Journal entry – John Grey – 13 Feb 1835

Friday 13th February 1835



Examined with Benson the Buildings upon the Dilston Estate.  At the Town Farm the Offices are good and are of recent date, except one line of Cattle Sheds, which are of the former generation, the Walls shaken and the roof originally thatched with Heath, much wasted.  It would hardly be advisable to patch it up for a temporary purpose, instead of rebuilding it with a cover of Slates, but I directed Benson to make out an estimate for both ways.  At the South Farm now managed in the Town Farm, the only Cottages consist of two old Farm houses, which had been superseded one after another as times advanced & the fast for comfort & accommodations increased. Their mud walls & rotten timber render them barely habitable & to attempt to keep them up for 21 years longer would be an expensive & dangerous experiment.  We therefore decided that the cheapest way was to take them down & to fit up two or three Cottages as the Tenant may require for the work people on the Farm, out of the Stables etc which by the present arrangement,  can be spared for the purpose Mr Lee, the new Tenant of this Farm, having come over today I rode through all the Farm with him, hearing his opinions and advising him as to its management.