Saturday, October 02, 2004

Love thy neighbour 

Part 1:
"During this week we have been much disturbed by what I at first thought were the howlings of your dog, and, knowing from experience that this sort of thing could not be helped, I put up with the annoyance. But, the noise recurring at a comparatively early hour this morning, I find I have been quite mistaken, and that it is the frantic effort of someone trying to sing with piano accompaniment, and during the day we are treated by way of variety to dreadful scrapings on a violin, with accompaniments. If the accompaniments are intended to drown the vocal shrieks or teased catgut vibrations, I can assure you it is a failure, for they do not. I am at last compelled to complain, for I cannot carry on my profession with this constant thump, thump, scrape, scrape, and shriek, shriek, constantly in my ears. It may be a pleasure or source of profit to you, but to me and mine it is a confounded nuisance and pecuniary loss, and, if allowed to continue, it must most seriously affect our health and comfort. We cannot use the back part of our house without feeling great inconvenience through this constant playing, sometimes up to midnight and even beyond. Allow me to remind you of one fact, which most surely have escaped you - that these houses are only semi-detached, so that you yourself may see how annoying it must be to your unfortunate next-door neighbour. If it is not discontinued I shall be compelled to take very serious notice of it. It may be fine sport to you, but it is almost death to yours truly".
Letter from defendant to plaintiff in Christie v Davey [1893] Ch 316.

Part 2:
"The defendant did not like the music that he heard, and by way of retaliation he took to making noises himself, beating trays and rapping on the wall".
Christie as recounted in Hollywood Silver Fox Farm Ltd v Emmett [1936] 2 KB 468.

Heh.

Edited because touch typing sux0rs.

# posted at 5:37 pm

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