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a suggested widening of Farringdon Road, where it passes the
site of Coldbath Fields Prison, and I am directed to forward, for
the information of the Vestry of Clerkenwell, the enclosed copy of
a letter received from the Post Office upon the subject.
I am, Sir,
Your obedient Servant
H. DE LA. HOOKE,
To the Clerk of the Clerk to the Council.
Vestry of Clerkenwell.
General Post Office, London,
7th October, 1889,
Sir,
In reply to your letter of the 4th instant, No. 8817—C. 1,
10. I am directed to state, for the information of the London
County Council, that the Postmaster-General has for some time
been in communication with the Vestry of St. James and St.
John, Clerkenwell, with reference to representations which have
been made to him by that body, as to the necessity for widening
Farringdon Road by setting back the wall of the Old Coldbath
Fields Prison, and he has now under consideration a proposal for
removing the present wall between Oldham Gardens and Calthorpe
Street, and erecting instead a dwarf wall with iron railings, so as
to enlarge the street to a width of 00 feet.
I am to add that Mr. Raikes assumes that the local authorities
will be prepared to purchase the land which would thus be thrown
into the street.
I am, &c ,
G. W. SMYTH,
H. De La Hooke, Esq., For Secretary.
Clerk to the London County Council.
In reply to the foregoing, the County Council
were informed that the Vestry are strongly in favour
of the widening of the road, but are not prepared
to purchase the land thrown into the road as
assumed by the Postmaster-General, and at a
subsequent Meeting on the 28th November directed
that the attention of the Postmaster-General be
called to his letter of the 15th August (see above),
in which he said he should be prepared to recommend
the Government to concede the necessary
land to widen the roadway to 60 feet.