Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1874-09-17
THE VAST Possessions OF THE NOBILITY
IN LONDON.

ness of houses-like the central square
of chesscboard; and, as the hordes
that inhabit it daily dwell miles away
on the outskirts, it is ridiculously
small population in the night compared
to what it has in the day time-SOO,-
900 in the day and $4,000 at night.
Any body, mechanic, or any body
else, who rents or owns house, has a
vote--that is to say, man who pays
rates. or taxes-for there is no law
here which gives useless idler the
privilege of disposing ofpublic money
furnished by other people. The "City'
has it's own police, and its own gov
ernment. The rest of the metropolis
is composed of a great hive of one
separate villages, which still retain their
own names as Charing, Holborn, ETC.,
but they are welded together into a
compact mass of houses now, and no
stranger can tell when he passes out of
one of these towns and into another.
The estates of the nobility are strict
~ entailed, and cannot be alienated
from the family. The town property
which these great landlords own it
leased for long terms-from half a cen.
fury up to ninety nine years. was
visiting houae In the West End, the
quarter where Westinghouse property
is most valuable. My hcst said be
bought the lease of the house he was
living in IA three~story brick with base
menD twenty yeats ago, for seven
thousand FIVE hundred dollars, when it
had forty one and quarter years to
run. Every year he has to pay one
hundred and fifty dollars ground rent.
But in these days property has SO
greatly advanced in value all over Lon
don, and especially at the West End,
that if this lease were for sale now it
would require something like fortune
to buy it, and the ground rent would
be placed at one thousand dollars
wear, instead of the one hundred and
fifty dollars the present owner will go
on paying for the next twenty years.
The property belongs to the Duke of
Bedford, and when he reflects upon
what that property will havn scared to,
ten or fifteen years from now, and still
paying him only the tri1e Of one hum
bred and fifty dollars year, he prob
ably wants to go and dig up his late an
cestor and shake him.
This house was one of seventy-fve
Just like it that surround q beautiful
square containing two or three acres of
ground grounds, large old
trees, broad, clean shaven grass plots,
kept sclupulously swept from twigs,
fallen leaves, and all other eye sores.
His grace the Duke owns all those sew
enty. five houses, and he owns the orna
mental square in the middle also. To
each house he leaves key that will
open any of the numerous gates (there
Is all iron railing all around) to the
square, and nobody can get in these
but the occupants of the seventy-fve
houses and such persons as they choose
to invite They do deal of croquet.
The seventy-fve pay small sum year
iy to keep the square in repair.
1t was pleasant day, and we walked
along down the street. Every time we
crossed new street my host said:
This property belongs to the Duke
of Bedford also-all these stately
blocks of buildings both sides of the
street"
By,and by we came to another
ornamental square like the other, and
surrounded by large dwellings.
"Who own this square and these
houses
'sThe Duke of Bedford"
We turned and walked about half
mile in another direction. Still the
same. All the way it was, ''This all
belongs to the Duke of Bedford this
Ornamental. square is his; this is the
statue of the late Duke all the smoky
statues We have seen represent dukes of
tho line, of former generations. We
are pretty we'll tired out by this time,
else we might 60 on till we could show
you the great Convent Garden Mar
ket-one of the sights of London"
''Nho owns it'"
"rhe Duke of Bedford"
81 suspected as much. Does he own,
the property around it?"
ssHe does
''Does he own any in the courtry."
Whole counties
took a cab and drove about seven
teen miles, or such matter, to my no
tel. No candles in my room-no water
no towels. [ said to the landlord, 81 |
have serious notion of complaining to
the Duke of Bedford about the way |
you keep this hotel"
He said what has he got to do with
til"
said. HE probably has a good |