A GUIDED WALK IN HOUGHTON ON THE HILL

by Carol and Ray Davis

This guide was first written by us in January 1983 for a and Women’s Institute competition. It was then printed and sold at the local fete and updated and printed again in January 1986. Reproduced here in 2012, it has been substantially added to over the years. Due to technological advances (the original was written on an electric typewriter with hand-drawn pictures) we are able to include a number of photographs from our personal collection and other photographs we have been given access to.

1 Our guided walk of Houghton starts from Houghton Field car park, situated at the end of Weir Lane. We suggest that you leave a minimum of one hour to follow our route, but this will not allow time for deeper exploration of the many interesting places that we will pass on our way. Our walk does not take us off the footpaths and so strong walking boots are not necessary, nor should it pose any serious problems for a wheelchair.

Firstly, a note on the development of Houghton. Built on a deposit of glacial gravel on top of border clay, the site of the village is the meeting point of two Bronze Age ridgeways. One of these paths, the Old Salt Way, dates back to about 500 BC. Our records date back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when 10 dwellings formed our village, then spelt Hohton1. A court case dated 1506 is the first modern spelling of Houghton we have found.

Weir Lane takes its name from the site of an old pond where the heavy horses were brought to wash their feet after ploughing the surrounding fields. Weir Lane Farm was occupied by Mr Wignall in the late 19th century, and then the Fielding family farmed it for many years. First Tom Fielding, then John Fielding, followed by John’s son, Dick Fielding. The outbuildings were demolished years ago, but the old farmhouse still remains. As we proceed along Weir Lane towards Main Street, we pass Field Close on our right. Built by Market Council in 1966 it is situated at the end of the original lane. The land on which it is built was part of a large field bought from Mr William Parker (Parker Farms Ltd) and provided the housing site and the Playing Field we have just left. To provide the village with a playing field a loan was raised and guaranteed by four of the local villagers (Ray Davis, Nathan Harris, Tom Smart, and John Stephenson) until, over a period of some years, the loan was repaid by the village through the Houghton Field Association.

The footpath on our left follows the rear gardens of the houses in Main Street and would take you to the church.

The Cottage on our left was at one time two cottages, possibly housing farm workmen and their families.

Hollies Farm, Farriers Cottage, Forge c 1910. Note cottages next to forge demolished after bomb damage in 1941. Rose Palin, the village carrier, is in the horse and cart.

1 This would have been approximately 40 people

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Hollies Farm and surrounding area, c 1947. Note the Institute on the side of the road behind the outbuildings of Hollies Farm

The new houses on our right and in Hollies Close were built in 1975/6 by Messrs Wilsons Ltd on the site of the “Working Men’s Institute” and the outbuildings of Hollies Farm. The “Working Men’s Institute” was the forerunner of the present Village Hall (in Main Street). The building was originally built to house ‘navvies’ working on the to Ingarsby railway. In 1871 there were 70 navvies listed as being in the village. The Great Northern Railway opened in 18832. Although just a barn by modern day standards, it consisted of a Reading Room and Assembly Hall capable of sitting 200 people. In 1983, some of our older inhabitants still reflected on the September Feast Days and Christmas gatherings when they were entertained by local characters ‘doing a turn’.

On the left corner is ‘Farriers Cottage’, a house built in the 19th century. It took its name from the village blacksmith’s shop that stood next door in Main Street.

Opposite the entrance to Weir Lane is Number 19 Main Street. Here the local wheelwright lived whose name was Tailby (one of the oldest families in Houghton). The last Tailby to live here was Ivy Tailby, who married Shirley Hubbard. The roof markings of the old workshops can be seen on the end wall of the Old Bakehouse. During the Second World War the John Bull Rubber Company made small components for armaments in the Nissan building behind the current shop, having moved from a small factory set up in part of Houghton Garage. This provided work for a number of local women. Just after the war, the Co-operative Society used to bring a travelling van to the village selling bread and meat. They then purchased the current site from Mr and Mrs Hubbard and the shop was built in the 1960s.

2 Ingarsby Railway closed and the rails taken up in 1965 due to the Dr Beeching cuts

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Just on the left of Scotland Lane you can observe an original mud wall. Just down Scotland Lane on the right, number 18, there is a very old ‘cruck’ cottage and it is interesting to note the different sizes of brick. Further down on the left are two semi-detached houses at right angles to the street. One of these, number 37, was the original Police House in the village until the Police House moved to Road (to the house now called Hillcroft, opposite New Ingarsby Farm).

On Main Street, next to Farriers Cottage, is the old blacksmith’s shop which is now the Village Pharmacy. Many a fine hunter and sturdy Shire has stood on the pavement to be shod. The original main windows used to be four panes of glass taken from old Leicester Trams, only one pane now survives.

Thinking back to the 1960s, Ray well remembers missing the school bus and then helping Charlie Partridge. Ray would pump the hearth bellows or hold a ‘Gentle Giant’ while a new set of size 10s were fitted! The smell was horrible, but the skill of the blacksmith fascinating. Charlie was a true blacksmith who not only shod horse’s feet but created beautiful wrought-iron work. Ray remembers him working a piece of iron and making a beautiful tulip to decorate a local gate. Much of the old ironwork in the village was created by the local blacksmiths of the village, from door latches and hinges to gates, including the village hall gate, arch and lantern. The last blacksmith to work in this forge was John Woodford and the last time the anvil was heard to ring was in 1974.

George Davis of Home Farm, Charlie Partridge the Blacksmith, Katie the horse and Fly the dog

To the right of the blacksmith’s shop is the ‘New Rectory’. This became the Rectory in 1988 after the old Rectory next to the church was sold. In the front garden of the ‘New Rectory’, once stood two houses lived in by Mrs Toolley and Mrs Jacques. These were destroyed in 1941 by the German Airforce during the Second World War. One lady had to be rescued from her bedroom by ladder after the front of the house and staircase had been blown away! Six bombs were dropped on Houghton but most fell harmlessly in rear gardens and open fields.

The small building to the right of the ‘New Rectory’ was originally a butchers shop with a slaughter house at the rear, run by the Horspool family. The Aldwinckle family ran a

4 butchers shop here from 1927 to 1932, when it moved to the Old Boot. This building has since been used as a cobblers shop, a dwelling, a doctor’s surgery, an office and now a beauty therapist shop called “Annabella”.

Opposite, on the right hand side of Main Street, we see a row of small terraced cottages which were built in the late 19th century. Long Cottage is numbers 25 and 27 combined3. Number 25 used to house a small grocery and sweet shop run by Mrs Gutteridge. Here you could buy ‘twists’ of sweets for a farthing. The shop closed in 1952. Number 27 was also the post office in the 1930s, run by Gertie Fielding, the original door is now a window (far left).

The Rowans, opposite the White House, stands back in its’ own exclusive grounds. Mr and Mrs Spencer lived in the White House and built The Rowans to live in. It then became the home of Miss Cullen, milliner to the Queen.

The Old Forge, Number 28, as the name suggests was once the site of a second village blacksmith’s shop which closed many years ago. An interesting feature is the stone foundations. This may suggest that the house was built on the foundations of an earlier dwelling. We also see a fine example of Swithland Slate roofing on the roof facing Main Street. The huge rough slates being laid at the ‘eaves’ and gradually getting smaller as they reach the ‘ridge’. This forge was renowned for its production of scythes and ploughs, many of which were sold at during the Billesdon Fairs. By 1910 it was being lived in by the village carrier, Rose Paling. Rose gave up her carrier business around 1920 due to the introduction of motor carriers.

The Poplars, 1939

Opposite the Old Forge is Hall Farm farmhouse, which was where the farmers farming Hall Farm lived.

The Poplars, Number 30, still retains its ‘front door’ porch which has been brought back into use in the last couple of years. Shoe scrapers can be seen in the lower part of the brickwork reminding us of a time before tarmacadam came to Houghton.

3 This property was rendered in 1984.

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The Poplars, 2008

Further down on the right is number 35. For years this was the Post Office and bore the name ‘Tristan’. The connection here is with the island of Tristan da Cunha. A former postmistress, Mrs Rosie Rogers, was the daughter of a local farmer Alec Dixon and wife of Rev Rogers, missionary to the mid-Atlantic island. She was widowed early with two children to raise. The house was built by the Missionary Commission on Rosie’s return to to enable her to run the local Post Office. During the volcanic eruption of Tristan da Cunha many evacuees came to England and visited Houghton to renew their friendship with Mrs Rogers. She also wrote a book called ‘In Mid Atlantic’. The Post Office underwent major modernisation during the winter of 1982/3 and then the Post Office moved to St Catharine’s Way in 1986.

The old Post Office ‘Tristan’ next to the Methodist Chapel, 1970s

Next to the old Post Office is the Wesleyan Chapel. Built in 1852 the Chapel underwent much restoration in 1981/2. It became Methodist in 1934 at the union of all the branches of the Methodist Church. The schoolroom to the right was added at a later date and was used by evacuated children as a school during the Second World War.

Hall Farm, next to the Chapel, is one of the principle houses in Main Street and was once the home of Miss Charlotte Smith, a wealthy landowner in Houghton who, in 1920, gave the land for the Village Hall to be built on. The house contains a splendid staircase that

6 winds up the three stories of the house. The tenant, and subsequent farming owners, of Hall Farm did not live here but in the Hall Farm farmhouse opposite the forge at Number 28.

To our left, and standing on a small triangular green, stands a magnificent Silver Birch tree. This tree was planted in 1898 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897.

The Willowsic is another fine example of 19th century architecture, and stands beside a very large and old Oak tree. Both are visible from the Black Horse gardens. The Oak tree, known as the ‘Witan’ tree, was the meeting place of the village elders, the forerunners of the Parish Council. The tree now has to be supported by heavy chains. Wood from the tree, together with wood from various other sources around the village, was made into a gavel and stand by Ray Davis for the Parish Council to mark the Parish Council Centenary in 1994.

Red Roofs and the Black Horse down to Home Farm, c 1911 Ada Squire of Home Farm, George Squire is outside Home Farm with horse and trap

Same view in the 1950s

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Red Roofs and the Black Horse down to Home Farm, 2008

From the Black Horse car park we see the first of the thatched cottages on our walk. Surprisingly called ‘Red Roofs’ the name reflects a time when the thatch was covered with a red painted corrugated iron roof. Once three dwellings, the house has been converted over a number of years into one. The house at one time may have been single storey, as a distinct line is visible in the wall which suggests that the roof has been raised. Note the lower window level on the right hand upper side. Possibly this window dates back to an earlier conversion before the roof was raised, but more likely it was the original upper window height, typical of yeoman cottages where upper windows were at floor level. These cottages were mainly lived in by tenants and in the early 20th century it was owned by Johnny Gee, landlord of the Black Horse. Johnny Gee moved into part of Red Roofs when he left the Black Horse. Ray’s great uncle Bill and wife Ethel (nee Johnson) lived in the small right-hand cottage. Bill was a groom for J T Forsell at Winkadale, village postman for 27 years and the village gravedigger for a number of years as well. After Ethel and then Bill died, Harold Burr (the owner of Red Roof cottages by that time) converted all the cottages into one.

The Black Horse dates from the 19th century and the old Black Horse sign may still be seen on the front wall. Two cottages once stood in the car park. One was lived in by Mrs Seals who took in laundry from Leicester! It was fetched on a Monday and returned on Friday. When Mrs Seals moved to another house in the village, Mr and Mrs Plummer moved in. Mrs Plummer ran a general shop and newsagents here and Mr Plummer was a barber. The other cottage was lived in by Lance Ploughman. The cottages had a pump in front of them and both were demolished in 1941 due to damage from the bombs dropping nearby.

Opposite the Black Horse are 43 and 45 Main Street. These were originally four one- up and one-down cottages let out to tenants, some of whom raised large families in these little cottages. The two cottages to the right were called Jasmine and Rose Cottage.

At the next bend in Main Street we have a blend of the old, very old, and very, very, old! The group of houses: Fernie Cottage, Hawthorn Cottage, Halfway House (Number 49), Home Farm, and Old Church House, span at least 400 years of architecture. A quick look at roofing styles will give an indication to their age.

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Home Farm on the left and Rethatching Old Church House on the right, 1922

Hawthorn Cottage has claim to be a root of old Houghton. Possibly built in two stages, the wing facing Main Street was at one time almost certainly thatched. This is due to the steepness of the roof and the very old Oak and Willow timbers exposed during reroofing in 1980. It is one of the few remaining dwellings where you step down to enter the rear of the house and many of the floors are below ground level. Inside it boosts a wealth of exposed cleft Oak beams. The well by the back door is over 25 feet deep. Charlotte Place purchased Hawthorn Cottage and its orchard in 1895. In 1911, her son John Place built 49 Main Street in the orchard and constructed the outbuildings. He was the village carpenter, coffin maker and well digger. John Place made a Spinning Jenny that was kept at Old Church House and brought out every year for the Village Fete.

When Charlotte Place died in 1920, Miss North (sister-in-law of J T Forsell) came to live in Hawthorn Cottage as a tenant. She was a true country woman. She made her own carpets, knitted her own coats and skirts, was a watercolour artist and kept the most exquisite cottage garden.

Home Farm and surrounding area, 1950s

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Home Farm and surrounding area, 1971

George Squire moved from Humberstone to come and farm at Home Farm. Home Farm was probably originally a one-storey thatched building on the far right with a separate dwelling next door. This was evident when alterations revealed the outline of a thatched roof on the brickwork of this neighbouring dwelling. Each part also has its own loft space with walls right up to the roof. Many years ago these two dwellings were combined into one and the thatch removed to result in upper rooms and roof of the same height. When George Squire moved to farm at Great Dalby in the early 1920s, George Davis took over Home Farm. The building to the left of Home Farm was rebuilt in 1986/7 in the style of the original cowshed, the last cattle housed here in the winter of 1984/85.

Hawthorn Cottage, 2008

Opposite Hawthorn Cottage is Bakehouse Cottage, a half-brick half-ironstone building which originally had a stable door. This, until the late 1950s, was a village bakery. The top

10 of the stable door was often left open to relieve the heat of the ovens; the outline of the old ovenhouse roof may be seen on the end wall. In the early 1900s the bakery was owned by Mr Herrick. In 1911, the Garfoot family took over and ran the bakery until it was sold in 1951 to Messrs Freers and Black Ltd. Mr Garfoot renewed an old tradition of baking villagers’ cakes and Sunday roast joints in the ovens. The money donated was placed in a box by the door in aid of the Red Cross. The bakery finally closed in the late 1950s. After the bakery, the buildings were owned by a printing firm who demolished the ovens to gain access to the buildings behind. This publishing company was the only one of its kind north of Watford. It was established by Alex Wood and split into two companies, Houghton Press Ltd and Pub Publicity Publications Ltd. Houghton Press closed in 1982 and the printing firm closed down in 1984. In 1986, the main building was turned into a house with a split-level bungalow built in the grounds.

Main Street, 1950s

Old Church House, perhaps the most photographed thatched cottage in Houghton, is hard to date but may well be pre-16th century. Built on an ironstone base, the cottage has two cruck trusses which are only visible inside and an original dog gate on the stairs. The cottage was extended in 1962 to form the archway and at the same time two new eyebrow windows were formed in the thatch. In the early 18th century the house belonged to the Roe family but they did not live there and rented it to Mary Manton, widow of a Rector of Houghton. She lived there until her death in 1737. Thomas Horspool lived here later in the 18th century and the house was a registered dissenter’s house (where Methodists met) in 1783 and 1789 which explains why it was known as Church House. The Horspool family were also the local pig killers and a number of pig bones have been found in the gardens. In the early 20th Century the house was lived in by a Mr Roberts who was the architect for the Village Hall. This house has also been known as The Byeways and around 1922 Miss Alice May Kendall (1877-1959) moved here. She was a well-known village character, keen gardener, Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society and a well-known shot, possessing a handsome pair of Purdey shotguns! She lived here until her death in 1959. Behind Old Church House is a very old timber-framed barn, believed to have been a tithe barn.

The Village Hall stands on a field given to the village in 1920 by Miss Charlotte Smith of Hall Farm. The hall was given to the village by Alderman J T Forsell, J.P. of Winkadale in 1920/21 in memory of his only son Lieutenant Alan Richard Forsell of the Leicestershire

11 Regiment who was killed in action during the First World War in 1915 aged 21. The hall was opened on 31st March 1921. The frontage was added in 1970 and, thanks to a grant from the National Lottery, major internal renovations in 1999 included the removal of the large glass lantern in the roof and replacement of the original wooden floor. In 2011, another Lottery grant helped pay for the complete refurbishment of the kitchen. The wrought iron gate, arch and lantern were made by Humphrey Wadkin, at one time the local blacksmith at the forge by Farriers Cottage. For many years the Village Hall was the site of the Village Fete. For periods this was so popular that special buses were laid on to transport the crowds from Leicester. There were stalls, sideshows and children’s races, later parades of floats and clay pigeon shooting and a flower show.

Home Farm and surrounding area, 1979

Opposite the Village Hall at The Cottage, is another old cottage with impressive iron gates. A memory of a previous owner, Dr Thomson, the arms represent the family crest of Wyville-Thomson and the family motto Dominus Providebit (God will provide). Dr Thomson’s great uncle was Sir Wyville Thomson who in 1872 sailed the first major oceanographic expedition aboard HMS Challenger.

In one of the cottages opposite the village hall, Barn House, lived Rebecca Johnson who was probably the modern equivalent of welfare and social worker! When she died in 1940 the village erected her gravestone and can be found in the graveyard with the words “This stone is erected by her grateful friends. Let her own works praise her”. Rebecca was the mother of Ada Squire, the wife of George Squire at Home Farm.

The village well was sited near to the present telephone box.

At the centre of the shrubbery beside the telephone box once stood the village flag pole, erected to commemorate the death of Edward VII in 1910. Unfortunately, this fell down in high winds during the 1950s and because of the overhead wires was not replaced. The

12 Parish Council erected a flag pole in the Village Hall grounds to mark the centenary of the Parish Council in 1994.

The Oak tree at the end of the shrubbery was planted in 1910 to celebrate the Coronation of King George V.

Main Street, Church and Elm Trees, 1914

Same view in the 1950s

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Main Street, 1920, note the removal of the hedge to start construction of village hall

Main Street, outside village hall, 1950s

Teak gates at the entrance to the churchyard were made from the decking of RMS Arlanza by Hughes Bolckow, a shipbreaking company in Blyth, Northumberland.

At this point we leave Main Street and walk around the church.

As we walk along the church path at the front of the church we can see on the right the indentations left by the elms trees. In 1613, Sir William Herrick sent his nephew, Tobias

14 Herrick (rector), the elm trees that were planted here. They were felled in the 1970s because of decay.

As we proceed around the church it will be clear that the building has been enlarged over many centuries. There was probably a small church here in the 12th century but the front dates mainly from the 13th century. The main porch was added by friends of the church in memory of William Freer in 1874. The original lead downpipes were stolen and have had to be replaced but the original water troughs remain.

The older entrance at the back of the church is possibly 16th century and has been extended to provide modern toilet and kitchen facilities.

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The church spire is of exceptional height and may be seen for many miles. An old Houghton saying is ‘If the cock turns its’ back on Main Street, take your hat’! A sure sign that rain is on the way. Houghton has always been a centre of agriculture. This is confirmed by an interesting gravestone epitaph which can be found near the porch, relating to Mary Greasley who died in 1808.

A short walk to the end of the churchyard path will reveal a little more of Houghton’s history. From the stile an upper ridgeway can be seen, about 200 yards away. Along this ridge passed the Old Salt Way, a track between Holyhead and the Wash. To our right in the second field may be seen mounds beside a small spinney. This is the remains of old Roman Houghton and in the ploughed fields beyond many examples of Roman pottery have been found and the possible site of a Roman villa4.

At this point we have completed almost half of our walk. It is possible to return to the Playing Field car park by following the footpath that runs at the back of the Main Street houses.

4 More information on this may be obtained from the Leicester Jewry Wall Museum

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Walking back along the churchyard path we obtain a magnificent view of the church and spire. During the Second World War it was directly in the flightpath of Stoughton Airfield and the spire was adorned with large red warning lights. Handbells were originally used in the church and until 1771 there were only four bells in the tower. One of the bells was recast and a fifth bell added so that at the Houghton Feast Day on 29 November 1772 five bells were rung from the bell tower for the first time. After a number of years the bells fell into disrepair and were removed in 1967 because the belfry was unsafe. A Bell Appeal was launched on 13th June 1978. The whole village were involved in the coffee evenings; sponsored walks, concerts, dances and grand prize draw to raise the £10,000 to restore the bells. Six bells were installed on 12th December 1978.

The tower also houses a John Reeve ‘turret clock’. It is believed unique in Leicestershire and is described as a fine example of its period (c1800). Inside the church there are many beautiful stained glass windows and interior details. A guide book is obtainable in the church with more details.

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Leaving the church gates we continue our journey down Main Street where we catch a glimpse of the old Rectory. In 1690 the original rectory building was described as a large building of two stories consisting of a central block and two gabled cross-wings. Windows were of late 17th Century but the house could have been much older. The extensive outbuildings included a tithe barn of four bays. In 1856 the patron of the church, William Freer, pulled down this old rectory and tithe barn. To compensate he built the Rectory we see today, the village school, and two cottages for the school teacher and the rectory gardener which are still to be found tucked away in School Lane. The original rectory wall was much closer to the road (in line with the churchyard wall) but before the rectory was sold in 1989 the wall was demolished and rebuilt in its present location.

Rectory Wall close to road on right, 1969

18 In the bottom corner of the rectory wall there are still pillars that marked the original entrance to the 17th century rectory. Before the field enclosures and the building of the Toll Road (A47) the original track to and onto Leicester ran through the village at this point. In those times only pedestrians, hand carts and horse-drawn wagons would have negotiated these routes. The footpath still marks this way to Thurnby in one direction and Gaulby/Illston in the other. In School Lane there once stood four one-up, one-down ‘church’ cottages. These were demolished in the early 1960s and replaced by the two modern houses we see today.

The house at number 1 School Lane used to have a fig tree on the wall and during the Second World War the owner at the time, Mrs Powdrill, sold figs to Simpkins and James.

In 1610 the parish clerk, Robert Newton, was reported to be keeping a school without a licence to teach. In 1634 a graduate, Francis Riddington, made a subscription as schoolmaster at Houghton but nothing more is known of him. In 1810 J Hinman announced from Houghton the ‘the principal parishioners have unanimously agreed to encourage and support a day and boarding school’. This was formerly kept by Rev J S Coleman. In 1816, J Hinman moved from Houghton to become headmaster of the town school at Market Harborough. In 1833 there were two private day schools, one with 24 children and the other (which began in 1821) with 52. There were also two Sunday schools, one run by the church with 61 children and the other by the Baptist Chapel with 11 children. Houghton National School was erected in 1856 by William Freer and his son, the rector W T Freer, on the site of some old cottages. The original school consisted of two class rooms and was built at a cost of £150. When the school first received a parliamentary grant in 1873 the average attendance was 26 children, but by 1878 this had increased to 37. An Infants wing was added in 1904. In 1910 the average attendance was 35 and by 1933, 43 children. In 1937 the senior boys were taken to Thurnby and in 1945 the senior girls. After the reorganisation of Thurnby School in 1955 children of senior age in Houghton attended Gartree School Oadby (now called Launde Junior School on the A6) and then onto Guthlaxton in Wigston. The school started as a Church of England school but in 1949 accepted ‘controlled’ status under the Local Authority. The average attendance of juniors and infants in 1957 was around 60. In 1960 a new Gartree High School was built and the 11 year olds went there and onto Guthlaxton until Beauchamp Upper School was built. In 1969 children started attending Manor High School in Oadby but reverted to Gartree High School after further reorganisation of catchment areas. As you can see the school has undergone much modernisation over the years. When Ray first attended the school in 1942 there were still only the two classrooms. The outside toilets had a row of wooden seats with a wall separating the boys from the girls. When our daughter Alix started school in 1998, she was able to start in a specialist 4+ wing built in 1983.

Behind the school, in the old cricket field, runs one of the seven springs on which Houghton is founded. It runs russet brown because of the iron-rich stone beneath. This spring is reputed to be beneficial to the eyes. This report was written many years ago and no longer do Victorian ladies travel from Leicester to bottle the water! We do not recommend that you try it now! Cricket is once again played on the old field, thanks to the generosity of Mrs Jessie Dixon who, with her husband John, farmed at Hall Farm and gave the old cricket ground to Houghton Cricket Club. The new cricket field was opened in 1996.

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View from Stretton Lane, 1939

If you follow the road around the bend you will see four cottages last on the right. These were built in 1943 by the War Agricultural Committee to house agricultural workers.

Bottom of Main Street, 1979

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Bottom of Main Street, 2008

At this point we must retrace our footsteps. On the corner, opposite the school, is Eaton House. This delightful three-storey house has foundations dating back to the 18th century and has been enlarged over the years. A 1982 addition is a splendid cobbled driveway at the rear. Mr Herrick lived here after retiring from the bakery in 1911. The field where the cricket club is now based was originally owned by this house and Mr Herrick sold the field to Mr and Mrs Dixon of Hall Farm.

Making our way back along Main Street we see Manor Farm (or Church Farm) on our left, opposite the old Rectory gates. The oldest part of the building is at the rear. Built on an ironstone base is a timber box-framed wing dating from the early 17th century. There is also an underground ‘cheese room’ of debatable age. The old church guide book states that it is possibly Anglo-Saxon, but the Leicester Archaeological and Historical Society are non- committal and say pre-16th century.

Back of Manor (Church) Farm, c. 1969 Front of Manor (Church) Farm, 1969

The front of the house has three different types of brickwork. This suggests that it has been built in three phases. A rough guide is the width of the brick: 2” wide were used in the 1500s, 2¼” in the 1600s, 2½” in the 1700s, 3” in the 1800s and 4” from the 1900s.

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There was no Lord of the Manor living in Houghton until the Thompsons arrived to live here in the 17th Century. On the end of the house 1718 was formed in the brickwork when the upper storey and existing windows were added at this date. Later some of these windows were bricked up to avoid the ‘Window Tax’. The last Thompson died in 1877. The Keck family (of Stoughton Estate) purchased Manor Farm. Stoughton Estate (including Manor Farm) was bought by the Co-operative Wholesale Society in 1919. Peter Meadows North is listed in trade directories of the mid 1800s and is known to have grazed Manor Farm. He is listed until the 1904 Kellys Directory. In the 1908 Kellys Directory William Edward Ward is listed in Houghton and it is known that he was a grazier at Illston before coming to Houghton as the tenant farmer of Manor Farm. He was famous for brewing beer in a large copper and serving this to the village on ‘brew day’, which was held once a year just before haymaking. William died in 1923 and the farm tenancy was taken over by his son, William (Billy) Ward, who immediately stopped the ‘brew day’. Billy Ward was short, stocky and the best dressed man in Melton Market. He was efficient and totally trustworthy in his affairs, but also shrewd. He was highly respected in the village, known to be a good employer and very involved in church matters. He is listed as being on the War Memorial Committee. His wife, Elizabeth, was from Scotland and was Billy’s housekeeper for some years before they married. They had no children. Elizabeth was known as the best cook in the village and her hay-field teas were famous resulting in Billy never being short of help at haymaking time. During the Second World War, she had a canning machine at the farm and the villagers would gather at Manor Farm to can their produce. Billy retired and the farm effects sold in 1952. He and Elizabeth moved to Barn House (opposite the Village Hall) but he died in 1954 aged 69 years (his gravestone can be found in the churchyard). Elizabeth died in 1966. Manor Farm house was occupied by employees of the Co-operative Wholesale Society estate and the house and buildings deteriorated until sold in the 80s. In 1985 the house was completely renovated and a number of windows previously ‘bricked up’ were opened up again. When a side window was added, the bottom of the ‘8’ in the 1718 date was removed resulting in the current date of 1710.

In front of the now shortened garden wall which leads to St Catharine’s Way (it originally continued up to meet the village hall wall), the verge was much wider. Here the school had a vegetable garden where with spade and hoe children were taught to sow their first seeds.

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Gardening Class, 1920

We now follow St Catharine’s Way. Named after our church it leads onto the latest addition to Houghton’s history the majority of which was built by Messrs Wilson Ltd between 1972 and 1974.

Where the new road now runs past the village hall grounds, on the left where new Church Farmhouse is, once stood one of the largest 18th century Dovecotes in Leicestershire. The property of the ‘Lord of the Manor’ it had nesting boxes for over 1000 birds and would have provided the manor house with fresh meat and eggs. They would have probably also had a fish pond.

Continuing along the road we pass Freer Close and Charlottes Walk. Both these names have played their part in Houghton’s past. Mr William Freer, Patron to the church and once the Clerk of the Peace of Leicestershire, and was benefactor of the Rectory and the school. Miss Charlotte Smith, a local landowner, was benefactor of the Village Hall. It is appropriate that Charlottes Walk runs beside the Village Hall grounds that she gave to the people of Houghton.

23 Freer Close was built by Messrs Fletchers Ltd in 1976 and Charlottes Walk by Messrs Wilsons Ltd in 1974.

Approaching the green we see an evergreen Oak tree. This was planted on 7th November 1981 by the children of Houghton to celebrate the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer on 29th July 1981. There are many recently planted trees in Houghton, most recently in 2012 in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee.

As a boy, Ray remembers the open fields that this estate is built upon. This area was once one of three fields that backed onto his house. At the end of the day a Shire horse stood in each: Billy, May, and Major. In 1986, only one horse, belonging to Mr W G Davis of Home Farm, was still at work and horses continued working at Striplings Farm (behind Main Street opposite Home Farm) until 2006.

A little further along is North Way which runs in a loop to rejoin St Catharine’s Way. Once again the name of North hails from an old village character. Miss North, who lived in Hawthorn Cottage on Main Street, was the sister-in-law of Mr J T Forsell, the Village Hall benefactor. Miss North was one of the kindest persons our village has known. Always dressed in knitted woollen suits and stockings to match, invariably topped with a large straw hat, she was a walking encyclopaedia of country matters.

Chapel Close was named because of its closeness to the Wesleyan Chapel in Main Street.

The two shops to our right were the last buildings to be completed on this estate and were added in 1980. The Post Office moved here after the Post Office premises in Main Street closed in 1986. The other shop was originally a wool shop (Ball Bros) until 1987. It is now a hairdressers, Studio Image.

Walking to the end of the road we meet Linwall Avenue where we turn right. Linwall Avenue was built in the 1960s. The name stems from the names of the local builder and his daughter, Walter and Linda Smart.5

The new slowly fades into the old as we enter Scotland Lane. Although our path will take us straight up the lane, it is worth a slight detour to our right to find the only remaining village pump. The pump is still complete and unlike many of the wells in Houghton is only about two feet deep (most wells in Houghton are over 20 feet deep). It is a soft water well.

Opposite the pump is St Catharine’s Terrace, sheltered accommodation for the elderly, built in 1959. We are very proud of these flats as they were the first of their kind in the county. Individual flats with a helping hand nearby. These were modernised in 1985 to provide individual flats with private bathrooms. The more recent sheltered accommodation (on the bank behind the village pump) was opened in 1982. The cul-de-sac straight ahead past St Catharine’s Terrace is Elizabeth Close. These were houses built by the Council in 1952, with a further four added in 1956.

Now back to our original path.

5 If you had turned left at this point, you would have come across Thomas Close (named after Walter’s son, Tom Smart) and, at the bottom of Linwall Avenue, Deane Gate Drive which was named after Deane (a small community near Basingstoke, Hampshire, where Walter’s wife, ‘Blue’, came from)

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The name Scotland Lane is derived from the land which lies to our right. This land was originally rent-free grazing for the people of the village. It was known as ‘Scot-free’ land (Scot meaning tax). Immediately before building took place it was a cock and hen farm owned by Mrs and Mrs Asher of Pendle Cottage. Scotland Lane actually forms a horseshoe shape with the ‘Scot-free’ land in the middle and the bottom of the horseshoe where the village pump is. Most of the houses along this part of the lane originate from the late 1930s.

The next group of houses on the right, The Rise, are fine examples of Council building during 1947. Many of these are now privately owned.

25 The War Memorial stands at the junction of Scotland Lane and Main Street. This site is the original Village Green and in 1898 a Chestnut tree was planted here to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee (this was in addition to the Silver Birch near the Black Horse). The tree was removed in 1921 to erect the War Memorial to the memory of those who died in the 1914-18 World War. Fortunately, Houghton had no losses during the 1939- 45 World War. The half circular stones at its base are mill stones taken from the windmill that once stood at the end of Ingarsby Lane. The flower container was provided by the British Legion in 1952 and the memorial is regularly cleaned by the Parish Council.

The green was also the original site of the village stocks which until recently (1983) were preserved at the Old Boot Cottage. Unfortunately they were so old they have disintegrated.

To the left of the War Memorial stands a thatched cruck cottage called ‘Little Acre’ which dates back to the 16th century. The length of the house suggests that it may originally have been three cottages, but it has now been converted into one. The thatch is of long-straw wheat. You will note that this has to be covered with a fine wire netting to prevent birds ripping away the longer strands of straw that are exposed in this form of thatching. The top of the roof is built up to form a ridge. This is where the thatcher can demonstrate his individuality by forming his own sweeping patterns of points and scallops. The strips of Hazel that hold down the thatch are called ‘liggers’. These are held down by twisted staples of Willow which are called ‘brotches’ and are driven deep into the thatch, which at this point may be two feet thick. You may notice the shape of the outer wall, with its characteristic taper about four feet above the ground. This was common as the lower half of the house would have been constructed of large stones, in this case ironstone. Above this height the wall would be built in brick and the taper formed. The wall was then given its texture with rendering.

26 If you continue up the path towards the A47 you will come across Stoneyend and 3 Main Street. At different times, both these house had butchers shops at their premises. You can see a bricked-up doorway in the wall.

At the top of the street is Houghton Garage (Jimmys). In the early 20th century the site was a yard and barn belonging to Tom Fielding. Stanley Bull then bought it, built a garage and ran the first mechanised bus services from here. The bus service was then sold to Toones of Billesdon which was subsequently sold to Midland Red. Mr Puddy bought the actual garage from Stanley Bull, who then sold it to Eric Wood who, when they moved to the A47 garage towards Stamford, sold it on.

Uppingham Road (A47), picture taken between1928-1930

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Houghton Garage, 1960s

Bus Stop, 1944. Note War Agricultural site on opposite corner

Opposite the garage is Firs Farm which in the early 20th century was farmed by Mr Tiptoft. Behind the farmyard (where Home Close Road is now) was a big pond called Top Town Pit and villagers would skate on this pond when it froze over. Mr Tiptoft then moved down to the Homestead in Scotland Lane and the Harris family took over Firs Farm. The land was sold to Parker Farms Ltd in 1983 and the yard and orchard were sold in 1985 and Firs Close was built on this area in 1987.

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Top of Main Street, 1947

Following the road back to the war memorial we come across the Old Boot Cottage which was once the home of a village cobbler. During the 19th century it became the third public house in the village with the last pint of beer served just before the First World War. A butchers shop was run here by the Aldwinckle family from 1932 to 1938. The building is most interesting and contains many stages of construction. The earliest being to the left hand side of the house. Dating again from the 16th century this part contains cruck trusses filled in-between with mud walls. The front of the house has a brick and stone facier built in the 19th century, while the right shows a 17th century Oak box-framed construction, the timber being filled in brick. Almost a history book of building architecture on its own! Number 6 Main Street beside it was originally the stables to the Old Boot Cottage. A previous owner (Mrs Webb) who had lived at the Old Boot with her husband had it converted into living accommodation when she was widowed. For many years the old Annual Fair was held in the paddock behind the Old Boot.

We now follow the herringbone brick wall back around Main Street.

Rounding the corner we find the Old Bakehouse on the right, next to the Cooperative shop. Again, different building stages can be detected in the brickwork. The narrower brick on the left being the older of the front elevation. At one time the old outbuilding at the back was a blacksmith’s forge but the main building was for many years a bakery. In the early 1900s Mr and Mrs Emmitt ran the bakery and you could take your Sunday roasting joint to be roasted for 1p or cakes to be baked on a Friday for ½p. At this time, the adjacent cottage, Granary Cottage, was a pig sty with a flour room over.

Opposite the Old Bakehouse stands ‘The Hollies’. Once a farmhouse it is typical of a 19th century house built in the ‘H’ style, it once formed the hub of one of the largest farms in the parish. Tom Fielding originally farmed here at the same time as he farmed at Weir Lane

29 Farm. When Tom Fielding died, Mr and Mrs Ibbotson bought the 360 acres of Hollies Farm for £12 per acre. When Mr Ibbotson died, Mrs Ibbotson went to live at the Old Farmhouse (3 Main Street) and Mr William Parker bought Hollies Farm. Farm workers lived at the farmhouse until it was divided into two and sold. Mr William Parker sold some of the land to provide Houghton Playing Field – from where we started!

Houghton Field is owned by the village community providing recreation and leisure facilities for Houghton residents. A ‘walk’ of six silver birch trees was planted in 2012 to mark the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

We are grateful to many people living in the village who have talked freely about their homes and their lives in Houghton. Most of these conversations were noted from 1980 to 1985 from residents who had lived virtually their whole lives in the village. We continued to accumulate snippets of information. We have tried to ensure accuracy but some observations are people’s memories and therefore accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Information for this guide has been compiled from many sources:

The Geology of Leicestershire by Fox-Strangeways The Victorian History of the Counties of England edited by R B Pugh Local History Booklets by Frewin Gray (born in Houghton in late 1800s. Father rented the Mill and was the Miller until he closed it in 1894 when he bought the local Carrier business. The mill was pulled down in 1919) WI Scrapbooks of Houghton on the Hill (in the Records Office) Joyce Cheshire’s notebooks The Haylock family (who lived in Old Church House/The Byeways) The Church Guide book The Leicester Mercury Des Oliver (a previous Clerk of the Parish Council) Various Parish record books and information in the Leicestershire Records Office Various past and present residents of Houghton on the Hill, in particular the Johnson/Webster/Place/Squire/Davis, Dixon/Kinsley, Fielding/Harris, Tailby/Hubbard, Smart families. George Davis and his sister Annie Information from attending a “Houghton History” course run by a visiting lecturer who had gathered information from various sources including significant records held at Lincoln. Additional personal memories and information gathered during a series of “Houghton Walks” run by Ray Davis

30 JOHNSON, WEBSTER, PLACE, SQUIRE AND DAVIS FAMILY IN HOUGHTON

Ray Davis can trace his family in the village over many years. His maternal grandparents, George and Ada Squire, farmed at Home Farm. George Squire came to the village in the 19th Century from Humberstone as a tenant farmer of Miss Charlotte Smith. He was a member of the first Houghton Parish Council in 1894. Ada Squire was the daughter of Rebecca Johnson who lived at Barn House. Rebecca was much loved and respected in the village and the village erected her gravestone when she died. It is through the Johnson and Webster families that Ray can trace his family back through generations in the village.

There are various Johnson’s listed over the years including Samuel Johnson in 1703, shoemaker; and Elizabeth Johnson (and husband) looking after Houghton workhouse between 1779 and 1783. Martha Webster is listed in 1853 as the victualler at the Old Boot.

George and Ada Squire had 7 children; Ethel (who died of tuberculosis), Muriel (who died of tuberculosis), Lucy, Maurice, Ron, Marjorie and one child who died in infancy.

George Squire moved his family to Woodfield Farm in Great Dalby in the early 1920s and his daughter Marjorie met Percy Davis, who at that time was a local groom but who subsequently became a professional cricketer for Northampton.

George Davis moved into Home Farm and married a London cousin, May. He later purchased Home Farm. They had no children and he farmed at Home Farm until his death in 1985, when the farmhouse, yard and land was sold.

Charlotte Place moved into the village with her son, John, when she purchased Hawthorn Cottage in 1895. John built 49 Main Street in 1911 in the orchard and married Annie, another daughter of Rebecca Johnson. They had no children, and after John’s death Marjorie and Percy Davis moved into 49 Main Street. Their children, Ray and Valerie, grew up in this house. Ray married Carol in 1979 and lived at Jasmine Cottage, 43 Main Street until purchasing Home Farm in 1985 after George Davis died.

Marjorie’s brother, Maurice, married a Land Girl called Margaret, and lived at Hawthorn Cottage where they had two sons, David and Keith. David Squire worked for the local building firm, AW Smart and Son, before setting up on his own.

Rebecca Johnson’s other daughter, Ethel, married Bill Davis and they lived in the right-hand cottage that was once one of the three cottages making up Red Roofs. They had a son, Peter.

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