Pumpstock
When the Inclosure Act came to Norton in 1806 the land where bungalows Pumpstock, Newlands and later Greystones were built was largely identified as Plot Nos 78, 79 and 80. Until the current properties were built the history of these plots will be treated as one.
Plot No 78 was described as being a house, yard and garden, 1r 18p, in the occupation of Robert Bompass who also owned what has become the row of three terraced houses further along this lane. Although the description suggests there was a house on this Plot it is not marked on the plan. Plot No 79 was described as being a cottage and garden of 3p in the occupation of William Woodward who also owned a garden opposite on Plot No 147. Plot No 80 was an orchard.
The Woodward family still have a memorial in the churchyard at St Mary’s, Norton;
“Elizabeth wife of William Woodward who died Sept 6th 1826 aged 66. Also of two of the sons who died in their infancy. William Woodward died Sept 7 1833 aged 74, Richard Woodward died Oct 6th 1850 aged 59, Thomas Woodward died March 22nd 1837 aged 52”.
In 1838, a ‘terrier and valuation of the messuages, lands, and other hereditaments liable to poor rate in the parish of Norton’ was produced enabling the three Plots to be identified again. Plot No 78 was then described the same as a house, buildings and a garden, owned by Hester Hide and let to William James Jnr as tenant. Plot No 79 was still a cottage and garden of 3p then, with both William and Elizabeth Woodward having died, in the occupation of son James Woodward. Plot No 80 had been developed and was now also a house, buildings and garden owned by Hester Hide.
Whilst Plot No 78 records the presence of a house I believe that the land where the bungalows were later built would have been the gardens associated with the plot and that the house would be what we now know as the White House.
Plot No 79. Electoral registration records for Norton show a James Woodward who was living at Norton and holding a qualifying property of ‘freehold house and land’ near The Green between 1851 and 1872. The census returns from this period offer us a little more information. In 1841 and 1851 James Woodward, a 45/55 year old agricultural labourer was widowed and living alone at Norton Green. In 1861 he was still present and his 30 year old daughter Susannah was living with him. There are no Woodwards recorded in 1871 nor in Norton after this date.
By the time of the 1st Edition of the Ordnance Survey 25” map, 1844-1888, there was just one building and a pond on these three plots.
On 8 November 1873 an advertisement was published in the Gloucestershire Chronicle newspaper; “Norton - To be sold by private contract, a substantial cottage with large garden adjoining, situate at the Pound Green, Norton.— Amply to Mr. Job Gardner, Norton, or to Messrs. Ellis and Sheppard, Solicitors, Queen Street, Gloucester”.
On 21 January 1874 the property was sold to Charles Walker who owned the Norton Court Estate at that time and was buying up properties around the village. The documents record a Conveyance from James Woodward to Job Gardner on 27 January 1873 and a Conveyance from Job and Diana Gardner to Charles Walker on 21 January 1874. There is also a Certificate of acknowledgement of deed by Mrs Gardner. The deeds tell a little more of its history and state;
“As to cottage and garden at Norton formerly Gardners purchased from William Woodward to James Woodward and his trustee of a cottage on the side of lane at Norton leading out of the Turnpike Road from Gloucester towards Tewkesbury to Norton green bounded on all parts and sides thereof by the lane and a piece of pasture ground or orcharding belonging to Richard Hyde and also a garden on the side of the lane and opposite the said cottage and hereditament bounded by the lane and a piece of pasture ground then formerly part of a farm late in the occupation of William Syms on all parts or sides thereof which cottage and garden were then in the occupation of William Woodward. Together with all outhouses etc commons common of pasture etc”
Job, a thatcher by trade, and Dinah Gardner were living in Marlpit Lane from 1851 so it is likely that they owned cottage No 15 briefly but possibly never actually lived here.
By the time of the 2nd Edition of the Ordnance Survey 25” map, 1894-1903, there were no buildings here at all and this is how it remained until the bungalows were constructed.
In approximately 1957 William and Jean Walker bought the land from a Mr & Mrs Hyett and then had both Pumpstock and Newlands bungalows built. They came to live in Pumpstock and sold Newlands. The more recent history of Newlands will be continued in its own article.
So Pumpstock was built in the late 1950s at the same time as Newlands next door and named due to the location of one of the village water pumps at the front of the property. The only pump identified in this area on the early maps was sited on the village green, shown by a ‘P’ on the above plan, so maybe the pump outside Pumpstock isn’t that old. It seems to have been sited where the pond was previously mapped.
2006
In 1962 the name Pumpstock appears for the first time when the residents were still William D P and Jean M Walker. William Donald Probyn Walker had married Jean Mary Phelps in 1951 at St Mary’s, Norton. Jean was the daughter of Hubert Cyril and Phyllis Phelps who lived at Norton Villa, Cold Elm.
When William and Jean Walker left Norton they moved to Barnwood where they lived before moving again to Cheltenham around 1967/68. They entered the pub trade and initially ran The Britannia in Fairview Road, before moving on to The Restoration.
Pumpstock remained in the same extended family and between at least 1963-66 the residents were Charles H and Doris E L Phillips. Charles Henry Phillips had married Doris Emily Locke Warner at Stroud in 1926 and Doris was a cousin of Hubert Cyril Phelps on his mother’s side of the family.
In 1985 the residents were Nicolas M and Julia M Symons.
The property was put up for sale with Anthony Hickman’s Estate Agents at £66950 in 1986 with the following, badly reproduced, photo;
“A superior detached bungalow, in a superb village green location, with uninterrupted views across Norton Hill and surrounding area. The interior is in good decorative order throughout and offers a large sitting room with attractive brick built open fireplace, kitchen/dining room and 3 double bedrooms, bathroom. Externally tidy gardens lie to all four sides, approximately acre plot, incorporating double garage, garage/workshop to side and 2 aluminium greenhouses”.
