The Mills
Lockerley Mill – also known as Ford Mill - and Holbury Mill are amongst Lockerley’s listed buildings. Holbury Mill has been the site of a mill for nearly 1000 years and is referenced in the Domesday Book. When it was last in use the undershot wheel was fed from a large mill pond fed by the Dun. The current building is much younger than that and there is no working machinery remaining. The mill pond and its feeding leet form part of Holbury Trout fishery. The Ford mill still provides the rush of water beneath the house though there is no working machinery there either but management of the water levels is an important responsibility that requires constant surveillance of the water levels and adjustment of the sluices. Go to Top
East Tytherley Hall
Just south of the present church at East Tytherley was located East Tytherley Hall. This building was probably erected in the 17th century on the site of an earlier mansion. It fell heavily into disrepair and it was demolished in 1903. Photos just prior to its demolition show that it had some elaborate french plasterwork. Some of its materials may have found their way into the present Lockerley Hall much before this time and the staircase appears to have been sold a long time before demolition to a purchaser in Gloucestershire. Almost no trace of this buiilding exists above ground but its outline is visible in the ground works south of the present church and its graveyard. Some of the area has recently been adapted as a children's play area and this came into use in 2010. Go to Top
Queen(s)wood
Just as vanished is Harmony Hall in Queenwood - also known as Queenswood - built around 1838 by the Quaker movement and designed by the architect of Birmingham City Hall. It was, for a time a school which, for the princely annual fee of 65£, undertook to teach its pupils the rudiments of arithmetic, Euclidean geometry, planes and conic sections. They don't do that in school these days ... sadly. The front page of the New Moral World: A Gazette of the Rational Society no 29 Vol IV dated Saturday 14 January 1843 carries a glowing report by visitors to the hall. It seems that Harmony Hall became bankrupt not long after this date and it was sold and renamed Queenswood Hall. The building was completely gutted by fire before the end of the 19th century and perhaps a line of trees which might have marked its entrance drive is all that exists. Go to Top
Rolle House
We should record here the benign acts of the Rolle family in the 1700s - Rolle House is a Grade 1 listed building opposite the layby in which East Tytherley'sdecaying village hall is located. The hose is still lieted as School House on the 1872 Ordnance Survey map. The lasting effect of Sarah Rolle was the establishment of a trust to enable six boys and six girls to attend school. Part of the trust income came from the rental of School Farm though this has long since been sold. The trust still operates and notices of the timing for the application of its bursaries appears in the Parish Monthly Newsletter. The current application form is available here. Go to Top
Lockerley Hall
Lockerley Hall was built 1839 - records of earlier buildings on the site exist from 1496 - funded by the fortunes of the Dalgety family who operated a large business in flour at the time. The Dalgety family funded the establishment of the original Lockerley and East Dean Memorial village hall and the rebuilding of the current Lockerley church.
Dating from around this time - the 15th century - is School Farm house whose core is a Wealden type house which has long since been provided with a brick façade as was the fashion in the 1700s. Go to Top
The Black Horse
Parts of this collection of buildings are dating from the mid 1600s. This is the Black Horse public house in West Tytherley. The present building apparently combines a number of earlier buildings. The fireplace surround was rescued from the original Norman Court building when that we demolished. The present building at Norman Court is now a preparatory school. Go to Top
Critchells Green and other old buildings
The old farmhouse and the barn on stone blocks on Critchells Green dates from the 17th century.
Spring Cottage – aptly named as it located near a spring – was originally a pair of cottages which dated from the 16th century. They were damaged badly in a fire in 1966 and have since been restored and now heavily altered.
Cromwells was also a fine timber framed thatched cottage standing on the edge of Lockerley Green opposite the remaining timber framed house. Cromwells burnt down in the 1980s and has since been totally rebuilt using a sympathetic half timbered style.
The Old Smithy on Butts green is said to date from the 18th century as are two half timbered and thatched semi-detached cottages in The Street. Critchells Cottage - almost directly opposite the garage - may have timbers dating to the 15th century.
The Kings Arms was a public house but reverted to a private dwelling in 2016 is also located in The Street. It dates from the 18th century. Critchells House itself is set well back from the road and looks to be a mid 1800's building.
The Kings Arms is itself a listed building though it has ceased to be a public house. Visitors to West Dean my notice the sign for the Red Lion public house which has an interesting feature. The country boundary between Wiltshire and Hampshire passed through the public bar area. There was an era - well inside living memory, when the opening and closing times of public in different counties varied. It required drinkers to move a fraction of a metre to continue to drink legally.
There are timbers in one of the houses on Butts Green (the author knows which house) which have been dated to ca 1370. The house itself has witnessed rebuilding over the centuries.
The old signalling station, Telegraph House, dates from 1826 but it has since been extensively modified.
The mill at Dunbridge was steam powered but suffered a major fire in the early evening of 27 October 1939. The mill was operated by the Aylward family who also owned a number of properties in Lockerley. The mill was a major employer in the area at the time and the fire resulted in the loss of some 20 jobs. These days the Mill Arms remains as a hostelry but this too has been subject to the changes in the way that public houses are frequented and we can but hope that it will remain open despite viral scares. Go to Top