THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

January 4 [1950]

Sir,

Cecil Sharp House was opened in 1930 in memory of the man who restored to the English people the songs and dances of their country. Bombed in 1940 it has, in spite of all possible temporary repairs, been steadily deteriorating. The English Folk Dance and Song Society, which has been carrying on the work Cecil Sharp began and is the custodian of the building, has undertaken to reconstruct it in 1950. The reconstruction embodies extensions and additions which will add to the facilities for the practice and study of folk music and dance, and so restore the memorial as the living centre of these national arts. Even with the war damage compensation and a substantial grant-in-aid, a large sum is still required to meet the heavy cost involved, and the society is appealing for £14,000. A quarter of this sum has already been subscribed, but the balance is urgently needed, and we wish to commend the appeal to all who care for our country’s traditions. Subscriptions will be gratefully acknowledged by the Treasurer, Cecil Sharp House, 2, Regent’s Park Road, London, N.W.1.
We are &c.,

Margaret Ampthill¹
Halifax²
Ralph Vaughan Williams

1. President of the English Folk Dance and Song Society
2. Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax, President of the Board of Education in the 1920s and 1930s.