Fogleigh Residents Research documents Alan Wright December 2021
The very fine oriel window dominates the western façade of the property (courtesy Carol Payne)
In the last issue we concentrated on the building of Fogleigh House by Cornelius James Pictor and the fabulous individual features he included in its design. This article looks at the subsequent history of the building and the surrounding land after his death in 1916. Dominating the western façade is the magnificent first-floor oriel window. This style of rounded windows is common in Arabic culture, allegedly because they offered magnificent views but hid the person who was looking. That natural reserve was true of Cornelius and many of the owners who followed him.
The extent of the estate in Cornelius' time is shown in pink and covered all the land down to the By Brook
Elizabeth Mary Thomas, Coal Mine Heiress
When GJ Kidston wrote about the area in 1936 he described the site as inappropriately named “Crossways”. That name does appear strange as there are no crossways nearby. It derived after the sale of the property by Cornelius’ estate on 26 June 1917. The property was bought for £5,000 (including the mansion House with outbuildings … and 23.012 acres) by Miss Elizabeth Mary Thomas (born 1881) from Cowbridge, Glamorgan, granddaughter of the owner of the Ynyshir Colliery at Rhondda Fach and sister of Sir W James Thomas, first Baronet of Ynyshir.[1] Her family home was the 27-room Crossways House at Cowbridge and she changed the name of the Box property to that of her old house. The curious name stuck for half a century in rather strange circumstances.
Elizabeth Thomas lived in the house in 1918 when she advertised for a single-handed cook (young) and a parlour maid but she returned to Wales to perform the unusual function of giving away her younger sister Rachel in the absence of her brother Sir W James Thomas in April 1918.[2] Elizabeth probably regarded the Box property as an investment and she was a canny property developer.[3] Under the powers of the Glebe Land Act of 1888, she paid £200 in November 1918 for three parcels of land around the east of the Fogham site, which had formerly been ancient glebe land of the benefice of Calstone Wellington.[4] The explanation for this is that the benefice of Calstone Wellington with Blackland (near Calne) was the original charity school started by Rev George Miller before he started the Box Charity School. It appears that part of the land held by the Box Trustees was allocated to supporting that school also. A later deed makes clear just how complex the ownership of the glebe land had become.[5]
When GJ Kidston wrote about the area in 1936 he described the site as inappropriately named “Crossways”. That name does appear strange as there are no crossways nearby. It derived after the sale of the property by Cornelius’ estate on 26 June 1917. The property was bought for £5,000 (including the mansion House with outbuildings … and 23.012 acres) by Miss Elizabeth Mary Thomas (born 1881) from Cowbridge, Glamorgan, granddaughter of the owner of the Ynyshir Colliery at Rhondda Fach and sister of Sir W James Thomas, first Baronet of Ynyshir.[1] Her family home was the 27-room Crossways House at Cowbridge and she changed the name of the Box property to that of her old house. The curious name stuck for half a century in rather strange circumstances.
Elizabeth Thomas lived in the house in 1918 when she advertised for a single-handed cook (young) and a parlour maid but she returned to Wales to perform the unusual function of giving away her younger sister Rachel in the absence of her brother Sir W James Thomas in April 1918.[2] Elizabeth probably regarded the Box property as an investment and she was a canny property developer.[3] Under the powers of the Glebe Land Act of 1888, she paid £200 in November 1918 for three parcels of land around the east of the Fogham site, which had formerly been ancient glebe land of the benefice of Calstone Wellington.[4] The explanation for this is that the benefice of Calstone Wellington with Blackland (near Calne) was the original charity school started by Rev George Miller before he started the Box Charity School. It appears that part of the land held by the Box Trustees was allocated to supporting that school also. A later deed makes clear just how complex the ownership of the glebe land had become.[5]
The property was divided after WW2 with Fogleigh House the name of the main house and Crossways House for the service quarters just visible on the right (courtesy Carol Payne)
William Martin, Russian Merchant
Miss Thomas only held the property for 24 months and on 29 August 1919 sold these lands formerly known as Fogleigh but now known as Crossways to William Martin (1870-1944) for the sum of £8,875. William had previously worked as a merchant in Petrograd, Russia (often called St Petersburg or Leningrad) and probably his whole family was part of a certificated merchant class in pre-Revolution Petrograd. At the mouth of the Baltic Sea, these merchants controlled much of Tsarist Russia’s trade with the west, including timber, iron, hemp for ships’ ropes and other raw materials. The merchants arranged customers in the West and in turn organised imports of manufactured goods.
William Martin was a very wealthy individual and was invited to Lord Bath’s At Home in 1925.[6] The marriage of his older daughter Marjorie to Richard Pennington Garnett (1903-1975) in 1927 was celebrated with the bride wearing her grandmother’s veil arranged as a Russian headdress.[7] This was outdone on the occasion of the fashionable marriage of his younger daughter Nancy Lingard Martin to Roger Simon Woodchurch Clarke in February 1936. Officiating at the ceremony was the Bishop of Bristol with 450 guests invited to the reception at Crossways and the couple honeymooning at St Moritz.[8]
We get some idea of their status from an advertisement for an experienced parlourmaid in 1938 which refers to William and Ada Martin (1876-) as two in family, five maids kept.[9] They employed Walter Reuben Oatley of Barbery Cottage, Box Hill as their gardener for many years. The family were active in Box social life with William attending local funerals and presenting sports prizes at Box School in 1938.[10] He also served in the Box Village Division of the Home Guard during the Second World War. Mrs Martin had a leading role in the 1937 Box Coronation celebrations inviting and welcoming important guests to the festivities and she often supported local worthy causes such as the Royal United Hospital and the National Institute for the Blind. Both William and Ada were keen on cricket and supported local matches and fundraising initiatives, presenting sports equipment to annual heroes. In 1939 they took in two evacuees as part of their war effort.
William and Ada Martin owned the Fogleigh estate for the whole of the interwar years, William dying there on 21 October 1944 and Ada on 4 January 1947. Ada granted probate to Fermian Le Neve-Foster, solicitor, and Richard Pennington Garnett, stock broker and husband of Marjorie. Fermain Le Neve-Foster was a distinguished solicitor in Harley Street who later became chairman of several companies including Smiths Potato Crisps and Van Heusen Shirts. Probably his skill was needed to resolve the complex land ownership.
Miss Thomas only held the property for 24 months and on 29 August 1919 sold these lands formerly known as Fogleigh but now known as Crossways to William Martin (1870-1944) for the sum of £8,875. William had previously worked as a merchant in Petrograd, Russia (often called St Petersburg or Leningrad) and probably his whole family was part of a certificated merchant class in pre-Revolution Petrograd. At the mouth of the Baltic Sea, these merchants controlled much of Tsarist Russia’s trade with the west, including timber, iron, hemp for ships’ ropes and other raw materials. The merchants arranged customers in the West and in turn organised imports of manufactured goods.
William Martin was a very wealthy individual and was invited to Lord Bath’s At Home in 1925.[6] The marriage of his older daughter Marjorie to Richard Pennington Garnett (1903-1975) in 1927 was celebrated with the bride wearing her grandmother’s veil arranged as a Russian headdress.[7] This was outdone on the occasion of the fashionable marriage of his younger daughter Nancy Lingard Martin to Roger Simon Woodchurch Clarke in February 1936. Officiating at the ceremony was the Bishop of Bristol with 450 guests invited to the reception at Crossways and the couple honeymooning at St Moritz.[8]
We get some idea of their status from an advertisement for an experienced parlourmaid in 1938 which refers to William and Ada Martin (1876-) as two in family, five maids kept.[9] They employed Walter Reuben Oatley of Barbery Cottage, Box Hill as their gardener for many years. The family were active in Box social life with William attending local funerals and presenting sports prizes at Box School in 1938.[10] He also served in the Box Village Division of the Home Guard during the Second World War. Mrs Martin had a leading role in the 1937 Box Coronation celebrations inviting and welcoming important guests to the festivities and she often supported local worthy causes such as the Royal United Hospital and the National Institute for the Blind. Both William and Ada were keen on cricket and supported local matches and fundraising initiatives, presenting sports equipment to annual heroes. In 1939 they took in two evacuees as part of their war effort.
William and Ada Martin owned the Fogleigh estate for the whole of the interwar years, William dying there on 21 October 1944 and Ada on 4 January 1947. Ada granted probate to Fermian Le Neve-Foster, solicitor, and Richard Pennington Garnett, stock broker and husband of Marjorie. Fermain Le Neve-Foster was a distinguished solicitor in Harley Street who later became chairman of several companies including Smiths Potato Crisps and Van Heusen Shirts. Probably his skill was needed to resolve the complex land ownership.
In service with the Wills family, including Rhoda Abrahams right (courtesy Eric Callaway)
Dividing Up the Estate
The story of the Fogleigh area after the Second World War was of constant sales of part of the area. But it started as an arranged acquisition by the Bristol family of tobacco manufacturers, WD & HO Wills. William Martin knew the Wills family and attended the wedding of Ronald Wills’ adopted son Gerald to Amy Peters in 1927 (where Marjorie Martin was bridesmaid).[11] Presumably, it was no coincidence that Fermian Le Neve-Foster sold the property and its 30.148 acres on 13 July 1947 to Frank Oliver Wills for £14,000 shortly after the death of Ada. The Wills family lived in the property from 1947 until 1955 and they employed various local families to help with the domestic work. Rhoda Abrahams worked in service for the family and her relatives Eddie and Cis Callaway lived in Foggam Barn.
But the time that the Wills spent in Box was marred by burglaries. By 1954 they had decided to leave and sold off a plot of land that year to Elsie Best, wife of Thomas Best builders’ merchant and vendor of World War II artefacts. Other sales followed, including Fogleigh Bungalow to Francis George Abrahams, master butcher of Fairfield, Box in 1954. Fogleigh Cottage was bought by Nigel Thomas Bence and his wife Joan in February 1955. The most significant sale was of 18.382 acres, which ran down to the Box Brook. These were bought in February 1955 by Edith Violet Hockine Bishop (wife of Francis Henry Bishop, 1886-1957, motor engineer and garage proprietor). The fields, then known as Small Farm, Bath Road, were run as a pig farm. A Bath couple, Ralph and Alice Beatrice Spencer, bought the main property (now reverted back to the name Fogleigh House) in February 1954 but he died in July 1957 and the property was again put on the market.
The story of the Fogleigh area after the Second World War was of constant sales of part of the area. But it started as an arranged acquisition by the Bristol family of tobacco manufacturers, WD & HO Wills. William Martin knew the Wills family and attended the wedding of Ronald Wills’ adopted son Gerald to Amy Peters in 1927 (where Marjorie Martin was bridesmaid).[11] Presumably, it was no coincidence that Fermian Le Neve-Foster sold the property and its 30.148 acres on 13 July 1947 to Frank Oliver Wills for £14,000 shortly after the death of Ada. The Wills family lived in the property from 1947 until 1955 and they employed various local families to help with the domestic work. Rhoda Abrahams worked in service for the family and her relatives Eddie and Cis Callaway lived in Foggam Barn.
But the time that the Wills spent in Box was marred by burglaries. By 1954 they had decided to leave and sold off a plot of land that year to Elsie Best, wife of Thomas Best builders’ merchant and vendor of World War II artefacts. Other sales followed, including Fogleigh Bungalow to Francis George Abrahams, master butcher of Fairfield, Box in 1954. Fogleigh Cottage was bought by Nigel Thomas Bence and his wife Joan in February 1955. The most significant sale was of 18.382 acres, which ran down to the Box Brook. These were bought in February 1955 by Edith Violet Hockine Bishop (wife of Francis Henry Bishop, 1886-1957, motor engineer and garage proprietor). The fields, then known as Small Farm, Bath Road, were run as a pig farm. A Bath couple, Ralph and Alice Beatrice Spencer, bought the main property (now reverted back to the name Fogleigh House) in February 1954 but he died in July 1957 and the property was again put on the market.
Small Farm shown in pink was bought by Edith Bishop
In December 1957 Victor Louis Henry Toogood, builder, and his wife Beatrice Mercy bought the house for £7,000. To raise funds, they secured a mortgage (still uncommon at that time) from the Bath Investment Society for £4,500. Disposals continued and Fogleigh Lodge was sold off in February 1959 to Anthony Gordon Trueman. The Toogoods stayed in the house until 1964 when it was sold again to Thomas Wynne and Beatrice Elizabeth Brailsford. Thomas Brailsford was in the nylon trade and died suddenly in a plane crash in 1969 leading to the need to sell the house again the following year to RW Hams for £22,500.
The house in a winter setting (courtesy Alan Wright)
Conversion and Restoration
After the Second World War a property of its size and grandeur was unconducive to modern lifestyles and finances. Property developer, Reginald William (Bill) Hams from Gastard bought it in 1970 as a redevelopment project, to retain Fogleigh House as the principal residence, subdivide the back of house areas into seven flats, and to sell Fogleigh Lodge and Foggam Barn separately.[12] He converted the the coach houses, stables, and the indoor swimming pool into the seven flats of Crossways House. The freehold reversion of the property was transferred into a management company Crossways Flats (Box) Limited in December 1976 and Fogleigh House was sold to John Sidney Loveridge, a jeweller from Chippenham, and Valerie Ann Loveridge in April 1977. Mrs Bishop sold the farm (now called Fogleigh Farm) to Peter and Dilys Newcombe Walters in September 1976. Meanwhile, Roger and Jennifer Eaton moved from Littlemead, Ashley to Foggam Barn (which had been occupied by Bill Hams) in 1978.
Being a keen horseman John Loveridge converted a green house in the walled garden into four stables and a tack room. The walled garden had several large heated greenhouses which once produced vegetables and flowers transported to Covent Garden from Box Station. The business ceased once the station was closed by Dr Beeching in 1966. The same year the house was advertised for sale in the Country Life. In addition, John Loveridge had a swimming pool built on the west side of the house. A door was added to the west elevation under the large stained glass window to the staircase, giving direct access to the pool (see photo from the west). Alan Wright found two of the original discarded stained glass slit windows in the stables in the walled garden and reused them with Bath Stone surrounds in the gable ends to the four garages built in 2002. The Loveridges stayed in Fogleigh House for six years and then sold the property to Commander Vernon Ross and Margaret Vint Phillips in 1983 who also bought back part of Fogleigh Farm from the Walters in 1985, whilst Richard Frank and Alison Bond bought the areas towards the By Brook. Meanwhile Fogleigh Lodge had been acquired by Robert Samuel and Peggy Irene Galton in the 1980s.
Mr Alan Wright, an architect in Hong Kong, bought Fogleigh House and Flat 4 Crossways House (which had direct access to the house from the first corridor) in May 1997. Mr and Mrs Phillips remained in the house until July 1998, when the Wright family moved into the property. Over the next three years the house underwent a complete internal renovation with some minor modifications to the layout and cosmetic changes to the floor and wall finishes. Throughout he retained all the original features, reproducing matching details where required, and kept the layout largely as created by Cornelius. The various layers of wallpaper revealed some bizarre tastes. On stripping off many layers, it was interesting to observe the walls had originally been painted apple green and all the woodwork stained dark brown, which must have created a rather sombre ambience. I am happy to report that the walls are currently covered with William Morris designed wallpaper with matching curtains, which with the woodwork painted white created a more light-uplifting ambience.
After the Second World War a property of its size and grandeur was unconducive to modern lifestyles and finances. Property developer, Reginald William (Bill) Hams from Gastard bought it in 1970 as a redevelopment project, to retain Fogleigh House as the principal residence, subdivide the back of house areas into seven flats, and to sell Fogleigh Lodge and Foggam Barn separately.[12] He converted the the coach houses, stables, and the indoor swimming pool into the seven flats of Crossways House. The freehold reversion of the property was transferred into a management company Crossways Flats (Box) Limited in December 1976 and Fogleigh House was sold to John Sidney Loveridge, a jeweller from Chippenham, and Valerie Ann Loveridge in April 1977. Mrs Bishop sold the farm (now called Fogleigh Farm) to Peter and Dilys Newcombe Walters in September 1976. Meanwhile, Roger and Jennifer Eaton moved from Littlemead, Ashley to Foggam Barn (which had been occupied by Bill Hams) in 1978.
Being a keen horseman John Loveridge converted a green house in the walled garden into four stables and a tack room. The walled garden had several large heated greenhouses which once produced vegetables and flowers transported to Covent Garden from Box Station. The business ceased once the station was closed by Dr Beeching in 1966. The same year the house was advertised for sale in the Country Life. In addition, John Loveridge had a swimming pool built on the west side of the house. A door was added to the west elevation under the large stained glass window to the staircase, giving direct access to the pool (see photo from the west). Alan Wright found two of the original discarded stained glass slit windows in the stables in the walled garden and reused them with Bath Stone surrounds in the gable ends to the four garages built in 2002. The Loveridges stayed in Fogleigh House for six years and then sold the property to Commander Vernon Ross and Margaret Vint Phillips in 1983 who also bought back part of Fogleigh Farm from the Walters in 1985, whilst Richard Frank and Alison Bond bought the areas towards the By Brook. Meanwhile Fogleigh Lodge had been acquired by Robert Samuel and Peggy Irene Galton in the 1980s.
Mr Alan Wright, an architect in Hong Kong, bought Fogleigh House and Flat 4 Crossways House (which had direct access to the house from the first corridor) in May 1997. Mr and Mrs Phillips remained in the house until July 1998, when the Wright family moved into the property. Over the next three years the house underwent a complete internal renovation with some minor modifications to the layout and cosmetic changes to the floor and wall finishes. Throughout he retained all the original features, reproducing matching details where required, and kept the layout largely as created by Cornelius. The various layers of wallpaper revealed some bizarre tastes. On stripping off many layers, it was interesting to observe the walls had originally been painted apple green and all the woodwork stained dark brown, which must have created a rather sombre ambience. I am happy to report that the walls are currently covered with William Morris designed wallpaper with matching curtains, which with the woodwork painted white created a more light-uplifting ambience.
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The round gazebo folly, like a Victorian rondavel, was built between the house and By Brook and was renovated in 2000. It now forms part of a landscaped hedged garden enclosure. On sitting on the circular internal wall seat, it is interesting to imagine Uncle Jim Pictor and ladies of the house taking afternoon tea on a sunny day in the folly. The gazebo is seen pictured here (courtesy Alan Wright). The Wrights kept the name as Fogleigh House and Crossways House is now the name used for the former service range to the house and now a separate property. |
Box has several splendid houses and Fogleigh House (excluding Crossways House) was awarded a Grade II Historic Buildings listing in 1985. Of course, these properties can sometimes be developed into apartments or taken over for commercial purposes, which can obscure the style and character of the original building. Not so Fogleigh House.
References
[1] Conveyance dated 26 June 1917
[2] The Gentlewoman, 20 April 1918
[3] Western Chronicle, 16 August 1918
[4] Conveyance dated 13 November 1918 and Declaration of land to be sold with Crossways, 27 August 1919
[5] Abstract of Title, 1947
[6] Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 27 June 1925
[7] Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 6 August 1927
[8] North Wilts Herald, 28 February 1936 and Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 22 February 1936
[9] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 14 May 1938
[10] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 23 July 1938
[11] Western Daily Press, 20 July 1927
[12] Courtesy Ken Oatley
[1] Conveyance dated 26 June 1917
[2] The Gentlewoman, 20 April 1918
[3] Western Chronicle, 16 August 1918
[4] Conveyance dated 13 November 1918 and Declaration of land to be sold with Crossways, 27 August 1919
[5] Abstract of Title, 1947
[6] Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 27 June 1925
[7] Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 6 August 1927
[8] North Wilts Herald, 28 February 1936 and Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, 22 February 1936
[9] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 14 May 1938
[10] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 23 July 1938
[11] Western Daily Press, 20 July 1927
[12] Courtesy Ken Oatley