Mr. Douglas Freshfleld writes to Monday's Times that Afton Down,
at Freshwater, in the Isle of Wight, is to be sold by auction on August 6th "in building-plots suitable for the erection of high-class residences, villas, and bungalows," and that the ground is pegged out in accordance with this pro- posal. We trust that one of the most lovely spots in the Isle of Wight, and, indeed, in England, is not to be rained in this reckless manner. We had better give over Richmond Park to the practice of the Volunteer riflemen, or build Eiffel Towers on Helvellyn and Skiddam, than parcel out one of the Freshwater Downs for first-class villa-residences. One of the most needful, and perhaps one of the most tasking, duties of the future, will be to keep some of the chief beauties and the brightest breathing-spaces in England untouched by the hand of the speculative builder. Of course we shall have to pay ransom to these vendors of eligible sites to speculative builders, but surely an adequate ransom will be willingly paid.
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