Coleridge House Claire Dimond Mills, October 2021
The earliest-known image of Coleridge House, then called Coleridge Cottage (courtesy Claire Higgens, Box Wiltshire An Intimate History)
I was recently asked to write the history of Coleridge House for the current owners, Vanessa and Chris Talbot and they very kindly agreed that I could share my findings on here. Most of you will know the story that Coleridge House is so named because the Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge allegedly stayed there in the early 1800s. Coleridge’s links to Box, specifically Ashley have been recounted in other articles so this one will concentrate on the people we know lived here.
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Some of the questions that the owners wanted to know included when the house was built and by whom.
Francis Allen’s 1626 map of Box (pictured courtesy Wilts History Centre) shows us that Coleridge House sits on top or to the right of the stream that runs down to the Bybrook. The field that runs between the stream and Mill Lane is called Lissetts, which gives its name to adjoining cottages facing the High Street and to the mobile home park, Lycetts Orchard, at the bottom of Mill Lane, which was owned by Willi Pinc (sic). William Pinchin was the miller, who owned Box Mill (now the Real World Music Studios) and was a wealthy and important man. In 1681 he donated a pew to the parish church and in the 1660s he testified in the trial of Walter Bushnell, the Vicar of Box. William Pinchin was succeeded by a long line of relatives all called William Pinchin, who owned and managed Box Mill. |
By the 1836 Tithe Apportionment Act the land had been divided into two plots either side of Coleridge House: a plot comprising the brewery site and another where the Old Dairy stands, originally called Brewery House, both owned by David Rice Pinchin, brewer.
I cannot find a direct link between William Pinchin, miller and David Rice Pinchin, brewer but I think somewhere down the line from William Pinchin in the 1600s, these parcels of land were passed to a younger son, perhaps when the toll road (now the A4) was built in 1761 which formed a separate plot. As Coleridge House stands between these plots my theory would be it was always owned by the Pinchin family.
I cannot find a direct link between William Pinchin, miller and David Rice Pinchin, brewer but I think somewhere down the line from William Pinchin in the 1600s, these parcels of land were passed to a younger son, perhaps when the toll road (now the A4) was built in 1761 which formed a separate plot. As Coleridge House stands between these plots my theory would be it was always owned by the Pinchin family.
Rear of Coleridge House and number 9 showing separate buildings (courtesy Claire Dimond Mills)
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Dating present Coleridge House
In order to date a property, it is often more useful to look at the back of a building as well as the front, which tends to be altered for cosmetic reasons. The original front part of Coleridge House is the oldest part and Historic England dates this to mid- to late-1700s.[1] The obvious difference in height between Coleridge House and number 9 Market Place suggests they were built separately but, before Les Bence sold the houses in 1972, these two houses had been owned by the same person. It is very probable that the current number 9 replaced an earlier building and on the 1836 map (right) the two buildings look to be the same size. In 1836 Coleridge House had an addition at the back which might be the current kitchen. |
Tithe Apportionment map (coirtesy Wilts History Centre)
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In the 1836 and 1875 maps Coleridge House adjoined the brewery buildings, as it still does today. This area shows there has been a lot of rebuilding of both Coleridge House and the factory building, as well as work done to accommodate the stream that flows under and between the two buildings. As we saw in the 1626 map the stream did flow in a straight line but now it kinks at the back of the garden so at some point its course has been changed, possibly when the A4 was built or Pinchin changed it to ensure a better flow of water to the brewery. This leads me to think that the land was owned by the Pinchins and the original houses were built by them, possibly for some brewery use. However, by 1836 when the tithe map below was produced Coleridge House had been sold separately. Left: The wall at the rear of Coleridge House shows substantial workings (photograph courtesy Claire Dimond Mills) |
Early Victorian History
Coleridge House sits in plot 349, the two buildings were both described as house, shop and garden. Plot 349 was owned by James Fudge and rented by Thomas Bath, who also rented plot 345a a garden between the brewery and the A4, and John Blissett who shared the plot.
Coleridge House sits in plot 349, the two buildings were both described as house, shop and garden. Plot 349 was owned by James Fudge and rented by Thomas Bath, who also rented plot 345a a garden between the brewery and the A4, and John Blissett who shared the plot.
The Market Place area running to the south of the A4 in the 1836 Tithe Apportionment map (courtesy Wiltshire History Centre)
Thomas Bath was a cordwainer or shoemaker, born to William and Ann Bath and baptised on 9 March 1782 in Box. In 1803 Thomas and his brothers were named on the Wiltshire Lieutenancy General Armament return which listed all men aged between 17 and 55 and what their role would be if Napoleon and the French Army should invade Britain. Thomas, already a shoemaker, had volunteered to stand and fight should the French get to Box. Obviously, they didn’t and three years later Thomas married Ann Facey in Bathwick on 20 January 1806. The couple had at least six children, Worthy b1808, Thomas born 23 February 1810, Mary Ann b 1816, James b1817, Charlotte born 1819 and Agnes born on 26 December 1824.
Interestingly Thomas Bath junior (born 1810) was a mason and part-time policeman who was called to the scene of the death of Ann Little in 1841, who had been beaten to death by her partner Isaac Smith. When Thomas took Isaac into custody, he (Smith) said that he had beaten her scores of times; he did not think it would come to this.
Interestingly Thomas Bath junior (born 1810) was a mason and part-time policeman who was called to the scene of the death of Ann Little in 1841, who had been beaten to death by her partner Isaac Smith. When Thomas took Isaac into custody, he (Smith) said that he had beaten her scores of times; he did not think it would come to this.
Thomas senior was listed as a shoemaker in the 1841, 1851 and 1861 census returns. The workshop where he made the shoes would have been at the back of the house with the main room, now the lounge, used to meet customers, and try on shoes. His tools would have hung from the walls and rolls of leather were probably kept in the room that is now an office. His family would have lived upstairs with perhaps more storage in the attic.
The adjacent plot was owned by John Blissett, carpenter. The 1841 census tells us he was living with his mother Elizabeth, wife Mary and seven children aged between 6 months and 10 years. Born in Box on 14 February 1801, he had married Mary Baker on Christmas Day 1827. Very sadly, by 1851, Elizabeth his mother in 1844, Mary his wife in 1848, and his daughter Eliza aged 10 in 1847 had died, and John was living in the workhouse, down by the church, on his own. I have not been able to find out much about subsequent happenings, except that his daughter Ann died in 1856 aged 27 and John himself in 1858.
The adjacent plot was owned by John Blissett, carpenter. The 1841 census tells us he was living with his mother Elizabeth, wife Mary and seven children aged between 6 months and 10 years. Born in Box on 14 February 1801, he had married Mary Baker on Christmas Day 1827. Very sadly, by 1851, Elizabeth his mother in 1844, Mary his wife in 1848, and his daughter Eliza aged 10 in 1847 had died, and John was living in the workhouse, down by the church, on his own. I have not been able to find out much about subsequent happenings, except that his daughter Ann died in 1856 aged 27 and John himself in 1858.
Connection with Fudge Family
Coincidentally, at the same time as researching Coleridge House, I was also researching a group of houses in Middlehill including The Laurels which in 1836 was rented by James Fudge. So, it could be that he owned Coleridge House but lived in The Laurels now known as Toad Hall.
When James Fudge senior died in 1837, the tenancy of The Laurels passed to his son James Junior who was a tailor. James had married Hester Harding in 1828 and they had six children Elizabeth, John, James, Emma, George, and Alfred. John married Sarah Elizabeth Brokenbrow in 1869 and in 1871 they were living in a draper’s shop on Frog Street, which possibly was Coleridge House. John was listed there as a draper and assistant overseer. By the 1881 census John Fudge had become the postmaster as well. The listing of the Fudge shop next to the Chequers in 1881 suggests they were still at Coleridge House. However, John died on 23 November 1883 and in the probate listing his home was called Lilstock House, the current location of the Box Post Office. So it appears that the Post Office moved between spring 1881 and John’s death in November 1883 .
Coincidentally, at the same time as researching Coleridge House, I was also researching a group of houses in Middlehill including The Laurels which in 1836 was rented by James Fudge. So, it could be that he owned Coleridge House but lived in The Laurels now known as Toad Hall.
When James Fudge senior died in 1837, the tenancy of The Laurels passed to his son James Junior who was a tailor. James had married Hester Harding in 1828 and they had six children Elizabeth, John, James, Emma, George, and Alfred. John married Sarah Elizabeth Brokenbrow in 1869 and in 1871 they were living in a draper’s shop on Frog Street, which possibly was Coleridge House. John was listed there as a draper and assistant overseer. By the 1881 census John Fudge had become the postmaster as well. The listing of the Fudge shop next to the Chequers in 1881 suggests they were still at Coleridge House. However, John died on 23 November 1883 and in the probate listing his home was called Lilstock House, the current location of the Box Post Office. So it appears that the Post Office moved between spring 1881 and John’s death in November 1883 .
John Fudge was a well-respected member of the Box community as his obituary in the Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette testified. He was described as post-master and assistant overseer (of the Poor Laws) and the respect in which he was held can be imagined from the fact that 10 or 12 of his neighbours and three postmen followed him to his grave.[2] Despite being left a widow with 7 small children, his wife Sarah continued to run the Post Office. Their daughters, Esther and Leonora, took over from her and then their nephew Richard Fudge ran the Box Post Office until 1983.
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When John Fudge died in 1883 he left Coleridge House to his brother-in-law Oliver Andrews who had married his sister Emma Fudge on 1 July 1869. They were both aged 31. Oliver Andrews (born 1839 to Thomas and Mary Ann Andrews) lived in Alcombe Cottage in 1841, just up the road from Emma Fudge at The Laurels.
Once married Oliver and Emma moved to Thingley Bridge Farm, between Gastard and the A350, but they were back in Box by 1881 living on Hazelbury Hill. Oliver was a cattle dealer and Emma was the first recorded head of the girls’ part of Box School. It does not look like Emma was schoolmistress for very long as by 1891 they have moved to Bath, living at 18 Walcot Buildings with their children. When Oliver died in 1897, he left Coleridge House to Emma, but he owed £400 to Blanche Collins, a spinster from Bath. When Thomas Bence bought both Coleridge House and number 9 for £575 in 1900, part of the consideration was used to reimburse Blanche. This is explained in the indenture pictured. |
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Bence Family Ownership
Coleridge House was rented by Thomas and Florence Bence from 1894 until they bought it in 1900. There were still living there in 1901 when they started to build their new grocer’s shop on the end of the road. The Bence’s owned Coleridge House and number 9 until 1972 and we can see some of the tenants who lived there until then.
Coleridge House was rented by Thomas and Florence Bence from 1894 until they bought it in 1900. There were still living there in 1901 when they started to build their new grocer’s shop on the end of the road. The Bence’s owned Coleridge House and number 9 until 1972 and we can see some of the tenants who lived there until then.
Coleridge House as a chemist shop (courtesy John Brooke Flashman)
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The story of Douglas Redvers Brooke, the second surviving son of John and Virginia Brooke, gives us information about Coleridge House in the 1920s. Born in Box in 1899, Douglas left school straight for the trenches, serving with the Worcestershires until he was medically discharged from service on 17 March 1919. His condition was diagnosed as valvular disease of the heart (VDH), subsequently confirmed as attributable to his military service.[3] He was awarded a service pension for a time at least. After the war, he trained as a chemist and for a while had a shop in Box village at Coleridge House. Linseed oil bottles have been found in the garden and perhaps they originate from this period. It is thought that the boy with the motorcycle is Douglas’ younger brother Cecil. The picture dates from the mid-late 1920s.
In July 1930 Douglas became engaged to a local girl, Ethel Oatley, and he purchased a pharmacy and shop in Swindon in July of that year. Travelling back to Box by motorbike to tell his parents, he was involved in a collision with another motorcyclist at a junction on the main Bath Road. The two machines hit each other head-on, and both riders receiving severe injuries from which they died soon afterwards. |
In 1939 there were new tenants at Coleridge House, Stanley Vincent Mays and his wife Augusta. Stanley was a grocer’s assistant which suggests the couple were living in the house and working for the Bence family, also their landlords, at the shop two doors down. Stanley had married Louisa Augusta Holborow in Bath in 1927 and the couple had one daughter Camilla Louisa Rosina Mays in 1930. The birth was registered in Chippenham which suggests the couple had moved from Bath to Box by the time of the birth, perhaps they moved into Coleridge House after Douglas Brooke’s unfortunate accident. Stanley was definitely living in Box in 1935 when he was charged by village policeman Joseph Gape with not having front and rear lights on his car. Camilla married twice, the second time to Edwin Jenks. On the 2003-2010 Electoral record, Camilla and Edwin were living at
7 Brunel Way and were a well-known couple in the village. Edwin passed away in 2016.
Stanley was an ARP Warden during World War II, when the authorities were fearful of a bomb-strike because of the Central Ammunitions Depot in the underground quarries. Air Raid Precaution Wardens like Stanley were key to winning the war as their job was to observe and report air raid strikes to anticipate the destination of German bombers and to enable Allied fighter planes to intercept as well of course to help with local safety. He was also Chairman of the Toc H, a society formed during World War I to provide a meeting point for servicemen and women, a place of rest, renowned for providing Fellowship and Service, symbolised by a welcoming lamp outside the door.[4] As it was interdenominational, meetings were held at the Vicarage and the Methodist Church.
7 Brunel Way and were a well-known couple in the village. Edwin passed away in 2016.
Stanley was an ARP Warden during World War II, when the authorities were fearful of a bomb-strike because of the Central Ammunitions Depot in the underground quarries. Air Raid Precaution Wardens like Stanley were key to winning the war as their job was to observe and report air raid strikes to anticipate the destination of German bombers and to enable Allied fighter planes to intercept as well of course to help with local safety. He was also Chairman of the Toc H, a society formed during World War I to provide a meeting point for servicemen and women, a place of rest, renowned for providing Fellowship and Service, symbolised by a welcoming lamp outside the door.[4] As it was interdenominational, meetings were held at the Vicarage and the Methodist Church.
Stanley was one of the organising committee of the Welcome Home and Peace Commemoration Fete, pictured left of Mr Arthur Adams in 1945.[5]
Augusta died in 1966, and her death is registered in the Chippenham district so it is possible they were still living in Box then. Stanley died in Bath in 1971 and is buried in Haycombe Cemetery, Bath. Thomas Bence died in 1957 and left Coleridge House and number 9 to his son Leslie Bence. At this time the street seems to be known as Fig Street (possibly a mis-spelling of Frog Street), rather than the Market Place, and the properties were considered dwelling houses rather than shops.
Les Bence sold the two properties separately in 1972: number 9 to Rosalie Elias and Terence Holley and Coleridge House to William and Christine Harrison for £2,850. The property changed hand six times between 1972 and 1990. It is likely the house was in need of considerable work when it was sold by Les Bence and it was only in the 1970s that the upstairs bathroom was added. It is probable that a lot of the period features were removed during this period, although some wooden panelling, stonework, fireplaces and beams do still exist.
There are a couple of interesting objects attached to beams in the house: a hook in the master bedroom and in the kitchen two metal circles attached to the ceiling, in a line perhaps for running a cord through in the photos below (courtesy Claire Dimond Mills). Was it for a pulley perhaps?
Les Bence sold the two properties separately in 1972: number 9 to Rosalie Elias and Terence Holley and Coleridge House to William and Christine Harrison for £2,850. The property changed hand six times between 1972 and 1990. It is likely the house was in need of considerable work when it was sold by Les Bence and it was only in the 1970s that the upstairs bathroom was added. It is probable that a lot of the period features were removed during this period, although some wooden panelling, stonework, fireplaces and beams do still exist.
There are a couple of interesting objects attached to beams in the house: a hook in the master bedroom and in the kitchen two metal circles attached to the ceiling, in a line perhaps for running a cord through in the photos below (courtesy Claire Dimond Mills). Was it for a pulley perhaps?
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Although we do not know exactly why Coleridge House was built and by whom, it does look like that for most of its history it was a shop in the commercial centre of Box, sandwiched between the brewery and the Chequers pub. As the Market Place became less of a commercial area, Coleridge House became a much loved home instead.
References
[1] www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/england/wiltshire/box
[2] Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette, 29 November 1883
[3] Courtesy John Brooke Flashman
[4] http://www.boxpeopleandplaces.co.uk/church-clubs.html
[5] http://www.boxpeopleandplaces.co.uk/ve-day-1945.html
[1] www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/england/wiltshire/box
[2] Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette, 29 November 1883
[3] Courtesy John Brooke Flashman
[4] http://www.boxpeopleandplaces.co.uk/church-clubs.html
[5] http://www.boxpeopleandplaces.co.uk/ve-day-1945.html