Norton Farm Cottages - (Norton Court Estate cottages Nos 4 & 5)
There is a bundle of deeds referred to amongst the Norton Court Estate papers that date this property to 1685.
Previously known as Street End, at the time of the Inclosures arriving at Norton in 1807, the site where the pair of farm cottages now stand, on Wainlode Lane between Cold Elm and Norton village green, was the site of a single dwelling in Plot No 154 on the following map, almost opposite Norton Farm at Plot No 158.
Plot No 154 was described as being a house and garden of 0a 1r 8p with Plot No 155 an orchard of 0a 3r 38p and they were both in the possession of Thomas Leach. By 1838 the property was in the occupation of a 65 year old widow, Deborah Leach, and was described as being “nr Norton Farm, cider house, garden and orchard”. The full schedule of the property recorded :-
“Cider house and garden, 0-1-8; Orchard, 0-3-38; Total: 1-1-16; Gross estimated rental or annual value of each holding, £10; Rateable value or net annual value of each holding, £8”
This ‘cider house’ is discussed at; https://5d8c121799c58.site123.me/property/beer-and-alehouses
A document that appears to date from the 1840s, when Miss Elizabeth Frances Webb held the manor and Norton Court Estate, records who occupied each of the farms and who and how many people lived in the cottages that were located on each of the farms. There are only two cottages listed with Mr Herbert’s Farm and presumably they are those located almost opposite the farm house along Wainlode Lane today. In the first was Deborah Leach and two sons and in the second John Hughes was living alone.
In 1841 Deborah Leach is listed as a farmer, living with son Thomas and John Juggins who were both agricultural labourers. Next door we find John Hughes, also an agricultural labourer, living with his wife Elizabeth and two children all employed in farm work.
The indications are that was only one cottage here in 1838 but two by 1841 so perhaps this dates when these cottages were built ?
From 8 May 1843 is a conveyance from Deborah Leach and others to Elizabeth Frances Webb "of a messuage in a place called Street End in Bishops Norton together with the garden and orchard and a piece of pasture ground containing ½ an acre and making part of the orchard".
By the time the OS 1st Edition map for Norton was published in 1883 the layout of properties on this site more readily reflected that of today with the two farm labourer's cottages already in place in Plot No 219.
It is not known when the farm cottages were first constructed but in the 1860s the Norton Court Estate, which owned Norton Farm and many of the properties in Bishops Norton at that time, was responsible for the demolition and renovation of many properties around the village so it is certainly possible that they date from this period.
Throughout the remainder of the nineteenth century it is nearly impossible to identify the properties in surviving records as they were not named. There are farm labourers on the Census’ adjacent to the entry for Norton Farm but it is not possible to say for certain they were living in these properties. There are schedules for the Norton Court Estate from this period which may provide more details and these will be checked at some time. A sale notice from June 1986 suggests that they were built circa 1920 but if correct then should probably read rebuilt.
The properties appear to have left the Norton Court Estate on Saturday July 28th 1923 at 3 o’clock punctually when Bruton Knowles & Co were instructed by Capt G N Walker to sell Norton Farm by auction at The Bell Hotel, Gloucester. The two farm labourer's cottages associated with the farm formed part of the auction and were referred to as Estate Nos 4 and 5;
“In No 219 on plan are a pair of modern cottages substantially built of brick with tiled roofs, each containing living room, scullery and 3 bedrooms. The farmhouse, buildings, and cottages are in an excellent state of repair”.
This gives us the property numbers that identified the cottages to the Norton Court Estate. So whilst they were later Nos 1 & 2 Norton Farm Cottages they were previously Estate Nos 4 and 5 and later again the two cottages were renamed Nos 1 & 2 Cold Elm Cottages.
Whilst it can’t be said which family was in which house we can identify the residents in 1939. In the one cottage was Henry, a cowman, and Maria Teakle and in the other Edwin, a horseman on a farm, and Elizabeth Smith. It seems likely that they would both have been employed at Norton Farm, almost opposite.
Henry was born Walter Harry Teakle in 1887 at Bisley, the son of Walter James Teakle and Esther Ann nee Newman. By 1911 the family had come to Norton and were living at Cold Elm. Henry married Florence Marion nee Lawrence, known as Florrie, in 1924 at Gloucester Register Office. During their few years here Harry Wilks, of The Leigh, can remember going to this cottage to collect his grandfather’s medicine when Dr Foster briefly held his surgeries here. Henry died in 1942 and was buried at Norton where he has a churchyard memorial. As the cottage was likely tied to his job his widow would have had to leave at this time.
Edwin Robert Smith was born in 1886 at Chorlton, Lancashire, and married Elizabeth Jane nee Trigg of Norton in 1907 at St Mary’s, Norton. Edwin died in 1945 and like the Teakles it is expected that his widow would have had to move. Elizabeth died in 1965 and was buried with her husband at St Mary’s where they have a churchyard memorial.
In 1948 No 2 Cold Elm Cottages was occupied by Alfred C and Kathleen E Waite. In 1954/55 No 1 Cold Elm Cottages was occupied by Granville William and Phyllis Violet Daniels and No 2 by William Donald Probyn and Jean Mary Walker. In 1956 No 1 Cold Elm Cottages was occupied by Peter John Terrence Wilks and No 2 Cold Elm Cottages by Pearl Dolores Molnar. In 1960 No 2 Cold Elm Cottages was occupied by Ernest Thomas (Ernie) and Kathleen Mary (Kitty) Prosser who were still there in at least 1966.
Norton Farm came up for auction again when Bruton, Knowles & Co were instructed by the trustees of Mr Alfred Minett dec’d and Mrs M E Marston to sell by auction at Agriculture House, Tewkesbury Road, Gloucester on Thursday 20th July 1961 at 3.0pm. The cottages were then described as;
“The two cottages are built of brick with tiled roof. Each contains a sitting room with glazed fireplace, kitchen, lean-to scullery and three bedrooms. Garden and EC”.
In 1962, when still known as No 1 Cold Elm Cottages, it was occupied by Gwyneth Elizabeth Maud Longney. In 1963 No 1 Cold Elm Cottages was occupied by Kenneth George Arthur and Gladys Beatrice Lee.
In 1965, and then known as No 1 Norton Farm Cottages, Raymond and Isobel Johnson were in residence with their children and they were to remain in the village for approximately the following 4 years. They had five children, one of whom has shared some of her memories and photographs of their time in the village. Tina Leverton (nee Johnson) tells us that when her father, Raymond, left the army at Robinswood Camp, Gloucester, they came to Norton where he worked for George Whittaker at Norton Farm milking the cows. Tina remembers that next door at No 2 was a lady called Kitty who had a son named Gary. This would have been the Prossers.
These photos show the back of the cottages and also the brick building up the garden at No 1 which was the toilet at the time in the late 1960s.
When George Whittaker retired from Norton Farm in 1984, No 2 Norton Farm Cottages was still occupied by Ernie Prosser. Kitty died in 1979, Ernie in 1986 and both have a memorial at St Mary's, Norton.
The Gloucester Citizen newspaper of 12 June 1986 advertised No 2; “Bishops Norton. A superb example of a superior semi-detached property, situate in this delightful village only 4/5 miles north of Gloucester. The property was built circa 1920 and has been tastefully extended and modernised throughout, to an excellent overall standard. Quite simply, this is in our opinion, one of the best houses we have been privileged to offer in a long time. 3 double bedrooms and a large garden adjoining open farmland and spectacular views are features to name just a few. £62,950”. [The property seems to have sold quickly]
In 2002 No 1 Norton Farm Cottages was known as 'Elm Rise' and was occupied by Robert and Elisabeth J Biruls with their children Jonathan, Matthew and Alex. No 2 Norton Farm Cottages was occupied by Alan David and Amanda Jane Pickering with their children Claire, Katie, Alice and Annie.
[2002]
The following has been shared by Ruby Bebbington who, in 2021, was living at No 1 Norton Farm Cottages which is still known as ‘Elm Rise’;
“Both cottages fell into disrepair and I think were actually derelict. They were each bought by different buyers in the early 80’s around 1982, number 2 by the current owners (I think) and number 1 by a Mr M Hulme. Both cottages were renovated and extended in different ways to each other and, at that time, the back to back outside toilets were demolished and removed. There have been at least 2 owners of Elm Rise as well as us since then. My husband David and I bought Elm Rise in 2006 as a ‘project’. Nothing much appeared to have been done to improve it since the work in the early 80’s. We carried out extensive improvements and building works”.
Alan and Mandy Pickering bought No 2 in 1982 and after extensive renovations started to live there from 1985. The following photos have been shared by Mandy from No 2 and show the cottages from the early 1980s.
