The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-09-10 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL ST.I.VD:IRD

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL ST.IND.IRD.

Sir,—ln your paper of Friday (under the head of " Proceed-
ings of the Common Couucil,") you mention a letter of mine to
the Corporation, relative to Tiihebarn-street, in a way that may
lead to a wronc, and very injurious impression; I therefore beg
you will do me the justice to publish the letter itself, esp ecially
as many of your readers are interested in the subject.
Yours, &c., JOHN CRAGG.

"TO THE MAYOR, BAILIFFS, AND BURGESSES IN COMMON

COUNCIL.

" Gentlemen —I had thehOU;nWto address you on the 18th
June concerning the opening of Tithebaru-street, and by a note
from the Clerk of the Improvement Committee, dated the Bth ult.,
I was informed that my letter was laid before the last Monthly
Council, and that the Corporation declined the proposal I made
to them : but the first, and by far the most material part of my
letter seems to have escaped them altogether.
" I find that the odium of obstructing this great entrance into
the town from the Noah has for several years past often been
thrown upon me; how unjustly the following facts upon your
own records will show. In November, 1820, I made an offer in
writing 'of such part of my buildings and premises as came
within the line of improvement for the sum of £4,166, being
assisted in that estimate by two surveyors of great experience in
such valuations. The Corporation in reply offered me £3,150 for
the same, which I refused as greatly inadequate, considering the
annual amount of the rents of the houses and premises to be
taken down in the 61 yards to the front of Tithebarn-street ;
and this was the only offer, be it remembered, that I received
from the Corporation, although the contrary has been publicly
reported; it however at once in itself shows that the Improve-
'ment Committee have, for a difference of £1,316, suffered this
vast thoroughfare to remain in a dangerous state for more than
a dozen years, to the great depreciation of property in that di-
rection, and to the great hazard of the public.
"Again—in July, 1821, after a lapse of four years, I made
them another offer. Either of these proposals, had they been
accepted, would have opened the street entirely and instantly;
but the Improvement Committee of that period preferred taking
only a part of my front premises, in the face and teeth of the
17th clause of the Improvement Act, and for which they paid
me £2,778 in order to get a narrow slip of land between the
remainder of toy premises and the street, and thus they opened
only about 20 yards at either end of the front, and left 20 yards
of zigzagged projection in the middle, as it now stands to view,
to the disgrace of the neighbourhood !
" In consequence of these proceedings of the Improvement
Committee, and the Recorder upon my appeal having referred
me for remedy to ' a higher Court,' I wrote to the Common
Council in the following tern's:—

"31st October, 1825.

" Gentlemen,—When it is considered that should I obtain
the protection of that higher Court; the effeut will be to keep
Tithebarn-street as it is ; and on the other hand, should the
Corporation prevail, it only opens the street partially, leaving a
most offensive and ridiculous obstruction—could we not then
reconcile all the differences, and gpen the street entirely and
immediately by such an arrangement as the following ? 't he
Corporation have so recently as within a few months past
purchased what laud Water-street wanted in its width
from three land-owners, two of them members of the
corporate body. Now I will at once agree to sell my
sixty-one yards of front to widen Tithebarn-street, by the same
rule, that is to say, at the rate of what was paid to Mr. Drink-
water, Mr. INiolvoeux, and Mr. Ledward, per yard, for their
old fronts: the difference between the value of land in Water-
street and the value of land in Tithebarn-street being left to the
judgment of two independent men, one to be named by each
party; and they can also calculate the difference between land
in full lease, arid mine in lease of one life and twenty-one years.
Should they differ in opinion, they can call in a third person.
" I make this proposal for the immediate convenience of the
public in so great a thoroughfare, without prejudice to the ques-
tion at issue, should it be necessary after this to proceed to a
higher court.—l am, &e.
"This proposal, although founded upon the actual experience
of the said Itoprovement.Committee's own simultaneous doings,
was also rejected. And as the public had a right to know why
this particular spot of in had not kept pace'with the opening
of other parts, I publislied this unsuccessful effort which I hail
made for a speedy and equitable adjustment, in Billinge's pa-
per of the 15th November, 1825; and I added, " I trust my
offer will be recoaected should the absurd projection designed
opposite the foundry-gates hereafter put passengers to incon-
venience.
" It only reached my ear very recently that about two years
ago, whilst I was from home, a most frightful accident happened
to ?Ir. Perry (the agent for steam-packet.;) and his wife, who
were returning. to town in a gig, and the horse ran between this
projection and a cart that was in the narrow passage; both
were thrown out of the carriage, and the gentleman was greatly
injured, and confined man weeks in consequence. Of the
fatal accident which beret Mary Madden, (a poor child of S
years old,) in the same unopened part of the street, about two
months ago, you are already apprised by your coroner. It is
also unnecessary to advert to what is daily and hourly happen-
ing in the same place, except to remark that the dreadful re-
sponsibility of keepinff, it as it is is constantly increasing.
" I am filly aware that the Corporation are the great conser-
vators of the town's highways, with ample powers under the
acts of Parliament alluded to, (and with ample means at the
disposal of the Improvement .Committee, as is evident from
their manner of widening the passage from Leece-street to
Rodney-street, at this moment); and I own that it does in'
behove me to iutelfere further than the defence Of my o'