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King, which is emphatic proof of Royal interest in the establishment."
Mr Wilson invited inspection, and in every corner the " Red House " was found equipped with up-to-date appliances, and presented an inviting aspect. The idea, it was gathered, is to conduct the house under similar conditions to those pre vailing in Miss Agnes Weston s homes for sailors at Devonport and Portsmouth. The " Red House " was erected at a cost of 10,000. Like most things, it had small beginnings, and this is how Mr Wilson tells the story: "A lady" (Miss Hawksley, sister of the well-known solicitor) "came to St Augustine s to start a Bible class for men. She was offered a room twelve feet by ten feet in a house in one of the streets near, and got a dozen men to join. To distinguish the house from the others for the guidance of the class members, a red window blind was put up. The class very soon outgrew the accommodation, and larger temporary premises were secured. In these there was a coffee-room downstairs and larger rooms above, where the class was held on Tuesday night. The general idea of the place seemed capable of development, and the need for a larger institution was manifest. Well, the Red House was the outcome of the exertions put forth. There is a large coffee-bar on the ground floor, dining-room in the basement, recreation-room on the first floor, and the red room for the Bible class on the
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