THE KING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1081, 21 March 1911, Page 5

THE KING.

i A SURPRISE VISIT. By Telegraph—Press Association-Gopyrltrht London, March 19. Kii.g George paid a surpriso visit to tho Hampstead garden suburb. His Mivies ty was greatly interested ill tho ndvdiiccs that have been mado in townplanning. Tho King and Queen will moko the voyage to India for the Coronation Durbar in the Peninsular and Oriental Company's new steamer Medina (13,000 tons), launched at Greenock last'week. THE GARDEN SUBURB. Tho Hampstead Garden Suburb tfas th« first, and is still (he most notable, example of town-nlanuing near London. Tho homes built on .tho suburb range in value'from JC3OO to JC3OOO. Standing' among their trees and f?ardens, they mako a stirring picture of what cities may ba ono day, when other things are thought of than the highest possible sum to bo 'wrung in rents out of a certain area. Tho Garden Suburb Development Company (Hampstead), 'Ltd., was formed to build houses on a long strip of open country running about two miles northwost from Ilnmpstead Heath, and of about 240 acres in extent, which was suddenly, in its unspoilt state, brought within 25 minutes of London by tho opening of the Hampstead and Charing Cross Tube Railway. " The Garden Suburb is the property of tho Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust, Limited, a company formed to preserve for London, unspoiled by vulgar houses and mean streets, the foreground of tho beautiful country that forms tin; western boundary of tho lloath, and to create a residential quarter for Londoners, wheretho comfort of the inhabitants and tho beauty of their surroundings should not be sacrificed to tho greed of tho landowner or the necessities of the speculative builder. "When various plots are disposed of to different builders, and each builder considers only his own interest," wrote, in July, 1905, the Committee of the Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust, a voluntary committee of which tho Earl of Crew'o was chairman, "the result is what may ho seen in the unsightly modem streets," Tho Garden Suburb Development Company (Hampstead), Ltd., was afterwards formed as a separate and independent company to organise building on tho, estate. It was to devise a schemo for building houses which should not only themselves bo examples of the best work that could be obtained, but be designed and grouped in proper relation to one another, so that cach should form part of a well-considered Schemo for making the streets, as well as tho houses, beautiful. Tho Development Company has gone to work on lines which are almost entirely new in the history of estate development. Realising keenly the difficulties with which the intending houseowner is confronted, it has set itself fairly and squarely to meet every ono of them. Tlicro are now in tho offices of the company, for inspection, a very largo number of plans by leading British architects.The intending houseowner need not restrict himself, however, to any one of the numerous plans at tlio company's office, Ho can liavo e. new one made for him at no extra cost, or the company will work in conjunction with his own architect. When the plans are filially decided upon, tho company will quote a fixed and reasonable price, to includo not only tho actual cost of building, but suph additional items as fees to architect and to local authorities. This ensures that there shall be no extras of any description on the quoted price of tho house. If financial assistance is required, tho company can procure mortgages, or arrange for payment of the purchase-money b.v easy instalments, extendiijg over a period of