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A GUIDED WALK in HOUGHTON on the HILL by Carol and Ray Davis

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A GUIDED WALK in HOUGHTON on the HILL by Carol and Ray Davis 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 Leicestershire and Rutland 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 Harborough District 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 2 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 Leicester 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 3 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 Uppingham 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 Billesdon 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.
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