CHARLES H. WELCH
98
advertised for sale, I had passed it without a second thought. I said, `if I buy it myself do I get the £5?' He looked a
bit surprised, but the upshot was, that after the kindly inspection of the building by our brother Wilfred Mills, I
closed with the offer, and moved in. Our eldest child `Wyn' was then about six months old. For some time I worked
in the nursery, producing food, mainly tomatoes and ultimately erected a set of greenhouses for my own use.
Again, the hand of the Lord was most evident, and demands an account of what happened here. The manager of
the greenhouse where I had worked, came to me one day and said `are you still looking for some occupation to keep
you here in the country?' I replied that I most certainly was, as the exchequer was exceedingly low and would soon
be exhausted. He told me that at some distance away there were greenhouses for sale, to be taken down for
rebuilding elsewhere. I visited them and estimated at current prices new material would cost about £800. These
were going as they stood for £200. But here comes the most unbusiness like move, that I felt, nevertheless, (with the
agreement of my dear wife who so loyally stood by me all this time) I must make.
To appreciate the predicament I was in, and the nature of my action, it will be necessary to set out the disposition
of the land on which my cottage and adjacent property stood. It will be seen that there was no means of access by
cart, van or trolley, no room for stores, or for building greenhouses; the garden was full of fruit trees necessary for
the household. Anyone with any common sense would have said `much as I would like to take advantage of this
offer, it is quite out of the question, as I have nowhere to build them, and dare not waste the last £200 I possess on
such a crazy venture'. Nevertheless, believing that I was called `to go out not knowing' I wrote the cheque for £200
and became the possessor of this property. My financial resources were so limited that I lacked the face to go to one
of the big banks, but had gone, very humbly, to Farrow's Bank in Cheapside, E.C.2 where I opened an account on
April 30th 1914 with a deposit of £124.10.0. The last entry in my pass book reads:
Dec. 31st, 1920. To Balance £41. 0.7.
The payment for the greenhouses was made on August 5th 1920.
Now comes the evidence of Providential overruling. Had I been very business like I should have lost, not only
the balance £41.0.7 which I did, but the £200 as well, for Farrow's Bank suddenly closed and ceased payment. I did
at least have £200's worth of material. So for about three months, single-handed at odd times I removed three tons
of glass, thousands of bricks and thousands of feet of timber, but still had no knowledge as to what to do with it all -
until one day, the next Providential intervention occurred. The house adjoining Ebenezer (well named as it turned
out) marked on the plan B, had a cart road at the side marked C and a piece of land running at right angles at the