ATTEMPT TO SAVE THE HALL. "BREAKING IT GENTLY."

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 148, 19 December 1907, Page 7

ATTEMPT TO SAVE THE HALL. "BREAKING IT GENTLY."

tFrom Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, Bth November. Apparently those patriotic and wellmeaning people who are strenuously endeavouring to save for the City of ' London tho remnant of tho historic Crosby Hall, aro assiduously practising the humane art of "breaking it gently," or at any rate of "letting people down gently." Last vveuk wo were told that ±J60,0G0 wao the x sum required to save Crosby Hall: that £46,000 "had been guaranteed, leaving only £14,000 still to be raised or promised. That seemed very.nico and Satisfactory and cheering. But this week has brought n sad disillusion. When ono paper casually mentioned yesterday that a sum of £72,000 was still required, everybody imagined that this must be a misprint. The subtraction sum is vnry simple. Take £46,000 from £60,000, and £72,000 certainly does not remain. But now it turns out that tho much-tulk-ed-of £60,--000 is- merely a first instalment of a. total amount of £120,000, and that although the daunted £46,000 has been increased by £2000, the total £48 ; 000 falls short of £120,000 by Iho £72,000 just mentioned. So now wo are plunged once more into daik despair. And most of us regard poor old "Crosby-place" as hopelessly doomed, particularly in view of the present extraordinary stringency of the money market with the. highest bank rate known for thirty-four years. Ciosby Hall, or Crosby Place, is an ancient house in Bishopsga lt-street, London. Tho site was leased from Alice Ashficld, prioress of >St. Helen's, in ,1466, by Sir John Crosby, a grocer and Lord Mayor. He built the beautiful Gothic palace of which the banquotinghall, the , throne-room, and council-room still remain in Bishoysgato within. Tho hall bus of late years been used as an oating-house. The mansion covered a large part of what is now Crosby place or square. Richard of Gloucester lived there at the death of Edward 1V.,. and here held his levees before his usurpation of the Crown. It was afterwards bought by Sir Thomas More-, who wrote hore the "Utopia" and the "Life of RichaTd 111." Crosby Hall is (he central feature of Shakespeare's London. He had & residence in tho neighbourhood. It is one of tho very lew mediaeval dwcllinghtittieo still oxi-:ii>^ hi London; it was lei.vred in 11-76 .• Her having been used for variui.s pin'posos. For some time an n^ib'ition li.i.< b-rji j,oing on in London for the piv.-.rt\..uon of Crosby Hall.

Householders having even a remote idea of furnishing would do well to mako an effort and mako up thoir requirements and attend tho qenuino ironmongery Bale now ou nt Winder's, corner Manners- and Cubn-ntrectß. An undoubted saving can bo made, as every lino JB down to bedrock. When you see really first-class ivqrido tablo knives at ts 3d, nnd dessert, knives at 5b 9d i-dozen, carvers 5s Del pair, Al qualify bilvcr-platcd teaspoons, 5s 9d, dessert forks and spoons, 10s 6d, tablespoons and forks at 14s 9d i-dozen, one wonders. When a full-sizdbrnss rail hedhtead at 255, and a real strong plain ono at 21s, and a 10-inch A-knifo lawn mower, 13s 6d, ono of England's best, Conqueror razors at ss, and a 12s 6d nickel watch for 6s 6d, and hosts of other bargains, equally cheap, you wieh a new buildinK erocted every jettr.— Advii. ,