MR. WHITELEY'S WILL.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIE,—The article headed " A Garden City of Old Age " which appeared in your columns of February 22nd is interesting and picturesque, but it leaves no doubt in my mind that the writer has neither seen nor heard the provisions in the late Mr. Whiteley's will on the subject. Building cottages in the air for old people is only to be surpassed in fascination by the actual building of material ones ; but in this particular case the money is not in the bands even of the executors to do with as they like. Some mouths ago, for local and personal reasons, I went to Somerset House and read the will of the late Mr. Whiteley. As is well known, this is in the power of any one
ho wishes to do so by the payment of one shilling, but special precautions and stringent rules are laid down to prevent the copying of any document. I can only quote, therefore, from notes written from memory within half-an- hour of my reading of the will. The Whiteley Homes "must be situated in some or one of the western suburbs of London, or in the adjacent country if possible and convenient,
within ten miles of Charing Cross, and must be in a bright and healthy situation and 'on gravel soil." Now, to get a thousand acres of land as a compact plot- within ten miles of Charing Cross would puzzle any one but a magician, and the adjacent country in which I happen to live is valued at from £200 to £300 per acre. Further- more, if I remember rightly, there was no hint of any of the money being at liberty to be' spent on the salaries of any one whatever, though pensions are to be allowed either to the inmates or to some in lieu of becoming inmates. The money is to be spent from time to time as the executors think fit. For my own part, what I should like to see would be a large number of these almshouses in groups, each providing accommodation for about twenty old men and women, scattered around London as far out as the terms of the will allow, so that instead of concentrating all the old people in one place, they may for the most part remain within easy reach of their families and friends. It is greatly to be hoped that in any case the style of architecture will be of the simplest cottage kind and as far removed as possible from the " villa," the " barrack," or the " workhouse "• order. I should like also to suggest that if local committees are appointed it might be useful to have at least two women to serve on each. I fancy they would have sufficient common-sense to protest against small but glaring mistakes such as those recently overlooked in the building of almshouses within twenty miles of London. Though in nearly all respects most excellently designed, they include sitting-room windows placed so high that the old people cannot see anything but sky without standing, and mantel-shelves from which it is doubtful if a short woman could reach a box of matches without getting
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