Sept Steeple Ashton Newsletter Article. Version: (9 pages)

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1 Sept Steeple Ashton Newsletter Article Version: (9 pages) The cruck-framed cottage in Dark Lane, after the fire of July 9 th 1974 This cottage caught light due to an ill-fated attempt to burn garden weeds, causing a fire in the thatch. A similar fate befell Quince Cottage in 1970 (also in Dark Lane North), when a chimney fire ignited the thatched roof. Both were subsequently restored with tiled roofs. Only two houses in Steeple Ashton remain thatched. Bryan writes more about the front-cover photo In late June this year, close friends of our daughter lost their thatched cottage in Oxfordshire due to a fire which started in an adjoining barn, and then spread through the roof. Fortunately for them, being Grade II Listed, it will be re-built using as much of the salvaged material as possible. I am reminded by this incident of the 1974 fire at the cruck-framed thatched cottage in Dark Lane. It was set ablaze after a tenant tried burning off garden weeds with a paraffin-fuelled, pressurised flame-gun: the flames ignited a hedge, which then lit the low-hanging straw roof. Thinking about this has re-kindled my long-held intention to review some of the thatched homes of Steeple Ashton which have for various reasons been lost over the years. 1

2 The cruck-framed cottage in dark lane photographed some years prior to the blaze The only houses in the village to retain their thatch are Old Chesils in Dark Lane North, and The Three Tuns at the entrance to Silver Street. The others that were thatched have been re-roofed, lost to fire, or demolished. Numbers 1 and 3 Silver Street were the last in Steeple Ashton to have their thatch replaced with tiles, around & 3 Silver St. August 1973 Historically, many buildings in the village would have been protected by this ancient form of roof. Here, as in many other areas, straw was readily available, and cheaper than alternative materials such as stone tiles which would most likely have been sourced from the quarry at Bradford on Avon. 2

3 Across England, thatched roofs proved popular for centuries. However, as towns and cities went through periods of rapid growth, the ubiquity of this roof finish brought with it an obvious drawback: the increased potential for devastating fires. Writing in the Steeple Ashton Village History & Guide, retired County Archivist Ken Rogers mentions such a conflagration in our village during the early16 th -Century:... industrial growth [woollen industry] brought Steeple Ashton to a peak of prosperity about But about that year the village apparently suffered a severe fire... The fire probably took place in 1503, when we know from the court rolls that at least six houses were destroyed. The exact site of these houses has not been established. Nonetheless, it is highly probable that they were thatched; also, they would most likely have been timber-framed and situated quite closely together all of which would account for so many being lost in one blaze. The incident was a huge loss, and proved to be a major setback for the village; it never truly regained its pre-fire prosperity and status. Yet Steeple Ashton was not totally ruined by the fire. Thirty seven years after the blaze, the Tudor poet and antiquary John Leland visited, travelling from Devizes. He wrote of his visit here: From the Vies to Steple Assheton a 6. myles by champaine [by un-enclosed, open country], but frutefull grownde and good wood plenty in some places. It is a praty litle market towne, and hathe praty buyldinge [buildings]. It standithe muche by clothiers. There is in it a very fayre churche, buyldyd in the mynd of men now lyvynge [builded in the mind of men now living]. The spired steple of stone is very fayre and highe, and of that it is cawllyd Steple Asscheton. Those praty buyldinge that caught the attention of Leland 473 years ago some of which still stand today together, would have displayed many a thatched roof. Coupled with the grand presence of the 40-year-old church and its lofty spire, this would have presented an enchanting scene to the beholder. A pretty little market-town indeed. Come the mid-19 th -Century, Leland s praty litle market towne had moved on. The clothiers were no more, the steeple long-since gone, and some of those pretty buildings had doubtless disappeared too. By now, most of Steeple Ashton was roofed in tiles but a notable amount of the village was still thatched. A drawing of around 1850 looking south from the top of the church tower, shows at least 12 thatched properties within that field of view. A number of these were probably houses maintained and leased by the Long family of Rood Ashton (near West Ashton), who had their timber-yard and workshops in Acreshort Lane. They owned a large proportion of the village as part of the Rood Ashton Estate from around 1630 until 1930 (when it was sold and broken up after the death of Viscount W H Long). 3

4 Opposite Village Hall, early 19 th C. In 1899 The Squire (as he was then) Walter Hume Long, gave a pair of estate-owned thatched cottages in Church Street to be pulled down in order to provide a site for a Village Hall. Opposite these stood another, small thatched cottage (visible on a photo taken from the church tower soon after the Hall was built). Its fate is unknown, but it did not survive long into the 20 th -Century. Just around the corner, a further pair of thatched cottages once faced the church, in what is now the garden of 'Moorfield Farm'. These timber-framed, brick infilled homes caught fire one Saturday in Loose straw left over from thatching blew onto a bucket of hot ashes outside the rear of the building, rising up and igniting the lowhanging roof (my family were living in 'Moorfield Farm' at the time my father, aged 14, rushed home from the fields thinking his house was on fire!). Two paving-stones set in the cobbled path can still be seen where the front doors once were. 4

5 Opposite St. Mary's Church, 1926 Dark Lane North/Vicarage Lane date of photograph unknown On the corner of Dark Lane North and Vicarage Lane, a timber-framed thatched house survived until 1960 when it was knocked down, making way for a new Vicarage. In The Strand, a row of brick and stone thatched cottages existed three facing the road, and one facing the path to Vicarage Lane. By 1963 they were considered in dire need of modernisation, and were demolished in the October to provide a plot for a bungalow. 5

6 The Strand, around the mid-1950s Also during the 1960s, two ancient thatched farm houses were taken down. The timberframed, 'Rose Farm' stood at the junction of Sandpits Lane and the High Street. A bungalow called 'Roselands' now occupies the position of the old farm house, and another group of properties (accessed from Sandpits Lane) were constructed where the farm outbuildings used to stand. A similar building 'Griffin s' farm house was situated at the bottom of Common Hill, just past the turning to Trowbridge, on the right opposite the rank of cottages and set back from the road. Prior to its destruction, the property was in such a poor state of repair that its final occupants had to use a ladder to go upstairs! Rose Farm date of photograph unknown Thankfully, the July 1974 fire at the cruck-framed cottage in Dark Lane did not lead to its demolition. It was nevertheless a dramatic occurrence in the village, and one witnessed by a number of villagers. 6

7 Cruck-framed cottage ablaze in Dark Lane, July 9 th 1974 In August 1974, the 'Steeple Ashton and Great Hinton Newsletter' carried the following report on the blaze, written by its Editor Dennis Hobson: THE FIRE IN DARK LANE (July 9) Though the news is now well-known, this Newsletter must mention this loss to the character of the village of Steeple Ashton. The cottage was a Scheduled Building that is, one of special architectural interest; and though the famous cruck beams that is, ones carved out of single forks of trees and inverted to form the support of the roof ridge were said in The Wiltshire Times to be only slightly damaged, it looked more than this to me on the day after. 7

8 First, we express our sympathy to Mrs Joan Twiney, of Housecroft Farm, who owns the cottage and was brought up in it. A fire officer told me that the walls were very solid and had not been affected; so no doubt the cottage will be re-constructed. But a rebuilt place is never the same as an original one. I mentioned to the fire officer the tale that was circulating: that the firemen lost their way. He said that when the first firemen arrived they thought the smoke was rising from near the church, so turned down Church Street. The following engine meantime went into the wrong leg of Dark Lane. He said that there was only about a minute s delay and that even if they had not gone wrong they could not have saved the cottage. This delay emphasises once again that Dark Lane is an ambiguous road, in that it goes from near the village green, loops round into a footpath (after branching to another cul-de-sac also named Dark Lane in which the cottage is) and then resumes as a lane back to the High Street opposite Berrett s shop. There is frequent complaint by its residents that the numbering of houses in Dark Lane is chaotic, making it difficult to find particular houses. These difficulties have been mentioned on the Parish Council. Perhaps the fact of some delay in the arrival of fire engines caused by uncertainty of location could be used by the Parish Council (by recommending it to the District Council, if that is the responsible body) to secure a drastic revision in Dark Lane, such as re-naming two of its three parts (to Elliott Lane and Woodman Lane?). Just for the record: all the furniture and equipment was rescued, except for a bed and a wardrobe, which could not be dismantled in time. It was carried across the lane to the garage of Stoneleigh Cottage. The people who acted so promptly on this were Mr Stevens (tenant of the burnt cottage), Mr and Mrs Hodges, Mrs Armstrong and Mr Edwards (who all live nearby) plus some firemen. Mrs Fry (opposite) gave brandy and tea to Mr and Mrs Stevens, to help them over the shock, and tea and biscuits to the eleven firemen and one policeman; she also and Mr Stevens says he is very grateful for it calmed down and took in their frightened Alsatian. Mr Hodges has told me that he almost got the fire out in the thatch before the engines arrived, using his garden hose. Village WRVS members [Women's Royal Voluntary Service originally set up during World War II] were available to supply refreshments to the fire-fighters, if required; but the fire service sent a van with fish, chips and tea, as the men had missed their dinners. The chief officer however told the WRVS Organiser that cold drinks would be most welcome. A supply was therefore left for the firemen to help themselves; and they came, one by one, to rinse their blackened faces and hands and have a quick drink. A final word of warning to children: Mrs Guy Bagnall, watching the firemen at work, told her small boy "That's what could happen if you play with matches you lose all your toys." John and Sue Stevens wish to thank, via the Newsletter, all those who came and helped and in particular Arthur and Doris Hodges, Frank Edwards and Marjorie Fry. Editor The house was soon re-built and finished with a slate roof (the owner Joan Twiney had wanted to re-thatch her cottage, but the associated thatching and insurance costs proved prohibitive). The Dark Lane problems highlighted by Dennis Hobson were addressed in due course. The logical solution being, to identify each end by its location; and re-name them 8

9 Dark Lane North and Dark Lane South. The cul-de-sac where the cottage stands has since been part of Dark Lane North. Acknowledgements Bryan Berrett For additional information & the use of photos, many thanks to: Mary Ashby, Brent Hodges, Richard Matthews, Gloria Philpott, Louisa Pollard & Godfrey Smith. Sources Hobson, D. W. (1974), 'The Fire in Dark Lane (July 9)', in Steeple Ashton & Great Hinton Newsletter, (August 1974), p. 2. Leland, J. (1540) in Toulmin-Smith, L. (ed.), (1910), The Itinerary of John Leland In Or About The Years , Vol. 5, London: G. Bell & Sons Ltd. part 10, pp Rogers, K. (2008), Steeple Ashton Village History & Guide, Revised Edition, pp Smith, B. M. (1989), Our Wiltshire Village, Gloucester: Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd. pp