Hazelbury Hill Research by Mike Warren April 2024
Hazelbury Hill Cottage was an old property owned by Hazelbury Manor (courtesy Carol Payne)
It is often confusing when the name of an area becomes synonymous with the name of a road. The classic case is probably Box Hill but the same is also true of Hazelbury Hill. That fact probably accounts for the naming of the council houses at the junction of The Ley and Townsend as 1-22 Hazelbury Hill when they were built in 1956. The development of the whole area of Hazelbury Hill was compromised by its location close to the centre of the village and its historic significance.
Hazelbury Hill runs parallel to Box Bottom (courtesy Ordnance Survey 1885)
Pasture Land at Hazelbury Hill
On 28 July 1923 the Northey family decided to sell the area of land to Benjamin Vezey, the owner of the Candle factory on Quarry Hill.[1] We know why they needed to do this because Rev Edward Northey had made two bequests of £5,000 and £14,000 (together worth about £2.6 million today), which the family had been unable to pay fully, either from cash or from securities, on his death in 1914. The trustees had little option but to sell more land and the Vezey family possibly saw an opportunity to extend their landholding. The sudden, tragic death of Ben Vezey on 26 May 1930 altered the situation and Ben’s widow, Eugenie Sarah Vezey, and the trustee of Ben’s estate resolved that they had to sell the eastern section of the land to George Jardine Kidston of Hazelbury Manor. The part which was sold was two Accommodation Pasture Fields marked red and green on the map below, comprising 2 acres, 1 rood and 3 perches and 1 acre and 16 perches.
The residential development of the area was not welcomed. The track was of historic value, part of the footpath connecting Hazelbury Manor to Box Mill via the path now called Wyres Lane. Many residents considered that the road reflected the rural character of the village, as confirmed by the later discovery of a blue glass Saxon bead in the vicinity.[2] There were also difficulties in developing the area because of its extreme gradient, 1-in-9 at the bottom and 1-in-8 at the top.[3] For this reason, residential developments on both sides ran at angles up to 90 degrees to the road.
On 28 July 1923 the Northey family decided to sell the area of land to Benjamin Vezey, the owner of the Candle factory on Quarry Hill.[1] We know why they needed to do this because Rev Edward Northey had made two bequests of £5,000 and £14,000 (together worth about £2.6 million today), which the family had been unable to pay fully, either from cash or from securities, on his death in 1914. The trustees had little option but to sell more land and the Vezey family possibly saw an opportunity to extend their landholding. The sudden, tragic death of Ben Vezey on 26 May 1930 altered the situation and Ben’s widow, Eugenie Sarah Vezey, and the trustee of Ben’s estate resolved that they had to sell the eastern section of the land to George Jardine Kidston of Hazelbury Manor. The part which was sold was two Accommodation Pasture Fields marked red and green on the map below, comprising 2 acres, 1 rood and 3 perches and 1 acre and 16 perches.
The residential development of the area was not welcomed. The track was of historic value, part of the footpath connecting Hazelbury Manor to Box Mill via the path now called Wyres Lane. Many residents considered that the road reflected the rural character of the village, as confirmed by the later discovery of a blue glass Saxon bead in the vicinity.[2] There were also difficulties in developing the area because of its extreme gradient, 1-in-9 at the bottom and 1-in-8 at the top.[3] For this reason, residential developments on both sides ran at angles up to 90 degrees to the road.
Map from Abstract of Title 1962 (courtesy Mike Warren)
Piecemeal Development of the Area
The rural aspect of the area was exemplified by an early building on Hazelbury Hill, the property now called of Hazelbury Hill Cottage on the eastern side at the top of the present tarmac’d road. It appears to have been built in the late 19th century, possibly as a field barn but now developed into the house shown in the headline photograph. The property was part of the Kidston estate at Hazelbury Manor and after the wedding of Ivor George Ball and Agnes E Thomas in 1939, it was suitable for them to take up residence whilst they worked for the Manor. Ivor was born in Abergoed, Monmouthshire, in 1911 but later moved to Wormwood Farm where his father was employed as a cowman. Ivor started work as the second gardener at Hazelbury but his knowledge and eye for landscape design resulted in a promotion as Ornamental Gardener at Corsham Court in 1955. He died in 1995.
The rural aspect of the area was exemplified by an early building on Hazelbury Hill, the property now called of Hazelbury Hill Cottage on the eastern side at the top of the present tarmac’d road. It appears to have been built in the late 19th century, possibly as a field barn but now developed into the house shown in the headline photograph. The property was part of the Kidston estate at Hazelbury Manor and after the wedding of Ivor George Ball and Agnes E Thomas in 1939, it was suitable for them to take up residence whilst they worked for the Manor. Ivor was born in Abergoed, Monmouthshire, in 1911 but later moved to Wormwood Farm where his father was employed as a cowman. Ivor started work as the second gardener at Hazelbury but his knowledge and eye for landscape design resulted in a promotion as Ornamental Gardener at Corsham Court in 1955. He died in 1995.
Ivor Ball (centre) at Hazelbury Manor (courtesy Annette and Mike Wilson “Around Corsham and Box in Old Photographs)
Other speculative developments followed, including the bungalow at Bonnie Lea built before 1947 when it was put up for sale by Mr F Redwood.[4] Additional land on the western side of the road was bought by GJ Kidston from the Vezey estate in 1931 and, on Mr Kidston’s death on 26 December 1954, his estate agreed to sell two fields to Charles Andrew Morrison of South Wraxall Manor, who was later the Member of Parliament for Devizes. In 1959 Charles Morrison sold a 1-acre field to Ivan Leslie Brickell, the owner of the ice-cream factory in The Ley and a property developer of small parcels of land. Charles had kept some of the land and he tried to get planning permission for 8 separate sites in the area including Hazelbury Hill, Barn Piece, Boxfields, Quarry Hill and the Devizes Road. They were all refused in 1960.[5]
In 1961 Ivan Brickell divided the area between Barn Piece and Hazelbury Hill into 12 plots set at an angle of 60 degrees. Eight of the houses fronted Hazelbury Hill and four fronted Barn Piece Road. Ivan sold the land to Robert Edgar Best, Richard Gifford Best and John Henry William Tanner, property builders who ran a company in The High Street, Box. They undertook the modernisation of Hazelbury Hill, installing new sewers where needed and building the properties. Going up the hill on the left, the Hazelbury Hill bungalows were 5 Tremayne, 6 Withypool, 7 Baffins, 8 Ormonde, 9 Brynteg, 10 The Beeches, 11 Shipstal,
12 Long Mynd.
In 1961 Ivan Brickell divided the area between Barn Piece and Hazelbury Hill into 12 plots set at an angle of 60 degrees. Eight of the houses fronted Hazelbury Hill and four fronted Barn Piece Road. Ivan sold the land to Robert Edgar Best, Richard Gifford Best and John Henry William Tanner, property builders who ran a company in The High Street, Box. They undertook the modernisation of Hazelbury Hill, installing new sewers where needed and building the properties. Going up the hill on the left, the Hazelbury Hill bungalows were 5 Tremayne, 6 Withypool, 7 Baffins, 8 Ormonde, 9 Brynteg, 10 The Beeches, 11 Shipstal,
12 Long Mynd.
Map from Abstract of Title 1962 (courtesy Mike Warren)
Council Development on Hazelbury Hill
The land on the south-eastern side of the road was more difficult. It had been acquired by the wife of Alan Newman Pictor, chairman of the Bath and Portland Stone Company. In the 1950s there was even more local concern about the proposals by the Calne and Chippenham Rural District Council to acquire 2 acres for residential development, trying to fill the gap created by a score of properties marked as unfit for human occupation in the village.[6] There were numerous objections including proposals to zone the area as open land, a village petition in November 1953 and the need for a revised junction of the road with The Ley.[7] The council eventually compulsorily purchased the site of 2.139 acres from Mrs Constance M Pictor on 26 October 1953 and built 22 houses on the site at the foot of the hill running parallel to The Ley.[8]
The land on the south-eastern side of the road was more difficult. It had been acquired by the wife of Alan Newman Pictor, chairman of the Bath and Portland Stone Company. In the 1950s there was even more local concern about the proposals by the Calne and Chippenham Rural District Council to acquire 2 acres for residential development, trying to fill the gap created by a score of properties marked as unfit for human occupation in the village.[6] There were numerous objections including proposals to zone the area as open land, a village petition in November 1953 and the need for a revised junction of the road with The Ley.[7] The council eventually compulsorily purchased the site of 2.139 acres from Mrs Constance M Pictor on 26 October 1953 and built 22 houses on the site at the foot of the hill running parallel to The Ley.[8]
Neat, respectable and well-built, Hazelbury Hill council houses (courtesy Carol Payne)
Arguably, one of the most-deserving residents of the houses was Barbara Smith. Barbara was the sister of Joyce Griffin, who was killed in the explosion of the Rising Sun pub in 1957 along wih her husband and son. Barbara had been brought up in the pub which had been tenanted by her father and was living in the rear of the premises with her two small children on the night of the tragedy. In 1950 she had married Ernest J Rogers of Fogleigh Cottages and her mother-in-law was awared accommodation at
10 Hazelbury Hill. Barbara was able to move in with her mother-in-law after the explosion.[9]
10 Hazelbury Hill. Barbara was able to move in with her mother-in-law after the explosion.[9]
It is difficult now to understand the haphazard and contentious development of Hazelbury Hill. But a walk up the hill from Townsend is a journey through two centuries of Box’s history.
References
[1] Abstract of Title 1962
[2] Courtesy Carole French
[3] The Wiltshire Times, 3 April 1954
[4] The Wiltshire Times, 15 March 1947
[5] Bristol Evening Post, 9 February 1960
[6] The Wiltshire Times, 3 April 1954
[7] The Wiltshire Times, 26 September 1953, 28 November 1953 and 23 January 1954
[8] The Wiltshire Times, 7 November 1953
[9] Bristol Evening Post, 10 January 1958
[1] Abstract of Title 1962
[2] Courtesy Carole French
[3] The Wiltshire Times, 3 April 1954
[4] The Wiltshire Times, 15 March 1947
[5] Bristol Evening Post, 9 February 1960
[6] The Wiltshire Times, 3 April 1954
[7] The Wiltshire Times, 26 September 1953, 28 November 1953 and 23 January 1954
[8] The Wiltshire Times, 7 November 1953
[9] Bristol Evening Post, 10 January 1958