Saddler’s & White Cottage, Devizes Road Claire Dimond Mills, November 2023
Saddler’s and White Cottages (photo courtesy Carol Payne)
White Cottage and Saddler’s Cottage are located at the Bath end of Devizes Road, Box. They are semi-detached; Saddler’s Cottage is larger than White Cottage. The properties are built of Box stone with a slate roof. But there the similarity ends because the fascia is very different. Saddler’s Cottage has a central front door flanked by two windows (one bay and a three-light window) and White Cottage has an entrance at the west side and a single, picture window.
Behind the houses is a track that skirts a large green space on which is the Rifle Club and Scout Hut. The plan below shows a wall which used to run from the corner of the plot to the outhouse in the garden of Saddler’s and has now been removed and covered with grass. There are the remains of an outhouse also in the garden of White Cottage, which has several fruit trees in it. At some point there was a staircase that went up the side of White Cottage in what is now the conservatory.
Behind the houses is a track that skirts a large green space on which is the Rifle Club and Scout Hut. The plan below shows a wall which used to run from the corner of the plot to the outhouse in the garden of Saddler’s and has now been removed and covered with grass. There are the remains of an outhouse also in the garden of White Cottage, which has several fruit trees in it. At some point there was a staircase that went up the side of White Cottage in what is now the conservatory.
The tithe map of 1841 shows the properties which had been developed (courtesy Know Your Place)
Development of the Area
In 1841 the site of the properties was in the triangular plot, numbered 329c (part of an 18-acre field called The Lye). The plot was owned by James Hancock and consisted of a garden and shed but there was no mention of dwellings. The land was tenanted by Isaac Miles, landlord of the Bear Inn (plot 197) and was part of the garden of The Bear. The wall at the back of the garden was a deliberate straight linear division between The Bear Garden and the next field which allowed a footpath to run adjacent to the wall and up the fields towards Henley/Ashley.
To the south of the plot was an arable field called Box Leigh (plot 326), 11 acres in size with a surface quarry in the bottom corner. This was owned by the lords of the manor, William Brook Northey and Edward Richard Northey. This area was tenanted by James Wilton who also owned and occupied plot 328, a house and shop now called Mead House and Malt House. The existence of the quarry explains why no houses were built on this area (other than the Rifle Club and Scout Hut) because the ground is not sufficiently stable.
In 1841 the site of the properties was in the triangular plot, numbered 329c (part of an 18-acre field called The Lye). The plot was owned by James Hancock and consisted of a garden and shed but there was no mention of dwellings. The land was tenanted by Isaac Miles, landlord of the Bear Inn (plot 197) and was part of the garden of The Bear. The wall at the back of the garden was a deliberate straight linear division between The Bear Garden and the next field which allowed a footpath to run adjacent to the wall and up the fields towards Henley/Ashley.
To the south of the plot was an arable field called Box Leigh (plot 326), 11 acres in size with a surface quarry in the bottom corner. This was owned by the lords of the manor, William Brook Northey and Edward Richard Northey. This area was tenanted by James Wilton who also owned and occupied plot 328, a house and shop now called Mead House and Malt House. The existence of the quarry explains why no houses were built on this area (other than the Rifle Club and Scout Hut) because the ground is not sufficiently stable.
Ordnance Survey map about 1875 (courtesy Know Your Place)
Building Saddler’s Cottage
The Ordnance Survey map of circa 1875 shows the plot had been developed following the creation of the Devizes Road in the 1830s as a toll road giving better access for Melksham trade to Bath. The map shows a single building on the plot which is probably just Saddler’s Cottage. The outbuilding in the garden existed but the quarry was no longer used, now called Old Quarry. The wall at the back of the house was still there and the footpath is shown as more curved than in the earlier map. The census records enable a more specific date as there is no house listed in the 1871 but a property is listed in 1881 which puts the build date for Saddler’s to 1871-1875.
In 1881 William George Houkes lived there with his wife Annie and sons, Herbert, Albert and Ernest, calling the property Belle Vue House. William was born in 1842 at Hinton Charterhouse, Somerset, and served an apprenticeship as a saddler and harness maker there. He married Annie Bohanna Lee in 1862 but they had a chequered life. William was declared bankrupt at Frome on 8 October 1867 for several unpaid debts. They then moved to Bradford-on-Avon where William ran a saddler’s workshop next to the White Hart Inn in the centre of town. By 1871 they had moved to Box, living at number 1 The Parade until in August 1871 William was being sued for outstanding debts to George Tucker, shopkeeper, and in 1872 he was sued by James and Thomas Beavan, fellmongers (dealers in sheep skins), for £4.7s.[1]
William Houkes’s workshop would have been in regular demand at a time when horse travel was common. He repaired old saddles and sold new ones. Saddles needed constant repair replacing damaged or worn panels, selling damaged girths, buckles and stirrup leathers, and maintaining both private and business customers such as the Box Brewery and local bakeries.
The Ordnance Survey map of circa 1875 shows the plot had been developed following the creation of the Devizes Road in the 1830s as a toll road giving better access for Melksham trade to Bath. The map shows a single building on the plot which is probably just Saddler’s Cottage. The outbuilding in the garden existed but the quarry was no longer used, now called Old Quarry. The wall at the back of the house was still there and the footpath is shown as more curved than in the earlier map. The census records enable a more specific date as there is no house listed in the 1871 but a property is listed in 1881 which puts the build date for Saddler’s to 1871-1875.
In 1881 William George Houkes lived there with his wife Annie and sons, Herbert, Albert and Ernest, calling the property Belle Vue House. William was born in 1842 at Hinton Charterhouse, Somerset, and served an apprenticeship as a saddler and harness maker there. He married Annie Bohanna Lee in 1862 but they had a chequered life. William was declared bankrupt at Frome on 8 October 1867 for several unpaid debts. They then moved to Bradford-on-Avon where William ran a saddler’s workshop next to the White Hart Inn in the centre of town. By 1871 they had moved to Box, living at number 1 The Parade until in August 1871 William was being sued for outstanding debts to George Tucker, shopkeeper, and in 1872 he was sued by James and Thomas Beavan, fellmongers (dealers in sheep skins), for £4.7s.[1]
William Houkes’s workshop would have been in regular demand at a time when horse travel was common. He repaired old saddles and sold new ones. Saddles needed constant repair replacing damaged or worn panels, selling damaged girths, buckles and stirrup leathers, and maintaining both private and business customers such as the Box Brewery and local bakeries.
White Cottage today (courtesy Claire Dimond-Mills)
Building White Cottage
Around 1890 White Cottage was built on the east side of Saddler’s. We can see from the headline photo the wall line indicating the original outside wall. When White Cottage was added, the houses were renamed 1 and 2 Belle Vue, referencing the views they had over Box Valley.
In 1890 Walter Richard Shewring, a contractor, and his wife Ellen Norah Shewring moved into the new house (White Cottage) but the neighbours fell out. Walter Shewring accused William Houkes of having an affair with his wife and was granted a divorce. The Shewrings moved out by March 1891 when the census was taken. William Houkes left the his house (Saddler’s Cottage) shortly thereafter. Subsequently, William lived in the USA and Bath and later re-married.
Around 1890 White Cottage was built on the east side of Saddler’s. We can see from the headline photo the wall line indicating the original outside wall. When White Cottage was added, the houses were renamed 1 and 2 Belle Vue, referencing the views they had over Box Valley.
In 1890 Walter Richard Shewring, a contractor, and his wife Ellen Norah Shewring moved into the new house (White Cottage) but the neighbours fell out. Walter Shewring accused William Houkes of having an affair with his wife and was granted a divorce. The Shewrings moved out by March 1891 when the census was taken. William Houkes left the his house (Saddler’s Cottage) shortly thereafter. Subsequently, William lived in the USA and Bath and later re-married.
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Naming and Numbering the Properties
In 1891 Thomas Hebert Lambert, stonemason, and his newly married wife Malinda took the rent of one of the properties (confusingly called ‘Dairy’ Devizes Road in the census). Their property appears to be White Cottage as the word “Dairy” suggests that this was the smaller extension to the larger property. Thomas and Malinda had five children born in the house but Malinda died in childbirth in 1900. The word "White" for local stone buildings usually refers to a recent build when the stone appeared pure white. But by 1900 the cottage was no longer new. It seems more likely that TH Lambert named the property after his wife's maiden name, Malinda Leonora White. In 1901 the house was occupied by Thomas Lambert and his children and called number 4 Devizes Road by the registrar of the census. As the stone trade expanded, the Lambert family could afford to build and own their own house and Thomas moved out of White Cottage in 1902 when he and his brother Alf bought a plot of land on London Road and started to build Kingston Villas, which they named after their mother's maiden name, Sarah Jane Kingston. Thomas married the daughter of another stonemason, Beatrice Annie Richards, and had a second family in Kingston Villa. Right: TH Lambert, Malinda and their first three children (courtesy Mara=garet Wakefield) |
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Joseph Lawrence standing third left with the heavy moustache (courtesy Mike Warren)
In 1901 Joseph Lawrence and his family moved into the larger property (Saddler’s Cottage) and lived there for twenty years. Joseph (1860-1920) came from Blagdon, Somerset, probably the son of a butcher. In 1876 he won a prize for sheep shearing by children under 17-years-old.[2] Like William Houkes Joseph was a saddler and it is likely that he bought William’s saddlery business as a going concern and was used the property as a workshop and the front window to display his wares. With the blacksmith’s shop just around the corner at Pye Cottages, this area was likely to be the centre of horse and carriage trade in the heart of the village. The Lawrence family were still living there in 1911, when the house was listed as 1 Belle Vue.
In 2 Belle Vue (White Cottage) was the Sokell family, for generations employed on the railways. Robert Sokell was an engine driver from Kidderminster who came to Box to work out of Box Railway Station. He moved with his wife and family and took up the tenancy of 2 Belle Vue in 1910. At this time the house consisted of five rooms, probably the front room, living room, and three bedrooms upstairs, but not including the scullery, which may have been just a lean-to.
On 1 February 1920, Joseph Lawrence died after a long illness and 1 and 2 Belle Vue were put up for sale.[3] A newspaper advert gave details of the properties. Number 1 appears to be equipped for the manufacture and delivery of saddles and harnesses because it consisted of a large shop, a garden, stable, and trap-house (a horse carriage shed, possibly the stone outhouse at the back of the garden). The living accommodation comprised eight rooms and a large baker’s oven at the back.
Number 2 listed six rooms (probably an improved scullery unlike the 1911 census) with garden and offices, possibly the building right in the corner of the garden shown in the map earlier. Both properties were sold with vacant possession and the Sokells moved to Ladyfield Road, Chippenham
In 2 Belle Vue (White Cottage) was the Sokell family, for generations employed on the railways. Robert Sokell was an engine driver from Kidderminster who came to Box to work out of Box Railway Station. He moved with his wife and family and took up the tenancy of 2 Belle Vue in 1910. At this time the house consisted of five rooms, probably the front room, living room, and three bedrooms upstairs, but not including the scullery, which may have been just a lean-to.
On 1 February 1920, Joseph Lawrence died after a long illness and 1 and 2 Belle Vue were put up for sale.[3] A newspaper advert gave details of the properties. Number 1 appears to be equipped for the manufacture and delivery of saddles and harnesses because it consisted of a large shop, a garden, stable, and trap-house (a horse carriage shed, possibly the stone outhouse at the back of the garden). The living accommodation comprised eight rooms and a large baker’s oven at the back.
Number 2 listed six rooms (probably an improved scullery unlike the 1911 census) with garden and offices, possibly the building right in the corner of the garden shown in the map earlier. Both properties were sold with vacant possession and the Sokells moved to Ladyfield Road, Chippenham
The Well marked in the Ordnance Survey map (courtesy Know Your Place)
The Well
The Ordnance Survey map of 1894-1903 shows why the properties were suitable to run a saddlery business – behind the cottages is a well, marked “W” on map. It was needed to wet the leather skins to shape the saddle.
The stone structure, pictured below courtesy Claire Dimond-Mills, is all that remains of the well. More interestingly, it probably explains why there are outdoor steps up the wall of the conservatory, taking the occupant up to the well. Although some houses in Box were serviced by mains water in this period, most were still reliant on pumps (P on the map) and wells. The water then runs under the house down towards the church and on to the Bybrook.
The Ordnance Survey map of 1894-1903 shows why the properties were suitable to run a saddlery business – behind the cottages is a well, marked “W” on map. It was needed to wet the leather skins to shape the saddle.
The stone structure, pictured below courtesy Claire Dimond-Mills, is all that remains of the well. More interestingly, it probably explains why there are outdoor steps up the wall of the conservatory, taking the occupant up to the well. Although some houses in Box were serviced by mains water in this period, most were still reliant on pumps (P on the map) and wells. The water then runs under the house down towards the church and on to the Bybrook.
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Briefly United Properties
Henry Robert Ancell bought both properties in 1920 and moved in with his extended family. He wasn’t connected with the saddlery trade which by then had diminished with the rise of motor vehicles and pedal cycles. Henry united the houses as a single building using the name Belle Vue House. The Ancells weren’t local and it is unclear why they moved to Box. Henry was born in Camberwell, Surrey, the son of the chief clerk for the Admiralty. He lived most of his life in London where he worked as a tea dealer, a business which used to be run by the family of his wife, Catherine Ellen Harrison.
The house was their family home for a decade. In 1921 there were 12 people staying with Henry and Catherine: their eldest son, Henry Dawson Ancell, widower, who worked for the National Provincial & Union Bank of England, together with his two daughters; their son Charles Gabriel and wife Ethel who were visiting from Buenos Aires where Charles had worked for the Argentine Republic Waterworks Company; their daughter Mildred and her husband Lawrence Caleb Pressland who worked for the Ministry of Labour in Corsham together with their infant, and their niece Kathleen Annie Martin.
The family moved to Northfield House on the High Street at some point in about 1921 and Henry died there in 1927. His son Henry Dawson Ancell stayed in Box and by the Second World War was living at Wormecliffe House, Ashley with his daughters and his second wife.
When the Ancells moved out of Belle Vue, it returned to being two separate properties. Thomas Bence and his wife Florence retired from work and moved into 1 Belle Vue a few years after the marriage of their son, Leslie Bence, in 1919. This was when the Ancells moved to Northfield House shortly after 1921. The Bence family were shopkeepers who ran a large shop in the Market Place (now redeveloped as Benson House). Florence died there tragically in 1941 and Thomas appears to have stayed in the property until shortly before his death in 1957 when he moved to live with his son, Leslie, at Lorne House.[4]
In number 2 Belle Vue was another local family, William Case and his wife Emily Caroline Greenman. William had worked as a banker mason for many years, moving to where building work existed in the depression years of the 1920s and 30s. By 1931 they had moved to 2 Belle Vue and on 5 September 1931 they celebrated the marriage of their daughter Eva and AP Chaffey (known as Joe), the son of their neighbour from Charlotte Cottage. Both families were involved in the quarry industry as banker stone masons. William died in 1955 in Box (probably still at 2 Belle Vue) and Emily in 1970 in Bath.
Renaming the Properties
The name Belle Vue became popular in Box in the inter-war years of recession and wartime disruption. One property so named was on Box High Street (now called Miller’s) and another at 18 The Bassetts in 1929. After the Second World War local councils started a process to simplify the postal service because of the disruption of the war meant that the post office could no longer rely on family names to identify occupants. The use of alpha-numeric codes started as a trial in 1959 using new automatic sorting machinery to put mail into the right bin for delivery. It took decades to roll out in the 1970s and 80s for rural districts in the Swindon area, necessitating unique house names.
Local councils tried to use historic names for streets and houses, including the Belle Vue properties. In the end, they all changed their names. Saddler’s Cottage took the name of the occupation of its early occupiers and White Cottage possibly referenced the maiden name of TH Lambert's first wife. Both properties used their historic past to express their modern individuality.
Henry Robert Ancell bought both properties in 1920 and moved in with his extended family. He wasn’t connected with the saddlery trade which by then had diminished with the rise of motor vehicles and pedal cycles. Henry united the houses as a single building using the name Belle Vue House. The Ancells weren’t local and it is unclear why they moved to Box. Henry was born in Camberwell, Surrey, the son of the chief clerk for the Admiralty. He lived most of his life in London where he worked as a tea dealer, a business which used to be run by the family of his wife, Catherine Ellen Harrison.
The house was their family home for a decade. In 1921 there were 12 people staying with Henry and Catherine: their eldest son, Henry Dawson Ancell, widower, who worked for the National Provincial & Union Bank of England, together with his two daughters; their son Charles Gabriel and wife Ethel who were visiting from Buenos Aires where Charles had worked for the Argentine Republic Waterworks Company; their daughter Mildred and her husband Lawrence Caleb Pressland who worked for the Ministry of Labour in Corsham together with their infant, and their niece Kathleen Annie Martin.
The family moved to Northfield House on the High Street at some point in about 1921 and Henry died there in 1927. His son Henry Dawson Ancell stayed in Box and by the Second World War was living at Wormecliffe House, Ashley with his daughters and his second wife.
When the Ancells moved out of Belle Vue, it returned to being two separate properties. Thomas Bence and his wife Florence retired from work and moved into 1 Belle Vue a few years after the marriage of their son, Leslie Bence, in 1919. This was when the Ancells moved to Northfield House shortly after 1921. The Bence family were shopkeepers who ran a large shop in the Market Place (now redeveloped as Benson House). Florence died there tragically in 1941 and Thomas appears to have stayed in the property until shortly before his death in 1957 when he moved to live with his son, Leslie, at Lorne House.[4]
In number 2 Belle Vue was another local family, William Case and his wife Emily Caroline Greenman. William had worked as a banker mason for many years, moving to where building work existed in the depression years of the 1920s and 30s. By 1931 they had moved to 2 Belle Vue and on 5 September 1931 they celebrated the marriage of their daughter Eva and AP Chaffey (known as Joe), the son of their neighbour from Charlotte Cottage. Both families were involved in the quarry industry as banker stone masons. William died in 1955 in Box (probably still at 2 Belle Vue) and Emily in 1970 in Bath.
Renaming the Properties
The name Belle Vue became popular in Box in the inter-war years of recession and wartime disruption. One property so named was on Box High Street (now called Miller’s) and another at 18 The Bassetts in 1929. After the Second World War local councils started a process to simplify the postal service because of the disruption of the war meant that the post office could no longer rely on family names to identify occupants. The use of alpha-numeric codes started as a trial in 1959 using new automatic sorting machinery to put mail into the right bin for delivery. It took decades to roll out in the 1970s and 80s for rural districts in the Swindon area, necessitating unique house names.
Local councils tried to use historic names for streets and houses, including the Belle Vue properties. In the end, they all changed their names. Saddler’s Cottage took the name of the occupation of its early occupiers and White Cottage possibly referenced the maiden name of TH Lambert's first wife. Both properties used their historic past to express their modern individuality.
Conclusion
Most houses in Box have a frontage along a road. Many are terraced, residential properties built at the same time of Box Groundstone, with a similar roof line and appearing to be largely identical to each other. But, if you dig deeper into the history of the properties, they often assume an individual character and a story which makes each of them unique. Who would now think that the bottom of the Devizes Road was once the equestrian centre of Box Village or that White Cottage commemorated the love of a grieving widower for his deceased wife?
Most houses in Box have a frontage along a road. Many are terraced, residential properties built at the same time of Box Groundstone, with a similar roof line and appearing to be largely identical to each other. But, if you dig deeper into the history of the properties, they often assume an individual character and a story which makes each of them unique. Who would now think that the bottom of the Devizes Road was once the equestrian centre of Box Village or that White Cottage commemorated the love of a grieving widower for his deceased wife?