The Honeywood Files

by H. B. Creswell

  One cannot but commend the characteristic tenacity of Spinlove as exhibited in his letter that follows.

  SPINLOVE TO CLERK, MARLFORD R.D.C.

  Dear Sir,6.10.24.

  A week ago I had to ask your surveyor to refund 1s. 6d. excess postage paid by me on parcel of plans sent unstamped. I enclosed label showing the excess stamp. I have had no reply except a form of approval of plans. I shall be glad to receive the money.

  Yours faithfully,

  CLERK, MARLFORD R.D.C., TO SPINLOVE

  Dear Sir,8.10.24.

  In reply to your letter, Mr. Potch states that you did not enclose excess stamp, and also states that postage on parcel is recorded in his stamp book. It appears, therefore, that there must be some mistake or else the stamps came off in the post.

  Yours faithfully,

  SPINLOVE TO BULLJOHN

  Dear Mr. Bulljohn,9.10.24.

  I know you to be a local magnate and I am writing to ask your help in what seems to me to be a public scandal, for if I submit to the obstructions of the Marlford Council I may get into serious difficulties in the building of this house at Honeywood.

  I enclose copies of correspondence with the clerk and surveyor. I pinned the excess stamp on to the letter myself. I have no doubt the parcel was intentionally posted without stamps just as the reply to my request for refund was purposely ignored.

  You will notice also the tone of the other letters. If this sort of thing goes on I shall have to make a strong protest to the council, but probably a word to the right person will act as a warning.

  I am informed by the builder that Mr. Potch is notorious, and that he has a private practice so that it is to his interest to make difficulties for everyone who does not employ him as architect.

  I should be much obliged if you could drop a hint in the right direction.

  Yours sincerely,

  BULLJOHN TO SPINLOVE

  Dear Spinlove,10.10.24.

  Yes, it is all very bad. There have been lots of complaints, but the fellow has many friends on the council and among the local tradespeople. However, I see the chairman sometimes—a very decent man—and I will give him a hint. I am keeping the papers you enclosed.

  Ever yours sincerely,

  POTCH TO SPINLOVE

  Sir,15.10.24.

  I am glad to inform you that I am directed by my council to present you the enclosed postal order for the value of one shilling and sixpence. I regret that the requirements of the auditors of His Majesty’s Local Government Board make it necessary for me to trouble you for a receipt, but no stamp is required as sum is less than £2.

  I have the honour to be, Sir,

  Your obedient servant,

  Spinlove’s action has not soothed the savage beast, but that was scarcely, in any case, to be hoped, for such men are swayed only by cupidity and funk, and Mr. Potch may be depended upon to make things as awkward for Spinlove as opportunity safely allows.

  BRASH TO SPINLOVE

  Dear Mr. Spinlove,10.10.24.

  I made a détour to-day and diverged to Honeywood for a brief period after the workmen had vacated the site. It will be necessary for you to immediately return to the makers the bricks, of which a vast quantity are already on the site.

  It was clearly demonstrated, I must remind you, that the mansion was to be constructed of red bricks. Have you, may I inquire, seen what the builder is purposing to use? They are yellow, green, and all colours, and seem to be partly composed of cinders. I observed many to be broken and am at a loss to comprehend how Mr. Grigblay could suppose that I would tolerate such abominable rubbish. Has it not been explained to him that this is to be a gentleman’s residence? I must request you to give this matter your immediate attention.

  Yours sincerely,

  SPINLOVE TO BRASH

  Dear Sir Leslie Brash,11.10.24.

  The bricks you saw are not the outside or “facing bricks,” but the rough bricks of which the inner thickness of the walls, and where covered with plaster, will be formed. None of the facing bricks has yet been delivered, but I have chosen them. They are, of course, red bricks and are of the best make. No wonder you objected to the bricks you saw if you supposed they were for the outside face.

  Yours sincerely,

  THE AFFAIR OF THE SPRING

  BRASH TO SPINLOVE

  Dear Mr. Spinlove,13.10.24.

  I enclose copy of a communication I have received from the solicitors of the proprietor of the estate on the other side of the road at the bottom of my property, and from whom I acquired Honeywood.

  I have conferred with my own solicitors, who approved the conveyance of the land, and these gentlemen confirm that the spring must not be interfered with.

  I trust that there will be no trouble anent this. I understood from you that the well was to be sunk previously to the other work being commenced, so that the builder could supply himself with water.

  Yours sincerely,

  (ENCLOSURE)

  SPOONBILL & WELLSTAFT,

  SOLICITORS, TO SIR LESLIE BRASH

  Dear Sir,10.10.24.

  Mr. Gregory Witspanner, who is the tenant of Honeywood Farm, adjoining the property lately conveyed to you by our client, Mr. Rallingbourne, has written to our client complaining that the water supply to Honeywood Farm, which flows from a spring in Honeywood Spinney and along the watercourse on the land conveyed to you, has been recently, and now is, badly discoloured with clay, marl, vegetable soil or other foul matter, causing pollution of the water flowing from the said spring on to the said land in Mr. Witspanner’s tenancy.

  Our client understands that building operations are being carried out on your property and supposes that the pollution is due to the action of the men employed by you in those operations.

  We have to remind you that it was expressly laid down in the conveyance to you of Honeywood Spinney that our client’s user in the water flowing from the said spring should be maintained unimpaired and that there should be no interference with the flow of pure spring water on to his Honeywood Farm property as heretofore.

  We have to call upon you to take immediate steps effectively to abate the pollution and shall be glad to hear that the matter has your attention.

  Yours faithfully,

  In other words, “The spring at Honeywood is being fouled contrary to the terms of the conveyance. Stop it!”

  SPINLOVE TO BRASH

  Dear Sir Leslie Brash,14.10.24.

  I have written to Grigblay and told him the spring must not be fouled. I will let you know what can be done. I shall be on the site on Friday. I had intended getting the well sunk, but when I noticed the spring I deemed it not necessary to take that step.

  Yours sincerely,

  SPINLOVE TO GRIGBLAY

  Dear Sir,14.10.24.

  The owner of the property lying below Honeywood has written complaining that the water delivered on to his land from the spring in Honeywood Spinney is being fouled and requires that pollution and interference with the flow shall cease. He has a right to the flow of the spring water on to his land. I must ask you, therefore, immediately to arrange for another source of water supply.

  Yours faithfully,

  Spinlove is here altogether too aloof and disinterested. He ought to identify himself with this misfortune to the builder and at least make a gesture of readiness to help him, if possible. How is the builder to find water? The position is serious.

  GRIGBLAY TO SPINLOVE

  Dear Sir,16.10.24.

  It will be a serious matter for us if we are not to draw water from the spring. Where else are we to find water? When we went to the site before completing our tender we naturally assumed that we could make use of the spring as there was no stipulation in the contract that we should not make use of it. We can only suggest that the well should be sunk immediately and that we should be allowed to draw from it. This will involve a considerable delay, and we shall have to ask for an extension of the contract date corresponding to the time it takes
to find water. In the meantime we have told Bloggs to use all possible care not to foul spring.

  Yours faithfully,

  SPINLOVE TO GRIGBLAY

  Dear Sir,17.10.24.

  The contract stipulates that the builder is to make his own arrangements for the supply of water. You would be at liberty to use the spring if it were available, but, unfortunately, it is not. I will give orders for the well-sinking to be put in hand as soon as possible; in the meantime it will be necessary for you to make temporary arrangements of some kind, as Sir Leslie Brash would never consent to let the work stand while the well is being sunk.

  Yours faithfully,

  If Spinlove thinks that he can settle the matter in this fashion he is very much mistaken. Does he suppose that the builder is to carry water up hill on to the site? The question is, how is water to be found? The circumstances are awkward.

  GRIGBLAY TO SPINLOVE

  Dear Sir,17.10.24.

  Since we last wrote, Mr. Grigblay has been on site and arranged for Bloggs to dig out ditch and form a weir, and lay a 1 in. pipe from above weir to 1,000-gallon tank to be sunk into ground further down slope. This amount of water will not affect the flow from the spring and we shall not go near ditch or foul spring in the future. We shall be glad to have your approval of this proposal.

  We have now got cellar excavated and shall be glad if you will approve same. The ground is dry and compact marly clay, and, as we should like to get concrete in and walls up before chance of rain, we shall be glad of your approval at once.

  Yours faithfully,

  SPINLOVE TO GRIGBLAY

  Dear Sir,18.10.24.

  I am sorry I cannot accept your proposal to form weir and draw water from spring as Sir Leslie Brash has no right to interfere with the flow. I will, however, communicate with Sir Leslie Brash and ask him to refer the point to his solicitors.

  Yours faithfully,

  GRIGBLAY TO SPINLOVE

  Dear Sir,20.10.24.

  I rang up to-day and asked you to put off writing to Sir Leslie Brash re spring. If permission is asked of solicitors it may very well be refused, as there is no inducement why it should be granted. The amount of water I shall take from the spring is nothing at all and no one will be any the wiser or know what is being done, as all pollution will cease. There will be no objection to the work proposed, as all will be removed at completion and no harm done.

  Yours faithfully,

  Grigblay is perfectly sound in his judgment in this matter, nor is there anything sly or deceitful in his proposal. All that the adjoining owner requires is that the spring shall not be polluted and that his right to the flow shall not be interfered with.

  SPINLOVE TO GRIGBLAY

  Dear Sir,21.10.24.

  If you care to carry out the arrangement you propose at the spring at your own risk and to indemnify Sir Leslie Brash from all liability, I will not object, although I cannot approve of or consent to the spring being made use of.

  Yours faithfully,

  Spinlove is taking a great deal too much upon himself here. He is, as accredited agent to Brash, engaging him in words which, to say the least, are ambiguous. Supposing that in some way Grigblay’s interference with the spring violates a covenant of the conveyance and involves Brash in some penalty or forfeiture, is it to be imagined that Spinlove’s letter will fix liability on Grigblay? This is not likely. It is difficult to know what Spinlove’s letter stands for if it is not a formal consent to Grigblay’s proposal by the owner’s accredited agent. It appears, too, that Grigblay never acknowledged that letter so that he would be entitled to say, “Yes, the architect said he would hold me responsible, but I never agreed to accept responsibility for more than having to dismantle the arrangements.“

  It would have been better for Spinlove to have written to Grigblay saying he had no power to authorize him to interfere with the spring and leave him to interpret that letter by such a hint as is sometimes conveyed by a wink.

  SPINLOVE TO GRIGBLAY

  Dear Sir,22.10.24.

  I confirm authority for you to get on with concreting of cellar. You will note that the cellar damp course is to be carried up outside walls to the level of the normal damp course; this cellar damp course will come below the bottom of the concrete floor and above the bottom of the hard core.

  I was glad to see such good progress had been made and to note that the concrete seems quite satisfactory. I have, however, to take exception to the facing-bricks, one load of which has been delivered. In ordering these from the makers I expressly excluded the bright red bricks, which are soft and probably under-burnt. I yesterday selected and marked three samples covering the whole range of variations in colour, etc., which your foreman has set aside in his office. The soft bright red bricks must be thrown out and no more must be delivered.

  Will you please let me know in good time what detailed drawings you want?

  Yours faithfully,

  BRASH TO SPINLOVE

  Dear Mr. Spinlove,21.10.24.

  I am in receipt of a strongly-worded communication from Mr. Rallingbourne’s solicitors stating that the pollution of the spring continues and is worse than formerly, and requiring me immediately to have the state of affairs ameliorated and even hinting at proceedings. The occupier of the farm asseverates he cannot water his livestock and has to draw from a well.

  This is all extremely regrettable and alarming, as I desire to maintain amicable relations with Mr. Rallingbourne, who will be my adjoining neighbour and is a most influential gentleman. It is now eight days since I desired you to give attention to this subject and yet nothing has eventuated.

  Yours faithfully,

  SPINLOVE TO BRASH

  Dear Sir Leslie Brash,22.10.24.

  The matter of the spring has been attended to and there will be no pollution in future. The necessary work, unfortunately, involved muddying the water for a few hours.

  Yours faithfully,

  TROUBLE WITH BRICKS

  GRIGBLAY TO SPINLOVE

  Dear Sir,23.10.24.

  We note your instructions re facing-bricks. We may say we ordered bricks as selected by you according to your instructions, but have now taken up the matter with the brickyard.

  Yours faithfully,

  Spinlove, it will be remembered, dealt directly with the brick manufacturer in selecting bricks and merely told Grigblay to order bricks as selected, without defining, with samples or otherwise, what bricks exactly he was to receive. Grigblay accordingly did not know what bricks to expect and was not in a position to approve or disapprove of what was sent. Spinlove ought to have carried out his negotiations with the brickmaker through Grigblay and made Grigblay responsible for the bricks being up to sample.

  GRIGBLAY TO SPINLOVE

  Dear Sir,25.10.24.

  With regard to the common bricks specified and seen and approved by you, Bloggs reports that some built into the foundation walls have blown already. We have had no experience of these bricks, not having used them before, and understand they come from Belgium; but Bloggs says that quite a few have lime in them and will blow, and for our own satisfaction we would prefer not to use them on the face of plastered walls. The price is very low, but we should be willing to substitute Strettons for this purpose.

  We shall be glad to have your approval.

  Yours faithfully,

  Grigblay means by this that the clay of which the bricks are made has not been thoroughly ground so that there are lumps of lime in it. These become quicklime when the bricks are kilned, and when such bits of quicklime occur near the surface of the brick the lime swells when the brick is wetted and a flake is lifted from the surface. For a very few such bricks to blow and push the plaster away from the walls, perhaps after papering and painting is completed, is a terrible disaster, and the defect may go on appearing months after the house is finished.

  SPINLOVE TO GRIGBLAY

  Dear Sir,27.10.24.

  I am much obliged for your letter. I had a good report
of these bricks which pleased me when I saw them. I do not like Strettons for facing plaster walls. What other proposal can you make?

  Yours faithfully,

  Spinlove is right. Stretton bricks have a smooth, greasy face and square edges and show a narrow joint, so that even when the joints are carefully raked the key for the plaster is not good. A rough-surfaced, irregular brick is what a builder likes for plastering upon, and there is nothing better for this purpose than the London stock.

  GRIGBLAY TO SPINLOVE

  Dear Sir,28.10.24.

  Our proposal was for grooved Strettons, although the cost to us would be a little higher than the bricks specified. We understand you have no objection to these and have ordered as we shall require them at once for cellar.

  Yours faithfully,

  The bricks referred to have grooves formed by pressing rubber ridges into the brick; the rubber expands with the pressure and contracts on its withdrawal, so that the groove is slightly dovetailed in consequence and forms an excellent key for plaster.

  Grigblay is a little inclined to take charge of matters and tell Spinlove what he ought to do, but his quickness to notice the defect in the specified bricks is one of the advantages which an architect gains by employing a good builder.

  SPINLOVE TO GRIGBLAY

  Dear Sir,29.10.24.

  I was on the site yesterday and found that your foreman had not carried out my instructions to throw out the soft facing bricks. I have to ask you to see that this is done.

  Another trolly load of these bricks arrived while I was on the site, and it seemed to me that it contained as large a quantity of the objectionable bricks as the earlier consignment. These must be picked out.

  Yours faithfully,