Wednesday, March 29, 1837

1837

March

Wednesday 29

1837

7 40/..

1

Goodish one last night.

The ground thickly covered with snow, and snowing fast, and Fahrenheit 36° now at 8 3/4 a.m.  

Had Rhodes about wire door for my portable bookcase. 

Breakfast at 9 – Ann read French after a cessation of a fortnight –

Sat in the blue room reading Wordsworth, Athens and Attica, till 12 – Then taking books downstairs and siding –

Wrote to Mr. Harper and Mr. Oldfield – Bligh and Robert finished setting up and repairing (rehanging the doors – sadly warped – the wood unseasoned) Ann’s bookcase in the north parlour this afternoon –

At 4 1/2, had them upstairs moving drawers (my large mahogany chest) and oak-painted chest and cupboard into the blue room and also bringing up there my uncle’s bureau from the north parlour –

All this took till 7 1/2 – Then dinner – Sent off my letters to ‘John Harper, Esquire, St. Leonard’s Place, York, Postage Paid’ and to ‘William Oldfield, Esquire, York’ –

Asked Mr. Harper to fix with Mr. S. Gray when to come in about a fortnight and let me know the day –

To consider how long Mr. Husband’s services would be required at Northgate and let me have someone else in his stead if this could be done without great detriment to the works at Northgate or inconvenience to Mr. Harper himself –

Mention the chance of being applied to for ground for a building for the Mechanics Institute.  Not anxious to trust unconditionally to any committee the architectural credit of buildings to be erected on my own ground.  Should therefore like to have Mr. Harper’s idea of a building suited to the purpose required (lecture room , library , museum, chemical laboratory, living rooms for curator), to be done for about £12,000, in good keeping with the casino, and to form part of the opposite side of St. Anne’s Street –

Ask Mr. Harper to send leather for Ann’s bookshelves and take-off hinges for the doors of my own portable library? and to pay Heron and Dale and Todd for Ann’s book (Wordsworth’s Athens and Attica) Mr. Harper brought on Thursday –

Order of Mr. Oldfield 4 dozen Marsala as before – 3 dozen good sherry and 5 dozen good port ready for immediate drinking – to be paid for on receiving the wine –

Ordered of Rhodes the wire-work man this morning iron wire-web for my portable library doors – at 1/. per square foot – 8 doors 2 feet 3 inches by 2 feet 1 inch = £5 +, but agreed that the job should be done for £5.

Coffee at 9 – Came upstairs at 10 – Tidied the blue room and wrote the above of today till 11 50/.. p.m..  

Fahrenheit 27° at 11 p.m.  Very wintry day –  a few gleams, but snowing more or less the greater part of the day –

Ann began this evening to use the north parlour as her sitting room and we had coffee there –

 

WYAS Finding Number SH:7/ML/E/20/0040