Gizelle
In the early 1950s the site on the opposite side of the Old Road to the Kings Head, Plot No 225 on the following map, was still farmland but from 1956 this was to change.
The following advertisement is for an auction that appears to be selling the land for development; “Norton, 5 miles from Gloucester and 6 from Cheltenham. Bruton, Knowles & Co are instructed by the Cheltenham & Hereford Breweries Ltd to sell by auction at the Bell Hotel, Gloucester, on Monday, May 4th, 1953, at 3pm punctually valuable building land, accommodation pasture land & orcharding as follows; Lot 1. An enclosure of pasture or building land with a frontage to the Old Road and having an area of 2¼ acres. Main water and electricity available. Lot 2. Two enclosures of rich pasture land and orcharding with a frontage to the Gloucester-Tewkesbury road and having an area of 3¼ acres. Lot 3. An enclosure of good meadow land situate in a lane running off the Old Road, adjoining Windmill Covert, and having an area of about 2¼ acres. Vacant possession of all the lots will be given on completion of the purchase”.
I believe that originally there were just the four bungalows built in large plots of land that have since been further developed into the ten properties that can now be found here along a lane that runs from the Old Road back into what was Plot No 225. I have also been told by June Hipwood, of Lugano since January 1957, that her deeds contain a clause to the effect that they are not allowed to sell alcohol from the premises. This must have been a clause added in by the Cheltenham & Hereford Breweries Ltd to stop any competition for the Kings Head, and may be in the deeds of the other properties as well.
I don’t know which the original four bungalows were but in 1958 the property ‘Gizelle’ first appears. The bungalow was located approximately 30m off the Old Road, to the right, and backed onto the Vicarage drive.
The entrance to ‘Gizelle’ would have been between the gable end with window and the garage in this photo from 1966.
In 1958 the occupants were Arthur A and Rita C M Graham-Jones. They may well have been the original owners and were still here in 1960. In 1960 Haldane T Arksey was also in residence.
By 1962 we find Hugh Mackay and Lorna Alexandra Lane in residence. They had married in 1959 at Huntley. There was an 'intruder' during their time in residence as reported in The Citizen newspaper of 23 April 1962; "Mud marks on the bedclothes led to the discovery that an intruder had visited the home of Mr Hugh Mackay-Lane at Gizelle, Old Tewkesbury Rd, Norton, during Saturday night. Nothing was stolen, but the bungalow had been searched and the intruder had obviously walked or sat on the bed".
By 1964 the Perry family had moved in. Frederick and Clarice G Perry had been living at No 31 Wainlode Hill prior to their move. Frederick died in 1964 but I don’t know if this was before or after they moved. Clarice remained at ‘Gizelle’ with their children. I have been told that two of the sons “Selwyn and Tig, were hugely successful at grasstrack racing, both as riders and manufacturers of the highly specialised motorcycles used. Selwyn built the "Ansel" at Newent and Tig, the "Antig" in Gloucester”. Daughter Eleanor had married Ronald Phelps of Norton Villa in 1956.
The Perrys were still here in 1966 and I don’t know when they left. Ronald Phelps and Eleanor lived here briefly before swapping properties with Cyril and Phyllis Phelps of Norton Villa, Ron’s parents, in approximately 1975.
Tony Phelps, a grandson of Cyril and Phyllis described ‘Gizelle’ to me as being “a 1960's chalet type bungalow. It was pleasant inside with a large sitting area separated from the kitchen by an open shelving unit. It must have been very a la mode when built. Unfortunately, the construction was a bit whimsical. When Nan asked dad if he could do something about the draught under the porch door, he discovered the floor of the porch had sunk. When she moved out, the French windows through which we'd brought their furniture when they'd moved in, wouldn't budge. The lintel had settled onto them. I think the whole place was in danger of sliding down the bank into the vicarage drive. Eleanor's parents lived there in the early 70's, then Ron and Eleanor did so briefly before swapping places with Nan and Pap. When Nan moved out, Ron and Eleanor's eldest, Tim and his partner Jill, took it on. They demolished it and built the house which stands there today. I can't remember the exact amount, but I recall Tim telling me that a huge tonnage of concrete went into the ground to create a platform stable enough to build upon. Tim and Jill moved later to Harewood End, taking the Gizelle name plaque with them, where it adorned a summer house. Years later, long after they'd left that property, I made a delivery there and was amused to see it was still attached to a by now rather tumbledown summer house. It seemed appropriate!”.
I have also been told by June Hipwood, of Lugano since January 1957; “I remember the day when a large caravan was lifted, by a crane, from the Old Tewkesbury Rd on to the site. It was a tricky manoeuvre! I suppose this caravan was a temporary home for Tim and Jill once the original Gizelle was demolished. I also remember just how hard they both worked at building their new home - it was very much a team effort. I understand that Tim, once home from his work in Gloucester, set himself a daily target of doing a certain amount of building work”.
In 1985 Tim and Jill were still living here and I don’t have a date for when ‘Gizelle’ was demolished.
