Commander Charlewood's appeal was, of course, turned down, the committee citing "the heavy demands that are being made upon it in connection with other similar schemes for the provision of building in new housing areas" and concluding "The Committee noted that you had already collected £800 towards meeting the deficit and felt that you would be wise to go ahead without delay with the building. It was confident that once people saw work starting on the site the rest of the money would soon be forthcoming". If you want to see the letters (no transcript, large image file) click here. There is an interesting exchange regarding the correct naming of the parish location; things were a lot more rural then, but destined to change, drastically!
Charlewood, ever resourceful, decided to try another tack. Remember the Church Commissioners loan? This was stated as 50% of the building costs, which the commissioners took as £6000. Well the building cost was now £7000 so .......
To Salisbury Diocesan Board of Finance
From Charlewood Sec PCC
Dear Mr Saumarez Smith
Proposed Hall-Church
West Parley
I have to refer to my letter to you, dated the 12 August 1955 and to my letter of the 30th January 1956 which was addressed to the Secretary to the Salisbury Diocesan Pastoral committee and of which copies were sent to the Archdeacon of Dorset and your self. In the application to the Church Commissioners for an advance towards the cost of providing the proposed hall, the draft of which was made by myself and forwarded to you with my letter of the 12th August 1955, the total cost of the undertaking was estimated to be £6000. We were advised by your letter F7/138 of the 9th September, 1955, that the Church Commissioners were prepared to advance the sum of £3000 being 50% of the estimated cost.
For reasons as stated in my letter of the 30th January 1956, addressed to the Secretary to the Salisbury Diocesan Pastoral Committee, the West Parley P.C.C. have been compelled to set their target at £7000 and I am directed to enquire whether, in these circumstances, the Church Commissioners would increase their loan to £3,500. this figure being 50% of the revised estimated cost.
Yours sincerely Charlewood Secretary West Parley PCC
Well full marks for initiative Commander. You may recall that the Church Commissioners would not correspond with anyone so lowly as a PCC secretary, only with HQ personel. Every avenue to raise funds was being explored, including the Incorporated Church Building Society. Documentary evidence regarding applications and money is non existent but I display the one document we have, dated 8 March 1956 because of its reference to snow. At the time this history was being written the world is concerned with global warming and the idea of snow, real deep snow that is, falling in West Parley is absurd.
From Incorporated Church Building Society
To Messrs Allner Morley & Bolton
The Committee is obliged to the architects for their letter dated 10th February.
It is understood that the type of construction has been adopted to keep down the cost but in view of the slight construction of the roof, the Committee feel that some assurance should be given as to stability, having regard to possible heavy falls of snow.
The Committee does not wish to withhold approval in this case and the plans and specification have been stamped "approved" on the understanding that the above comments are kept in mind.
Copy to The Rev W J Freeman
To Rector : The plans and specification are returned herewith stamped "approved" and your application for a grant will be considered when we receive the form sent to you on 25th January last.
Whilst activities financial seem to have taken our atttention things have not been standing still on the building front. The job was put out to tender to four builders, even though at the beginning of the year Staceys were going to do the job. The estimates received ranged from £7625 to £6190 with a 40 week build time. This latter one being from Staceys. The tenders were considered at a committee meeting on the 23 April 1956 and Staceys was selected. Although there may have been some verbal contact with Mr Morley by Charlewood with the outcome of the meeting, Charlewood did not write to confirm acceptance of Stacey's tender until the 5th May 1956. There has been considerable slippage from the timetable originally ensvisaged by Charlewood, with no prospect of the project being completed in 1956. It is also rather surprising by modern practice but at this stage no decision, or hardly any thought has been put into how the building was going to be heated. On the 3 May 1956 Morley wrote passing on an estimate received from the Southern Gas Board and adding "The scheme suggested is not necessarily final and we can still discuss other alternatives and running costs" and much later on, when the hall was nearly completed, that is what happened.
I think it is now safe to say that finally in May 1956 building work actually started on St Marks Church Hall as on the 8th May Mr Morley wrote:-
From Allner Morley & Bolton
To Charlewood
Dear Commander Charlewood
Proposed Hall Church - West Parley
Thank you for your letter of the 5th inst. with instructions to accept Messrs R M and R Stacey's estimate of £5875 for the construction of the Hall/Church at Parley Cross. We have acquainted Mr Stacey with this decision and are preparing the necessary contract documents and hope that we shall be able to inform you in a day of two when Mr Stacey proposes to start work.
We have also received a letter from the Rector giving us the wording for a notice board, and Mr Stacey has agreed to get this written and erected withou extra charge.
Yours sincerely J G Morley
To conclude this phase of this history I will tell you that on the 6th April 1956 Saumerez-Smith of Diocesan Board of Finance advised Commander Charlewood that the Church Commissioners had agreed to increase their loan to £3500, with the additional formalities this entailed being completed on the 7 May 1956.
All is now in place for the sucessful completion of the project - isn't it?
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