HC Deb 11 March 1886 vol 303 c458
MR. FISHER (Fulham)

asked the Chairman of the Metropolitan Board of Works, Whether a piece of land situated by the river in Fulham was presented and conveyed to the Board by the late Bishop of London for the purposes of a recreation ground; whether any offer has been made to the Board of any money for the purpose of providing labour for the laying out of that land as a recreation ground; and, whether the Board, in view of the large numbers of the unemployed in Fulham, will at once take steps to avail itself of any offer which may have been made or in any case will undertake to carry out this work of public utility?

THE CHAIRMAN (Sir JAMES M'GAREL-HOGG) (Middlesex, Hornsey)

In reply to the hon. Member. I beg to state that no such piece of land was presented and conveyed to the Metropolitan Board by the late Bishop of London. A little more than two years ago the Bishop offered to the Fulham District Board the meadow adjacent to his Palace at Fulham, and the District Board asked the Metropolitan Board to accept the land and lay out and maintain it as an open space. The Board went to see the locality twice, and gave careful consideration to the matter; but, in addition to the expense of laying out, it would have been necessary to expend a large sum in protecting the land from overflow of the river, and it was not considered expedient to comply with the request of the District Board. With regard to the second part of the Question, an offer was recently made to the Board by the Committee of the Mansion House Relief Fund of a sum of money to be devoted to certain works, among which was named the laying out of a public garden at Fulham on the ground referred to. The Board, however, were unable to accept this offer, not being in possession of any land at Fulham which could be devoted to the purpose, and I am afraid they are not in a position to come to any other conclusion.