Like most parishes in England Upchurch still retains old buildings from the distant past with the oldest being the church constructed in 1100, but what are the oldest houses?
‘Wayside,’ which is located opposite the church in Horsham Lane, dates back to the late fourteenth century and is believed to have been used as a convent and then as the village vicarage. This is because of its close proximity to the church. It also has features of a fourteenth century vicarage with a hallway, a cellar, a large open fireplace, stables and a garden that was once enclosed by a wall. The fireplace which is situated on the ground floor is dated from 1321 to 1391, although the present building is not the original.
The present house was constructed during the late seventeenth century because the original building had fallen into disrepair according to the ‘Catalogue of all the Benefices in the Diocese of Canterbury’ dated 1663. Since then the house has served as a coaching inn, a confectionary shop, a coal merchant’s, a nineteenth century inn and as a residence for farm workers. The remains of an old staircase, maid’s quarters and old ship’s beams suggest that the property has a long history.
The left side of the building became the Church Room in 1906, rented by the church where meetings and social events took place. It also became the Men’s Room where the village men could go to socialise and play games. The room became derelict for a while before being taken over by the Labour Party and converted into the Labour Hall in 1950. When John Gay bought Wayside in 1967 he had the hall incorporated into the house.
‘Wayside’ may have had a secret passage which led from the cellar to the church as an escape route for the clergy at the time of Henry VIII when he took possession of religious buildings. Although clear evidence of this does not exist today, architect Mr Clegg who lived there during the 1950s and 1960s, is believed to have had the passage bricked up because of its bad condition causing it to become unsafe.
Gore Farmhouse is the oldest house in the parish and it also dates back to the fourteenth century. A Norman knight named Roger le Souser and his maid servant Inger burnt down the original house after murdering the owner in 1244. A new timber house was constructed in 1390. It became a two storey building. In 1540. King Henry V111 seized it and presented it as a gift to Attorney-General and Canterbury MP Sir Christopher Hales. After this it fell into disrepair until Philip Holman mortgaged it in 1610. The Earl of Thanet then owned it until 1849. From that point farm bailiffs lived there while the farmers lived in Gore House. Mike Blee became the most recent farmer to live in Gore Farmhouse.
The farmhouse is timber framed and underbuilt with painted bricks. There are two casement windows on each floor and a central door with a gabled porch. There are traces of Medieval stonework in the north-west part of the house. The floors and chimney stacks date from the sixteenth century. The farmhouse became a listed building in 1984. According to eye witness accounts the house is haunted.
Holywell Farm Cottage previously known as Holywell Cottages originally served as two semi detached farm cottages for farm workers dating back to the sixteenth century.
The Cottages were converted into a single detached cottage and then it became a listed building in November 1984. It's timber framed and plastered with red and blue chequered brick at the front with a tiled roof. The front is seventeenth century and the rear sixteenth century. The cottage is two storeys high. There are two chimney stacks, one at each end of the roof.
Yew Tree Cottage situated at the bottom end of Poot Lane is also a former farm worker’s tied cottage dating back to the late seventeenth century. The date of the building is carved into one of the ship’s beams located in the lounge. Farm workers mainly resided in the property. For the past forty years the house with a yew tree in the front garden has had an extension and other improvements made as private individuals have lived there and have converted the cottage into a luxury home. Paul Hicks is the present owner.
Gore Farmhouse, Holywell House, Yew Tree Cottage and Wayside.
Horsham Farm in Horsham Lane dates back to the seventeenth century and is the grandest and biggest old house in the parish.
The house and the farm situated in Horsham Lane are named after Stephen de Horsham, the first owner of the Manor of Horsham during the reign of Edward III.
The building is two storeys high with an attic, wooden eaves and a hipped roof. The building is timber framed and clad with buff brick on the ground floor. There is a tiled roof with three hipped dormers and stacks to the left and right.
In past times the house had 1000 acres of farmland attached. All Souls College Oxford owned the property for a long time then the Portland Cement Company purchased it during the twentieth century.
During the nineteenth century farmer John Green and his family occupied the property. After this farm workers lived in the house then the Jenkins family moved in during the 1930s and Charles and Sid Jenkins managed the farm. They were followed by Lyn Jenkins and his wife Katherine who worked and resided there for many years. When Lyn Jenkins died the property and land were sold and the house is now privately owned by Gerald Bowra.
Callows House at Ham Green was constructed during the 1720s and originally served as a farmhouse for the Chambers family who owned a large acreage of land and cottages in the area. The house became known as ‘Chambers House’ then later as ‘Chambers Cottages’. Abraham and John Chambers became well-known Ham Green farmers during the eighteenth century. The house became known as Callows House towards the end of the nineteenth century.
The house name derives from ‘The Callows,’ an old Irish term meaning low lying wetland or a river flood plain. Although the house may originally have been a detached dwelling it appears to have been divided into two separate cottages at some point with a loft which may have been used as a third living area. Evidence for this is a shared front entrance and staircase with a door on either side for entry from each side of the house on the ground floor. Both sides are more or less identical, with the exception of a separate area directly behind the living room on the right of the building, most likely used to keep farm animals.
The ground floor originally had an earth surface. An open fireplace with a stove on each side of the house with a chimney stack provided heating and cooking facilities. One main bedroom is situated on each side of the first floor with a small loft area above.
The exposed beams on the ceiling and wall of the ground floor are old ship’s timbers made of oak which probably pre-date the house. The house also has a cat slide slanting tiled roof which is typical of eighteenth century buildings. A small extension appears to have been added to the left side of the house at some point and this serves as a kitchen.
According to the Upchurch tithe map of 1839 farmer Katherine Coveney owned the house but did not live there. Farm workers mainly lived in the property. George Friend who worked as a gardener for John Hinge at Ham Green House and became an important figure in the horticultural society lived in the house during the 1950s and 1960s. These days the building is a detached house and tree surgeon Jim Lindsay is the present owner.
Holywell House in Holywell Lane is from the same period as Callows house and was also constructed as a farmhouse during the early eighteenth century. Made of brick, it has always been a detached farmhouse with a spacious interior and many rooms. Nowadays, the house has a lounge, a sitting room, four bedrooms, a bathroom a loft, a pantry, a boot room, a rear porch an entrance hall and a basement with spacious gardens at the rear, front and side. It became the home of successive farmers. These included Henry Miskin, Richard Mitchell, Joseph Witherden, Frank Stevens and Geoff Stevens. These all farmed land in the area.
Overall, the oldest houses in Upchurch have an interesting history and have survived over time to contribute to the character of the area.
David Wood
About David
David Wood was born, raised and still lives in Upchurch today. He is able to write from personal experience about village life and the changes that have taken place over the years, making ‘Memories of Upchurch’ a very readable and detailed historical study of the village.
David's book is available from David at david3702001@yahoo.co.uk or from us here at Upchurch Matters. Price £12 + postage and packing.
