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14 January 1904 — Canford Manor, nr. Wimborne, Dorset | |
Thursday. [14th January 1904]. I left Canford & returned to 3 Savile Row. I employed Chrissie Eliot now head of the firm of Allen & Mansveh in Mount St to do work in this house. He has built me a passage leading out of the dining room over the yard to the studio. I asked him also to put a bath into my dressing room. He said this could quite well be done & he asked to see the place of the drains in order to make the necessary arrangements but was sure it would be all right. However, on applying the test he found everything much the contrary & we came to the conclusion that they must immediately be put in order. Monty had had all done 17 years ago & they had not been looked at since & were leaking there is no help for it & Chrissie said if I would turn out of the house in a week he would undertake to get the work done within 5 weeks so that I might still let the house for the season to the young Ivor Guests. It was decided that the Wylds & I should get into their new house 27 Lower Seymour St wh happily they had begun to prepare for themselves– I arranged to go for a few days first to stay at 17 Cavendish Square with the Duncannons & break up my establishment & then to go stay with Nellie & Charlie Wyld. Soon after my return from Canford I went down to stay at Lutterworth with Kate & had a long confab with Eda Alderson about the management of the Venice Hospital. The day I left there I went to Nottingham for the day with Eda to see Ola Du Cane at the Children’s Hospital of which she is matron. It is a charming Hospital in a villa on the outskirts of the town—& owes its present prosperity to the efforts of Ola who collected £4000 for it and got a gentleman to give the house. While I was with Ola she was called up on the telephone by a message to say that her father was very ill at Ballard a new house near Goudhurst which he has taken to settle down in with those of the daughters who are still at home. Nela was staying with Ola & she settled to accompany me to town & go down to Ballard by an evening train so we came together, dropping Eda Alderson at Lincoln to return to Lutterworth. At the London station Alice Murray met us to say her father was no better & that the family were all going down– Ola went to next day—but poor Richard’s age was against him—nearly 84—and the end came after a week’s illness. He had only survived Maria 1 year. Since she died & the family had to leave Bournemouth they had never settled down again till at last this house at Goudhurst. | |
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