Restoration of St Leonard's Church, 1883-89 Committee Meeting no 6

 

St Leonard's Church before restoration c 1870

– Again at 5- p.m. Friday the 6th day of July in the year of our Lord 1883, the Committee met at Bengeo Rectory. There were present the Rev^d W Wigram  the Rev^d J Mansel-Pleydell  &  Mess^rs Palmer & Gosselin _
1 – Proposed by Mr Pleydell that Mr Wigram should be elected Chairman (if he would allow it) for life – his consent being obtained – this was most unanimously carried _
2 – The minutes of the meeting of the 2nd June were read & signed by the Chairman _
3 – a letter from one Ambrose Hall a Clerk in Holy Orders expressing his real interest in the work and enclosing a subscription – he being a descendent of the Halls once of Goldings – he thinks he has a vault in the nave of the Church – but he is inaccurate its’ in the Chancel safe enough ­­­­­­­­­.
4 – Sundry letters from Mickelthwaite and Somers Clarke the Architects were laid before the Committee – they being the outcome of the last Committee meeting’s determination that M^r Mickelthwaite should be instructed to find a builder – in accordance with this determination M^r Mickelthwaite asked one Ansel, alte Gammon & Sons to tender, the fellow sent in an estimate of £459”0”0. In one of his letters, M^r Mickelthwaite says he will have his own estimate again overhauled “he thinks he must have made a mistake”. In a letter of July 3rd he says “putting a good price on everything we bring the price up to £343” – that a £10 item had been left out and other prices rather too low – he suggests also, that he and Ekins should meet & compare estimates. In this letter of July 4th he says that he sees no objection to doing the whole roof in deal; or to leaving out for the present the ceiling of oak until we can afford it though he’d rather put off the work for a while than do part of it.
5 – The Committee agreed (A) that the outer & inner roofs should be carried out separately (B) that M^r Ekins should be desired to send in his estimate for constructing the outer roof immediately (C) also alternative estimates for constructing the ceiling or inner roof in oak or deal according to the drawings of Mess^rs Mickelthwaite & Somers Clarke __
14 Nov^r 1883 Confirmed W Wigram