Miss Octavia Hill, by writing and trying to influence public opinion, made many efforts to secure open spaces. At her instance the Kyrle Society was founded for the general improvement of homes, of disused burial-grounds, and open spaces; and from this developed the Metropolitan Gardens Association, of which the Earl of Meath is Chairman. Immense credit is due to this Society, both for acquiring new sites and beautifying existing ones, and being instrumental in having countless places opened to the public. And to private individuals who have given whole parks, or largely contributed to others, too much gratitude cannot be expressed. Since they came into office, the London County Council has had added some 2300 acres of open spaces and parks to those under its care, which have been purchased, or given in whole or in part, by private individuals or other public bodies. Some of the last acquisitions of the London County Council lie quite outside the county boundary, so are beyond the limit set to this volume. Marble Hill is away at Twickenham but half the purchase-money of �72,000 was paid by the London County Council, and the entire cost of alteration and maintenance is found by it. The place was bought chiefly to preserve the wooded aspect of the view from Richmond Hill. The Forest of Hainault is also outside the bounds, near Epping. The 805 acres there are partly fields, and in part the remains of the old Forest of "Hyneholt," as it was often written, a section of the Royal Forest which covered a large tract of Essex.
