POSTSCRIPT
The placing of the church building and the exact site were reconsidered in an exchange of correspondence between Mr Meaby and Colonel Drew in January 1930
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I am sorry to trouble you again about this but am not exactly happy about the position of the land. I enclose a tracing which has passed between us before - did we actualy agree after discussion the land edged red? I ask the question because I have it in my mind when we talked this over here in the Office, we considered it would be nice to have the site so that you could see it coming up from Ensbury, more or less in the position which I have pencilled on the enclosed tracing, which please let me have again with your reply. What do you think about the comparative positions? If you think it will be more easy to talk things over, perhaps you could look in and see me one day the week after next? If you are ging to do this, please telephone before you come in so that I can be certain to be here. Yours sincerely etc |
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Site of Church Dudsbury W.Parley I am sorry I have not been able to reply to your letter of the 3 Jan before. I think the original site is the better in spite of the loss of the view from the Ensbury Road. The ground at the back ( your alternative position) is rather marshy & might give difficulties in building & it is also some feet below the level of the road. The original site is on a slight rise & avoids this. If your surveyor happens to be out in this neighbourhood perhaps you will allow him to meet me at the spot to make quite sure of th position. I paced out the distances roughly in the first instance. I think it is pritty right on your tracing (which I return). It is very good of you to take all this trouble. Yours sincerely etc |
It seems from the above that Colonel Drew had a telephone, a rarity in those days. Not just a telephone but as you can see from the letter below Colonel Drew has now acquired a typewriter
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I beg to thank you for the Instrument of Transfer, which I will have completed and returned as soon as possible. As the Rector is at present away from home and also as it will be necessary to convene a special Meeting of the Parochial Church Council, it will be about a fortnight before I shall be able to do so. Yours etc |
There is a brief exchange of letters - Drew to Wilsons, Solicitors dated 22 May 1930 (note this date!) returning the Instrument of Transfer duly signed. In the letter he asks to be advised when the legal formalities have been completed so that the site may be fenced.
- Wilsons to Drew dated 23 May 1930 advising that it will take some time to complete the transfer but as all parties have signed there is "no reason why the PCC shuld not straight away make arrangements for the fencing of the site"
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We would refer you to a Transfer dated 24 May 1930 conveying to the Parochial Church Council of the Parish of All Saints West Parley a piece of land in the Bournemouth Road Ferndown. One of the conditions of the sale was a liability for the Purchasers to erect fences on all sides, and we must now ask that these fences be erected. This will necessitate staking out the boundaries, and perhaps you will kindly let us know who will represent the Parochial Church Council in this matter, as we have been asked by the Surveyor for the adjoining property to make theses arrangements as quickly as possible. Yours faithfully (signed as Alfred Savill Sons) |
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We have now agreed with the adjoining owners the boundaries of the Site on the East side of Bournemouth Road, Parley, owned by the West Parley Parochial Council and we have staked out the Site with six oak posts and one concrete post. We enclose herewith a Plan which we have prepared showing the exact measurements of the Site. We return herewith the Land Registry Filed Plan Title No P.xxxxx Your faithfully (signed) C E Damen & Son |
Now note the dates in the last letters - the one from Savills, Lord Wimbornes Agents (Mr Meaby seems to have gone and the office has moved) is dated 12 June 1937 - 7 years later!
and to top it off the one from Damen and Son saying the fences have been erected is dated 21 December 1938 - another year later! Savills letter is also addressed to the Rector. It would appear that Colonel Drew has also vanished.
This, of course, is not the end of the story, there are some surprises in store yet, but all that must await the new year and probably the Spring before you see it, as there is much work to be done.
not the least of this will be to see if there is any reason on the records why there is no mention of the Rector in all the correspondence that has been examined so far. It is as if Colonel Drew ran the place, perhaps he did. We shall see
Should you have any information or records that would be of use in this research please contact us. Use the link on the home page or speak to the Rector next time you are in Church