Ten years ago, we gave up living on a boat, our
Dicken's Class
50' ocean going vessel named
Mr Toots, and swapped her,
with a friend Richard Morris, for our flat, . Where are you now Richard?
I have often wondered where the name of the estate with 192 flats,
Norbiton Hall came from. Here is what I have found out.
The first clue obviously is that the estate is in the village or district
of the
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, called
Norbiton, south west of London, and within the M25
motorway.
Another clue is a blue plaque on the outer wall of the flats
which says:-
HERE FORMALLY STOOD NORBITON
HALL
BUILT IN THE 16TH CENTURY ON LOVEKYN'S CHAPEL LAND
IT HAS BEEN THE RESIDENCE OF
RICHARD TAVERNER
GEORGE EVELYN
MR ANTONY BENN
THE COUNTESS OF LIVERPOOL
AMONG OTHERS
I decided to research in the library and museum. What was here before
these flats?
The first records I found for Norbiton was for 1174 when Henry II
bestowed the Manor of North Barton to the Knights of Anjou. The word
Barton I suspect being derived from the Saxon word beartun, meaning to
store grain.
In
1309 Edward Lovekyn founded Lovekyn Chapel, still standing and in use
opposite the end of Old London Road, and standing in the grounds of Tiffins
Grammar School, at the start of London Road. It is said that most of the
lands in the area belonged to Lovekyn at that time.
The plaque on the wall of the chapel says :-
"The Lovekyn Chapel founded 1309 by Edward Lovekyn bailiff and member
of the butchers' company of Kingston: rebuilt and re-endowed 1352 by John
Lovekyn stock-fishmonger and Alderman and four times Lord Mayor of London:
confiscated to the Crown 1535 granted to the Kingston Grammar School 1561
by Queen Elizabeth."
There is mentioned that in 1532 a certain Mr Erasmus Ford who owned the
land, complained bitterly to King Henry VIII, as some of King's men had
cut down 35 prime elms, it is presupposed to help built Hampton Court,
which is not far away from Norbiton and Kingston, up the River Thames.
The Evelyn family in 1588 used the property to store and make
gunpowder.
What building existed then could not be found, but there is reference of a
building in 1631 as being newly built in brick and had 13 hearths.
There is mention of the Jenkinson family owning Norbiton Hall in 1681 when
major renovation and alteration was undertaken, saying that 43 persons
could be comfortable sat for diner.
There were two large estates in the area, the one I researched Norbiton
Hall, and the other which should not be confused with the Hall, which was
Norbiton House or Place, the two estates divided by the London Road. Both
areas prior to the 19th century being primarily agricultural land.
Norbiton Hall's grounds were to the north of London Road, the road was
said prior to adoption by the local authority a difficult place to
negotiate, as carts would become stuck for hours from the resultant mud
and ruts after rain.
Norbiton House or Place was to the south of London Road, bordered by
Cambridge and Coombe Roads. The house and grounds were palatial, with the
owner a rich merchant, a Mr Pallmer, trading in the West Indies, spending
most of his money on the estate, eventually becoming bankrupt. He would
open the grounds for the public to enjoy at weekends. The house was of
more grandeur than the buildings at Norbiton Hall, having 23 hearths.
Opposite
Norbiton Hall is St Peters Church, which was built in 1842 by Gilbert
Scott in the Norman Style.
It was at this time that big changes started to occur in the area. By 1838
the Enclosure Commissioners alloted land from Norbiton Hall for
development, and with the introduction of the railway line to Kingston and
Maldon, the Norbiton Hall estate was split into two and got smaller. By
1873 there was only 12 acres left, and in 1882-4 the then owner drove a
road though the estate calling it Birkenhead Avenue, named after the
families favourite town. Land was sold in small plots to build houses
adjoining the new Avenue.
In 1829 the estate was purchased by Mary, Countess of Liverpool, and
her cousin Robert Jenkinson who was Lieutenant of Dover Castle, a well to
do man, and was known as the squire. He died in the mid 1850s. The
Countess died 1846. Lord Liverpool who died a year before the purchase was
Prime Minister for 15 years, and was responsible for the erection of
Kingston Bridge, the first stone being laid 1825 and opened 1828,
replacing an earlier bridge which was documented crossing the Thames since
1219.
Norbiton Hall was acquired from John Guy 1864 by William Hardman, for
8000 guineas, he was to become Mayor of Kingston, magistrate and recorder,
and was knighted in 1885. As a justice he had rooms in the hall which he
used to hear cases against local villains on a daily basis.
In 1884 Norbiton Hall was advertised for sale with 4 servants bedrooms,
5 best bedrooms, dressing and bathroom, drawing dining morning and
billiard room, library breakfast room. But the grounds were only 2 acres
left and sold in lots.
A Mr E J Cave live in the house for an annual rent of £200, and in
1884 brought the house for £3500, but it went into a long decline.
In 1933 a planning application was submitted for the land to be to
become a dog racing track but was rejected by council, and subsequently by
the government on appeal. Soon after the hall was demolished to make way
for the 192 to flats as we see them today.
The
back of Norbiton Hall, in Birkenhead Avenue.
Todays Norbiton Hall. Note the Post Box
Same
position about 1925 with post box and tram lines
Front of
Norbiton Hall c. 1930
Norbiton
Hall c. 1930
Old Photographs Copyright R.H.Byran
Reproduced with permission and fee from
Kingston Museum April 2007
