Social and Dedicated Housing Alan Payne June 2023
Vine Court was built to face away from the A4 road (courtesy Carol Payne)
Substantial numbers of dedicated houses have been developed in Box in the modern period. Many of these properties followed the council house model. Some, like the Rudloe estate were private developments offering lower cost houses and accommodation for servicemen and their families. Others were properties converted for specific disadvantaged groups, such as the elderly at Vine Court and Springfield House, or the children's orphanage home at Kingsmoor in The Ley.
This article tells the story of these developments in modern Box.
This article tells the story of these developments in modern Box.
The story of Box since the Second World War has been that of a residential village with continuing pressure for further development, starter homes and social housing. The need came notwithstanding that the population of the village fell dramatically from 4,581 in 1951 to 3,406 in 1971.[1] This was mostly due to the exodus of military personnel as well as the reduction in the number of children in families. But a more caring post-war attitude revealed a variety of new needs and accommodation was built for specific purposes, including old age, disability and lack of housing for returning servicemen.
Housing at Rudloe
Several of the new estates at Rudloe were built specifically for RAF staff in the early 1950s, part of the retaliation force in the event of a Russian Communist nuclear strike. It was a Cold War equivalent of the number 10 Group RAF which had defended the south-west of Britain during the Second World War.[2] Married family accommodation was built at Leafy Lane and Park Avenue for officers to rent and other ranks were housed just off Leafy Lane at Portal, Trenchard, Tedder and Dowding Avenues, all named after important RAF leaders (most were created Lords) who are honoured in a Westminster Abbey Memorial window.
They weren’t the only properties built by the RAF in Box because Findhorn in Ashley Lane and the properties running west were built by Joy Keevil’s father on behalf of the service in 1953. Findhorn is named after a village on the east coast of Scotland at Inverness Bay, which is now known as RAF Kinloss, which was used to monitor Russian incursions in the Norwegian Sea during the Cold War.
Development at the Rudloe Estate (close to Rudloe Green) was mostly completed by 1964 to rehouse residents of the Boxfields and Rudloe prefab bungalows. Separate from this was private development largely by two separate builders, Smith & Lacy of Corsham and Marples Ridgeway. Marples Ridgeway had started as an engineering company part-owned by Ernest Marples, the controversial Minister of Transport. In 1964 the company was sold to the Bath & Portland Group, once the local stone quarrying company which was diversifying into engineering, agriculture and building projects. In the late 1960s and early 1970s Smith & Lacy built Kidston Way and Highland Close, and Marples Ridgeway developed Springfield Close and Clift Close. Later Ashwood Close and Pine Close were developed.
Box Council Houses
In the years 1945-51 Britain built over a million high-quality, new properties owned by local councils and tenanted out at subsidised rents. It was a remarkable, but often overlooked achievement of the post-war Attlee government. The need for cheaper houses fell directly onto the council. Council houses were built at Bargates (1951), Brunel Way (1951), Hazelbury Hill (1954) and Ben Cross, Ditteridge (1954).[3] The name of the Ditteridge properties was suggested by Jim Browning as it was reputed to be the site of the hanging of a highwayman.[4] Many of these properties were to rehouse tenants of the Boxfields prefabricated bungalows and priority was given to need (local people, size of family and disability being the chief determinants) which often involved some adjudication on the part of the council.[5]
Housing at Rudloe
Several of the new estates at Rudloe were built specifically for RAF staff in the early 1950s, part of the retaliation force in the event of a Russian Communist nuclear strike. It was a Cold War equivalent of the number 10 Group RAF which had defended the south-west of Britain during the Second World War.[2] Married family accommodation was built at Leafy Lane and Park Avenue for officers to rent and other ranks were housed just off Leafy Lane at Portal, Trenchard, Tedder and Dowding Avenues, all named after important RAF leaders (most were created Lords) who are honoured in a Westminster Abbey Memorial window.
They weren’t the only properties built by the RAF in Box because Findhorn in Ashley Lane and the properties running west were built by Joy Keevil’s father on behalf of the service in 1953. Findhorn is named after a village on the east coast of Scotland at Inverness Bay, which is now known as RAF Kinloss, which was used to monitor Russian incursions in the Norwegian Sea during the Cold War.
Development at the Rudloe Estate (close to Rudloe Green) was mostly completed by 1964 to rehouse residents of the Boxfields and Rudloe prefab bungalows. Separate from this was private development largely by two separate builders, Smith & Lacy of Corsham and Marples Ridgeway. Marples Ridgeway had started as an engineering company part-owned by Ernest Marples, the controversial Minister of Transport. In 1964 the company was sold to the Bath & Portland Group, once the local stone quarrying company which was diversifying into engineering, agriculture and building projects. In the late 1960s and early 1970s Smith & Lacy built Kidston Way and Highland Close, and Marples Ridgeway developed Springfield Close and Clift Close. Later Ashwood Close and Pine Close were developed.
Box Council Houses
In the years 1945-51 Britain built over a million high-quality, new properties owned by local councils and tenanted out at subsidised rents. It was a remarkable, but often overlooked achievement of the post-war Attlee government. The need for cheaper houses fell directly onto the council. Council houses were built at Bargates (1951), Brunel Way (1951), Hazelbury Hill (1954) and Ben Cross, Ditteridge (1954).[3] The name of the Ditteridge properties was suggested by Jim Browning as it was reputed to be the site of the hanging of a highwayman.[4] Many of these properties were to rehouse tenants of the Boxfields prefabricated bungalows and priority was given to need (local people, size of family and disability being the chief determinants) which often involved some adjudication on the part of the council.[5]
Ben Cross houses, once the site of a hanging (courtesy Carol Payne)
Locally, we can see how ordinary families benefitted when newly-married ex-serviceman Alec Cogswell, his wife Glenese and their infant family were able to move from squatting in an ex-army Nissen hut at Ashley (without most indoor facilities) to living in a smart council house at Hazelbury Hill. Similarly, orphaned Jim Shannon, suffering with tuberculosis from rough sleeping in London as a child, was able to move out of damp, prefabricated housing conditions in Boxfields Bungalows, where he was working at Lypiatt on military manufacturing, into warm and decent accommodation at Brunel Way. Later, when the slope to the house became too much for him, the family moved down the hill to Bargates.
Alec, Glynese and family squatting in service prefabricated huts after the Second World War (courtesy Sue Ford)
Social Housing
Over the years there has been a realisation that the council model of house ownership needed alternative solutions and the beginning of social housing, usually owned by a not-for-profit housing association. Often the desire was to provide for the elderly, physically challenged or disadvantaged sectors of our society. The realisation that these groups needed additional support was recognised long before the right-to-buy legislation of 1979 and housing trust associations and Chippenham Rural District Council led the way in making provision with a series of properties in the 1960s.
They completely gutted and redeveloped Springfield House into eight flats for the elderly in 1965.[6] It was a considerable restoration of the Grade II Historic building, which preserved the exterior of the 1729 workhouse and Charity School, once the centrepiece of the Box Church’s social role. The size and location of the building had limited its use as a family residence and it had been allowed to deteriorate. In 1875 the building was said to be in a ruinous state and was sold for £100 to private owners in 1879.[7] It was subsequently owned as an investment by a number of people before the First World War, including WJ Brown of Hazelbury Farm, who had bought several properties in Church Lane. When the estate was sold in 1913, Springfield House was described as well-placed and commodious which when fully let produces a rental of £31 per annum.[8] Thereafter, the building was bought by builders hoping to develop it, such as Victor Milsom whose family lived there in 1939.
By 1965, the Rural District Council had bought the building and the parish magazine considered that they are to be congratulated on transforming it into flats for elderly people.[9] The inside has been gutted and transformed, a work of skill and vision. The separate internal rooms in the old workhouse (built of stone) were removed and the flats opened up. Notwithstanding the gushing praise of 1965, the building is probably of more historic interest than architectural with the external fire escape stairs not helping.
In June 1968 the Rural District Council demolished the properties on the corner of Bulls Lane and built Vine Court (originally for elderly persons) with 21 single-bedroom flats. It was named after numbers 1 & 2 Vine Cottages that used to stand on the site with a grape vine around the doorways, illuminated by a gas lamp on the pavement.[10] The location of the building was problematic because of a severe slope and its proximity to the A4. The building was deliberately turned away from facing the High Street to avoid the noise and inconvenience of traffic on the incline to Box Hill. The words of commendation on its completion seem rather old-fashioned today: each flat having its own compact kitchen unit, oil-fired central heating and a (communal) coin-operated laundry.
One of the early residents in Vine Court was a well-known resident Betty Smith (nee Lambert). She married Army Sgt-Major Albert Smith and they took over Neston Post Office and afterwards The Chequers pub in the Market Place. For several years Betty continued to run the pub after Albert’s death until she moved to Vine Court in 1975, which delighted her because from there she could see the garden of the family home at 2 Kingston Villas.
Over the years there has been a realisation that the council model of house ownership needed alternative solutions and the beginning of social housing, usually owned by a not-for-profit housing association. Often the desire was to provide for the elderly, physically challenged or disadvantaged sectors of our society. The realisation that these groups needed additional support was recognised long before the right-to-buy legislation of 1979 and housing trust associations and Chippenham Rural District Council led the way in making provision with a series of properties in the 1960s.
They completely gutted and redeveloped Springfield House into eight flats for the elderly in 1965.[6] It was a considerable restoration of the Grade II Historic building, which preserved the exterior of the 1729 workhouse and Charity School, once the centrepiece of the Box Church’s social role. The size and location of the building had limited its use as a family residence and it had been allowed to deteriorate. In 1875 the building was said to be in a ruinous state and was sold for £100 to private owners in 1879.[7] It was subsequently owned as an investment by a number of people before the First World War, including WJ Brown of Hazelbury Farm, who had bought several properties in Church Lane. When the estate was sold in 1913, Springfield House was described as well-placed and commodious which when fully let produces a rental of £31 per annum.[8] Thereafter, the building was bought by builders hoping to develop it, such as Victor Milsom whose family lived there in 1939.
By 1965, the Rural District Council had bought the building and the parish magazine considered that they are to be congratulated on transforming it into flats for elderly people.[9] The inside has been gutted and transformed, a work of skill and vision. The separate internal rooms in the old workhouse (built of stone) were removed and the flats opened up. Notwithstanding the gushing praise of 1965, the building is probably of more historic interest than architectural with the external fire escape stairs not helping.
In June 1968 the Rural District Council demolished the properties on the corner of Bulls Lane and built Vine Court (originally for elderly persons) with 21 single-bedroom flats. It was named after numbers 1 & 2 Vine Cottages that used to stand on the site with a grape vine around the doorways, illuminated by a gas lamp on the pavement.[10] The location of the building was problematic because of a severe slope and its proximity to the A4. The building was deliberately turned away from facing the High Street to avoid the noise and inconvenience of traffic on the incline to Box Hill. The words of commendation on its completion seem rather old-fashioned today: each flat having its own compact kitchen unit, oil-fired central heating and a (communal) coin-operated laundry.
One of the early residents in Vine Court was a well-known resident Betty Smith (nee Lambert). She married Army Sgt-Major Albert Smith and they took over Neston Post Office and afterwards The Chequers pub in the Market Place. For several years Betty continued to run the pub after Albert’s death until she moved to Vine Court in 1975, which delighted her because from there she could see the garden of the family home at 2 Kingston Villas.
Betty Smith (nee Lambert) in 1975 when she stood down as landlady of The Chequers pub (courtesy Gordon Hall)
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Queens Square
The unscrupulous exploitation of privately-rented accommodation in the 1950s and 60s by people such as Peter Rachman led to a public outcry and films like A Taste of Honey starring Rita Tushingham in 1961. It wasn’t just overcrowding or sub-standard properties, rather the lack of provision for those who fell outside mainstream renting, a situation which particularly affected the old and young, who could sometimes only afford properties verging on slums. Box had similar inadequate housing particularly for elderly and disadvantaged residents. Genevieve Brunt recalled that , in the 1950s and 60s, her elderly great aunt, Dora Wheeler, lived in two rooms in a small extension on the roadside of Rookery Nook, Hazelbury Hill. The house had one room up, being the bedroom, and one down which was the kitchen, sitting room and everything else, including alternative bedroom when the stairs proved too hard. It was the same size as Number 4, Woodstock, which before the Second World War had been the home of Reginald John Sumner, bricklayer, his wife and their three children under 5 years.[11] |
Dora Wheeler’s home at Rookery Nook (courtesy Carol Payne)
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Queens Square was redeveloped in the 1970s into 18 separate social houses. The area was formerly the gardens of the Queen's Head pub, south of the A4. The older buildings alongside Burtons Lane were divided into separate flats and several new homes built with wheel-chair access on the Chapel Lane side.
Since the right-to-buy legislation of the Housing Act, 1980, council-run property has become increasingly untenable and social accommodation even more limited. The properties in Box were transferred into the ownership of housing associations (private, non-profit making associations) after 1985 when councils were prohibited from subsidising rents out of the general rate.
Since the right-to-buy legislation of the Housing Act, 1980, council-run property has become increasingly untenable and social accommodation even more limited. The properties in Box were transferred into the ownership of housing associations (private, non-profit making associations) after 1985 when councils were prohibited from subsidising rents out of the general rate.
Housing at Queens Square (courtesy Carol Payne)
Living In the Community
In 1987 the Richmond Fellowship took over the house previously operated as a council children’s home run by Roy Tull at Kingsmoor, The Ley. Vicar Tom Selwyn-Smith wrote sensitively about the need for the village to assist with the effort needed in mental welfare and rehabilitation.[12] The village was concerned about the patients who would be walking around the village unescorted. Residents organised a public meeting in the Selwyn Hall to express their concern and to ask for more details, many wanted the conversion to be banned. Vicar Tom called for calm and sought to reassure residents: May we share Christ’s Faith and care for them (the residents)
The Richmond House was obliged to confirm that: nobody with recent anti-social behaviour … would be admitted (to the Home). Specific exclusion was made of people convicted of murder, rape or sexual offences against children. It wasn’t an edifying debate and it is rather an open question if we have much more knowledge about mental illness today.
In 1987 the Richmond Fellowship took over the house previously operated as a council children’s home run by Roy Tull at Kingsmoor, The Ley. Vicar Tom Selwyn-Smith wrote sensitively about the need for the village to assist with the effort needed in mental welfare and rehabilitation.[12] The village was concerned about the patients who would be walking around the village unescorted. Residents organised a public meeting in the Selwyn Hall to express their concern and to ask for more details, many wanted the conversion to be banned. Vicar Tom called for calm and sought to reassure residents: May we share Christ’s Faith and care for them (the residents)
The Richmond House was obliged to confirm that: nobody with recent anti-social behaviour … would be admitted (to the Home). Specific exclusion was made of people convicted of murder, rape or sexual offences against children. It wasn’t an edifying debate and it is rather an open question if we have much more knowledge about mental illness today.
There may never be enough low-cost property to satisfy all demand but it isn’t true that Box has neglected the need. Box perhaps converted one-quarter of its homes into social residences and for people with particular needs in the inter-war and post-war periods. It is correct to say, however, that the discrepancy between the grand houses and the estates reflects the economic divisions that have plagued our modern society.
References
[1] http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcensus.php?id=30
[2] This section is indebted to Paul Turner and his invaluable Rudloe website, rudloescene.co.uk - People II
[3] The Wiltshire Times, 11 July 1953
[4] The Wiltshire Times, 25 December 1954
[5] The Wiltshire Times, 25 March 1950
[6] Parish Magazine, June 1965
[7] Inquiry into Endowed Charities (County of Wiltshire) Parish of Box, including Ancient Parish of Ditteridge, 19 May 1904, p.5
[8] The Wiltshire Times, 10 May 1913
[9] Parish Magazine, June 1965
[10] Courtesy Jane Browning and Parish Magazine, June 1968
[11] Bath Weekly Chronicle and Herald, 8 February 1941
[12] Parish Magazine, March 1987
[1] http://history.wiltshire.gov.uk/community/getcensus.php?id=30
[2] This section is indebted to Paul Turner and his invaluable Rudloe website, rudloescene.co.uk - People II
[3] The Wiltshire Times, 11 July 1953
[4] The Wiltshire Times, 25 December 1954
[5] The Wiltshire Times, 25 March 1950
[6] Parish Magazine, June 1965
[7] Inquiry into Endowed Charities (County of Wiltshire) Parish of Box, including Ancient Parish of Ditteridge, 19 May 1904, p.5
[8] The Wiltshire Times, 10 May 1913
[9] Parish Magazine, June 1965
[10] Courtesy Jane Browning and Parish Magazine, June 1968
[11] Bath Weekly Chronicle and Herald, 8 February 1941
[12] Parish Magazine, March 1987