quoted above, had it not been for the exertions of these gentlemen and the present Conservators, there can be no shadow of doubt; but it will, we hope, be very long before we see such a picture realized, and so healthy and popular a retort given over to the builder.
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[NEEDS EDIT]
THE INTENDED SMALL-POX HOSPITAL ON WANDSWORTH COMMON.
A large and influential deputation waited upon the Board of Guardians of St. James's, Westminster, on Thursday, respecting the conversion by the Metropolitan District Asylums Board, under the sanction of the Local Government Board, of the St. James's Industrial School on Wandsworth-common, into a small-pox hospital. The guardians had given their consent to the acquisition by the Local Government Board of the building in question.
Thu vestry of St. James's, Westmister, being the owners of the into on whioh the 'school stans, many yeah ago, having purchased it from Lord Spotless for $ nominal sum, and it is computed that dm laud, of which there are about twenty-two acres, is worth Leeini. per acre.
Among the deputation were bit Henry Peek, M.P. Mr. Dorn, (1C., M.P., Sir William Rue, Mr. It It Wyatt, clerk of the pees.) for the county of Surrey. and Mr, if Mght, general manager of the Brighton Railway, besides about lee whithitante and OWIllife of property iu the vieluily of the schools.
Mr. Anderson Rose pointed out, among other things, that the ate thomen by the Local Government Board was oloae to a popuioue and to watriot, Lie oomplainau of the hurried wanner to which that Board had sought to obtain powieesaion of tie ate, without in any way intimuttng to the residents as intention to acquire it, Indeed, the order In CouncilLai hue secretly obtained as late u Saturday MAW, last, winch authorised the tithing of the property. They ware advised that the proceedings of that board were illegal, and the deputation there/on nrged the Ladof St. Janiss's to rewind the:resolutions they Led passed making over the property for the perpowie uttluatted. kir.
Mr R.H. Wyatt laid ha appeared as clerk of the peace for the county, and air having vested In him two large estahliehruents very near to the schools, Nig., the County Asylum, with over a thousand patient, iu it, and the Humes of Correction, with about as many more inmates. Ea also had authority hour every magistrate he had as yet emu to protest against what was proposed to Do done. Re a us in the nen place one of the center-vutora of the commou, which had beau the subject of a recant Act of Parliameut, whereby the couirrion was to be preeerved for all time to the pai:le, and he averred that if the rutentho of the Local Government Board were clairui out, the common would bosom', not a place of recreation for the inhabitants, but an airing ground for couveleecaut patients of the hospital.
The inhabitants considered it a great grievance, as they were uared for the express purpose of unsinteintrig the common intact. As a large ratepayer, and a readout a few yards ott ho protested a2cuust. the scnoole being 'oriented at. proposed. If it was doe., the value of the lend would be consider-ably redeoad, and the vestry itself would be a great lour.
Mr, liniettt said he was ineructed by his chairman, Art Lain, lip., to state that the uompany viewed with grout claret the oc.tupotlou ort, be sehtiols by smell-pox petems. The company had recently laid out u largo erun of money in the erection of a station near to tLo Naimoli to accoin-moiler.e one of thaw most valuable and increasing dw-tricte, and they should be glad to render any assist-awe+ in their power to further the wishes of the Inhabi-tants end ante the guardians.
Mr Rose said that the inhabitauts ware prepared to bear all the axponao$ of, and to tacieuuntv the guardien, apunst, all proceedings whit% might anew 'from their adopting the cosine proposed by the deputation. The guardians consulted, (wit after a short tune, by an overwhelming majority, rescinded the order previously made, and decided to retain the industrial Schools on the present cite. The deputation thanked them and retired.
Last night Mr. Gore, Q.C., M.P., occcupied the chair at a Large gathering of the inhabitants of Wandsworth, held at the Trinity Schools, to protest against the erection of the proposed hoepital for small-pox patients, beyond speakers wairearid the; lasetrug, and ambitious were putted memorialising fin, Prtshleut of the Local Government Board not to select the contemplated site for the hospital. A large amount of subscriptions wad announced to defray any expenses that might be incurred in resisting the action of the Local Government Board.
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[PB: "Trinity Schools" - this was a cluster of school buildings next to and opposite Holy Trinity, near Tooting Bec. The original school appears to have been on the site of today's garage. Possibly a newer school was opposite, now converted into flats. Thomas Hardy refers to a skater on a nearby pond. ]>/p>
South London Press - Saturday 16 December 1876
Proposed Small-pox Hospital on Wandsworth Common.
On Wednesday an influential deputation waited upon the Guardians of the Westminster Union to them to stand firm against the order of the Local Government Board to turn the school on Wandsworth Common into a small pox hospital.
The deputation consisted of the conservators of Wandsworth Common, the Wandsworth Board of Works, the Artisans and Labourers' Dwellings Company Mr. Hardman, chairman of the Surrey M r. Wyatt, Clerk of the Peace for Surrey: Alderman Sir W. Rose; Mr. Meaden, chairman of the Wandsworth Local Board; and the following members of Parliament: Sir Henry Peek, hlr. Gorst, Mr. Grantham, Mr. Alderman McArthur, and Mr. Locke. Mr. Gent, M.P., explained that they had taken professional opinion, with this result: "That the school in question was not a workhouse which the Local Government Board had power to use as a small pi hospital, and consistently that their order was illegal awl void. The question was clearly open to such serious doubt, that the guardians would not be justified in giving up the property for such Until the legality of the order was deter. millles. they were prepared to take upon themselves the personal responsibility of nutting good to the ratepayers any depreciation of the property, and any &Mitoses' expense for the disposal of the children in the event of its turning out that the order was illegal, and consequently no protection to them for using the parish property for such a purpose."
He sh inlti advise the guardians, when they next went to the president of the Local Government Board, to ask whether the advice of the lam officers of the Crown had been taken in this matter. He was sure of this, that Parliament in 1867, when they cave inch powers to the Local Government Board and the Asylums Board, never intended that they should he exercised in this arbitrary manner, but with the greatest care and the deputation considered that, besides its illegality, the order was indisereet - first. because the bedding was unfit for the purpose of a small-pox hospital, the sanitary arrangements being such that very extensive alterations would be necessary to bring it into a condition for a smallpox hospital; morally, because the site chosen was in the middle of a residential property . thirdly, it was near a common which had been expressly devoted for the recreation of the public; and lastly because it was unfair to the ratepayers of the Westminster Union, whose property would be very much depreciated.
On these grounds he called upon the Guardians of the Westminster Union to resist the order of the Local Government Board. Mr. Wyatt, Mr. Hardman. Mr. Meadow, Mr. Newnisreo, Mr. Alderman Rom, and Mr. Ls:iv:oft also spoils. it was stated that the deputation was prepared to fight the legal gaieties for the; and Mr. Hoes said a syndicate had been formed to purchase the whole property if emissary from the guardian. Sir Henry Peek remarked that the guardians lied a good guarantee for their money, as the treasurer of this too:ement was a partner in Glyn, Mills, Carrie, and 4 o.'s bank. The chairman (Mr. Dolby), in reply, mid that their representations would have the consideration of the board. The deputation then retired.
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