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Fund towards the purchase of the land." This action of the
Vestry was confirmed and approved at a Public Meeting of
the Ratepayers, held on the 20th July, 188G, and presided
over by Mr. Morgan Howard, M.P. The ground had been
viewed by the Lewisham Board at their Annual Inspection
of the District on the 7th July; and on the 28th day of the
same month, it was moved by Mr. Dodson, and seconded byMr.
Keen, " That the District Board having, at the recent
Annual Inspection, viewed the site of a piece of ground lying
nearly opposite St. John's Church, Penge, which site the
inhabitants desire to acquire for the purpose of a Public
Eecreation Ground, hereby resolve that the same be accepted
by the Board, in accordance with the resolution of the Board
on the 15th day of December, 1875." At the same Meeting,
a resolution was proposed by Mr. T. Blake, and seconded by
Mr. Bryce Grant, and carried, the purport of which was that
it was desirable that the Board should be empowered to apply
the sum known as the Gravel Allotment Fund as part of the
purchase-money, and that the Metropolitan Board of Works
be requested to insert a clause to effect this purpose in their
next General Bill.
On the 6th of August, 1886, Mr. T. W. Williams, the
representative of this District at the Metropolitan Board,
introduced to that Board a joint deputation from the District
Board and Ratepayers of Penge in support of a memorial
embodying the foregoing resolutions. On the 3rd day of the
following November, a letter was received from the Metropolitan
Board of Works, stating that they had resolved to
contribute half of the cost of the land and to apply to Parliament
for power to use the Gravel Allotment Fund. On the
17th of the same month the District Board passed a vote of
thanks to the Metropolitan Board for their prompt and
generous response to the wishes of the former Board in the
matter of the proposed Open Space at Penge, and also to
Mr. T. W. Williams for his successful support of the Board's
memorial. It ought to have been stated that, previous to
the deputation attending the Metropolitan Board, Messrs.