95 Bath Street,
Glasgow
8th May, 1899
Dear Lady Stewart,
I have sent a wire to Mr McGarva to forward to you the plans of the church which he had for the use of the tradesmen in estimating. I have only the working drawings here.
My suggestion, in order to reduce the cost to some thing near the cost which I knew you had in your mind, was to cut off the tower at the level of the sill of the Belfry windows and to leave the tower manifestly unfinished. I was very loathe to suggest any interference with the general design, which I know is my best work as yet, and I am always loathe to suggest the use of inferior materials in a church. I am very confident from former and frequent experience that a work which is well carried out in good material and with good workmanship has a far finer look to the cultured eye, even although the work is incomplete, than another work complete in all its parts, yet cheaply and poorly executed - and there is something nice in leaving work for other days or other hands.
I think I would grudge every penny spent upon a temporary belfry. I wonder if I would not grudge it more upon a belfry which did not meet one's highest idea. If a belfry stage is needed, it must rise well over the level of the ridge of the nave roof. Would it do to retain the present design of the Belfry windows and only to omit the sloping spire? A sloping slated pyramid roof could take the place of the spire. I have taken out the cost of this present belfry stage and I find that the cost is £340. The slated roof would cost £40 or £50 more, another suggestion would be to place a lead roof on the top of the tower and erect a narrow pointed spirelet in the centre. This I show on sketch. I fear that the suggested retention of the belfry stage does not meet your wishes regarding the cost and it is in my desire to keep to the sum mentioned that I would advocate the cutting off of the belfry stage and the covering in of the lower part of the tower with a flat roof.
I have gone over the schedules very carefully and I see some chance of making other savings in the course of the work. But I would wish to discount these savings, for the present, since I know there may be some extra work required of which I do not know at present.
I shall keep an eye upon the cost all through. What I would like now is to know the limit of cost. I think I can manage to keep within this.
I remain
Yours faithfully
P. MacGregor Chalmers