Page:Item 9 1861.pdf/195

George Clement, Esq. for himself and others. This land, under the appellation of “The Great Brook Estate” was advertised to be again sold by auction on the 25th of August, for the erection of private residences, and business premises. The ​building​ plan was said to be so arranged as to combine sites for all classes of houses, varying from 30 to 15 feet frontages, and of various depths, all opening upon ​road​s 36 feet wide and forming in the centre a square. The property was declared to be free from manorial rights and being in a parish [St. Andrew’s] where the local rates were almost nominal. Purchasers might have the freehold conveyed to them or take a lease at a rent equal to 5 per cent. on the purchase money redeemable within ten years. A space was to be reserved for a church. It was further stated that the great demand for small houses in Hastings, where it was impossible to find room for the increasing population made this an eligible opportunity to supply the required accommodation. The estate was divided into 182 lots, all of which were disposed of on the said 25th of August for ​building​ purposes, at the Havelock hotel. The competition was brisk, and the sum realized by the sale amounted to £10,494, being nearly double the sum for which the estate had been previously purchased by Mr. Clement. The writer remembers taking tea with Mr. and Mrs. Clement after the first purchase had been effected, when the said purchase was one of the topics of conversation. Said a gentleman, who was also present at the tea-table, “When I heard that you had given over five thousand pounds for that bit of land, I said fools and their money are soon parted.” Mr. Clement retorted by asking “What will you bet me that I don’t clear a thousand pounds by it? The gentleman expressed his doubts, but wisely, as it turned out, declined to bet. Not only was there nearly £5,000 profit cleared by the sale of the land in plots for ​building​, but some of the plots quickly found purchasers again at a profit, and the formation of St. Andrew’s square was almost immediately commenced. The reference in the announcement of the sale to the great want of small houses in Hastings, was thoroughly justified by facts. Numerous letters and urgent appeals appeared in the St. Leonards Gazette on this great want of small tenements, and, as a foot note to one very long communication, the journal here named had the following remark:- “Our correspondent’s vivid picture of a social evil is ‘an o’er true tale’, corroborative of the statements we have more than once felt it our duty to make [See pages 132 to 134]. We were credibly informed, a few weeks since, that at least a dozen families were homeless, and we are assured that at the present time there is one small house in St. Leonards in which thirty human beings are huddled together. Is this wholesome? Is it decent? Our Health of Towns Act is ineffectual under such conditions, and it is clear that the only remedy is to be found in the carrying out of our correspondent’s suggestion.” The present writer had cause to believe that Mr. Clement (taking his cue from the editorials and correspondence of the Gazette and the News) persuaded himself that in the*nbsp;-