I was riding past on a bus in March 2009 when I noticed a broken window pane in the side of this house, and it appeared to be abandoned and derelict, so I decided to go back to investigate and take some photos. I had another walk past a few days later and saw someone clearing out the building. We had a chat and he told me that the elderly lady who lived there had left to live in a care home - which is always rather sad, I think - and the house was subsequently put on the market.
It's a delightful Edwardian building with several interesting details. What's interesting is that the nearby Manor House was once owned by a family called Willoughby, who were earlier Lords of the Manor (seen in the previous post). That was some hundred years or so earlier than when this house was built, and I don't think there's any connection because the Willoughby name died out when the last heiress married. It is a rather nice coincidence though.
Controversy occurred when the Town Council decided to buy it for their meetings. A petition against it was formed, and a meeting in the Town hall was arranged to protest about the debt that would encrue for the town. During that meeting the seller's agent withdrew the purchase to the Council because of the bad feeling. The building has since been restored and is now owned by a private company for its offices.
There wasn't any access inside, but I managed to take a couple of interior shots through the windows where I could. The one below is of the hall through the main front door window.
There's another door on the right hand side with a lovely veranda style porch, indicitive of the Arts & Crafts movement during Edwardian times.
And the photo taken through this door of a downstairs living or dining room.
On one side of the house there's a lane which leads to a dead end.
A very high wall prevented me from looking over into the garden, which I really wanted to see. There were some interesting bits and pieces to take photos of though, including an old and broken cast iron pipe, below.
Someone on the forum Derelict Places, that I belong to, told me that the switch in the photo below is a 'fireman's switch', which is unusual on a residential building. Next to it is a label with the words 'B.P. sign' on. I googled that, but the only nearest match was for vintage enamel British Petroleum signs. So, I've got absolutely no idea what that was for.
Lovely peely paint on the shutter. This was on the side of a lean to extending from that side of the house. It looks like the kind of wall door that deliveries are made through but it looks too high for a coal cellar hatch. Another little mystery!
The road on the other side of the house is elevated. The rear view of the house is screened off by a thick hedge unfortunately, but I managed to squeeze through!
I was expecting to see an overgrown but delightful secret garden but I was sadly disappointed as the enclosed back garden was mostly full of brambles with a partially cleared space nearer to the house.
Altogether a pleasant little mooch. I haven't had a proper look again since it was sold on but I suspect that restoration meant losing some of the interesting old bits, so it's always nice to see and record them before they disappear.
EDIT: I've walked past a few times in the last year and the cleared garden patch is now a tarmac'd car park for the employers. Beyond that is still a wilderness of brambles and a profusion of wild flowers, which is lovely to see. Having also looked at the other side the odd bits and bobs have been removed and everything is now repainted, etc.
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