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Heathwood Lodge, Dartford Heath
HEATHWOOD LODGE
(Desperately seeking any images / partial images of this building - if you have any please E Mail the Maypolehistory team at maypoleontheweb@aol.com)
Heathwood Lodge once stood in the middle of where the new A2 now runs. It was situated on the high ridge of 'Walkers Wood', between the valley of the Dell and the next valley once referred to by the older residents of the estate as the 'Second Valley' (Desperately seeking any images / partial images of this building - if you have any please E Mail the Maypolehistory team at maypoleontheweb@aol.com)
There are three distinguishable valleys running like fingers, horizontally between the Maypole Estate and the old A2. These were referred to as such by local children in the 20s viz.: (Disregarding the valley that lay within the private lands of Maypole House) the Dell was the first, the next (within the private grounds of Heathwood Lodge) the second and the third (adjacent to the old A2) became latterly known to local children, including myself, (c 1960) as the 'Paddock'. Records show that before and, perhaps in the early days of the estate, this last valley was known as 'Wolfes Glen'. In the 18th Century if one stood where Denton Road now is and looked into Wolfes Glen towards Bexley there would have been an uninterrupted view along that valley to Hall Place.
As stated, Heathwood Lodge was situated at the top of the natural ridge in Walkers Wood, with the rear facing towards the direction of Hall Place, Bexley. It had its own long and quite sandy lane that ran from Denton Road at its junction with where The Dell is now, North westerly towards the direction of Hall Place. The lane was probably about half a mile long and wide enough to take a horse and cart or, as in later years, a lorry. Personally, I can only just remember the house - and as being in a state of ruin. As a young boy in the early 60s I remember being warned by my parents not to enter the deserted, dilapidated and dangerous structure. When I went in - as I was bound to do - it was as described by them. It was probably last inhabited in the mid 1950s. There is no record in the Voters Register of 1958 of this building or register of inhabitants.
The house itself, I remember, was a substantial Victorian detached country residence surrounded by wooded gardens that contained many of the obligatory Victorian rhododendron bushes, so fashionable in those times. Some still remain. I believe that the majority of 'Walkers Wood' belonged to Heathwood Lodge. I remember there was also an orchard to the North of the house (In the Second Valley) containing apple, pear and plum trees. In the 1960s, although the trees were, by then, very much abandoned, I remember picking the fruit. Near to the main house, to the North West, were stables and a small cottage. This cottage presumably housed the groom / gardener / handyman employed by the occupants of the larger house.
Left above OS Map 1890 showing Heathwood Lodge and right above with A2 built c1969-1971 superimposed
in blue
The lands of HEATHWOOD LODGE - being in Walkers Wood - once formed part of the Baldwyns Estate until c1874 -1876. The Ordnance Survey map of 1876 shows that there were no buildings erected on the site at that time. The Electoral Register of 1887 shows the premises occupied. This dates the building to somewhere between c1876 and c1887. The first known residents I have found recorded are the HESKETHs. Everard HESKETH was the head of the family and was known as a prominent civil engineer by trade. HESKETH PARK in East Dartford was named after him. The Census of 1891 names the staff employed at the house under the employment of Everard HESKETH - then aged 37 yrs. There was Clara BENHAM, aged 34 yrs (the married cook) who shared her duties with Jessie LICKFIELD who was aged 29 yrs and single. Mary MITCHELL, a single 30 yr. old, was the housemaid. The same register shows that there were 8 persons there on the night of the census.
Everard Hesketh
The Census of 1891 is listed in such a way as to indicate that Heathwood Lodge was the smaller cottage referred to earlier as being within the grounds of Heathwood. The head of this family at the time is shown as being Edward FULLER aged 35 yrs and employed as the head gardener. He was married to Ellen aged 37 yrs and they were the parents of Kate and Edith aged 11 yrs and 12 yrs respectively. It appears that Heathwood later became known as Heathwood Lodge and the old Heathwood Lodge then became known as Heathwood Cottage. This appears to have occurred after 1911 as the Electoral Register of 1900 and 'KELLY'S REGISTER' of 1911 still show the names as still being the former. However the Electoral Register of 1937 names the buildings as they were later to become known.
Following on from the HESKETH family the next known occupant to be shown on my records relates to a Rev Charles WRIGHT - as on the Electoral Register of 1900. He was still there in 1911. There is no mention of any other person living there during his occupancy so it may possibly be assumed that he was not married. The late Joyce SMITH nee BEARCROFT, a previous resident of the Estate recalls that her aunt - her mothers sister - Charlotte GEORGE was employed as a cook at the house c. 1901. The GEORGE family lived at 28 Baldwyns Road at the time. She would have been employed by the occupant, as mentioned above, at the time - the Rev Charles WRIGHT.
The Electoral Register of 1937 then show the names of the houses as changed and the occupants as being the JAMES family. It appears the family still had an interest in the place in 1945 - along with another couple - Alice and James WAINER. A previous resident of the Maypole Estate - Mr Phillip RUMBELOW - remembers as a boy, having 'tea' at Heathwood - the home of Captain JAMES c1939. Mr RUMBELOW states that he attended Eltham College along with the son of Captain JAMES - Colin? He remembers being greeted in the porch area by a large and noisy parrot. The large house was finally knocked down c 1962 to make way for the new A2, eventually being built in 1970.
So far, the only occupants apart from the Fuller's that I have found living in the cottage were George and Susan WHITEHEAD. He is shown in the Electoral Register as being there until its destruction in 1968. I remember him as a gentle, silver haired, rather short man who always rode a bicycle and constantly wore a green beret. It appears that he was an avid cyclist in his younger days.
I remember as a teenager in 1967 going into his empty, derelict house. I retrieved from the loft of the cottage some unopened ‘Cycling Touring Club’ magazines that had been posted to him at that address, still sealed in envelopes and never read. The post marks date back to 1926 or so. I still have them. This indicates his occupancy from at least 1926 to 1967. Susan WHITEHEAD is shown in the voters register of 1958 but not, as is her husband, in that of 1968. The electoral register of 1937 shows the JAMES family as being in residence at the large house. There was Harold, Gwendoline, Hilda, Marjorie and Walter. The electoral register of 1945 shows multi occupancy. There were Ada and Francis COLE, James and Alice WAINER, and Margaret DAVIES. Hilda JAMES still lived there. This is the last record I have of the large house being occupied.
Below - original contemporary sketches by Maypoleman as a 14 yr old of Heathwood Cottage summer 1967
During my study of the area I have often considered how strange and sad it is that the larger, and more elegant houses only had a lifespan of some 80 years or so. The more humble terraced houses of the Maypole Estate still remain (after over 100yrs of occupancy) intact and very much alive and in use. Popular now for first-time buyers and were valued in the region of £200,000 upwards, until the recent downturn.
Maypoleman |
Latest page update: made by Maypoleman
, Jan 21 2009, 5:31 PM EST
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Keyword tags:
charles wright
Dell
Heathwood
Heathwood Lodge
Hesketh
Whitehead
Wolfes Glen
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| Maypoleman | Heathwood - fromSheila HOULTON | 7 | Jul 14 2008, 6:48 PM EDT by masey | ||
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Thread started: Mar 12 2008, 6:29 PM EDT
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Dear Maypoleman,
I have just posted a message but don't know where it's gone to, about Heathwood House, locally known as Captain James House. It concerns a memory of my sister Barbara Houlton who says she ran up there one day, aged about 6 or 7 (may have been younger) when it was announced that a film crew were up there, making a film called The Dover Road. There was a stagecoach drawing up to the old house. Barbara fell over and grazed her knees and developed gravel rash. This was attended to by Mr. Windmill, a male nurse from Bexley, who lived opposite us in Heathend Road. We both remember the Whiteheads. Little folk, they were (and I'm not tall!) and he rode a bike. There was a lady from Beaconsfield Road who used to go to the Big House to clean. She wore a cream-coloured raincoat and a scarf over her head. She was, I am sure, ginger-haired. Any recollections anyone?
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Keyword tags:
charles wright
Dell
Heathwood
Heathwood Lodge
Hesketh
Whitehead
Wolfes Glen
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