The 1948 property and land sales, Ashton Court Estate, excluding the Mansion and the Deer Park.
References:
Somerset Archives: DD/KW/1948/39; British Newspaper Archive (Western Daily Press, and other publications, various dates)
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The sale of the Ashton Court Estate was widely reported. The Evening Herald (Dublin) 12th January 1948 reported:
“… estate worth £1,401,089 …Esme Smyth one of the wealthiest landowners in the Bristol area”.
The Somerset Guardian & Radstock Observer of the 2nd January 1948 reported that 2250 acres of Ashton Court Estate had been sold to the Newcombe Estates Company Ltd. The sale included 11 big houses, 14 farms, 80 cottages, 10 small holdings, woodlands, the grounds of Bedminster Cricket Club, Long Ashton golf course and valuable quarries.
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It was reported in the Western Daily Press on the 1st of January 1948 that:
“… certain parts of the property will be re-sold and it is understood that present occupiers will, so far as is practicable, be given an opportunity to buy the properties they tenant”.
The western half.
The auction of the western half of the Estate took place at the Grand Hotel Bristol on the 26th of November 1948. There was a total of 20 lots. The auctioneers were: William Cowlin and Sons Ltd. of Princess Victoria Street, Clifton, Geo Nichols, Hunt & Co. of Broad Street Bristol, and John D. Wood & Co. of London.
Lot 1. Kingcot Mill and 4 cottages. This property, situated on the road to Clevedon at Cambridge Batch/Flax Bourton, was let to a Mr. A.E. Atherton on a yearly Lady Day tenancy of £62 17s per annum. It consisted of a 4 bedroom house with an ‘outside closet’, various farm buildings and 4 cottages with 2 rooms and a scullery. On 19th century maps it was a corn mill with a large mill pond, on early 20th century maps it is ‘disused’. Annotations to the catalogue suggest it was bought by the tenant for £2100. The site is now a residential mobile home park called Kingcott Mill Farm. The mill pond has disappeared but the mill house and at least one cottage remain with some alterations. Lot.2. Kingcot Farm. This property adjoins that of Lot 1. Kingcot farmhouse was large with 3 double bedrooms, 2 attic rooms and an indoor bathroom and W.C. It was let to a Mr. J.E. Atherton on a yearly Lady Day tenancy of £166 5s per annum. It was a dairy farm with extensive out buildings and was licensed for T.T. milk production. Annotation to the catalogue suggest it was bought by H. Bartlett for £4200. Lot 3. Valuable grass accommodation land. This lot was 10 acres of land adjoining the Jubilee Inn, Flax bourton on the A370 which is the road to Weston Super Mare. It was let to a Mr. J.E. Atherton on a yearly Lady Day tenancy of £15 per annum. Annotations to the catalogue suggest it was bought by the tenant for £750. Today. This field to the east of the Jubilee Inn remains as agricultural land. Lot 4. Gatcombe Court and grounds. Gatcombe Court was described in the catalogue as a ‘charming country residence with lovely gardens, orchard and grasslands’. Gatcombe Court was substantial house with 9 principal bed and dressing rooms and three bathrooms. It had ‘model domestic offices’, service stairs and servants’ accommodation. Outside it had ‘pleasure gardens’ with formal walks, flower beds, a rose garden and a kitchen garden. It also included a gardener’s cottage. Gatcombe Court was let on lease to C.C. Clarke Esq. at £190 per annum. Annotations to the catalogue suggest it was sold privately to the tenant. Gatcombe Court remains a private house. It was recently (2023) for sale for £2m. Lot 5. Gatcombe Farm and 4 cottages. Gatcombe Farm was another substantial building described as ‘double fronted stone and pantiled gentleman’s farmhouse’. It had extensive outbuildings appropriate for this type of farmhouse, including 2 cow sheds, loose boxes and yards. The 4 cottages were: to the east no.1 Warren Lane and no.3 Warren Lane, another cottage at Fenswood, and to the west a semi-detached cottage known as Bow Cottage. It was mostly let to a Mr. J.H. Butler on a yearly Lady Day tenancy for £499 5s 4d per annum which included £14 for the Fenswood Cottage. The annotations suggest it was bought by the tenant for £15,750. Gatcombe Farm is a farm shop and café/restaurant. The farm buildings appear to be in use as part of the farm shop and café complex. The land for Gatcombe Farm covered a large area both to the north and south of the road and the parallel railway line. It largely remains as agricultural land. Lot 5a. Accommodation grass field – Fenswood. This lot was described as a ‘valuable corner grass field’ it was bought for £400 by W. Henman. Today. This plot of land now contains a pair of semi-detached, the field being their gardens. Lot 6. Land Wild Country Lane. This lot described as ‘four valuable enclosures of accommodation land’ was bought by G.H. Tucker for £750. At the time of the sale it was leased to Long Ashton Parish Council. The lease was due to expire in 1951. Today. This distinctively shaped parcel of land remains as agricultural land. Lot 7. Rudge Farm. Rudge Farm was described as a stone and pan-tiled farmhouse, split at that time into 2 cottages. It was let on a yearly Lady Day tenancy to Mr. J.E. Atherton at £95 12s per annum. Lot 7a. Land and quarry – Cambridge Batch. The quarry was let to Somerset County Council at £5 per annum on lease for 21 years from 29th September 1939. Today. The land and the old quarry are occupied by a rifle shooting club and their club house. Lot 8. Gatcombe Mill and 1 cottage. This lot included a detached stone and pan-tiled house, the old stone and pan-tiled mill building, and a cottage called no.2 Bow Cottages. The house and the mill were let to Mr. P.J. Jones at £46 per annum. They were sold to Mr. Jones for £1600. The mill and the mill house are both private residences. No 2 Bow Cottages and no.1 Bow Cottages, which was part of lot 5 are now a single dwelling house. Lot 9. Ashton Hill Plantation, etc. This lot extended to 169 acres and consisted of plantations of hard and soft wood trees including 66 acres of young plantation of mixed conifer and hard woods. Today. This lot remains mostly as a wooded plantation with a small section of agricultural land. It has been owned by the Forestry Commission since 1952 and is laid out as paths and cycle tracks. Lot 10. Keeper’s house and land. This lot was described as ‘a very desirable detached house (at present Keeper’s Cottage)’. It was occupied by Mr. C.E. Whorley on a service tenancy rent free. Lot 11. Ashton Hill Farm. This lot was described as ’the compact small farm known as Ashton Hill Holding’ consisting of a stone and pan-tiles house and outbuildings. It was let to Mr E.C. Follett for £72 14s per annum and purchased by the tenant for £2500. Today. The building remains and is part of a larger complex of farm and business premises. Lot 12. Long Ashton Golf Course. Long Ashton Golf Course was sold to George Weeks for £5100. Lot 13. Longwood Farm and 2 cottages. This lot consisted of a 5 bedroom farmhouse, 2 cottages, extensive outbuildings and woodland. One of the cottages was let to Mrs F.H. Young and the farmhouse was let to Mr. E.J. Young. Mr Young bought the property for £6100 and the timber for £2083. Lot 13a. Valuable grass and arable land. This lot which was let to Mr. E.J. Young was sold to him with lot 13. Today. This land is playing fields. Lot 14. Coombe Plantation. This lot had a long frontage to the Bristol - Clevedon Road and consisted of soft and hard wood trees. It was sold for £1200 to Mr. Toogood. Today. It remains a wooded plantation. Lot 15. Woodland. Similar to lot 14 this area of woodland was mixed conifers, mostly Larch and Corsican Pine. It was sold for £600 to Mr. Hook. Today. This lot also remains a wooded plantation. Lot 16. Two valuable arable fields. This lot was let to Mr. E.J. Young and sold to him with lot 13, and 13a. Today. This lot appears to remain as agricultural land. Lot 17. Woodland. The Brake etc. This lot was described as ‘the valuable area of woodland known as The Brake and Keed’s Wood’. Today. It remains as a wooded plantation. Lot 18. Accommodation land, Keed’s Wood. This lot comprised old partly walled gardens. It was let to Mr. L. Barnes for £2 5s per annum. Today. This lot is a couple of houses and their gardens. Lot 19. Fenn’s Wood. This lot was sold to Mr. Toogood for £1200. Today. It remains largely as woodland. Lot 20. Allotments – near Providence. Let to various tenants on yearly tenancies producing £2 9s per annum. Today. This lot has been developed for housing.
The eastern half - the remaining buildings
No record has been discovered of any of the sale details of the remaining properties and farms, who the tenants were, or who bought them. The press, however, did report on the sale of the inns, the bungalow and some parcels of land.
The inns
The Western Daily Press reported on 24th March 1948 on the sale of 2 inns in Long Ashton. They reported that the Smyth Arms, the Angel Inn and 3 cottages had been bought for £42,000 by Messrs. Bristol Brewery Georges & Co. who were the tenants of the inns.
Today. The Smyth Arms building, with parts dating back to 1650, probably began life as a farm cottage. It was once called the Coach & Horses, it was renamed the Smyth Arms in 1749. It was for many years called The Dovecote. The building was restored in 2015 after a fire and renamed The Ashton.
The Angel Inn remains as a public house. It dates back to 1495 when it was the Church House which was a sort of parish hall. It became the Angel Inn in 1912.
17.5 acres near the boundary wall
The Western Daily Press reported on the 26th October 1949 that:
“… after many months of negotiation the Old Bristolians Society has just completed the purchase of 17.5 acres of land within the boundary wall of the Ashton Court Estate”.
The purchase was to create a war memorial sports field.
Today. It remains as playing fields.
Ashton Court Bungalow and 11.5 acres
The Western Daily Press reported that ‘the Ashton Court Bungalow which together with 11.5 acres has been sold for private occupation’ had been bought by Mr. John Leys of Caroline’s Cake Shops. The press reported on Mr. Ley’s purchase:
“that although he intends to live in it personally for the time being, he already has plans for turning it into a restaurant, road house or club house, when times are more propitious”.
Today. The Ashton Court Bungalow has been demolished and its grounds are now the Audley Redwood retirement complex. It was previously the Redwood Hotel and Country Club.
The bungalow, which was built to house Sir Greville Smyth’s expanding natural history collection, had previously formed part of the Redwood Lodge Hotel.
Redwood Lodge Hotel prior to demolition. Image: courtesy of Frank Knight Estate Agents
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Ashton Court Estate equipment sale
The sale was conducted by Messrs. Geo. Nichols Hunt & Co. with Mr. Jerrard Hunt and Mr. J.F. Coker doing the selling.
This sale took place over 2 days in December 1948. The Western Daily Press reported:
“… among the spectators … was a veteran who served 45 years as a waggoner on the estate. He started in James and Edwin Organ’s navy timber yard on the site of Messrs Wills’ first East Street factory built in 1896. The veteran could remember a timber waggon and 75 horses going out to Earl Temple’s at Newton St. Loe to bring in a giant oak weighing 20 tons!”
The Western Daily Press also reported:
“It was a matter of general satisfaction that the huge creosoting plant will remain in the district. It was bought by Mr. J.H. Butler. Of Gatcombe Farm, Flax Bourton.”
A horizontal saw was sold for £160, a circular saw sold for £80 – every lot sold, including 24 feet high water-tank pylons, surveyors levels, and pheasant breeding coops.
The pheasant breeding coops got a special mention as they had been bought at the Naish House sale. The had been made in 1874 and were still ‘as good as new’. This was attributed to the fact that they must have been in the 22 foot long hot creosote tank previously mentioned.
They also reported on what was thought to be England’s longest ladder. The 68 rung ladder, which was sold on the first day of the sale, was believed to be the longest single-piece ladder in England. It was made by William Cottrell, a ladder maker, of Barr Street Bristol using heart of oak. The newspaper commented that:
”… ladder is as good as new also, though made so many years ago. Made by craftsmen who realised and valued was ‘Bristol fashion’ meant”.
It was made to get up to the clock on the Long Ashton parish church. It was sold to a Mr. Allen, a builder, of Pill who paid £10 for it.
The Western Daily Press on the 3rd of December 1848 mourned the loss of what it described as ‘A bit of Old England’. They gave as an example the carpenter’s shop:
“… where nine men used to work, without taking into account the men handling the timber in the rough outside. The old text ‘The Lord is full of mercy and grace’ is still to be seen on the wall of the carpenter’s shop. In days gone by there were four or five painters, two plumbers and a blacksmith beside”.
Amongst other items dispersed in the sale were: brass cement rollers, a quarter of a ton of lead stair-rods with brass covering, long pieces of fullered shoeing iron, and 2 or 3 bushels of cow-hair! The cow-hair was used to reinforce the highly decorated plaster ceilings.
Probably the strangest part of the sale which was at the end of the final day. 100 farmers stood around in the rain to buy several large stacks of hay. Each man wishing to buy a stack of hay drew a card from a pack produced by the auctioneer.
“It was Ace High and the top card meant the holder could buy a stack at controlled price, and the government orders were this observed”.