The Tudor Cottage at Northbrook in 1984 - a photo at Market Lavington Museum
Just how can one explain the fact that this delightful cottage was knocked down in the mid 1980s. Surely vandalism of this kind was something that happened in the brave new world of the 1960s. But sadly it was the fate of this little structure to be bulldozed into nothingness.
Our curator recalls that as he walked to work one morning he noted a JCB parked by the cottage – which had been empty for some time. When he returned in the evening, the cottage was no more. But he also goes on to say that the cottage was fairly derelict, had no proper foundations and offered little scope to make it a home suited for people to live in during those last years of the twentieth century.
The house looks to have had a very steeply pitched roof. So probably, in its day, it was thatched but it still looked good under its newer cover of flat pantiles, a year before it vanished.
This cottage was situated by the Northbrook dipping well. That still exists, being a part of the land surrounding the modern house which replaced the old Tudor one.
Some locals referred to the old house as ‘The Noddy House’. The footpath alongside the stream is still called, by some, The Noddy Path. Presumably such names date from after the time of Enid Blyton.
We think the photo below is of 1950s vintage. It shows the Tudor Cottage in its setting. The terrace on the right still exists but the cottage in front of the old Tudor one was demolished by 1976.
The Tudor cottage in its Northbrook setting in the 1950s
The Tudor cottage behind another long-gone cottage on Northbrook, Market Lavington
An enlargement makes it clear that the old cottage was under a tiled roof, back in the 50s..
Tags: house, Market Lavington, Museum, Tudor
Market Lavington Museum 
November 19, 2011 at 6:30 am |
[…] Then we featured a couple of pictures – one from the 1950s and one from the 1980s. You can click here to see that account of the sad end of this […]
January 23, 2012 at 7:30 am |
I have a picture of this cottage with the thatched roof.
January 23, 2012 at 7:37 am |
I’d be delighted if you could email me a copy – as large as possible on curator@marketlavingtonmuseum.org.uk
Thanks
Rog
June 21, 2012 at 12:54 pm |
I believe the cottage was once the property of my fathers uncle Tom, her brother (my nan) lived directly opposite in the bungalow (meadowsyde). I cant say I remember the tor cottage, but my nan and father remeber it well.
Danny Morris
June 21, 2012 at 1:16 pm |
That would be Tommy Burden. It would be lovely to be able to talk to your Dad or Najn about him and the Northbrook scene.
Meadowsyde has been much altered in recent years, but it is still there.
Cheers
Rog (Curator)
June 30, 2012 at 7:33 pm |
I cannot recall Toms surname but believe this to be correct. I can recall a tale where the Tudor property was due to be demolished after Tom passing away and my nan (Vera Morris) trying to locate the deeds to save it. I have a lot of fond memories of Meadowsyde and spent many of my summer holidays there playing by the brook.
Unfortunatly both Vic and Vera Morris have since passed away but will mention this to my father who may be able to provide more information for you.
August 17, 2019 at 2:45 pm |
Tom and Marie Burden were born in that old cottage and lived there for many years. They were brother and sister. Tom lived there with his wife Joan until his death. The cottage was sold by his wife.
Tom was a driver for the council.
My mother and father lived in the bungalow Meadowsyde opposite. Victor and Vera Morris. Tom Burden was Victor Morris’s uncle.
October 20, 2019 at 4:12 am |
Hello Tony, you would know me by the name of Joan Morris, I’m Bill Morris’ daughter (your cousin). My dad told me that when he was only 11 years old, he went to live with his grandparents in this cottage and stayed there until he went to war.