PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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'The Historical Residence Known as Widey Court' was offered for sale at the Royal Hotel, Plymouth, on Thursday August 4th 1921 in advance of the expiration of the lease on December 5th 1921. Owned by Mr John Yonge Anderson-Morshead, in whose family it had been for over 300 years, it was described as: 'Commanding a South aspect and a sheltered site at an elevation of about 330 feet above sea level standing in a beautifully timbered Miniature Park and approached by Two Carriage Drives about a mile long, guarded by Two picturesque Lodges, and embracing an area of about 53 acres 2 rods and 12 perches, Let as described in the Schedule hereunder at an Aggregate Rental of £339 0s 0d per annum, Exclusive of the annual value of the Woods, which are in hand'. Widey Court itself consisted of an outer hall, 24 feet by 15 feet; an inner hall; corridor; two conservatories, 24 feet 6 inches by 22 feet 6 inches and 22 feet by 13 feet 8 inches respectively; a drawing room, 29 feet 6 inches by 19 feet 8 inches; a dining room, 29 feet 6 inches by 19 feet 8 inches; a morning room, 16 feet 9 inches by 15 feet; a library, 18 feet 6 inches by 14 feet 6 inches; a billiard room with entrance from the library; cloak room; lavatory; WC; main and secondary staircases; servery; servants' hall; kitchen; scullery; larder; pantry; boot hole; store room; and a laundry comprising three rooms and servants' WCs. The first floor had eight bedrooms, three dressing rooms, a bathroom, a WC, day and night nurseries, housemaid's room and a linen room. On the attic floor were a further eight bedrooms, a box room and a store room. There were cellars in the basement for wine, coal and wood. In the grounds there were stables consisting of two loose boxes; a two-stall stable and loose box; a harness room with loft over; a large coach house; dog kennels; two stores; a WC and a dairy. There were also flower and vegetable gardens, a tennis lawn with a summer house, a rookery, and extensive woodland paths and walks 'amongst old-established woods of oak, beech and other trees'. Lot 1 comprised the whole of the 358 acre estate and included Daffodil Cottage, containing two rooms; Lower Lodge, a single-storey building of five rooms; and Higher Lodge, a two-storey lodge of five rooms. One interesting item in the sale brochure referred to the inclusion (at separate valuation) of the furniture in the King's Bed Chamber and Ante-Chamber. Lower Lodge was at that time let to a Mr H Taylor at a rent of £5 per annum. Daffodil Cottage was let to a Mr T Mason at an annual rental of £4. Widey Court, the garden and Higher Lodge were let to Miss Isabell Bulmer at a rental of £150 terminating on December 5th 1921. When Mr Arthur Manico of Messrs Woolland, Son, and Manico, the auctioneers, opened the sale he announced that Bowden Farm had been sold privately to Mrs Edith White, the tenant, in whose family it had been for many generations. Despite a large attendance, there were no bids for the whole estate. It was then offered less both Bowden and Coleridge Farms but there were no still bids. This was repeated when only the residence and grounds amounting to 53 acres was offered, eben though there was a potential income from rent of £339 per annum. Mr Manico expressed the hope that this might be purchased by Plymouth Corporation to add to its recreational areas. Next Higher Widey, a Georgian house, outbuildings, and 10 acres of pasture and orchard land, let at £90 per annum to Mr R R Stevenson, was offered with possession at Michaelmas. Bidding started at £1,000 and reached £2,050, when it was withdrawn from sale having failed to reach the vendor's reserve price of £2,150. Coleridge Barton, described as 'a well watered dairy farm of 135 acres' was then offered. It was at the time being let to the representatives of the the late Mr Edwin Hannaford at £329 15s, on alease of 10 years expiring on Lady-day 1922. It was suggested it would make a fine golf course for the Town. There were no bids. The 6-acre small holding of South Widey was sold to Mr Atwell for £1,100. Its aggregated annual income was stated to be £53 1s 6d. Two cottages and gardens, amounting to 12 perches, let at £12 per annum, were withdrawn at £175. The cottage and walled gardens and the tool house with about one acre of land let to Mr W G Chambers at £20 a year drew no offers. A similar fate befel a garage on the Crownhill main road, let to a Mr G A Parker at £10. An enclosure of rich pasture land and a cowhouse for a dozen cows, covering over 7 acres, was sold with possession at Michaelmass to Mr T W Gallop for £1,225. Bidding had started at £800. Three acres of accommodation pasture land at Crownhill, forming a valuable building site with extensive frontage on the main road, and a substantially built smithy, making an aggregate rental of £32 12s, was withdrawn at £700. Surprisingly, there was no offer for a further two acres of building and accommodation land. Anenclosure of rich pasture land and buildings, offering a sheltered and nicely timbered building site, with about 310 feet frontage on the Tavistock Road, was also withdrawn after receiving only one bid of £800. Bidding for the allotment gardens adjoining Higher Widey, covering over an acre, and realising an aggregate rental of £9 13s 4d, commenced at £100 and was finally knocked down to Mr S Hannaford for £250. The same gentleman purchased five acres of accommodation pasture land, which he was renrting for £34 18s 6d, for £700. Fourteen acres of rich pasture land, with a cowhouse for 31 cows, let at £80 6s, was withdrawn when bidding stopped at £1,700. Likewise, five acres of accommodation pasture land and buildings was withdrawn when bidding only reached £500. A similat fate befell another six acres, which at the time was being let to a Mr C E Lillicrap. A Mr Parsons purchased a three acre enclosure of accommodation pasture land for £475. The six remaining Lots, comprising enclosures of pasture land varying in size from three to fifteen acres, were withdrawn owing to the lack of any reasonable bids, or, indeed, any bids at all. Messrs Gilchrist and Bishop also assisted Messrs Wooland, Son, and Manico with the auction and the solicitors for the vendors were Messsrs Prance and Prance.
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