Hillcott - can anyone pinpoint this house?

[teragram31510]

Hallo,
The house in the photo attached was (according to my mother, now deceased) built by my great- grandfather in about 1885 just prior to his marriage the next year (don't know how he afforded it but that's another question). My grandmother's writing on the reverse says "Hillcott, Spaxton Rd (after Clayhill)". I think we are in the parish of Cannington.

A couple of years ago my sister and I trawled around the area in the hope of finding this house but we may have missed the fact that it is supposed to be on Spaxton Road. Clayhill was my great-grandfather's farm, now an arts centre.

Does anyone recognise this house? Is it still there somewhere? It certainly wasn't 'drowned' in Durleigh reservoir in 1936 as my grandparents lived in it for several years after leaving the farm in 1942 and my parents and older sister spent holidays there in the mid-forties.

Just wondering
Margaret

[JenB]

There are couple of advertisements for sale in the Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser of 21st Feb 1948, which give the address as Hillcott, Durleigh, part of the estate of Miss C M Priestley deceased. It's described as being one and a half miles from Bridgewater on the Spaxton Road.

In the 1939 register a Miss Constance Priestley is at a house called Hill Cote in Durleigh. This must the the same house.

You could have a look at neighbouring properties to 'Hill Cote' on the register to see these help pinpoint the location.

 

[Kay99]

There don't appear to be many houses along Spaxton Road in the mid 1880's - Would this one be possible given the shape of the house     https://maps.nls.uk/view/106021931#zoom=6&lat=2255&lon=14256&layers=BT  It is still there in 1928  https://maps.nls.uk/view/106021937#zoom=6&lat=2678&lon=14012&layers=BT   - although in street view it has had more recent change


Kay

[JenB]

I think it might possibly be a bit nearer to Bridgewater than that 
 
On the same page of the 1939 register are Durleigh Elms, Bower Lane and West Bower farm, which might possible place it in this area.
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16&lat=51.12490&lon=-3.04198&layers=6&right=ESRIWorld

It might be one of the many houses on the north side of Spaxton Road in that area - I'm sure a lot of them have been 'improved' and extended

[Kay99]

It is also shown between Dainesborough and Rexworthy Farm  in the 1939  Register  https://maps.nls.uk/view/101461507#zoom=4&lat=3514&lon=3621&layers=BT     https://maps.nls.uk/view/106021937#zoom=6&lat=2325&lon=14160&layers=BT

Kau

[teragram31510]

JenB and Kay99, that's wonderful. I've looked at all the links you've found and I think Hillcott is probably now n°14 Spaxton Rd, to judge from the street view. I'll have to send my sister out to have another look - it was March 2018 when I was last in England, and snowy, so perhaps we did'nt even get out of the car!! I know we saw the entrance to Danesborough.

But it looks like my grandparents probably rented it from this Miss Priestley when they left the farm. Probably someone they knew well. We'd always assumed it was still in the family at that time.

I now want to get hold of great grandfather's will and see if it sheds any light - but I shall wait till I read that order has been restored to the probatesearch website in question! No rush.

How come I never found a reference to the sale of the house in any newspapers I wonder? And I hadn't looked at the 1939 register because I knew where the various folk were living at the time...

Thanks a million to you both.

Margaret

[JenB]

If your sister lives locally it would be worthwhile investigating whether the local library has any detailed maps which might assist your search.

[nigelspicer]

Hi. I can confirm that this is definitely 14 Spaxton Road. Margaret, I could be completely wrong but a quick genealogical check gives me this. Your GGF was Charles Nation b.1816 d.1884. He married in abt 1844 Ann (possibly Prosser) (b.1822 d.1909).

The youngest son of this couple was Harry b.1859 who married in 1896 Elizabeth (Emma Ann) Yeandle. I think they would be your grandparents? They purchased Clayhill Farm between 1901 and 1911. One of their sons Charles George b.1892 eventually sold the farm in abt 1943 to the Irish family. I have assumed that his sister was your mother?

So in summary these dates don't seem to agree with the historical date of 1885 you've inherited about Hillcott. I know that Constance Mary Priestley and an Edith Vale sold Danesborough in 1935 and moved into Hillcott. Incidentally Hillcott was previously known as Hill View and a retired farmer named Henry Sperring lived there in 1901.

Do you know the approximate date of this photo or the date when your family stayed there. Perhaps when Clayhill was sold Charles George moved in to Hillcott with his family? This seems unlikely as it looks like Constance lived in Hillcott until she died in 1947.