Restoration of St Leonard's Church, 1883-89 Committee Meeting no 5

 

St Leonard's Church before restoration c 1870

Again at 2-30 on the 2nd of June in the year of our Lord 1883 did the Committee meet in the office of Mess^rs Longmore & Sworder in Castle Street Hertford and there came Rev^d W. Wigram: Rural dean – Richard B Croft RN – Charles E Longmore & Gerard J H Gosselin Secretary who laid before the Committee Mess^rs Ekins & Sons estimate for the work of restoring the Chancel according to the plans of M^r Micklethwaite & Somers Clarke. Mess^rs Ekins state they will do the work for the sum of £374”0”0 this being £114”0”0 in excess of the Architects estimate M^r Wigram had asked M^r Ekins to reconsider his estimate, which he declined to do.
M^r Gosselin informed the Committee that having shown M^r Ekins estimates to M^r Mickelthwaite, he said it was preposterous – “the estimate of a man who did not know what the work would cost and so had left himself a large margin” – and that he considered his (M^r Mickelthwaites’) estimate was ample, that it was not a haphazard guess, that he had carefully gone into it and that it was calculated at London prices, so that in the country it should be cheaper.” ( N.B. this last idea of M^r Mickelthwaite showed that he was a stranger to Hertford & its tradesmen), also M^r Mickelthwaite said that if M^r Ekins would not come down that he was sure he could find a London man to do the work, one to be trusted. Cap^t Croft thought he would have to eat his words. M^r Wigram said, do not have any local jealousies , go to London; we have given the local men a chance and unless M^r Mickelthwaite is wrong they have as usual stuck on their price. It was suggested that M^r Hunt of Ware might do the work cheaper, however it was determined that as Mickelthwaite said he could get the work done at a reasonable price he should be asked to appoint a builder and ask him to estimate . M^r Gosselin was instructed to write to him. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

6th July Confirmed W Wigram