My thanks to all who replied to my query re poor rates It seems that old addage there is nothing so certain in life as Death and Taxes was a true then as now I had been puzzled by the fact that his neighbours were all rated at different amounts however have now discoved that the new houses on the south side of covent garden were not of a uniform sytle as had originally been specified by Indego Jones for the rest of the Piazza how was the ratable value of a house (on which the poor rate was based) made up is it just the window tax chris glass ruislip uk