Journal entry – John Grey – 6 Jul 1833

Saturday 6th July 1833

	After writing some letters & attending to business in. the office, I went according to appointment to Haydon town Farm, to decide upon the plan of the Buildings to be erected there this summer. The Farm house has been already repaired by Mr Hoopers directions, & the necessity of the other buildings also agreed upon, but the precise arrangement of them, left to future consideration – after particular examination of the ground, which is very uneven, & a view of the present buildings, which except the Barn & Strawhouse & a hovel which will be converted into a Cart Shed, are entirely useless, I decided upon. The propriety of adopting the plan previously submitted by Mr Howden, but with a little abridgement.

	I then proceeded to West Rattenraw, new occupied by Mr Potts, to examine the Thrashing Machine which being the property of a former tenant had been sold by him to a person now about to remove it – I had been informed that the large beam which crosses above the horse wheel, & in which the top of the upright shaft of that wheel works, was fixed in such a manner into the building that it could not be removed without destroying part of both walls and roof, - Finding this to be the case, I thought it adviseable to have a message for the purchaser, who is the Hospitals tenant at Tedcastle, when he should come to remove it, that if he would allow that beam to remain, as it is built into the house & will answer another Machine which the Tenant must erect there, he should either be paid its value in money, or have a beam to answer his purpose instead.

	I next went to Lipwood Hall, where some buildings were appointed to have been done, but the Tenant has only now found time for leading the materials – The Farm buildings here stand so closely upon the land of Mr Coats, that to get a passage past them to the high ground, it has been thought necessary, when the square is built up, through which the present road leads to remove a hovel for the purpose of making room for one – since leaving the place, it has occurred to me that that building may be saved, if it is worth it, by making a passage through one of the Cattle sheds & putting on a double door to close it by, which would answer for leading out the manure, & for other passage, that a way may be had round the east side of the buildings. I shall take another look at this & save the hovel if possible. I then accompanied the tenant to his Allotment, three miles Northward, to look at the condition of a wide ditch which forms part of the boundary fence between his & another division of common – It runs through a morass where a fence could not easily be built – but having gone a good deal in, it is neither a sufficient fence, nor safe when Cattle venture into it – I consented to the widening of this, which being Peat earth, will not cost more than 6d per rod, but was obliged to decline several other demands which the old Gentleman Errington urged upon me at which he was greatly displeased, & declared he would never have taken the farm, had he thought the Hospital was to become such hard Landlords. –

      I then returned by Grindon, where I found the farm House covered in again, with a good roof of blue Slates, & the repairs going on satisfactorily.

	In the course of this round, I had an opportunity of inspecting the draining in several farms, which Mr Hunt had gone to examine, & found it all very efficiently executed.